Yet Another SD Install 4.5Kw LG 300's SE 5000 in La Costa CA

[JBinCBad]

Another quick thought: The vendors getting referrals here obviously benefit from this board, and get business they wouldn't have gotten without the board, so the fact that it creates a more aggressive market is a cost of getting that increase in business. More installs, but probably at a thinner margin, is still good business sense, and everyone benefits.

[JBinCBad]

Most of us are here not only to learn about the systems, but to also compare quotes and try to get the "best deal" possible. I put quotes there because everyone wants something a little cheaper than the guy before him, thus the conflict with installers that get referrals from this board. I used info on this board to get competitive quotes, and half the installers I spoke with were so insulted that I wanted a good deal, they refused to talk with me, and were quite rude.

Just got an email from installer telling me I'm probably about a month out from install, mostly due to the engineering and permit process. Installation is such a basic, modular thing, I'm a little disappointed it will take that long, but hopefully it will be worth it.

[thejq]

Congrats Joel! It's funny that the same vendor told me not to disclose the prices too. I have a feeling J.P.M. is right, he got himself into a situation that too much people know his bottom line through this forum.

[J.P.M.]

Another thought: If that's the same vendor Thejq, Subdriver and others have used, he may be trying to get off that low price he backed himself into and let other posters who used him rat him out on price. Just sayin'.......................................One advantage of this forum may be that it allows readers and posters to be more informed about prices than the great unwashed masses................................ If I was a vendor, particularly in San Diego or So.CA, and I knew about this forum, I might think 2X about quoting someone who was aware of this forum and look for low hanging fruit elsewhere that was not so potentially price savvy as to know that good stuff from quality vendors can be had for $3.50/Watt.

[J.P.M.]

Thanks guys, this may sound a bit petty, but my installer asked that I not disclose my $$. It certainly is not the cheapest on the board, but it is competitive with the current going-rates in the area. Currently, only the standoffs are in, and the roof was just buttoned-up on Saturday, so the fun comes with the racking and panels. Still trying to get a timeline/calendar from the project coordinator, I guess I should have hashed this out before signing. The contract has a 3 mo. time period, but it only takes a day to rack and hang the panels. No HOA, so the only bureaucracy or excuse for delay will be the permitting. . .

For any part I had in your choice(s), you're welcome. To bad the sortable CSI database isn't useful anymore. When active, the only thing not public record about a residential install that got a CSI rebate was the name/street address of the user/owner, right down to the tilt/azimuth of the array, the equipment, the cost and lots more. It was a very powerful tool in consumer's hands. .....................................Also too bad about 98% (my SWAG) of solar users didn't make the effort to know it existed much less use it. But, that was then - this is now.

[JBinCBad]

Thanks guys, this may sound a bit petty, but my installer asked that I not disclose my $$. It certainly is not the cheapest on the board, but it is competitive with the current going-rates in the area. Currently, only the standoffs are in, and the roof was just buttoned-up on Saturday, so the fun comes with the racking and panels. Still trying to get a timeline/calendar from the project coordinator, I guess I should have hashed this out before signing. The contract has a 3 mo. time period, but it only takes a day to rack and hang the panels. No HOA, so the only bureaucracy or excuse for delay will be the permitting. . .

[J.P.M.]

I'd wager if everyone followed your example for diligence and deliberateness, there would be a lot more well installed and more cost effective arrays being installed. Sounds like so far, so good............$$'s ??

[max2k]

So after 10 months of hesitation and reluctance, I signed the contract last week to have a 4.5Kw system installed in my home. Went with a reputable installer that many others on the board have used and respected (Thanks Subdriver, TheJq, and Sensij), and have a similar system with LG 300's,and SE 5k inverter. Had my entire roof re-done, and they put in the stand-offs last week before the new tile was laid.

Since I took so long to pull the trigger, I did notice the price/watt slowly decrease with time, which made me reluctant to commit, since it seems to be consistently dropping, and the technology gets better and more efficient. However, I also realized that in the past 10 months, I have paid an electrical bill and polluted the earth more than the slight price delta, so figured gotta jump in at some point. I'm a Realtor and an attorney, and I've constantly recognized the value of an owned system, and the detriment of a leased system or a PPV agreement, so felt it was a good investment to make.

I have a good S/SW facing roof over my garage, which has very little (if any) shading. My SDGE bill is between $150-$200/month, so I'm hoping to stay in tier 1, with the possibility of covering over 80% of my useage. EV's may be in the future, but expandability of my system is somewhat limited by roof space.

I'll update as I go, but looking forward to the slow recoupment of my investment, and hopefully a quick permit, install and tie-in process.

Thanks again to the board for the opinions, suggestions and referrals. This is an evolving enterprise and its great to have a resource to learn before making a big investment.

Cheers,
Joel

How much did it cost before rebates if you don't mind sharing price info? I have very similar energy consumption level and my hesitation mostly comes from the worse cost / kW level for the smaller systems.

[JBinCBad]

So after 10 months of hesitation and reluctance, I signed the contract last week to have a 4.5Kw system installed in my home. Went with a reputable installer that many others on the board have used and respected (Thanks Subdriver, TheJq, and Sensij), and have a similar system with LG 300's,and SE 5k inverter. Had my entire roof re-done, and they put in the stand-offs last week before the new tile was laid.

Since I took so long to pull the trigger, I did notice the price/watt slowly decrease with time, which made me reluctant to commit, since it seems to be consistently dropping, and the technology gets better and more efficient. However, I also realized that in the past 10 months, I have paid an electrical bill and polluted the earth more than the slight price delta, so figured gotta jump in at some point. I'm a Realtor and an attorney, and I've constantly recognized the value of an owned system, and the detriment of a leased system or a PPV agreement, so felt it was a good investment to make.

I have a good S/SW facing roof over my garage, which has very little (if any) shading. My SDGE bill is between $150-$200/month, so I'm hoping to stay in tier 1, with the possibility of covering over 80% of my useage. EV's may be in the future, but expandability of my system is somewhat limited by roof space.

I'll update as I go, but looking forward to the slow recoupment of my investment, and hopefully a quick permit, install and tie-in process.

Thanks again to the board for the opinions, suggestions and referrals. This is an evolving enterprise and its great to have a resource to learn before making a big investment.

Cheers,
Joel