getting Solar evaluated...need some guidance

[slopoke]

Yeah I used .77. I reran it again w/ .83 and got 6447...better but still 673 less than he said. Should I be concerned or is that just the margin of error?

If you did not read my post on the previous page, even if you get the numbers he quoted you for production, you will still be paying for electricity, because your usage exceeds the production.

[jlatenight]

I'm told the guy that came to do the assessment (not the same guy that presented the findings this afternoon) used some expensive piece of equipment (he said the name but I forget) that has historical weather data for 100 yrs or something and he put it in the four corners of the roof and took readings. They showed me pictures that it took showing where the sun would shine from each spot. Seems very legit, but who the hell knows?? Now you guys have me thoroughly spooked, which I'm very thankful for. I'm tempted to just post all the info he gave me for you guys to assess.

[jlatenight]

If you did not read my post on the previous page, even if you get the numbers he quoted you for production, you will still be paying for electricity, because your usage exceeds the production.

YEs, I saw your post, thanks! yes I'm aware that I'll still be pulling from the grid, but obviously much less. Plus MA has tiered pricing certain amount for up to 600kwh and then higher after which I always exceed.

[slopoke]

YEs, I saw your post, thanks! yes I'm aware that I'll still be pulling from the grid, but obviously much less. Plus MA has tiered pricing certain amount for up to 600kwh and then higher after which I always exceed.

So in your previous post you stated you pay ".18 cents per kW hour". Is that the average of the tiers you go into or is .18 cents tier one only. Makes a big difference on the money numbers side.

[jlatenight]

I would be very weary of the installer if he said you would be going positive when you will not. Big RED FLAG in my book.

He didn't say I'd be going positive on production, he said I'd still get an electric bill but it would be much less. Here's the actual worksheet he gave me. See if makes any sense to you.

[slopoke]

He didn't say I'd be going positive on production, he said I'd still get an electric bill but it would be much less. Here's the actual worksheet he gave me. See if makes any sense to you.

Holy poop!! You need to run away from this person. He's selling you a system for $7.05 a watt. Totally unacceptable. I paid $3.85 per watt BEFORE incentives and I'm about 30 to 40 cents higher than others with similar equipment. But I live in N. CA and we typically have been paying more than the folks in S.CA.

[jlatenight]

So in your previous post you stated you pay ".18 cents per kW hour". Is that the average of the tiers you go into or is .18 cents tier one only. Makes a big difference on the money numbers side.

I might not have calculated it right. My last bill was $123.29, so I divided by 704kwh, the total I used. For the first $600 I pay .035 and .042 above that which was only $4.37, so I didn't think the difference was worth calculating.

[jlatenight]

Holy poop!! You need to run away from this person. He's selling you a system for $7.05 a watt. Totally unacceptable. I paid $3.85 per watt BEFORE incentives and I'm about 30 to 40 cents higher than others with similar equipment. But I live in N. CA and we typically have been paying more than the folks in S.CA.

Uh oh...is it possible there's inherently that big a difference in the price of a system between CA and MA?

[slopoke]

I might not have calculated it right. My last bill was $123.29, so I divided by 704kwh, the total I used. For the first $600 I pay .035 and .042 above that which was only $4.37, so I didn't think the difference was worth calculating.

Your numbers don't add up. You say you pay ".035 for the first 600 kW hours, then .042 above that. 600 x .035 = 21 and 104 x .042 = 4.37 for a total of $25.37.

[slopoke]

Uh oh...is it possible there's inherently that big a difference in the price of a system between CA and MA?

I don't think so, materials costs are the same and depending on where you live, the labor costs might be lower, I doubt higher. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and our labor costs are not low.

[jlatenight]

ok, I'm going to call a couple other places tomorrow and get some more info. I have a feeling I'm going to get some seriously different numbers. I really have to thank all you guys for your help with this. This is NOT easy to navigate. You've all been a huge help!!

[slopoke]

ok, I'm going to call a couple other places tomorrow and get some more info. I have a feeling I'm going to get some seriously different numbers. I really have to thank all you guys for your help with this. This is NOT easy to navigate. You've all been a huge help!!

I got all of the info on this forum to get an idea on what is an acceptable price for me to pay here in California. It's a great resource. This forum has a lot of California residents and the benefit we have is that we have access to thousands of California solar systems installed in Ca. Not only can we see the size of the system but we can also see the installer, size, price paid, what panels and inverters, plus a whole lot of other info in Excel format. Big tool when it comes to negotiating prices. Go to the link below and download the "raw data set" and you'll get an idea of prices. Good luck.

http://www.californiasolarstatistics.ca.gov/current_data_files/

[Naptown]

He didn't say I'd be going positive on production, he said I'd still get an electric bill but it would be much less. Here's the actual worksheet he gave me. See if makes any sense to you.

Their after all incentive cost is higher than the before incentive costs here in Maryland.

[pleppik]

I don't think so, materials costs are the same and depending on where you live, the labor costs might be lower, I doubt higher. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and our labor costs are not low.

From the data I've seen, there is considerable regional variation in solar prices around the country. California is on the low end, probably because there are a zillion installers and lots of competition (plus lots of experienced labor).

Still, $7/W is definitely high.

[pleppik]

ok, I'm going to call a couple other places tomorrow and get some more info. I have a feeling I'm going to get some seriously different numbers. I really have to thank all you guys for your help with this. This is NOT easy to navigate. You've all been a huge help!!

Good move. Get a couple other quotes.

Also, try to find out where that "estimated production" number came from. There's no details on that worksheet, and that's the second most important number (after the price) on the whole page.