Off topic -- Anyone have Solar installed recently

[deleted556323]

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[owlegrad]

OMG this is so funny - I am about to get a system myself! Therefore I declare this thread on topic.

Personally I am seeing HUGE swings in proposals. The highest one I got was 50k. The lowest one I got was 25k. That is INSANE.

Personally it seems like a total no brainer to me. I can’t afford to buy a system outright right now but financing at 2.99% seems very reasonable to me and in my case I can save at least $80 a month vs doing nothing. And power bills only get higher so lock in today’s rate and see your savings compound year over year. I am quite excited actually!

 

[confettiflyer]

Look at Tesla, pricing is up front (no need to talk to anyone) and came out to about $2.85/watt.

I have a ~7.6kW system and pretty much zeroed out my electric bill.


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[confettiflyer]

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[confettiflyer]

OMG this is so funny - I am about to get a system myself! Therefore I declare this thread on topic.

Personally I am seeing HUGE swings in proposals. The highest one I got was 50k. The lowest one I got was 25k. That is INSANE.

Personally it seems like a total no brainer to me. I can’t afford to buy a system outright right now but financing at 2.99% seems very reasonable to me and in my case I can save at least $80 a month vs doing nothing. And power bills only get higher so lock in today’s rate and see your savings compound year over year. I am quite excited actually!

How big of a system are they quoting you?

I’ve found that every installer takes advantage of people not knowing how to compare systems and get wildly different quotes.

It’s nuts. It’s a damn solar panel and electrons, not a massage with a happy ending!


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[owlegrad]

How big of a system are they quoting you?

I’ve found that every installer takes advantage of people not knowing how to compare systems and get wildly different quotes.

It’s nuts. It’s a damn solar panel and electrons, not a massage with a happy ending!


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The 26k system is 10.85. The company is Solar-Ray.

Tesla solar is extremely competitive too it seems.

 

[owlegrad]

Oh I didn’t realize you already posted the Tesla page lol

 

[owlegrad]

I should add, the more expensive quotes do include things the cheaper quotes do not, like replacing the pool filter and water heater. The idea of that is supposed to be saving money by lowering consumption and reducing the size of the system you need. But the quotes that are only for the solar panels are actually the lower quotes even though they are the bigger systems. So I can get a bigger system for less money. :/

 

[confettiflyer]

I should add, the more expensive quotes do include things the cheaper quotes do not, like replacing the pool filter and water heater. The idea of that is supposed to be saving money by lowering consumption and reducing the size of the system you need. But the quotes that are only for the solar panels are actually the lower quotes even though they are the bigger systems. So I can get a bigger system for less money. :/

Don’t bundle other stuff. It’s not hard putting in an on demand water heater, dunno about pool filter...it sounds cheap to do.

Don’t pay more than $2.85/watt. don’t do it.

Tesla is price competitive because they don’t let you customize your system, outsource their customer service to some office in Vegas near a Yardhouse, and are eager to steal back market share they lost when they acquired solar city.

They installed Panasonic panels for me and the warranty was competitive.


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[confettiflyer]

The 26k system is 10.85. The company is Solar-Ray.

Tesla solar is extremely competitive too it seems.

And 10.85 jesus man how big is your house?

Nm you said pool


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[RxPreceptor]

Already too late to invest in solar power...price gouging from this innovative, miracle cure. God damn, looks like a 5th grader doing a science fair

 

[owlegrad]

And 10.85 jesus man how big is your house?

Nm you said pool


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No my house is crazy energy-inefficient. I just replaced my AC but that was last month so I haven’t had a full month to see the effect of that yet (plus moving into summer months was going to spike my usage regardless). It’s only two people 1850sq ft so there is no reason my energy bill should be what it is.

 

[owlegrad]

Look at Tesla, pricing is up front (no need to talk to anyone) and came out to about $2.85/watt.

I have a ~7.6kW system and pretty much zeroed out my electric bill.


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You know it's funny, the Tesla brand is positively lambasted on the solar review sites. They have some of the worst reviews of any solar company. I wonder if they have the lowest rating of all the companies. I doubt I could bring myself to use them for that reason alone, although you are the fourth Tesla solar customer that I have talked to that recommends them. Perhaps they have improved or perhaps luck of the draw (or perhaps a third thing I am not thinking of).

 

[mentos]

How high is everyone's electric bill? Ours is usually $120/mo. My friend in a similar size house got Tesla (formerly Solar City) panels for 50k. If we get the 26% tax credit, it's still 37k. That means it would take me 25 years to break even?? What am I missing?

 

[mentos]

As a married couple that both bring in >150K and no kids we get pretty killed by taxes.

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Why does everyone think kids are a tax advantage? The child tax credit is only $2,000 per child. So you get an extra $2k per year which pays for diapers and stuff but a child costs way more than that.

 

[owlegrad]

How high is everyone's electric bill? Ours is usually $120/mo. My friend in a similar size house got Tesla (formerly Solar City) panels for 50k. If we get the 26% tax credit, it's still 37k. That means it would take me 25 years to break even?? What am I missing?

Nah did your friend get the battery? Skip that, the technology isn’t quite there yet to be cost effective. Look up above for Tesla panels cost - 11.4 for 28k before tax credits.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

As you guys know, I'm in Arizona. Monthly bills in the summer can easily be $300-$400 if not higher. This year, it's only the end of April and we've already had a couple of 100+ degree days. (Yesterday and today we broke records for being this hot, this early.)

We just got solar on our house. It was finally turned on at the end of March. For us, it was a no brainer to get the system and start saving money.

 

[mentos]

Nah did your friend get the battery? Skip that, the technology isn’t quite there yet to be cost effective. Look up above for Tesla panels cost - 11.4 for 28k before tax credits.

Yes they got powerwall.

So the 7.6kw system is 19.5k, 16.4k after tax credit and a bill of $120/mo that would still take me 10 years to break even? Are these prices the same nationwide or do they vary state by state?

 

[mentos]

As you guys know, I'm in Arizona. Monthly bills in the summer can easily be $300-$400 if not higher. This year, it's only the end of April and we've already had a couple of 100+ degree days. (Yesterday and today we broke records for being this hot, this early.)

We just got solar on our house. It was finally turned on at the end of March. For us, it was a no brainer to get the system and start saving money.

Which company? How much were your panels and how long until you break even?

Also I've heard home insurance doubles after getting panels - any truth to that?

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

Which company? How much were your panels and how long until you break even?

Also I've heard home insurance doubles after getting panels - any truth to that?

I'll get the info from my husband in the morning - I don't remember off the top of my head. Prepping for finals is draining to say the least...

 

[confettiflyer]

You know it's funny, the Tesla brand is positively lambasted on the solar review sites. They have some of the worst reviews of any solar company. I wonder if they have the lowest rating of all the companies. I doubt I could bring myself to use them for that reason alone, although you are the fourth Tesla solar customer that I have talked to that recommends them. Perhaps they have improved or perhaps luck of the draw (or perhaps a third thing I am not thinking of).

My gut says it’s a lot of local installers writing bad reviews, it can be a shady business. I can count four people I personally know that opted to go for Tesla (within the last year or so). How old are the reviews? They didn’t revamp their price structure until about March 2019. You might be seeing old SolarCity reviews.

I mean, they don’t hold your hand at all....you better know what you want, but damn the savings are worth it IMO, and the panels are good.

I actually have two separate systems on my house... one from Petersen Dean (from my original build), the other Tesla (my add on). PD wanted to charge me an extra $1500 for monitoring service....the module is available online for $300 and you can DIY. Tesla came with monitoring free.




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[confettiflyer]

No my house is crazy energy-inefficient. I just replaced my AC but that was last month so I haven’t had a full month to see the effect of that yet (plus moving into summer months was going to spike my usage regardless). It’s only two people 1850sq ft so there is no reason my energy bill should be what it is.

You want to stick a 10.85kW system on an 1850sq ft house?! You better be in the desert, with a cactus, and a/c running all the time. I’m nearer to the coast and my 7.6kW is about even with usage (some overage) and I’m at ~4000 sq ft. (no pool though)


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[mentos]

You want to stick a 10.85kW system on an 1850sq ft house?! You better be in the desert, with a cactus, and a/c running all the time. I’m nearer to the coast and my 7.6kW is about even with usage (some overage) and I’m at ~4000 sq ft. (no pool though)


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My house is 2000SF in New England. Would you recommend 3.8 or 7.6kW? We currently don't have a cooling system, there are no ducts. Not sure if I'm ready to spend $20-30k on those Mitsubishi mini splits. Will probably use portable window units for now.

 

[lord999]

Not allowed to mount more than a 5 kwh in my area due to hail and insurance risk, so we buy into solar gardens. The breakeven proposition is oversold, for TIPS rates you come out ahead outside of CA or the Southwest. Knowing Phoenix, if you live in APS or SRP territory, it is a losing proposition as the fees are not worth it. I do solar for smug reasons (and battery reasons) not financial ones.

@owlegrad , you probably need an insulation consultant first. If you are using 1300 kwh+ /month on your 1800 sq ft. house in FL, either you are chilling it to MN levels or your building materials were substandard.

 

[lord999]

My gut says it’s a lot of local installers writing bad reviews, it can be a shady business. I can count four people I personally know that opted to go for Tesla (within the last year or so). How old are the reviews? They didn’t revamp their price structure until about March 2019. You might be seeing old SolarCity reviews.

I mean, they don’t hold your hand at all....you better know what you want, but damn the savings are worth it IMO, and the panels are good.

I actually have two separate systems on my house... one from Petersen Dean (from my original build), the other Tesla (my add on). PD wanted to charge me an extra $1500 for monitoring service....the module is available online for $300 and you can DIY. Tesla came with monitoring free.




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Tesla has a bad reputation from using Solarcity batteries, bad connectors, and reneging on the warranty replacement from the last hail storm. Walmart, Target, and a couple of local governments are suing them over substandard work. Their QC is coinflip good like CenturyLink cable.

 

[owlegrad]

My estimate of 15kw for a 3600 sq ft. How is yours so small?!?!

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I don’t know how much this varies but in Florida if you go over a certain threshold (11.34 I think) it’s called tier 2 system and you have to carry an additional 1 million dollar insurance policy. Strong incentive IMO to stay below that level since lowering you electric bill will mean raising your insurance bill.

 

[owlegrad]

@owlegrad , you probably need an insulation consultant first. If you are using 1300 kwh+ /month on your 1800 sq ft. house in FL, either you are chilling it to MN levels or your building materials were substandard.

Actually yes, more than one installer has recommended I improve my insulation with foam insulation. It’s pricy though. I recently replaced a very old AC unit and I think that will help. The pool pump is an ancient one speed inefficient model as well so that definitely needs to be improved.

@confettiflyer - you mentioned a tankless water heater being simple and that is something I am researching. Everything I read online says that is a VERY difficult DIY project or expensive to have done professional - do you disagree with that?

 

[owlegrad]

That's very useful info, I'll have to see if that applies to my state as well

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Also one installer told me I would only need to carry that insurance for one month while the power company changed my meter but all the other installers made it sound like something I would always have to carry. So you know just make sure to do the research yourself because trusting some of these guys is hard to do when they give conflicting information.

 

[aznkukuboi]

I personally went with what company Costco contracted with. Not only was it affordable, I got a $500 gift card and used my Costco card for the down payment for even more savings. I got 12 panels for $14,000 pre rebate. I think it was 3.5 kw.

I don't think I can recommend using Tesla because of how bad solar city was and its bad rep even though I'm a huge Tesla fan.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

I personally went with what company Costco contracted with. Not only was it affordable, I got a $500 gift card and used my Costco card for the down payment for even more savings. I got 12 panels for $14,000 pre rebate. I think it was 3.5 kw.

I don't think I can recommend using Tesla because of how bad solar city was and its bad rep even though I'm a huge Tesla fan.

Did you pay $14,000 up front or was there a payment plan?

 

[confettiflyer]

My house is 2000SF in New England. Would you recommend 3.8 or 7.6kW? We currently don't have a cooling system, there are no ducts. Not sure if I'm ready to spend $20-30k on those Mitsubishi mini splits. Will probably use portable window units for now.

Okay so someone correct me if I’m wrong, but because you’re not in the Southwest, your solar production will be lower, so a 10kW rated system will produce fewer watts installed there vs here (Calif).

So a 7.6kW south facing system that produces 12,000 kWh/yr for me will produce 10,000 kWh/yr for someone in Manhattan (I literally picked 30 Rock).

Okay, that’s what threw me off, I just assume everyone I talk to is in the Southwest (lol).

So to answer your question, I don’t know...you’ll have to punch in the numbers/direction on the PVWatts (nrel.gov) calculator for your lat/long and compare that with your annual usage (I added a fudge factor for future increases in use).

As for mini splits, depends on how many of you there are... I spent about $5-6k on two mini splits wired to a single outside unit. They’re great...probably cheaper than installing ductwork (and super efficient too...draws about 1500W). We have central too, but that was overkill (we only use it when the house is full).

I feel that a combo of mini splits and window units would be best.


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[confettiflyer]

Yes they got powerwall.

So the 7.6kw system is 19.5k, 16.4k after tax credit and a bill of $120/mo that would still take me 10 years to break even? Are these prices the same nationwide or do they vary state by state?

7.6kW is $19.5k and the tax credit is now 26%, so net cost is $19,500 - $5,070 (26%) = $14,430 net cost.

I think it's nationwide, but double check on the Tesla page (can't remember if i keyed in my zip code or not)

Which company? How much were your panels and how long until you break even?

Also I've heard home insurance doubles after getting panels - any truth to that?

My homeowner's policy didn't change, I looked at the total amount of coverage and figured adding $10-20k+ worth of equipment didn't justify me calling and adding more coverage on top of that. If you're underinsured, might be a chance to review coverage.

Tesla has a bad reputation from using Solarcity batteries, bad connectors, and reneging on the warranty replacement from the last hail storm. Walmart, Target, and a couple of local governments are suing them over substandard work. Their QC is coinflip good like CenturyLink cable.

I saw that from panels installed several years ago. The panels I had installed were manufactured by Panasonic, unsure of other connectors, but they're a local company to me so I felt more comfortable assuming some extra risk. I did have someone take a look at their installation independently after they were done.

My estimate of 15kw for a 3600 sq ft. How is yours so small?!?!

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And you're in the southwest? That's nuts, who gave you that estimate? Solar company trying to oversell? Haha

My house is new < 5yrs, so hyperefficient... It'll be 100 degrees outside and with shutters closed and no AC on, the top temperature will rise to Tmax 80-82 degrees downstairs and maybe 85-86 upstairs. Ceiling fans in every room + ductless minisplits in two strategic rooms (my office/reading room + the home gym room) negate daytime use of central AC. At night, the sea breezes roll in and so opening windows will cool the house back down to the 70s quickly.

We also have differential pricing in the afternoon + net metering, so I will pre-cool the entire house, and push electricity back to the grid during the peak hours to obtain a credit. Basically, every 1kWh i push during peak time lets me use 2 kWh during off peak time.

TL;DR = there's a lot of variables that go into sizing a unit (house eff., local weather, appliance use, etc...)

Actually yes, more than one installer has recommended I improve my insulation with foam insulation. It’s pricy though. I recently replaced a very old AC unit and I think that will help. The pool pump is an ancient one speed inefficient model as well so that definitely needs to be improved.

@confettiflyer - you mentioned a tankless water heater being simple and that is something I am researching. Everything I read online says that is a VERY difficult DIY project or expensive to have done professional - do you disagree with that?

I mean... I'm not going to DIY that. It's a gas appliance, I have images of Die Hard/Nakatomi Towers in my head. Hahah. It's simple in that it's an accessible space and utility lines (water and gas) are already at the spot you need it to be.

I personally went with what company Costco contracted with. Not only was it affordable, I got a $500 gift card and used my Costco card for the down payment for even more savings. I got 12 panels for $14,000 pre rebate. I think it was 3.5 kw.

I don't think I can recommend using Tesla because of how bad solar city was and its bad rep even though I'm a huge Tesla fan.

Yeesh, that's expensive today, but I don't know when you got your panels. I think SunRun does the Costco program.

Solar City is ancient history, lol. But 10k at tesla vs. 15k for the same size system with sunrun, i'm gonna do some research.

 

[owlegrad]

I realize you aren’t a plumber but since you seem so knowledgeable...what if all your appliances are electric? I don’t currently have a gas bill so could I go tankless?

I guess I could do my own google searches lol

Edit: turns out the answer is yes you can.

 

[BenJammin]

I'm extremely interested in solar since I have two Teslas and just love the technology in general. But I think I'm going to wait until I get into something closer to my forever home before I do that. That's a lot of cash to drop on a house that I may not live in 10 years from now.

 

[owlegrad]

I reached out to my insurance guy. Honestly the lower one would cover us in the cooler months and we'd just have to pay some in the summer. So we will see..... makes it easier to stomach 20k fir a system vs 28k after rebate

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I am not going to tell you how to live your life but I got MUCH more competitive rates once I started getting multiple offers. Honestly my first 4 or 5 proposals were all >40k. Since then I have gotten three offers under 30k. Once the sales people know you are shopping around and are knowledgable I bet you can find even better proposals than 20k. I am so, so glad I got a ridiculous number of quotes or else I would have way overpaid even though it has been somewhat exhausting to deal with so many sales people.

 

[owlegrad]

Nah I'm gonna get a ton of quotes. For my spouse to be on board its gonna have to e as cost effective as possible. Juat not sure if Tesla will negotiate at all .... I'd ideally like use them

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I love the Tesla brand AND I have heard nothing but good feedback from people that have used them BUT I can't ignore hundreds of reviews online. Look up their rating on any of the solar review sites (personally I like solarreviews.com) When you have companies that are A+ rated on BBB, have hundreds of positive reviews, and whose quotes are pretty closely in line with Tesla's but they don't subcontract...well, to each their own. Hopefully Tesla has made the necessary changes to remedy those early growing pains.

I also know two people who went Tesla+Powerwall and I have to admit...I don't get it at all. Not cost effective. Maybe they just love being cutting edge, I don't know.

I will say Tesla is the only company I have seen that puts their cost online without the need to interact with any salespeople. That level of transparency is truly laudable.

 

[owlegrad]

I'm extremely interested in solar since I have two Teslas and just love the technology in general. But I think I'm going to wait until I get into something closer to my forever home before I do that. That's a lot of cash to drop on a house that I may not live in 10 years from now.

Tesla+solar panels is pretty much my dream setup. I still have a year left on my Prius lease (a mistake but I had my reasons) and then...maybe. It's still kind of a tough pill to swallow from a value perspective but there is something to be said for living a little.

 

[mentos]

I love the Tesla brand AND I have heard nothing but good feedback from people that have used them BUT I can't ignore hundreds of reviews online. Look up their rating on any of the solar review sites (personally I like solarreviews.com) When you have companies that are A+ rated on BBB, have hundreds of positive reviews, and whose quotes are pretty closely in line with Tesla's but they don't subcontract...well, to each their own. Hopefully Tesla has made the necessary changes to remedy those early growing pains.

I also know two people who went Tesla+Powerwall and I have to admit...I don't get it at all. Not cost effective. Maybe they just love being cutting edge, I don't know.

I will say Tesla is the only company I have seen that puts their cost online without the need to interact with any salespeople. That level of transparency is truly laudable.

The powerwall is good if you lose power a lot. Doesn't take up space or make noise compared to a gas generator.

 

[mentos]

I realize you aren’t a plumber but since you seem so knowledgeable...what if all your appliances are electric? I don’t currently have a gas bill so could I go tankless?

I guess I could do my own google searches lol

Edit: turns out the answer is yes you can.

I guess this won't help you but I replaced my 40 year old gas boiler with a combi boiler hot water heater for $10,600 ($7800 after rebates). The gas bill went from $483 to $291 the next month. I think I'll break even in under 10 years. Hard to say because I haven't paid for any maintenance yet.

 

[owlegrad]

The powerwall is good if you lose power a lot. Doesn't take up space or make noise compared to a gas generator.

If you say so. On a cost basis how much generator could you buy vs how much battery? Is the silence and space savings worth that much of a premium? Obviously there is also the cost to run the generator to consider as well.

Maybe if you lose power very frequently it could pay off in the long run, but how many people could that apply to? Is power very unreliable in CA? Even with hurricanes and incremental weather we only lose power a few times a year in FL and usually it is back on quite quickly. Maybe next time my power goes out I will wish I had splurged on the battery(ies?).

 

[mentos]

If you say so. On a cost basis how much generator could you buy vs how much battery? Is the silence and space savings worth that much of a premium? Obviously there is also the cost to run the generator to consider as well.

Maybe if you lose power very frequently it could pay off in the long run, but how many people could that apply to? Is power very unreliable in CA? Even with hurricanes and incremental weather we only lose power a few times a year in FL and usually it is back on quite quickly. Maybe next time my power goes out I will wish I had splurged on the battery(ies?).

I've heard built in gas generators cost around 10k as well so similar to the powerwall. I'm in MA so we usually lose power at least once every winter during snow/ice storms. Last year it was out for 3 days so we had to leave town for the weekend, not knowing when it would come back. It's sunny for only 2-3 days per week here so I think the stored power would make sense for some people.

 

[owlegrad]

I've heard built in gas generators cost around 10k as well so similar to the powerwall. I'm in MA so we usually lose power at least once every winter during snow/ice storms. Last year it was out for 3 days so we had to leave town for the weekend, not knowing when it would come back. It's sunny for only 2-3 days per week here so I think the stored power would make sense for some people.

Oh wow that’s intense. How do you get enough power from 2-3 days of sun to charge the battery to run your house the rest of the time during a power outage? Or does the battery only power certain things?

 

[confettiflyer]

Because of the noise of gas generators, you really can’t have them unless you’ve got acres of land or are a decent distance from your neighbor. Many cities won’t issue permits for them.

They’re better for longer term outages, but in CA...a powerwall would work unless you were in a fire/wilderness area since most outages are short (if at all).

Cost wise, it doesn’t make sense even with state AND federal tax credits. I’ll eventually get one when they’re half the price they are now, I like the idea of being able to use solar during an outage, and a battery at this point is the only way to do that.

My next project is installing a bypass panel that I can have an $800 generator from Costco jack into. In case of a longer outage, I’ll fire up the portable generator and flip the transfer switch. Way cheaper than spending $20k-$30k on powerwalls.

I might even buy some red plugs like the hospital to denote backup power, lol.


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[mentos]

Oh wow that’s intense. How do you get enough power from 2-3 days of sun to charge the battery to run your house the rest of the time during a power outage? Or does the battery only power certain things?

Hmm I'm not sure I only know one person with one and haven't asked about the details. The powerwall is more for convenience just other home improvements that don't make economic sense like new doors, windows, floors etc.

 

[NITRAS]

My office mate is getting her second solar in a few years due to moving houses. Frankly, I”m not sure she has a clue what her ROI is, and it sounds like a money pit to me. She says her new solar is going to be half the money.

I’d like my ROI to be within 3-4 years before considering getting one. Keep in mind that the average home loan is like 5ish years.

Off topic, I feel like this highlights some of the stupidity of our tax laws, but that is a different subject.

 

[confettiflyer]

My office mate is getting her second solar in a few years due to moving houses. Frankly, I”m not sure she has a clue what her ROI is, and it sounds like a money pit to me. She says her new solar is going to be half the money.

I’d like my ROI to be within 3-4 years before considering getting one. Keep in mind that the average home loan is like 5ish years.

Off topic, I feel like this highlights some of the stupidity of our tax laws, but that is a different subject.

Yep, rewarding me for behavior I was going to pretty much do anyway? God bless America.

My ROI was 8-10 years, but it’s difficult to model because of electric rates, non-linear panel degradation over time, changing time-of-use windows, and possible usage increases over time (like do you have aging parents moving in?)


This is how I modeled it (simplistic):

Total electricity usage 1yr ~10,000 kWh
Average price of electricity: $0.22/kWh
(Range $0.18-$0.36 depending on time of day, we do a really good job of not using anything 1pm-7pm).

Total cost per month: $183.33 ($2200/yr)
Total cost solar panels after tax credit: $16,520 (7.2kW) - two systems purchased 3yrs apart (current Tesla price is $14,430 for 7.6kW)

“Monthly payment”* for panels @ 4% interest x 9 years = $182.40.
*paid cash

So break even is 9 years with no changes.

A 10% increase in my electric cost ($0.22 to $0.242) = break even at year 8

A 10% increase in electric usage AND 10% increase in electric costs = break even point at year 7

My utility (PG&E) is in bankruptcy and has multiple liabilities for causing wildfires, it is highly likely ratepayers will be required to face some additional rate increases in the coming years. Adding a second solar system was a hedge against that (and increased usage, possible EV car in a few years).


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[owlegrad]

Holy Moley SunRun gave me a proposal so outlandish I expected him to say "psych" and then give me the real proposal. I assume they rely entirely on their contracts from Costco or people who don't get multiple quotes. They wanted to sell me a 16 kWt system - the monthly payment was higher than my power bill! Not to mention they tried to make their leasing option sound attractive.

0/10 - would not get another quote from them!

 

[confettiflyer]

Holy Moley SunRun gave me a proposal so outlandish I expected him to say "psych" and then give me the real proposal. I assume they rely entirely on their contracts from Costco or people who don't get multiple quotes. They wanted to sell me a 16 kWt system - the monthly payment was higher than my power bill! Not to mention they tried to make their leasing option sound attractive.

0/10 - would not get another quote from them!

That’s the feedback I’ve gotten about them. I think a lot of people go with them without shopping around and assume it’s the cheapest “because Costco.”

And I love Costco, don’t get me wrong. But c’mon, I shop around for a $100 car rental, I’m gonna do the same for a $10,000 system.


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[aznkukuboi]

Did you pay $14,000 up front or was there a payment plan?

Payment plan. I don't even think they required a down payment. Plus the federal rebate helped a lot.

 

[mentos]

I personally went with what company Costco contracted with. Not only was it affordable, I got a $500 gift card and used my Costco card for the down payment for even more savings. I got 12 panels for $14,000 pre rebate. I think it was 3.5 kw.

I don't think I can recommend using Tesla because of how bad solar city was and its bad rep even though I'm a huge Tesla fan.

Did you have to upgrade your electrical panel or add a EV car charger?