Massachusetts solar quote

[rsilvers]

I may use your installer. I am getting a quote today.

I actually feel like I want the challenge of the self-install though

[farokhboston]

I may use your installer. I am getting a quote today.

I actually feel like I want the challenge of the self-install though

Let me know how that goes.

As for the "challenge" part, it would be about as much "fun" as the challenge of buying your own novicane, drill etc, and filling/extracting your own teeth. Some things are best left to professionals.

The payout period for my Solar system is 25 yrs. I really dont care (that much) if my payoff period is 4yrs (DIY) or 5 yrs (Installer done) if I dont have to deal with any headaches, AND have a legal recourse against someone if something gets @#$@'ed up with my nearly $30,000 system.

[rsilvers]

I will have to wait for his quote later this week. He is quoting 320 watt SunPower with built-in inverters vs 300 watt conventional panels with enPhase - which he doesn't have yet but I gave him a distributor source.

[farokhboston]

I will have to wait for his quote later this week. He is quoting 320 watt SunPower with built-in inverters vs 300 watt conventional panels with enPhase - which he doesn't have yet but I gave him a distributor source.

If you dont mind, share the details of the quotes when you get them. I'll be interested to see the cost/maker for the 300 Watt panel proposal (to compare to my 285 Watt Suniva panel system).

[rsilvers]

Ok.

[farokhboston]

Can you please email me at so that I can tell you what I find out? There are no private messages on this forum.

Done...

[solar pete]

I edited your email address out, there are no PM's due to referral farmers, it is OK to mention your installer in posts, so no need for PM's unless you really are a referral farmer

[Andygt02]

Today you can get 315 watt LG panels using Enphase's new S280 microinverters for $3.50 / watt before incentives. Check out Rexel. My system is a little older and uses 300 watt LG panels with the M250's.

[rsilvers]

Just the panels and inverters? Or installed as part of a system?

[Andygt02]

Just the panels and inverters? Or installed as part of a system?

Installed. I have a 7.2 kw system. My father is going for a 10 kw system using the 315's and S280's. We both asked if they would lower the price from the initial quotes we got, and they're fairly accommodating on that end which is nice. Ask for Elaine

[rsilvers]

I am not sure what a referral farmer is. Is that someone looking for referrals, or someone promoting their services?

I run two forums and the only issue I had with PMs is if a spambot sends spam to every member by PM. But that has only happened once or twice.

[solar pete]

Well both, we had installers who were posing as customers of themselves telling anyone who would listen that they were the best solar installer in the world, and we also had legitimate customers of installers who we looking to get referral fee's from getting people here to buy from "their" installer, when I started getting complaints about it and delved into it, it turned out we had an issue, so the simple fix was to turn off PM's, if we can get some required functionality to stop that (we are looking into it) we may end up turning PM,s back on at some stage.

So the rules are now you can mention installers, you can even link them to their www.solarreviews.com page but you can not link to their website or mention email addresses etc

Hope that helps

[J.P.M.]

Well both, we had installers who were posing as customers of themselves telling anyone who would listen that they were the best solar installer in the world, and we also had legitimate customers of installers who we looking to get referral fee's from getting people here to buy from "their" installer, when I started getting complaints about it and delved into it, it turned out we had an issue, so the simple fix was to turn off PM's, if we can get some required functionality to stop that (we are looking into it) we may end up turning PM,s back on at some stage.

So the rules are now you can mention installers, you can even link them to their www.solarreviews.com page but you can not link to their website or mention email addresses etc

Hope that helps

FWIW: From the vendors' side, I certainly appreciate the cost of lead generation and advertisting.

On the other side, and in a somewhat contrary spirit, Russ, a retired moderator, correctly (I believe), but perhaps somewhat immoderately and indelicately called the idea of money (fees) taken from solar vendors for referring friends to that vendor as the "screw your buddy plan". Perhaps another example of the opinion that we're all whores, it's just a matter of price.

[rsilvers]

If I am excited about an install, I will naturally tell my friends. The problem with me being offered a referral fee is that it will make me feel like I overpaid if they have money figured in to give away for each install.

[NYHeel]

I don't really agree with either of the last two posters. Any service company needs to advertise and market to get customers. There's a common concept of advertising cost spent per customer acquired. In many industries (especially high margin ones like solar installation) that cost is going to be very high. The easiest and cheapest way to get customers is to get referrals from prior customers. If a company gives you a $500 referral fee, that's probably pennies compared to how much they typically spend to acquire a customer. Also, the sales time and visits spent is drastically reduced with referrals.

So no, you're not taking any money away from your friend by getting a referral fee. If anything the solar company can offer a lower price (or just make more money) on referred customers. But if you still feel really bad, I'm sure you can offer to split the fee with your friend.

[ButchDeal]

If I am excited about an install, I will naturally tell my friends. The problem with me being offered a referral fee is that it will make me feel like I overpaid if they have money figured in to give away for each install.

well it depends on what the customer acquisition cost is. SolarCity has specified that theirs is $0.64/w

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/solarcity-to-slow-growth-and-focus-on-cost-reduction_100021788/#axzz4731cgd3m

much of that is advertising, and pre-sales staff time. Now if a lead comes in from a referral then then still have some pre-sales staff time and all referral leads will not turn into sales so lets just say half is advertising and half is pre-sales time, leaving $0.32/w they didn't have to spend.
so if they gave half to the buyer and half to the referrer (you). You didn't initially overpay as they had to pay all the advertising to get you in the door.
And your friend isn't overpaying, they are getting a discount because they didn't have to do the advertising....