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  • josefaz
    Member
    • May 2012
    • 47

    #1

    Trying to get quotes from arizona

    I started the process of getting quotes from several installers last week. Out of seven I contacted, a couple of them will be at the house checking the layout tomorrow. The rest of the installers got my information such as address, yearly energy consumption and pool/no pool. It's my understanding that they will get my roof orientation by google map or the Maricopa County Assessor map. I prefer for them to stop by the house and have a face-to-face conversation that's why I took tomorrow off from work to dedicate that time but it seems I don't need all day after all. I understand in order to save time and gas, they prefer a quote over the phone especially installers from the east side of town (I'm on the west side). I guess that's better for me too, so I would not be pressured to sign with them.
    After almost a week, I still have no response from the installers that requested my home information. They initially informed me that they will get back to me after they make the calculations. I thought it would just be a day wait for the quote but not a whole week so far. Business must be doing great that they ignore a potential customer. I'm tempted to call and ask for the quote but I'm holding back to not appear desperate, which I'm not. I was hoping I have something to compare with tomorrow when the two installers shows up.

    KREN- thanks for the pm referrals. Two installers you named is already in my list and the one that will stop by tomorrow. Most of the installers I also got from this forum.
  • Ian S
    Solar Fanatic
    • Sep 2011
    • 1879

    #2
    I went through this last year and actually had pretty good and timely responses. I also didn't really get a high pressure sales job from anyone - unless you count one or two followup calls. If you're only considering purchasing, you owe it to yourself to look into a prepaid lease. I ultimately went with the Sunpower lease and I'm happy with it; the only downside was the long delay between signing the lease and installation. We had to apply for an extension of the APS rebate. That may not be possible in all cases and depending on your contract, it could seruiously impact the financials of the deal. Besides checking on an installer's solar PV experience, if I were you I would also ask for references to happy customers for whom installation has been completed this year. There has been a lot of flux in the industry and I think an installer that gets good reviews for installations in 2012 is probably one you can count on. Another thing I would avoid is putting money upfront. That was a nice thing about the Sunpower lease. In fact I still haven't been billed for the installation more than a month after startup. Whether you go the lease or purchase route, make sure to get copies of any agreements prior to deciding - there was quite a bit of variation when I went through that stuff last year.

    Comment

    • josefaz
      Member
      • May 2012
      • 47

      #3
      Ian
      Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm looking at the pre-paid lease as well. It seems a better deal in the long run from what I read here. I'm actually surrounded with 4 neighbors that had solar installed within the last 6 months from the same installer. The installer is coming tomorrow but I just wanted to see what other installers has to offer. The neighbor that started the whole solar craze in our street does a lot of contracting negotiation (contracting specialist) for the government so I'm sure he was very thorough when he shopped for installers last year. He's also on the pre-paid lease and so far his system delivered as promised.
      I agree SunPower makes quality panels. I actually contacted a installer that specializes in just SunPower panels but after furnishing all my information, I never heard from them.

      Comment

      • russ
        Solar Fanatic
        • Jul 2009
        • 10360

        #4
        For preliminary quotes the phone and Goggle are fine - there is no way I would sign a contract of this size without them having visited the home.

        Any supplier that refuses - tell them to GTH.
        [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

        Comment

        • AZstars
          Junior Member
          • Jun 2012
          • 23

          #5
          Another AZ looker

          I just received a quote for a Sunpower 11.77kW system for $15,000, seems to be more expensive than Ian's..
          Whom would you recommend to contact ? The sales rep mentioned yesterday that SP is increasing the lease price, wonder whether I am getting it already?

          David in Scottsdale
          closed on the house Monday

          Comment

          • Ian S
            Solar Fanatic
            • Sep 2011
            • 1879

            #6
            Originally posted by AZstars
            I just received a quote for a Sunpower 11.77kW system for $15,000, seems to be more expensive than Ian's..
            Whom would you recommend to contact ? The sales rep mentioned yesterday that SP is increasing the lease price, wonder whether I am getting it already?

            David in Scottsdale
            closed on the house Monday
            One thing to keep in mind is that the APS rebate has dropped drastically this year: from $1.00 to $0.55 a watt maybe lower by now. That alone would easily make up the difference. Also, if you are SRP, I think they have a kW limit above which the rebate remains the same. I am on APS. I went with Perfect Power as they were recommended by a friend. They were nice to deal with but there were major delays that were frustrating to say the least - Sunpower sent me a letter accepting blame for the delays FWIW. The installation went fairly smoothly; they even redid the grounding of my house to please the city inspector and their electrician knew the APS inspector well which smoothed the way around some issues related to my old home's design. The system has been up and running now for over a month with no problems and great output. Just got a card in the mail for Earthwise offering a Sunpower prepaid lease on the 6.9 kW system for $9000 out the door (APS) or $10,200 for SRP. That's $1.30 or more per watt compared to your $1.27 so your price is not unreasonable. Make sure to get and read a copy of the contract before you sign up.

            Comment

            • russ
              Solar Fanatic
              • Jul 2009
              • 10360

              #7
              Thanks to Ian for the help with the leases - and in particular for Arizona - first hand experience is hard to beat!
              [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

              Comment

              • josefaz
                Member
                • May 2012
                • 47

                #8
                Originally posted by AZstars
                I just received a quote for a Sunpower 11.77kW system for $15,000, seems to be more expensive than Ian's..
                Whom would you recommend to contact ? The sales rep mentioned yesterday that SP is increasing the lease price, wonder whether I am getting it already?

                David in Scottsdale
                closed on the house Monday
                That seems to be a better deal from what I had yesterday. A Sunpower system I was quoted was for 10kw system for $15000. The odd part was the guy said the quoted price was not final until the enginering site audit from the installer inspects our home. Sunpower has a reputation for quality solar equipment and there elite installers are highly recommended. That's why they charge the most based on the installers quotes that I got. Our home has tile roofs and they are the only installers that included removing all the tiles before installing the panels. I guess that's were most of the $15000 comes from. I kind of lost interest after he said the quote was not final and I'm still waiting for the actual quote in paper as well as the lease agreement copy as no documentations was provided during his visit.
                I also got a quote from SolarCity with 11.5kw system for $13700 including the $500 promo this month. This will provide 110% of our power but to maximize it, we have to change our plan from APS to standard rate (currently 7-12pm off-peak and the house sits empty during the day). I know it's a little over kill system but we were thinking of possible future higher energy consumption (couple of years)due to kids out of daycare, possible electric plug-in car, etc. My logic is that I would rather pay the extra now with all the current incentive than to pay later when who knows were the price of solar in going to be. I'm taking a gamble I guess. With the solarcity quote includes changing my main panel to 220 amps from 200 amps, Trina panels and Frunius inverter. I'm currently reviewing the lease agreements of the installers and it seems all of them are the same except of the roof warranties. SolarCity only warranties it for 1 year of the area they penetrated. Our home is only 5 years old and around here rain is scarce. With my luck, we'll have a heavy downpour the day after the warranty expires and I find a leak from the panels. The roof warranty is something I'm concern about. I may have to downsize this system as well.
                Another local company (popular in our neighborhood) quoted me for a 8.64kw for $14300. Equipment includes Canadian Solar panels and SWA America inverter. It was suggested to keep my current plan with APS and will provide about 83% of my power. In doing my own calculations, I don't see the numbers as far as breaking even on the off-peak power. On the other hand, the on-peak power we will have excess. I'm still playing with the numbers.
                All the quotes we receive was for pre-paid lease. Last years energy consumption is about 16kw. I would appreciate any input.

                Comment

                • Ian S
                  Solar Fanatic
                  • Sep 2011
                  • 1879

                  #9
                  Originally posted by josefaz
                  That seems to be a better deal from what I had yesterday. A Sunpower system I was quoted was for 10kw system for $15000. The odd part was the guy said the quoted price was not final until the enginering site audit from the installer inspects our home. Sunpower has a reputation for quality solar equipment and there elite installers are highly recommended. That's why they charge the most based on the installers quotes that I got. Our home has tile roofs and they are the only installers that included removing all the tiles before installing the panels. I guess that's were most of the $15000 comes from. I kind of lost interest after he said the quote was not final and I'm still waiting for the actual quote in paper as well as the lease agreement copy as no documentations was provided during his visit.
                  I also got a quote from SolarCity with 11.5kw system for $13700 including the $500 promo this month. This will provide 110% of our power but to maximize it, we have to change our plan from APS to standard rate (currently 7-12pm off-peak and the house sits empty during the day). I know it's a little over kill system but we were thinking of possible future higher energy consumption (couple of years)due to kids out of daycare, possible electric plug-in car, etc. My logic is that I would rather pay the extra now with all the current incentive than to pay later when who knows were the price of solar in going to be. I'm taking a gamble I guess. With the solarcity quote includes changing my main panel to 220 amps from 200 amps, Trina panels and Frunius inverter. I'm currently reviewing the lease agreements of the installers and it seems all of them are the same except of the roof warranties. SolarCity only warranties it for 1 year of the area they penetrated. Our home is only 5 years old and around here rain is scarce. With my luck, we'll have a heavy downpour the day after the warranty expires and I find a leak from the panels. The roof warranty is something I'm concern about. I may have to downsize this system as well.
                  Another local company (popular in our neighborhood) quoted me for a 8.64kw for $14300. Equipment includes Canadian Solar panels and SWA America inverter. It was suggested to keep my current plan with APS and will provide about 83% of my power. In doing my own calculations, I don't see the numbers as far as breaking even on the off-peak power. On the other hand, the on-peak power we will have excess. I'm still playing with the numbers.
                  All the quotes we receive was for pre-paid lease. Last years energy consumption is about 16kw. I would appreciate any input.
                  Looks like SolarCity has sharpened their pencils since their quote to me last year. LOL! I'm not sure how much difference the type of roof makes in costs. Rich (Naptown) might have some guidance there. Mine was on a flat foam roof.

                  I think it's been discussed in other earlier posts but if you are going to oversize your system, then with APS, the standard rate is the way to go if for no other reason than its lower "basic service charge". One caveat: if your system starts up in mid calendar year, you won't have built up credits in the earlier months so, in your first year, you may not produce enough to avoid some charges for electricity. As far as a smaller system is concerned, with APS, overproducing on-peak while under-producing off-peak may be OK when the $$ credits are calculated at year's end: in essence, the on-peak excess credit will offset at least some of your cost over the year for the off-peak energy you purchased.

                  Comment

                  • AZstars
                    Junior Member
                    • Jun 2012
                    • 23

                    #10
                    Prices up and end of pre-paid ?

                    One installer reported to me that SunPower raised their prices yesterday and decided they didn't really want to be in the prepaid lease game anymore. Sounds counter-intuitive for what they did to date, or, maybe it is true for states, where the utility rebates declined ?
                    It can be also "car dealer" tactic to get me signed, I have my quote "locked".

                    Comment

                    • Naptown
                      Solar Fanatic
                      • Feb 2011
                      • 6880

                      #11
                      Originally posted by AZstars
                      One installer reported to me that SunPower raised their prices yesterday and decided they didn't really want to be in the prepaid lease game anymore. Sounds counter-intuitive for what they did to date, or, maybe it is true for states, where the utility rebates declined ?
                      It can be also "car dealer" tactic to get me signed, I have my quote "locked".
                      Suncap did the same thing as of Monday next. Prepaids will no longer be available.
                      Not sure what the cost implications will be yet.
                      Just checked they will be huge.
                      Last edited by Naptown; 06-22-2012, 03:52 PM.
                      NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

                      [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

                      [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

                      [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

                      Comment

                      • SoCalsolar
                        Solar Fanatic
                        • Jun 2012
                        • 331

                        #12
                        Lease prices are up or headed that way.

                        Lease prices are up or headed that way especially the PPD Lease. The locked quote means you have about 10 days to close the deal on your SunPower system (this time it's not a sales trick). The pricing is going up due to how the depreciation of the panels will be calculated in 2013 and maybe the whole tariff fiasco? With the depreciation being spread over a longer period of time the return(for the lease company) especially on the PPD lease will be longer meaning capture more capital upfront (SunPower) or discontinue it (Sun Run, Solar City?). I would tell you that pricing between SP dealers does vary sometimes greatly and the Elite aren't always the cheapest but get a new quote from SP (no need to sit with another sales guy just ask for one through email) and let us know what the difference is because it could be substantial due to the new pricing.

                        Comment

                        • josefaz
                          Member
                          • May 2012
                          • 47

                          #13
                          Originally posted by SoCalsolar
                          Lease prices are up or headed that way especially the PPD Lease. The locked quote means you have about 10 days to close the deal on your SunPower system (this time it's not a sales trick). The pricing is going up due to how the depreciation of the panels will be calculated in 2013 and maybe the whole tariff fiasco? With the depreciation being spread over a longer period of time the return(for the lease company) especially on the PPD lease will be longer meaning capture more capital upfront (SunPower) or discontinue it (Sun Run, Solar City?). I would tell you that pricing between SP dealers does vary sometimes greatly and the Elite aren't always the cheapest but get a new quote from SP (no need to sit with another sales guy just ask for one through email) and let us know what the difference is because it could be substantial due to the new pricing.
                          Last week I requested a quote over the phone from a SunPower Premiere installer and after giving all my house information, he said he was going to call me back but never did. He did tell me that prices are going up on Tuesday(jun 19).
                          Can anyone comment on the Trina panels and Fronius inverter SolarCity if offering. Thanks.

                          Comment

                          • Ian S
                            Solar Fanatic
                            • Sep 2011
                            • 1879

                            #14
                            Originally posted by SoCalsolar
                            Lease prices are up or headed that way especially the PPD Lease. The locked quote means you have about 10 days to close the deal on your SunPower system (this time it's not a sales trick). The pricing is going up due to how the depreciation of the panels will be calculated in 2013 and maybe the whole tariff fiasco? With the depreciation being spread over a longer period of time the return(for the lease company) especially on the PPD lease will be longer meaning capture more capital upfront (SunPower) or discontinue it (Sun Run, Solar City?). I would tell you that pricing between SP dealers does vary sometimes greatly and the Elite aren't always the cheapest but get a new quote from SP (no need to sit with another sales guy just ask for one through email) and let us know what the difference is because it could be substantial due to the new pricing.
                            Gee, I'm glad I got in last year. 20 years of monthly lease payments did not appeal to me at all and the outright purchase with the far larger cash outlay and hassles of applying for and waiting for rebates, tax credits, etc. would probably have caused me to not to proceed. Good luck to those rushing to get in under the wire!

                            Comment

                            • Naptown
                              Solar Fanatic
                              • Feb 2011
                              • 6880

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Ian S
                              Gee, I'm glad I got in last year. 20 years of monthly lease payments did not appeal to me at all and the outright purchase with the far larger cash outlay and hassles of applying for and waiting for rebates, tax credits, etc. would probably have caused me to not to proceed. Good luck to those rushing to get in under the wire!
                              I have 3 I can sneak in this weekend That's the good news.
                              The bad news is overall costs on a monthly over the 20 years are double the prepaid.
                              NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

                              [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

                              [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

                              [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

                              Comment

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