About to jump

[bob-n]

"do some research, into what actually fails on a solar install.
#1 MC4 connectors, after 7 - 10 years
#2 central string inverter after 8-14 years.
#3 ground fault due to bad wirining, chafing, wear after several years."

I'm not disputing this, but would love to see real data to back it up.

[khanh dam]

I prefer local. The company in question is the biggest in NY so it's not tiny.

doesn't matter, the entire solar industry is dependent on the governement paying for 26% of the cost. If that is taken away in 7 years guess what happends? Tons of local company just fold up and quit. Tesla can't do that because their main business is cars and solar is a tiny portion of their business, but they are still on the hook legally to honro the warranty) Right now it supposed to expire in 3 more years. Even with the super low cost of solar panels and government rebate, it typically takes 7 or more years to break even and most people only live in a home 7 years which is why it does not make sense for so many.

[khanh dam]

I believe the Tesla warranty is probably better. But how long will it take before they actually honor it? I prefer local.

18kw system generates about $2000 a year, so they would have to take over 2 years of ignoring you before it was financially better to go with local company.
do some research, into what actually fails on a solar install.
#1 MC4 connectors, after 7 - 10 years
#2 central string inverter after 8-14 years.
#3 ground fault due to bad wirining, chafing, wear after several years.

then research what it costs to get it repaired if local solar company is no longer in business.
$500 maybe more for any company to take their time to come fix your issues.

typical solar install might only need 2 service calls in its lifetime over 25 years.

get your hvac upgraded to over 20 seer, buy some clear polycarbonate and get sign shop to cover up your 14' long windows if they leak that much
or just get a home energy audit for free from your utility company and do what they suggest.

but only do that if you want to save money, if you are fine with over spending on solar to compensate for over spending on electricity thats your choice.
A Basic ROI calculation | PVCalc.org
above site will calculate your ROI, as long as you move after you get the ROI you will be fine with any loan if you move before ROI you will wind up not really making much because most solar does not increase home value that much. especially if you live in some huge mc mansion that is already the most expensive home on the block.

[Cshama]

Have fun with your money. And I hope you don't need to sell the house before the lease is up

That is a great point.

[Cshama]

I have 7 windows. Each about 14 feet wide and 5 foot tall.
I've looked into replacing them but it's very expensive.

I may add more insulation.

I believe the Tesla warranty is probably better. But how long will it take before they actually honor it? I prefer local. The company in question is the biggest in NY so it's not tiny.

[khanh dam]

why does it leak? buy better windows if the windows leak, most people never open them anyways.
sorry saying it would be hard to insulate sounds like a cop out.

you really think your local company will be around longer than a big company like Tesla?

Gigantic solar companies go out of business all the time. Smaller ones are even worse. The companies I bought my solar racking and panels from are still around, but not in the USA, they will not honor any warranty either.

[Mike90250]

Have fun with your money. And I hope you don't need to sell the house before the lease is up

[Cshama]

Just got a local company quote for the same system. $24k for a 18.36kh system. Same specs as tesla for $4k more.

They also have their own teams that install instead of subcontractors. Tempted.

As for energy conservation. I have a 4500sf house that leaks like a sieve. It would be very hard to insulate it. I am upgrading the hvac system however

[bcroe]

$420 a month is crazy high, get an energy audit and figure out why your home is so inefficient.

Agreed, do see about exactly where the energy is going, and if waste can be minimized. Doing that
here (at 42 deg lat) for several years got the electric down below 5000 KWH a year, or $50 a month.
THEN I added solar and went all electric. Bruce Roe

[khanh dam]

1. $420 a month is crazy high, get an energy audit and figgure out why your home is so ineffcinet. If you have electric water heater replace with heat pump. if you have old hvac replace with more effcient. those 2 things will reduce solar bill and have quicker return on investment. no brainer. not as sexy as solar, but effective.
2. get a standing seam metal roof, that way they can use s5! mounts and not have to make any holes in the new roof.
3. Read reviews of home depot, lowes, any big bank, any big company, lots of negative reviews, no big deal.
4. Even if tesla's service is bad and you loose a few months of power production that would be $1200 dollars, a drop in the bucket compared to the $34K local companies charge.
5. the inverters and panels tesla use are most likely just as good as what local providers use.
6. reread points 1 and 2.
then go with tesla. Tesla dropped thier prices months ago Exploring Tesla solar panels game changing price - YouTube
heck even if you need to get service 8 year latter for a ground fault that cost $500 to fix, you are still ahead. bottom line even factoring in potentially bad service and potentailly bad install ( which I think is wrong) tesla will save you thousands. Solar is not that complex to repair. A bad install will never take out an entier system. the failure points are small and would only effect one electronic device.

as far as 90 days install and blah blah blah warranty blah balh, almost all solar companies do that. no biggy.

[Cshama]

I just got my first local quote. Again $53k for a very similar system. Again $34k more the Tesla.. I would have considered 50% more to go local but this may be too much

[Cshama]

I still haven't heard back from 2 local companies on pricing. But if they are the same as sunpower I will take my chances with Tesla.

So far their customer service has actually been good. The guy I spoke to was very responsive. I will hopefully get a redesign shortly from them.

[oregon_phil]

But right now I am moving forward with them. I would consider a 30% difference in pricing but 150% is crazy.

The devil is in the details. The Tesla contract says they can start and complete your project up to approximately 90 days from now. And you are responsible for all known and unknown property conditions at the installation location. Their website says they will start designing your system after they gather remote aerial imagery of your home. Is somebody going to show up at your house to do a technical review of your installation? This is where a lot of the details are resolved and explained to you. Future customer service is something very important to me. These systems have a lot of technology built into them.

I personally would want more input and discussion with the solar company than what is presented by Tesla. I think you would get that with a larger local company. If I was buying something like a dishwasher, I wouldn't be as concerned.

[Cshama]

The last major storm cleared out my remaining trees during my house. As long as pvwatts is accurate it should be ok

[Ampster]

So ,,,,,,,,,,, Maybe the horror starts later

But right now I am moving forward with them. I would consider a 30% difference in pricing but 150% is crazy.

I think your advisor's input was good. I spend some time on the Energy threads on the Tesla Motors Club forum and the installation delays seem to come mostly because of shortages of PowerWalls. As with everything, there are anecdotal examples but many of those seem to get resolved with the help from that community.