Solar Recommendations

Submitted by Darondo t3_yfa2xg in Connecticut

In the past month I’ve collected 6 quotes for cash purchase of a rooftop array. 3 local installers, and 3 big, national installers. Only one was under $3.50/W and I didn’t feel comfortable with him and his wishy-washy answers to several of my questions. Highest was $4/W! I understand there are delays because of hardware shortages, but the bulk of solar installation cost is labor. I feel like installers are just price gouging to maintain their estimated payback duration as Eversource keeps hiking rates.

Now to my question…has anyone here received a quote in the past couple months that’s close to $3/W?

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BeenBanned69Times t1_iu2mb0k wrote

Solar salesmen that work solely on commission make more money if they sell the system for more. So if they think they can get more out of you, they will absolutely try.

My advice is to always know that if the sales rep changes the price at any point, they can change it even more than they are letting on. Push back on their price.

I know because I sell solar lol i’m just not 10-99 so I don’t change prices

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1qaztom t1_iu3p60v wrote

2 years ago I got 2.25 a watt from posigen on a 5.2 kw system.

The price was right but they messed things up left and right. I found a mistake in their CT green bank paperwork that would have cost me 700 in lost rebate if I hadn't caught it.

I'd recommend as long you are ok with double checking their paperwork.

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Paperbagsportsfan t1_iu6vwfh wrote

We just signed about 2 weeks ago with green power energy. 11.68KW for $35,040 so $3/watt pretax credit. Salesman was great but nothing is installed yet, 25 year warranty on roof and install as well as the panels

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Darondo OP t1_iu6w6tn wrote

Thank you! Reaching out to them immediately. Do you know what panels and inverters they use? Feel free to PM please if you don’t want to share publicly

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Paperbagsportsfan t1_iu6x0mz wrote

◦PV Modules: (32) Hanwha Q-Cells Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G10+ 365, 25 year manufacturer warranty. 365W, 120 half cell, monocrystalline module, black backsheet and frame, 1000V max system Vdc ◦ Microinverters - grid-tie: (32) Enphase Energy IQ8PLUS-72-2-US [240V], 25 year manufacturer warranty. ◦ Panel Mounting Hardware: IronRidge Solar Mounting Hardware, 25 year manufacturer warranty. ◦ Roof Attachment: QuickMount PV waterproof roof attachment with 25 year manufacturer warranty. ◦

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jjma14 t1_iu2j3sv wrote

Are you factoring in the rebate? Ours is like $3.55/W, but with the 26% back at tax time it ends up being closer to $2.6

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Darondo OP t1_iu2k0xs wrote

Pre tax credit. I keep seeing that national average is allegedly $3/W retail (pre tax credit).

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jjma14 t1_iu2kug6 wrote

I'm seeing 2.6-3.55 average in CT. It probably depends on your sun as well. We're in a less than ideal spot for sunlight. Have you tried negotiating with them? We ended up with Sunrun after the guy knocked a bunch of money off of the price and interest rate to undercut everyone else. Makes me wonder if we could've kept driving it down even more.

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Darondo OP t1_iu2mnei wrote

I’m talking system DC wattage which is independent of sun exposure. It’s the only way to compare apples to apples (but of course panel and inverter efficiencies and warranties will vary).

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jjma14 t1_iu2nkwu wrote

Ah, I see what you mean. I was thinking it was dependent on sun exposure, but the panels each have their own wattage rating. So an 8kW system is an 8kW system independent of sun. Probably something I should've looked more closely at at the time of purchase. I was more focused on the fact that it would essentially lock in the current rate we were paying to Eversource based on the expected production over the life of the system.

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JaKr8 t1_iu5zht5 wrote

Does this include any type of warranty or monitoring services?

We spoke with somebody recently and they were at $3.5/W. Cash deal. Supposedly these were the most efficient panels they offered. This included coverage for any service calls, panel defects, and roof/panel interface, but not acts of God...

Would be interested to know any companies people have had good experience with, that we could contact still...

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jjma14 t1_iu60o8y wrote

10 years roof penetration and workmanship warranty, 10 years warranty that the system will provide at least 85% of the estimated energy, includes service calls and defects, but excludes acts of god, and the panels themselves have a manufacturer warranty on them. I want to say 25 years, but I'd have to dig it up. They've been monitoring the system and already came out to tweak some things without any prompting from me as well, so that was a pleasant surprise.

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misourlemayer t1_iu6ljt2 wrote

go with Trinity Solar!!!!!!!!!

I used to work for them and loved them, you won't get taken advantage of.

All you need is a 650+ credit score, your roof has to be younger than 25 years, and you have to own the home (your name on title/deed).

I 1000% recommend them

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Darondo OP t1_iu6lxie wrote

I had a Trinity guy come to my house for a quote, he didn’t know what he was talking about, and he never followed up with the proposal. Also I’m looking buy with cash, not use a solar loan with baked in fees but Solar loan are a great option for a lot of people too.

I’m partial to local installers for more reliable customer service.

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