Question 1

Will my lights stay on during a blackout?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the type of system you have. A grid-tied system (panels only, no battery) shuts off automatically during a blackout — this is a safety requirement so you don't send power back into lines that repair crews think are dead. So no, plain grid-tied solar will NOT keep your lights on during an outage.

A hybrid system (panels + battery + hybrid inverter) is different. It can disconnect from the grid and keep running off battery and solar power, automatically switching over in seconds. This is what actually solves the brownout problem — if staying powered during outages matters to you, you need a hybrid setup, not a grid-tied one.

Most of our installations for households dealing with frequent brownouts are hybrid systems for exactly this reason.

Question 2

How much can solar cut off my electric bill?

Accepted Answer

Most homeowners we've installed for in Negros Oriental see a significant drop in their monthly bill—often cutting it dramatically, depending on your usage, roof space, and system size. The exact number is different for every household, which is why we don't like throwing out generic percentages that don't apply to you. The fastest way to know your real number is to send us a recent electric bill. We'll run the numbers and tell you exactly what size system makes sense for your home and roughly how much you'd save—no obligation, no guesswork.

Question 3

How many hours of usable sunlight does Dumaguete get?

Accepted Answer

Dumaguete sits near the equator, so we get close to 12 hours of daylight almost every day of the year — but daylight and usable solar power aren't the same thing. What actually matters is peak sun hours, and that depends on your roof's direction, tilt, and shading from trees, buildings, or even terrain.

If you're near Mt. Talinis (Valencia side, or foothill barangays), this matters even more — the mountain tends to build its own cloud cover and can shade west-facing roofs earlier in the afternoon. Homes closer to the coast generally get more consistent sun exposure.

This is exactly the kind of detail generic solar calculators get wrong. A quick site visit lets us measure your roof's actual sun exposure and tell you what size system will realistically perform well at your address — not just a textbook estimate.

Want us to check your roof? Ask about our free site assessment — we'll estimate your sun exposure and tell you what size system makes sense for your home, no obligation.

Question 4

Do I need a battery, or just panels?

Accepted Answer

You can install panels only, but here's the honest trade-off: panels-only (grid-tied) systems shut off automatically during a blackout, so you won't have power when the grid goes down — even if the sun is shining. That defeats the purpose for a lot of households here.

We recommend a battery (hybrid system) for most homes we work with, because it's the only setup that actually keeps your lights on during an outage. It also lets you store extra solar power generated during the day and use it at night, instead of relying on the grid after sunset.

If "will this keep my house powered when the lights go out?" is part of why you're considering solar, a battery isn't optional — it's the whole point.

Question 5

Can solar run my aircon?

Accepted Answer

It can, when the array, inverter, battery, and starting demand are sized for the air conditioner and the other loads operating at the same time.

Question 6

How long until the system pays for itself?

Accepted Answer

Payback depends on your electricity rate, daily energy use, system cost, solar production, and battery usage. We can estimate the range after reviewing your bill and site conditions.

Question 7

How long does installation take?

Accepted Answer

Most installations take 2–3 days for a 6.2 kW system or smaller. Larger systems take more time, since there's more wiring, mounting, and panel work involved — we'll give you a specific timeline once we know your system size.

Either way, we handle the full process from mounting to wiring to final testing, so you don't need to coordinate separate contractors or steps yourself.

Question 8

What happens if I run out of battery?

Accepted Answer

Your battery should not be allowed to drain all the way to zero. The inverter and/or battery management system (BMS) has protection thresholds. With the grid available, many hybrid systems switch the home back to grid power at a configured low state-of-charge or voltage level, protecting the battery and keeping the home powered.

During a blackout, there is no grid fallback. The inverter can continue supplying the backed-up loads until it reaches its low-voltage or low-SOC cutoff; then it disconnects the loads and shuts down to prevent over-discharge. It will restart only when the battery has recharged enough from solar or the grid, depending on the system and its settings.

This is why we size batteries based on your actual nighttime usage, not just a generic number — the goal is to cover you through the outage without getting close to the cutoff point.

For most households, the battery is meant to cover essentials — lights, router, fridge, fans — through the night or a few hours of outage, not run the whole house indefinitely. If backup time is a top priority for you, we can size a larger battery bank to extend that window.

Not sure how much battery capacity your household needs? Ask about our free site assessment — we'll estimate your usage and recommend the right battery size for your home.

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