HELP - SolarCity vs. SunPower Quotes

[gabrielrat]

There has to be quite a large lease escalation clause in the SC proposal.

Does anybody know if the leases are basically apples to apples?

[Naptown]

There has to be quite a large lease escalation clause in the SC proposal.

[bonaire]

How is savings over 20 years actually computed? The 4.8% annual increase shown is a ridiculous SHAM. Shame on SC for driving their sales model with such fear mongering.

Sunpower's lease seems really quite a bit better than the SC.

[gabrielrat]

Here are the leases...

SUNPOWER
Year 1 Estimated Production: 7,417 kWh
14% Bill Remaining
5.23 kW (DC), 4.61 kW (AC) SunPower System
86% Electric Bill Offset
16 x SunPower E20/327 Solar Panel
Non-SunPower Roof Mount Mounting System
1 x SPR-5000m (240V) 5kW
ZERO DOWN LEASE OPTION
Initial Payment $0
Monthly Payment $77
New Utility Bill $15
Total Monthly Cost of Electricity $92
Cost per kWh $0.12
Utility $0.15
Annual Increase 0%
Net Savings over 20 Years $22,088
Included
The Planet’s Most Powerful Solar
valued at $24,300
Performance guaranteed for 20 years, or your money back
Potential to save on your monthly electric bill now without a large up-front expense
Flexibility at end of lease —Renew the lease, buy or return the system
Option to buy your system at year seven for the greater of remaining value amount, or fair market value, as determined by*
a third-party appraiser
If you sell your home at any time during the term of the lease you can buy the system for the remaining value amount,*
or transfer the lease to the new owner
Professional installation with the highest standard of quality and customer service from our best-in-class network of instal


Solar City
SOLARLEASE
SolarCity Price (1st Year) 12.4¢/kWh
LADWP Price (Avoided 1st Yr Avg) 14.3¢/kWh
Initial Payment $0
Monthly Payment $66
Annual Increase —
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
New Lower LADWP Bill $27
Savings First Month $10
Savings First Year $122
Savings Over 20 Years $12,096
Return on Investment (IRR Post-Tax) Infinite
Payback Immediate
Current Price Comparison Payments Over 20 Years

Solar System Proposal
4.56 kW DC
Utility
Your Costs Without Solar
LADWP Price
(Avoided 1st Yr Avg)
14.3¢/kWh
Annual Increase
(Expected)
4.8%
Monthly Payment $103.10
Total Costs
(Over 20 Years)
$40,054
SolarLease
Pay As You Go Plan
SolarCity Price
(1st Yr)
12.4¢/kWh
Annual Increase —
Initial Payment $0
Monthly Payment $66
Total Savings
(Over 20 Years)
$12,096
Premium Service Package
Home Energy Evaluation. A comprehensive energy audit and report
that prioritizes energy improvements. Included for $299.
Included
SolarGuard® Monitoring. We continuously monitor your system and will
respond in the unlikely event that it underperforms.
20 years
Extended Warranty & Repair Service We take care of any repair costs
such as the inverter replacement, so you will not have to worry about it.
20 years
Insurance Coverage. Our all-inclusive system coverage protects against
damage or theft.
Included
Performance Guarantee. We guarantee that your system will produce
as much electricity as we promise or we will pay you back!
Included
* Please note this proposal is an estimate and does not guarantee actual system production or savings. The system design may change based on a detailed engineering site audit. Actual system production and savings will vary based on the final system size, design, configuration,

[SoCalsolar]

If you post the lease

If you post the leases without any personal information we can give you better answers. Looking at on the surface if you are paying $10 more a month than you are paying now for the SP not so good if you are paying $10 more than SC lease than it could be good because the SP system will produce 1k more than the SC system. Ask SC exactly what panels they are bolting to your roof for the next 20 years and you would liek to see the data sheet on them. If they can't answer this basic question I would move on. With companies like BP, Evergreen, and recently Sharp the panel manufacturer is a critical layer of protection even in the lease.

[bonaire]

The first one with larger panels means fewer but bigger panels. I think that will happen more and more to keep install costs down. So, yes, the first quote with more output seems better.

[Naptown]

Sunpower is one of the oldest solar companies in existence. They are not under investigation from the justice department and their system will produce about 1000KWH more per year than the Solar City.
Seems like all things are pretty equal price wise I would go with the Sunpower lease as they are more likely to be around to replace the inverter when it fails.
No brainer IMHO

[gabrielrat]

So I am totally new to Solar and have 2 quotes. I live in Southern California. I am looking to only lease.

SunPower
Year 1 Estimated Production: 7,417 kWh
5.23 kW (DC), 4.61 kW (AC) SunPower System
16 x SunPower E20/327 Solar Panel
Non-SunPower Roof Mount Mounting System
1 x SPR-5000m (240V) 5kW

SolarCity
4.56 kW DC
Annual Production
6,366 kWh
19 x 240 Panels

Monthly price is about $10 higher for SunPower, seems like I am paying a little more for a better panel and less panels on my roof... Am I missing something?
Both companies trash each other. SolarCity says that there are too many loopholes in the SunPower lease, but yes their panels are more efficient.

Any wisdom would be helpful!!!!