Residential Solar

Hi

I am considering installing a solar system (4.4 kW). Got quotes from the following providers/installers:

* SolarCity
* RECSolar
* SunPower

Would you recommend any other providers/installers (I live in SoCal) ?
Appreciate your help.


- Ranga

I used So-Cal Solar. They are a local small buisness, had the best price and did an awesome job. They give customer referals a discount so tell them I sent you.

http://www.socalsolarinc.com/

So-Cal Solar Inc.

2010 West Ave K

Lancaster, CA 93536



19744 Beach Blvd #259

Huntington Beach, CA 92648



Phone Number: 1-877-852-6301

Email address: [email protected]

sranga said:

Hi

I am considering installing a solar system (4.4 kW). Got quotes from the following providers/installers:
* SolarCity
* RECSolar
* SunPower
Would you recommend any other providers/installers (I live in SoCal) ?
Appreciate your help.

- Ranga

Click to expand...

All the Solar folks gravitate to these threads:
Solar http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=972
1BLOG http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=377
Snow & Solar http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2126
Solar Help http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2898&start=0

Many Solar topics discussed.... Try the Google search for the forum....
Personally I checked out Solar City but went with REC Solar last year. Solar City has some new plans now so I would call them both pretty darn good choices.
Check out 1BLOG for group pricing campaign plans in your area.

I went with HelioPower. They did a great job on the install, particularly all the hardware between the roof, inverter, and service panel. But I always felt like I really had to chase them down to get things going. So would I recommend them? Sure, but with the caveats that they always seem to be ungodly busy with other jobs and that perhaps smaller residential installs don't get as much priority as their mega residential and commercial ones.

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years. From what I have heard the panels have lifespan of 30 years. So in 30 years you have generated enough to recoup your investment and two times as much additional during the second and third decades.

This comes to a return of 200% on your additional investment over 30 years which is 3.4% annually and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc. I understand there is the inflation protection aspect but it should not change this analysis very much.

en11 said:

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years. From what I have heard the panels have lifespan of 30 years. So in 30 years you have generated enough to recoup your investment and two times as much additional during the second and third decades.

This comes to a return of 200% on your additional investment over 30 years which is 3.4% annually and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc. I understand there is the inflation protection aspect but it should not change this analysis very much.

Click to expand...

There is an investment in the environment aspect to the decision. It depends on how much you value that. Also, if you want to maximize those numbers you can size the system so that it just covers the part of your bill that has the highest rate categories.

en11 said:

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years. From what I have heard the panels have lifespan of 30 years. So in 30 years you have generated enough to recoup your investment and two times as much additional during the second and third decades.

This comes to a return of 200% on your additional investment over 30 years which is 3.4% annually and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc. I understand there is the inflation protection aspect but it should not change this analysis very much.

Click to expand...

If it's all about the money for you, you're absolutely missing the most important points.

davewill said:

en11 said:

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years. From what I have heard the panels have lifespan of 30 years. So in 30 years you have generated enough to recoup your investment and two times as much additional during the second and third decades.

This comes to a return of 200% on your additional investment over 30 years which is 3.4% annually and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc. I understand there is the inflation protection aspect but it should not change this analysis very much.

Click to expand...

There is an investment in the environment aspect to the decision. It depends on how much you value that. Also, if you want to maximize those numbers you can size the system so that it just covers the part of your bill that has the highest rate categories.

Click to expand...

Also, if you were planning to drive an EV for a different reason than cost (or already have an EV), then you can use your solar to offset gasoline cost, which will give you a higher rate of return than offsetting electricity for your home use, and that ROI goes up as gasoline prices goes up ... almost a sure thing looking into the future.

We went with REC Solar and they did a very good job for us. I'm an architect so I was adamant about certain details and they had no problems with the detailing. We used our own roofer since we were re-roofing at the same time.

None of the companies we got quotes from used the offset of zero gasoline costs in their calcs, so while it would have normally taken 7 or 8 years to recoup, we are already saving probably $250/month in gas costs for the Leaf alone, so our recoup rate is pretty good. Can't wait to replace our other ICE car with electric when range gets to be 250 miles or so.

The panels have a much longer lifespan than 30 years, it is just that their efficiency is reduced depending on the quality of the panels. (We have the Sanyo HIT with a SMA inverter). In theory when there are more efficient panels available, we'll just replace them. All the wiring and conduit will already be in place. It is cheap to build now, not so much in 10 years or more from now.

-U

We used Sunwize four years ago and we're satisfied with their work and their responsiveness. They installed Sunpower 215 panels and a Sunpower inverter for a 5.16 kW DC system.

If you'd like to try them, I'll share a referral bonus with you. Send me a private message if you want to do that.

As for return on investment, as others have said, if you size your system large enough, you can offset your gas costs and that will maximize your ROI. So Cal Edison offers EV time-of-use rate plans that are particularly advantageous for solar PV customers. My system makes about 2,000 kWh per year more than we use in our home annually, which equates to 6,000 zero emission miles. And with SCE's TOU-D-TEV rate plan, I'll be able to drive the LEAF several thousand more miles before I see any charges from SCE. As gas prices rise, that will really pay off for you.

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

GeekEV said:

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

Click to expand...

The quotes I've received are in the 10-13K (Out-of-pocket) range. That includes the FTC & Utility rebates.

GeekEV said:

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

Click to expand...

Figure about $5 to $6 installed per watt before any incentives. Incentives depends on your location.

GeekEV said:

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

Click to expand...

I can pull my bid paperwork for you when I get home....I got bids on systems of various sizes. I'm thinking right around $20k after incentives, right off the top of my head.

That sounds about like what I was expecting... Hmm...

sranga said:

GeekEV said:

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

Click to expand...

The quotes I've received are in the 10-13K (Out-of-pocket) range. That includes the FTC & Utility rebates.

Click to expand...

You guys are really lucky now. Might want to take advantage of the Fed Tax Credit while the budget battle continues in Washington. When I had mine installed (~3.5yrs ago), the Bush oil machine was in charge and my 4kw system cost me ~$25k out-of-pocket without the FTC (of course, panel prices and labor were a bit higher in 07 than now as well - but mostly panel prices). I'm thinking of adding some panels to take advantage of the credit (and to fuel my LEAF - if I ever get the delivery).

RECSolar did mine. Good responsive outfit. Back then they didn't have a Orange County team, so they had to drive from San Diego, which made their workdays shorter for my installation, and ran behind about 2 days. Other than that, works out very well.

GeekEV said:

How much does a 4-5 Kw system typically run? Roughly? I'm giving it some thought, but would like to have an idea of what I'm in for before I start having companies come out for an estimate...

Click to expand...

BTW, 1bog resulted in the best deal for me. My system was installed some time in Oct last year.

en11 said:

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years.

Click to expand...

If you live in California or any other tiered rate state the quotes you get on break even period are likely to be far too conservative. They are going to assume that your future electrical usage will to be about the same as your past usage. If you are getting an electric car your future usage will jump, and that means the break even time will plummet.

en11 said:

... and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc.

Click to expand...

Possibly after 20 or 25 years, but I don't know. I've never heard of a panel breaking or no longer working, though they do degrade very slowly. Maintenance? Shucks, we just let the winter rain wash them. You might have to prune nearby trees, and you could, in theory, have a problem with an inverter.

Ray

It seems it's much different here in Az. We have a 4.8KW system (20/240 Honeywell AC panels) that has a 25 year warranty on the panels and inverters. It's a $25K system, but after utility rebate, fed and state tax credits, it only cost us less than $5K out-of-pocket with a payback of 4-5 years.

en11 said:

Are you sure solar makes sense? I've been trying to find any deals, but I can't understand how it makes sense if the break even period is more than 10 years. From what I have heard the panels have lifespan of 30 years. So in 30 years you have generated enough to recoup your investment and two times as much additional during the second and third decades.

This comes to a return of 200% on your additional investment over 30 years which is 3.4% annually and you also have the work on maintaining panels, replacing them, etc. I understand there is the inflation protection aspect but it should not change this analysis very much.

Click to expand...

You've left other elements out. One for example; Take the 30% (and higher) State/Fed income taxes you have to pay on the money you make, prior to paying your monthly utity bill. For us, that's an extra $1,000 a year that we don't pay out, but rather keep for our self. It's an investment in the future.

Presently - we invest in the future by spending trillions on the military machine, that protects our ability to use up the lion's share of dwindling world fossil fuel reserves .... oh, wait, I forgot ... that's supposed to be called, "protecting freedom"
... oh, yea ... that's great plan
:?