Episode 63: Is Solar right for you? Solar Savings, Batteries, and Smarter Home Energy

Solar is no longer just a door-knocker pitch or a distant future idea. In this episode of Between Two Doors, Nate Carver sits down with Daniel Lynch, co-founder of SolarLink, to talk through what homeowners should understand before choosing solar: roof condition, utility rules, battery storage, financing structures, insurance, and the difference between older solar loans and newer subscription-style options.

Daniel brings a clear, homeowner-first perspective to a topic that often gets buried under sales pressure and confusing claims. He explains when solar may make sense, when it may not, and why every family should understand its electricity costs before making a long-term home decision. Between Two Doors helps homeowners and real estate professionals ask better questions before they walk through the next door.

Do you own a home and want to find out if solar is right for you?  Click this link:  https://portal.solarlinkpro.com/refer/nate-carver

Do you have commercial property and want to look at going solar?  Click this link:  https://portal.solarlinkpro.com/commercial/nate-carver

Realtors, your past clients may be interested in solar.  Find out how this could be a value ad to your business:  https://portal.solarlinkpro.com/join/nate-carver
Disclaimer:
The information is intended to be viewed for informational purposes only. The content contained herein is not guaranteed or endorsed by the company or any company mentioned, nor is this content meant to be an offer of credit. The information contained in this video may not be wholly or at all applicable to every situation or jurisdiction. You are strongly encouraged to consult your professional mortgage advisor before acting upon any information in this video. The information provided is for use as a training tool only.

Creators and Guests

Host

Nate Carver

Your favorite mortgage guy

Guest

Daniel Lynch

Daniel Lynch is an eight-year solar industry professional and co-founder of SolarLink, a platform built to simplify solar for everyday homeowners. After seeing families confused by high-pressure sales tactics, complicated financing, and misinformation around solar, Daniel has focused his work on making home energy decisions clearer, more practical, and more future-focused. Through SolarLink, he helps homeowners understand solar, batteries, utility rules, and payment options so they can make confident decisions about their home and monthly energy costs.

Producer

Stan Carver II

Stan Carver II is the producer behind his brother Nate Carver’s Between Two Doors podcast, bringing a blend of marketing savvy, technical craftsmanship, and video-editing polish to help each episode shine. As third-generation real estate investors, Stan and Nate share more than a family bond—they’ve rolled up their sleeves together renovating dilapidated properties, learning firsthand what it takes to turn potential into value. That shared experience fuels their on-air chemistry and off-air collaboration, with a brotherly camaraderie that’s equal parts hard work and genuine fun. For Stan, it’s a joy to support his Favorite Mortgage Guy's vision—translating great conversations into professional, compelling content that helps their audience make smarter moves in real estate and homeownership.

What is Between Two Doors?

Between Two Doors is a unique exploration of the real estate world through the eyes of its most fascinating professionals. Hosted by Nate Carver, a seasoned mortgage expert, and proud veteran, this podcast dives deep into the personal journeys of realtors, offering listeners insider perspectives on the challenges, successes, and the little-known stories behind the sale signs.

From first-time buyers to seasoned investors, Between Two Doors provides valuable insights, tips, and tales that illuminate the real estate industry in a whole new light. Sponsored by Success Mortgage Partners, we're here to inspire, educate, and empower our listeners with stories of perseverance, innovation, and success.

Join Nate as he bridges the gap between real estate professionals and enthusiasts, exploring what it takes to thrive in this dynamic industry. Whether you're seeking advice, inspiration, or just a good story, "Between Two Doors" has a place for you.

All right.

You've seen them everywhere,
and they're popping up on rooftops.

Everywhere. Solar panels.
What is it to you?

What can that mean
to your monthly budget?

And how do you get there on your brand
new home that you just bought?

Today we are talking to co-founder

of Solar Link, Daniel Lynch.

Hey, I'm Nate Carver and welcome

to Between Two Doors.

Welcome to the between $2 podcast.

Excited to be here.

Thank you for the invite.

Awesome.

Well, Daniel, be this will be a fun one.

I get this question a lot.

When we're writing loans
and and we're finding out

if a property has solar panels on it
or not, or if a buyer is

or a homeowner
now is, is interested in and,

bringing some significant
relief to, their monthly bills.

Solar panels, the technology is there.

And so, like, it's there now, we used to
we had to wait and wait and wait and,

you got some great stuff to tell us.

Can I ask you a bunch of questions
on this for our audience?

And so here, the first one
right off the back,

I want to get everybody
to get to know who you are.

And, a little bit about you.

Tell me,
you know, a little bit about your journey

and how did you end up
getting into the solar panel industry?

Nate, I appreciate you inviting me on
the the solar industry.

I've been in here in the industry

for almost eight years now,
and I've just seen, kind of

like the average American mindset,
essentially kind of begin

to more for a lot of people
used to think solar was super expensive.

They were they they they had this belief
that it does make sense eventually.

And so I'll wait until the perfect time
to pull the trigger.

And so a lot of things have changed
with these lenders that allow families

to benefit from solar day one

under the terms of their roof,
getting a lot of sun.

And, and then them having

a financially like good history.

And so I got into this space
because electricity literally

relates to everybody.

It is the only time we really need
it is whenever we don't have it.

And so there's been this, this phenomena

where people are realizing
how important electricity is.

A lot of families have generators
and things,

but it's really become
an interesting part,

to getting mortgages
and managing finances

and just knowing how the economy
and the landscape has changed.

And so I'm excited to be here on the
the podcast with you,

and I'm looking forward to sharing value
from what the pros are,

what the cons are, when is a perfect fit
and when is it maybe something to avoid?

All right, all right.

We're going to jump in dive
deep into that.

So, was there a specific moment
when you realized in the solar industry

that it needed some more honesty
or transparency?

Yeah, lots of door to door

guys out there,
and there's a legitimate need for it.

So there has been there's been moments
in my career where I've noticed that

people have been told all of the upsides,
and no one really shares

the potential things to look out
for when considering solar.

And so there's definitely,
a checklist and a series of questions

I believe every homeowner should go
through, and understanding

and learning solar and whether their home
is a good fit for it.

And so I definitely recommend,

yeah, just,
grabbing a checklist during this podcast,

listening, writing some notes down
and being willing to, like,

make sure that your home is in fact,
a good seller.

Okay, what might have been some things

that had caused confusion in the past
when people are considering solar?

Realistically, I mean, sometimes
when you're

when a solar guy or girl is out knocking,
like they're really just trying

regardless,
even if your roof was super old

and your house was built in the 40s
and you need

maybe some electrical work on your home,
there's instances where people will sit

or installation companies
will just put panels on your roof.

They don't really care how old your roof
is or what condition it's in.

And so you certainly want to make sure
that,

you are aware
how much electricity your home uses.

And for example,
if your wife were pregnant with triplets

and you knew
you were going to be expanding

your household
and next year, next month, tomorrow,

you going to be getting
an electric vehicle, and you had plans

for a swimming pool in the back
because you just purchased this home.

They're like, those are great things
to share with your solar advisor,

as you're looking into it so that you can
think about what future needs.

What are your demands?

Do you work from home, or are you,
what are the rules

with your utility company?

And so it's good
to have somebody in your corner.

That,
of course, wants to get you the product,

but of course, needs to be able
to articulate

what your utilities rules are.

Do they pay you for the extra energy
that you produce?

Is your roof in good condition?

And you need to, to think

about these things
before you just sign up for a cheaper bill

and a lot of the door to door
guys they've created, a sense of, like.

Well, just go ahead. It makes sense.

Just go ahead and do it.

And a lot of homeowners,
they have that like,

I know it makes sense,
but what about blank?

And so that's the good part.

That's that's where people really find
some pieces when they look into it.

The more you look into it, the better
it usually gets.

You just got to do your due diligence.

Right? Is there
when you first meet homeowners?

Is there is there

one thing that stands out that's possibly
the biggest misconception on solar?

Yeah, most

people really think like the overwhelming
majority of Americans

think like, man, I just don't know
if I'm going to live in this house

long enough to benefit from this

because 2017 and under,

like all the way down to the year 2000,
it required a down payment.

You had to be fiscally responsible,
maybe put 10 to 20% down.

And so you would like,
did this like algorithm

of like a spreadsheet
to see if it pays for itself.

And what's fascinating,
and one of the reasons that I'm so

passionate about this industry
now is that as long as someone on

title of the House is above, like a 650,
they can have it installed and structure

a payment plan or a subscription

to where it offsets trades the money
from your current electric bill,

and oftentimes is more affordable

than what you're already paying
to the electric company.

So it's not free.

Like sometimes ads and stuff look online.

It is structured in a way
that's literally less every month,

every year than you're already
paying to the energy company.

So it does make it
relatively easy to say yes to.

But people still have questions.

So a lot of homeowners are like, man,
I just like they have this resistance

when I meet with them

because they're under the presumption
that it's

going to make sense in like three years,
or my bill is not that big.

And and like, there they,
they feel like it's a big deal to go solar

when the reality is,

as a mortgage loan officer,
when you think about renting an apartment

for 30 years, that's a big deal, because
that could have been a 30 year mortgage.

Now you own the thing.

And so that same attitude
we apply towards electricity

because panels are way
good beyond 25 years. Now.

The equipment like you said
earlier, has come a long way.

Wow. Okay.

So let's talk about numbers
or talk directly to homeowners.

And I'm going to bring this way down.

I'm going to start off simple.

And I don't know I mean I,
I know things that are probably wrong.

So from who knows
almost nothing about solar,

how does a residential solar
actually work?

And it's yeah.

If you're thinking through the mind,
everyone naturally will think

through their own mind,
their own scenario, their own outcome.

And so anyone listening to this podcast,
I challenge you to to think about it

like this.

Every home in America
is going to need electricity

for at least the next 30 to 4050,
I would argue way more years than that.

And so, you every utility company,

local cooperative, like in the DFW area,

a lot of that area is Oncor,

and which means it's like a deregulated.

It's kind of like a state owned,
utility system.

And then they have small utilities
outside the DFW metroplex

and Dallas-Fort worth, where
there are like local, like,

utilities owned by the public,

and called a co-op.

And so every, every utility,
every commission votes

every maybe three, 4 or 5, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten years

on what the rules are for,
how much, how friendly they are to solar,

some utilities,
for example, out in California,

they used to pay you
a ton for your electricity.

Now they don't pay you anything
which reverts homeowners

to having to get storage
so you can produce the power.

The grid says
we ain't like these utility companies,

so we're not giving you any credit
for all that. Why?

Because we want the credit.

And so they'll take your neighbor.

They'll they'll sell that electricity
to neighbors.

And so in markets like California

and, and, and in certain markets in Texas,

we use batteries to the
we panels to collect the energy.

Then you have to store it somewhere.

You either store it on
the grid and sell back electricity.

Every utility is different
or based on your utility.

And we help you navigate this,
but is understand?

Okay, if your utility is friendly,
then you don't need a battery.

If it's not friendly
and they're just charging you a lot,

then you're going to want to kill
two birds with one stone

and get like the silent generator,
the Tesla battery to, like, store

that power
and give you an off grid experience

where you're not needing
to be connected to anybody.

In case of

an emergency, you'll always stay connected
to everyone.

And solar in America
stays with the utility company.

Even with solar, even with batteries,
they stay there as, like a reserve backup.

You never go off grid.

You can,
but you always stay connected to the grid.

Because that's just.

That's how they set it up.

State to state.

So what is the homeowner

paying for on their actual electric bill

each month?

Good question.

Again, every utility slightly different,
but it's usually just the meter fee.

For example, with with Dallas,
like with Oncor,

for example,
it's usually like 10 to 15 bucks a month.

And that's just for the meter
that's on the side of the house already.

It's like so like you need that in case,
God forbid, it was cloudy, dark.

The sun never came out.

And like you would,
you wouldn't want to lose electricity.

You always stay connected to the grid.

And so but, you'll always pay

at least a base fee,
which is 10 to 20 bucks a month.

Okay.

And,

so are they essentially,
are they renting power off

the electric grid versus
solar or solar panels?

Is that

a good way to

think about that? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

In the form of, consumerism.

You're either
producing electricity on your land

or you're consuming it
and getting it from maybe

200 miles away, shipped
instantaneously through power lines.

But either way, at the end of the month,
there's a cost.

There's a fee, there's something there.

And so a lot of families in certain
instances are able to say, hey,

I get a lot of sunshine on my land
or on my house or on my roof.

I want to work with a good solar installer
to put 29 panels

or 48 panels on my roof
and net zero my bill.

And then just like,
there's different structures

you can do, a solar loan
where you take out a loan

and buy all the equipment at once
and have a payment.

You can pay for all of the system

cash, like with a check,
and then you have no payments.

And you've invested into your home.

And then the third root has become
the most popular night.

And that's what they call solar
subscriptions, where these really large,

financial institutions
will buy the panels for you,

and they'll put them on your roof
at no cost to you,

and then you get a reduced price
of electricity indefinitely.

And so as well.

And then you make it,
you make a payment to them.

It's not a line.

It's not a loan doesn't affect
your and your debt to income ratio.

It's a really easy way to say yes.

And the only alternative is to say no.

I don't really like payments.

I don't like, paying for things monthly,
but they're already paying

for electric monthly anyway.

So that's really shifted the market
because it's really easy to say yes

to a solar lease.

Now, understanding
how much you're already paying each year

and that solar can,
without taking any money out of one's

pocket,
can save you every month instantly.

So I imagine the solar technologies

just leaps and bounds year over year
improving.

What would you say
were the biggest improvements?

I don't know, I'd say maybe ten years ago
to where we are today.

The panel production,

like each panel's been able to produce,
around

like 20 to 30% more than it used to
in the last ten years.

But the world's attention right now
is really focused on collecting.

We figured out how to capture it,
but now we'll figure out how do we

how do we store it
so that AI and these insane

things that are going on in society
right now, the price of AI is driving up

electricity in every market silently,
and we haven't even seen

the tip of the iceberg yet.
Like it really.

It's, it's a big shift

that's coming in the next 3 to 5 years.

That is,
it's a it's a necessity for every home.

So they're going to make their money.

Wow. Yeah.

And I think I don't know of any scenario
with solar where that

I the, the saving is it's significant
to where you would look at that and go,

I think I'll stay with my electrical bill,
you know, that's going to go up.

I mean, it's going up.

Okay.

Tell me about the batteries.

This.
I don't know anything about the batteries.

I've seen a Tesla battery on a wall.

One time I was like, what am I looking at?

This, I always thought was a game changer
for for residential homes.

Because not not only are you making power

now, you got a place for it.

How long is there?

How long can you run off that battery?

Is that the right question?

I don't know anything about batteries.
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, batteries are a lot
like our cell phones.

For example, if that electricity went out,
let's, let's let's go.

Let's let's get radical for a second.

Let's say
there was a national power outage,

and all we had was one
cell phone charge left.

You would want to use that.

Maybe you got one charge a day.

You would want to use that cell phone
very frugally.

You wouldn't
want to have every light on in the house

running the AC, streaming, streaming
stuff from your phone.

It would drain the battery quick.

And so, batteries,
I've had clients that get two,

three, four Tesla power walls all leased,
so no money out of their pocket.

And and they will serve as a full home
generator.

But you need a certain amount of solar
panels placed in the right direction

to catch that sunlight
and recharge the batteries every day.

But one Tesla Powerwall will take care of,

with paired with solar panels
can take care of your refrigerator,

your garage door opener,
the lights in your home,

your security system, and,

pretty much everything
minus the AC and like, things

that just electronically draw
an insane amount of power washers, dryers,

hair dryers,
they just draw so much energy that,

one, one battery

should take care of the entire house.

For just the essentials we call them.

But if you want to run AC, you're
going to need at least 2 or 3 batteries.

And, they are
they come the they're warranty.

They're covered.

And so
and then you track everything from an app

on your phone
which is become pretty intuitive.

They make it really easy.

It's not a difficult process.

You can see right here
they just have like an app

that shows you a,
this is how much your system is producing.

This is how much it's the Tesla app.

And so it's a very cool intuitive it's
not like we're hoping that it works.

The science has come a really long way.

Wow that that's pretty awesome.

All right.

So as a lender I can tell you
I've gone to do refills with people.

They've called me and say, hey Nate,
I need to do a refinance on my home

or create spending my daughter's getting
married or going on vacation, or have you

and I pool their credit.

And there's a lean,
sitting right there on their credit.

There's a second lean on their house
for solar panels,

and I'll ask them about it,
and they will swear up and down

that they do not have a lean
on their their property or a second lean.

And that is oftentimes
the first time they ever find that out.

It's from me.

And and that's the bearer of bad news.

It's workable.

I can totally work around that.

But to them, it's a it's a bad surprise.

So you mentioned that.

I just want to

hit on it again about leans

or about solar panels
and what you're doing.

Yeah. Yeah.

So it's it's really just the industry
as a whole.

The original solar programs
did they needed

there was skepticism with these lenders.

So they would say,

hey, we're going to tie this sucker
to a tax lien on your home to where

we're going to make sure that if you sell
your home, we're getting our money.

And so that was the original solar

loan program, including deposits and stuff
back in the day.

And around 2018, 2017,

2018, there was new programs
put into place to zero down

loans and solar subscriptions
that do not place a tax lien on a home.

They do something called,
a UCC one filing,

which is like a mechanic's
lean, which gives us

being the lender slash installer the right

if you did not pay
for your solar equipment,

we have the legal right
not to come get your house,

but to ding your credit
and to come get the equipment.

But there's no reason that someone
would default on that,

because the equipment is solid
and you're not adding a new payment

to your portfolio,
you're just redirecting your current $200

electric bill to a fixed $160
solar payment.

So it's not like, going to the mall
and getting a new payment for something.

It's very simple process, but,
a lot of solar sales representatives,

when solar was, doing its first big push,
young men and women

who were maybe uninformed on the industry,
and they were like, oh,

no, it definitely doesn't do that.

Homeowners didn't read it.
They were misled.

And then come escrow time,
there was like, hey, by the way,

and there's certain instances
where it's like, well, what happens

if the homeowner, the next home buyers
don't see the value in it?

Then there's something has to happen.

So there's someone's got to give.

And so the industry has shifted
and went solar lengths like main

Purpose is doing,
is partnering with real estate

agents, mortgage professionals
and helping navigate that experience

to where you understand
the benefits of solar

and not just being told,
you better take on this solar lease

or this solar loan,
or else you got to pay it off.

And then there's some weird,
like obviously every home

that you're purchasing is going to come
with an associated energy cost.

And so if it's installed
by the right company,

structured in a reasonable price,
then it's like a feature.

It's a benefit to have solar to be
grandfathered in with tax incentives,

etc., versus to be just told

no, you know, this home has no features.

You just better pay whatever they say.

Oh, and by the way, you're spending five
grand a year and electricity

and the homeowner is like, dang.

Well,
that's kind of outside of our budget.

But if you can get a better, really good
solar lease locked in grandfathered

and it's a feature
and the the market negative.

Zillow.

Not my opinion,
but the data suggests that future

homebuyers
prefer to have lower energy costs and.

Yeah.

And and so it's definitely
a, a big trend in the market that is just

people, mortgage loan officers,
real estate agents are having to unlearn.

Hey, I did have a negative experience
several times

and 2015, 2020 or whatever
because of these repercussions.

But what's happening now?

People are realizing it's a good thing.

As it is
the future, it's not going anywhere.

There's no fourth option.

Third option with windmills
all over your roofs.

It's like a very
structured, realistic future.

You mentioned, home buyers and what,
market trends on what they're

looking for, like to see in new homes
or that they're about to purchase.

What is the value to the homeowner

to get solar,
in terms of value of their property?

Obviously they're going to free up
a lot of their money

that's committed to paying
an electric bill.

But, you know, someday they may move.

And, or somebody is going to,
you know, they may sell that home.

What would that mean?

What could
possibly be of value to them now?

It's, it's a really interesting topic
because it depends.

Everything always comes down to money.

And so it depends how you structure it,
whether it's a solar loan, solar laser,

you pay cash for it.

But ultimately, there is

the data, Zillow, Redfin energy.gov.

They say it sells, your home
sells 20% faster on the market

for 4 to 7% premium. If

it's installed with a reputable

installer that's still in business
and not two random guys in a truck.

And so it's, so there's a caveat there.

And ultimately,
even if everything is done perfect

there, and a solar sales rep may be biased
to tell you one way or another.

But the reality is,
just like anything in life,

there is a perceived value
that essentially

I believe that like,
it really needs to be articulated.

That's why Solar Lake has such
a, I believe, a vital role

in the future of the industry,
because we need to,

we don't do any charges for this,
but like,

we need to be able to take that call
five years later.

If I was a sales rep for a client
and 5 or 6 years later

he needs to sell his house,
you need to be working with a professional

that's in this space that can help
you navigate this conversation,

talking to the next home buyers
to say, here's what they were.

And we advise all of our clients to keep
their old bills, keep their new bills.

And part of what we try to explain is like

to, to be able to articulate

the savings that has happened
already in the future and what's to come

versus just being told, oh, yeah,

you have to take on this solar loan

or the solar lease,
or I paid $58,000 for that.

And the next homeowner may say, like,
theoretically may say,

well, I don't know anything about solar,
so I ain't paying for that.

And that's usually
where the heart posture comes from.

So they need to,
every homeowner, I would suggest

and or like everyone should have a
like a prepared plan

for explaining, hey, this house
literally does not have an electric bill.

It has a fixed cost for solar.

Or if you do pay gas for your system, hey,
this system is

literally you can show up your app.

It's producing

$2,740 of electricity every year.

And I have proof and I have a contract
and it's still under warranty.

And so when but it's usually
the negative experiences have just come

from a realtor that is unfamiliar
with solar and a surprise at escrow.

And then it's like, it's like becomes
the wild, wild West shoot off.

And it's, and usually the seller
usually ends up losing that.

If there's no articulation
as to how solar is benefiting.

And so there's the the raw truth.

Yeah.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

On the lending side, when we do,
when lenders do their debt income

calculations and doing some ratios,
their housing ratio, you know, there's,

a maximum amount of person
can afford to pay on paper, right?

What that number could be,
but it doesn't factor in your cable bill,

your phone bill, your electric bill,
your water bill, all these other things.

And so

for home or home homebuyer,
the solar panel option,

if it's if you're buying a house,
it's already got solar panels.

You're
you're getting an unrealized savings

that's not factored
into your mortgage payment.

VA that's a different
that's a different animal.

So if you go down the VA loan route,
the VA wants to know if the home has solar

panels. There's.

Because the VA loans,
they do an analysis of your total

your family expenses
and and there's an opportunity there,

for some significant savings

in, in, in qualifying for a loan,

on the VA route, if anybody is a veteran

or active duty, just
we can talk about that some other time.

That may be a whole podcast.

Staying up

from the homeowners perspective,
what does it do to the roof?

I really like automotive. That on my roof.

I don't want it to damage my roof.

Is the roof insurance
and what have you. So

yeah, it is

that is another huge caveat as to who's
doing the physical construction.

So there is a construction project.

You need to make sure that you're
dealing with a local contractor

or a contractor that is willing
to put things in writing and understand.

Nobody's perfect.

I've worked with some of the best solar
construction companies in America.

There are still mistakes.

Just like whenever you're

building a home, there's going to be flaws
and mistakes eventually.

And so it is worth making sure
that you know what your protections are.

And so the, the solar install,

the technology itself has come so far
where they tie into the truss of the roof,

they usually do a 10 to 25 year warranty

on, the, like, weather tight ceiling.

And, it really has become

an easy like, if it's your furnace.

Say, Nate,
you and I were brand new to solar.

We we get we bought a pickup truck
and some panels, and we got licensed

and started install it.

We may it may be our first time
installing panels, so we may have a few.

Oops. Oh I got to fix that and that.

But when you're dealing with a contractor
and it's like certified W2 in-house teams

that are like really good at what they do
and this is what they do for a living

and they put their name behind it, then

you're in a space where,

the, the solar installs are designed
and all the equipment, the flashing,

and the mounts have been designed
for longevity.

They're literally designed

to not have an installer
chasing their tail, that it's so solid

now that as long as the install is done
the right way, you will.

There's not a lot of moving parts
and solar.

And once you double steel,
you call the inside

the outside
and you use the right equipment as.

And it's a good roof like that
sucker is hurricane proof.

And it is with the,

and it's just it's designed to last long
term.

And synopsis.

You definitely want to make sure you're
dealing with a good construction team

that can handle that.

And, and then secondly, as far as
hailstorms, which is big in the DFW area,

there are, there's a big line in the sand
as to who's panels.

Are they with solar subscriptions, which
is the most popular route in America?

These lenders will take insurance
policies

on their own panels
because they own the panels on your roof.

And so hail, storm, tornado,
anything or hurricanes, whatever,

those are taken under the lender's
umbrella policy.

But if you take a solar loan out and you,
you maybe find your own financing

or you pay cash, that is your panels,
those are your panels.

Those are that's your asset.

You need to add that
to homeowner's insurance,

which is totally normal,
just like anything you and so

but that's a big part of why
so many people choose

the leasing route, because they're like,
hey, I get to save money.

It's not a loan.

It's not a lean on the house.

And I just sell energy that's produced on
the panels, and I get a lower locked in.

Right.

And I can share power
with the grid and get benefits right away.

It's a very

it transfers if you move just like
you would transfer your electric bill.

And so that's been
probably the most popular route.

But no matter what in my opinion,

and kind of financially speaking,

it's you look at what your house is

currently spending
and then you your be honest with yourself.

Am I going to if I am I moving this year?

Am I moving next year?
Am I staying in this house forever?

A lot of Texans like to stay
where they're at and like hunker down

and build with friends and family
and especially in the more rural areas.

And so,

and it's like,
you should really there's no one size fits

all least things the best or cashes
the best that every family

has a little bit different goals.

And so right there is there is a benefit

to really having an authentic conversation

without the pressure to really think about
where am I at?

I didn't written
the one of the biggest things

I've found in my eight years, Nate,
is that so

many people just stick it on autopay,

shrug their shoulders
and just say it is what it is.

And they weren't aware

that there's actual alternatives
that legitimately make sense,

even if you're not going to be in the home
long term.

And so a lot of families aren't realizing
that their $300 bill is 3600 a year,

and they've been living there
for ten years, so it's at least $36,000.

And then they wonder, how much is solar?

Well, it's like, well, it's cheaper
than what you're paying now.

It's under the assumption
you get good sun.

And so it's just it's a big psychological

rewiring operation for some families
to unlearn some of the behaviors.

They've always thought
that you just pay your electric bill

because you're supposed to.

Right.

And and you all fit.

So Solar Link will put together tailored

always called tailored mortgage plans

solar.

You put together tailored solar plans
right for that family's

right for that home.

No could cut or bill nice.

Let's, quickly, I'll go through
some financial questions with you.

Just kind of get a pulse on that.

Maybe this will dispel
some rumors to, or some bad information.

Homeowners assume solar requires
huge upfront, upfront costs.

Is that true today?

Not anymore.

It has a 98% of the time, 99%

families that you see and lower income
neighborhoods, high income neighborhoods,

they pay $0
for their solar system upfront,

and then they have a payment
that is more affordable than their current

energy bill.

Wow. When someone says

solar sounds expensive,
how do you respond?

The most expensive route
is not taking a look

at your options,
because the reality is like it is.

What's really expensive
is renting forever, and then handing off

an outrageous energy bill to your kids

or your grandkids
and not parking your money

where your most valuable asset is,
which is your home.

So how can a homeowner

determine whether solar
would actually save them money?

Good conversation with you.

Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, lots of good solar companies out
there.

I'd love to have the opportunity
to share the good,

the bad, the ugly
and do like a personalized design

because to your point, earlier,
a lot of, husbands

and wives say, hey, I do not want them
on the front of my house.

You can put them on the sides
or you can put them on my garage.

And that's totally doable.

But it's really cool to work
with the homeowner through, like a zoom

screen share or by sending them photos
and saying, hey, do you like this design?

Do you want them on the front?
Do you want them on the sides?

Yeah, you need 40 panels,
but we can really comfortably fence 30.

That should get rid of, like most
of your bill, most months out of the year.

Is that something that you're open to.

And a lot of the times they're like, sure.

Yeah.

If they don't want to quote unquote
see them,

on the front or the back of their house.

And so we, we really

we our solar software knows
where the sun is hitting year round.

The works with Google sunroof.

But, you know, most homeowners know they
they know

if the roof is getting crushed by sun
and they can collect it or not.

And if they're ever in between, they can

they could obviously give us a call
either way.

Is there a situation for a homeowner
where it might not make sense to do so?

Yeah, I remember when we took a look,
I believe it was your family.

Right. Nate. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Looked and in the instance where maybe,

a man wants

to make sure that he can his house,
no matter what World War three

or whatever, is good on his own, he could
chop trees down or build a garage.

We had people build pergolas, carports,
and then we put panels on there.

But I remember, in your instance,
there was a lot of trees on the property

and the roof access
just didn't get as much sun,

as somebody would really have
to have the desire to trim back

some trees and get some access
to make that investment right.

Can you?

I think you just answered this,
solar panels.

Can you put them anywhere?

Let's say I've got land, five acres.

Could I put them out there?

We just build a pergola
and stick them on that?

Or is there a platform you could install
and do solar that way or.

Cool.

Yeah.

They have something called ground mounts,
which are like structure steel structures

that will build they do add to the cost,
as it naturally would.

It is a great option for Texans
that, for example,

that, want to, Floridians that want to,
put it on their garage

or for the ground mounts,

if you have five acres,
you can put it, out in your land,

and then you'll have that, ability
to, number one, keep it off the roof.

But number two will trench over
to your meter, and you're just.

We get the point.

Them in the perfect direction.

But. Yeah, definitely a really good
option for some families.

Great questions, by the way.

So if we talk about.

Yeah, nice I like that.

You know I know to be able to do them now
see either so

and actually
I think in their neighborhood

they may not be able to with their HOA,
but on the backside of their house.

No problem.

I've noticed that in a few few newer,

newer home developments out here,
they've got all the solar on the backside.

I do any tax incentives
and this may change with one Congress

to the next, but currently in 2026,
are we looking at any kind of

incentives or government programs,
maybe federal or state?

Yeah, there are, at the end of 2025.

So to this date, we're in May 12th.

So about six months ago, there was a 30%

tax credit for purchasing solar.

And so that actually with
this administration

has come to an end,
those funds were repurposed.

And so what's changed recently

is that same 30%
tax credit is actually available

through the leasing program,
because hundreds of millions

of dollars of equipment was purchased
before that tax deadline hit.

And so for the next several years,
these lenders have this equipment already

tax credit applied,
which is why solar leases

are the most viable way
to get energy right now,

through the subscription
model, zero down subscription.

And so that is
and then, just on a minor market,

some utilities in some states
still offer state incentives.

But for example, in the DFW area,
people are just doing the solar leases

where they get that full benefit
of the tax credit applied

to the subscription, and they just get
a low monthly rate for their energy.

Wow. Let's talk about the future
crystal ball.

Tom, what do you think we are, ten years?

I know for sure
we're still using electricity.

And I know for sure
the way that these investor owned

utility companies, if you have investors
that pour money and invest into your

you has to not legally, but

you basically have to show profit
or else they pull their money.

An investor would.

And so I see the price of energy
going up over the next ten years

as it has been,

especially with the demand,
as with electric vehicles and more homes

built now than ever before and more
I just real, real

serious shortage of energy
which will drive the price up.

But I definitely will.

There's been 5 million Americans
that have gone solar already,

and the data suggest in the next ten years

there will be at least a double in that.

So it's taken
almost 50 years to get to 5 million.

And they're suggesting
in the next five years

we will be able to double that to around

10 million homeowners that are benefiting

every day from the free sunshine
that's hitting their roofs.

They just have to be able to collect it.

Yeah. And so I definitely see that.

I see the cost of solar potentially
going up, because,

lending and supply and demand,

once people really realize that,

there is limited windows,
I hope that more tax benefits come out.

But like, there is a very small
three year window right now

where families can enroll
and, into a program

like this with zero out of pocket
and just gets really favorable, like

literal financial, no brainer
if a roof is a good set.

But I could definitely see it
in the future

being still very lucrative,
because if you're developing an asset,

you're going from renting
to some sort of ownership.

Even if you're leasing the panels, it's
like it's structured as a lease to own.

And so it's a,

I definitely see mass adoption, like,

and the curve of America's decision
making process.

The more that solar goes on roofs.

And if you go to, neighborhood
California, you will literally see in

most regular suburban areas, more houses

have solar than don't have solar.

And so out of 100
homes, there's 70 of them that have solar.

And so it's not like, a trending thing.

It's like,
no, it's already it's literally illegal

to build a house
without solar in California now.

And it's not a political thing.

It's like an energy shortage thing.

And so that's that's happening
all across America right now.

There's all subdivisions.

And Lord, here where I live,
where every house in the neighborhood

is prefabricated, construction, built
ready with solar panels on it already.

And it's just a feature
that builders are doing now.

Wow. It's a nice hedge against the future.

I mean, it helps solar panels
and hold on your money.

Yeah. It's certainly five.

Hundred or something.

Yeah, it's all an investment.

And usually most men and women
that I speak with,

it always comes down to the pennies
and the dollars.

And does it
literally make sense or not? Yeah.

And if they are we're usually able to earn
their business and a trustworthy manner.

And so
but there is just because it makes sense

doesn't mean that everyone's
going to sign up for it.

I've learned that. Yeah.

Oh I get that.

Okay.
Then in the lending world too, you know.

Oh yeah.

The times on those reports, you know, like
just because you can drop the rate

doesn't necessarily
mean it's a good deal for you.

But if I can show you how much of your
monthly income is liberated,

you know,

three, four, $500 a month,

that's a
that's a big win, on one's income

when they're looking at life, date night
movies, bill the other bills.

But then you're doing the exact same thing
in the lit in the solar space.

Or they're not having to commit

a large chunk of money
each month, especially,

I know, down here in South Texas.

Florida, it's hot. It's warm.

Yeah.

It's, And it's it's interesting, Nate,
because, I'll close out with this.

It's just most families,
for some reason, in America,

have just accepted
what they've been shown.

And so solar is a nobody really

casually chats about their electric bill.

And so it's an authentic way to genuinely

just have one quick conversation on zoom

or really get some good counseling
and guidance.

Yeah, but it is, electricity.

It doesn't normally come up in a convo.

So when you think about it, you're like,
you know, I've been thinking about it,

but I never even talked about it,
so tell me about it.

And so it's definitely it's good
to be able to serve in that capacity.

Yeah it is.

All right Daniel, thank you for your time.

Real quick.

How is what's best way
if someone wants to go deeper in solar in,

the former

professional relationship with you,
what's the best way that they can do that?

Yeah, it's definitely recommend,

either just the old school
ways, emails or text.

My email address is Daniel at Solar Link.

So la link link road.com

or just text me at 985373 1295.

And I, I look forward to
at least I always share options.

I am not, going to,
force it upon someone,

but when they do look at it,
they are certainly, grateful

that they at least have a game plan
because electricity is a sneaky cost.

You can think about principles
and interest and taxes and insurance,

but it's just one of those things where
you didn't think your bill was going to be

300 a month or 200 a month,
and when when he added up year over

year, you and then you notice
these little inflation increases.

You're like,
wait a second, I'm doing spending.

How much $4,000 a year can be.

That's enough for a vacation.

Yeah, that's that's it, I like how you.

Yeah. That's it.

But what can I do to pay
for a month of vacation?

There you go. Wow.

Well, this is fascinating.

I was one of the, folks,
I'm going to put links down below,

in wherever you're listening to
or watching this podcast.

Daniel, thanks again
for being on between two doors.

And we'll do this again
and I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Nate, I looking forward to,

just being able to service
and these questions in this industry.

It's exciting
because it's not going anywhere.

And so electricity is is a really,
a great thing to be secure.

And families will get security systems
for prevention.

And so solar has really become
a prevention

from being stuck without energy.

And so thank you for your time, Nate.
God bless you brother.

And I appreciate you having me on.

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