Sun Power

[Mstrlucky74]

so had salesman stop by today . Works for NYSS( new york state solar) and the facilitate the NY Sun Program. they use Sun Power panels.
mha’s anyone heard of this solar company and these panels ? any thoughts . they just stopped by and setup appt for this Thursday . any specific questions i should ask? anything i should be aware of? thank you very much .

[J.P.M.]

Before you talk to anyone, buy (for ~ $25) or download a dated version (for $0) a copy of "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies". I kind of doubt you'll be able to absorb everything you'll need by Thurs. I'd reschedule.

There are a lot of companies making panels. It's easy to find quality for probably a lot less than Sunpower stuff, which is good, but no better than others.

Read the book. If you don't, your ignorance will cost you money and quality in the job done.

Welcome to the neighborhood and the forum of few(er) illusions.

[bcroe]

Before they come, decide what your objectives would be. Could be
reduction of your electric bill with net metering, or an off grid setup, or
a backup power setup. Get some design numbers together toward
your goal. Each of the above have hugely varying costs and
capabilities.

The sales people will just be trying to sell what gets them a quick profit.
A one fits all solution. good luck, Bruce Roe

[Mstrlucky74]

Before you talk to anyone, buy (for ~ $25) or download a dated version (for $0) a copy of "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies". I kind of doubt you'll be able to absorb everything you'll need by Thurs. I'd reschedule.

There are a lot of companies making panels. It's easy to find quality for probably a lot less than Sunpower stuff, which is good, but no better than others.

Read the book. If you don't, your ignorance will cost you money and quality in the job done.

Welcome to the neighborhood and the forum of few(er) illusions.

Is it a worthwhile book? I know your recommending it .

[Mstrlucky74]

Before they come, decide what your objectives would be. Could be
reduction of your electric bill with net metering, or an off grid setup, or
a backup power setup. Get some design numbers together toward
your goal. Each of the above have hugely varying costs and
capabilities.

The sales people will just be trying to sell what gets them a quick profit.
A one fits all solution. good luck, Bruce Roe

Reduce electric bill. not sure about how practical/important the others your mentioned. Thanks.

[azdave]

You've been a member here since 2015 and have not heard of Sun Power panels??

If you had not considered purchasing a system, up until this salesman showed up recently, I would not even bother with the meeting. Seems like an impulse purchase is about to happen and those are rarely in your favor. If you meet, do NOT sign anything, especially if they have a special discount that is only valid for a few more days!

[J.P.M.]

Is it a worthwhile book? I know your recommending it .

Opinions vary. Reread my post and make a decision.

[J.P.M.]

You've been a member here since 2015 and have not heard of Sun Power panels??

If you had not considered purchasing a system, up until this salesman showed up recently, I would not even bother with the meeting. Seems like an impulse purchase is about to happen and those are rarely in your favor. If you meet, do NOT sign anything, especially if they have a special discount that is only valid for a few more days!

+1 on that.

[Mstrlucky74]

So I did cancel the appt. I will do my research and buy the book.
One last question. Does/will solar save money over an electrical utility bill?

[SunEagle]

So I did cancel the appt. I will do my research and buy the book.
One last question. Does/will solar save money over an electrical utility bill?

I guess the answer to your question is "it depends". If your electric rate is high along with consumption then generating your own power from solar will pay for itself.

On the flip side if your electric rate is low along with your consumption it will take a much longer time to pay for a grid tie solar system.

As for batteries the jury is still out on if they will pay for themselves or not. Again it depends on if you have rates that allow you to consume power from a battery cheaper then purchasing power from your POCO.

That book will help you understand some of the basics but it still comes down to the math and your calculations.

[peakbagger]

Works for NYSS( new york state solar) and the facilitate the NY Sun Program

My read is that this is private company using a company name that implies its a government entity to sell high end products to folks who may have not done their research. My guess is there are plenty of other entities that can "facilitate the NY Sun program" Maybe I am wrong, but my guess is the salemans works on commission and this is his method of getting their foot in the door. Educate yourself first on solar and what incentives will apply to your installation. Ultimately the folks who are most satisfied with a solar install are the one who understand the process.

[paris401]

6 years ago i put sunpower 327's on my son's house... small house that uses lots of power- only could get 17 on the roof - i thought then, and still think, while they are $$$, they do produce more power then others, n i'm looking to produce as much power as possible - maybe at the end of the day if i installed cheaper , say 250 panels , in 10-15yrs it would be a wash- but being on long island , the home of the most expensive power around, i thought lets go for it...

[J.P.M.]

6 years ago i put sunpower 327's on my son's house... small house that uses lots of power- only could get 17 on the roof - i thought then, and still think, while they are $$$, they do produce more power then others, n i'm looking to produce as much power as possible - maybe at the end of the day if i installed cheaper , say 250 panels , in 10-15yrs it would be a wash- but being on long island , the home of the most expensive power around, i thought lets go for it...

I remember discussions with you about this stuff on this forum back then.

Those Sunpower panels do not produce more output per STC watt. What they do have is a higher specific output, that is, more STC wattage per area (footprint) that's about 20% higher price per STC W than other quality panels. So, you'll get more output per m^2 but rest assured, all arrays of the same STC wattage in the same location and orientation will produce very close to the same annual output - preobably within a % or less.

With the Sunpower stuff available back then, you got the same output as any other 5.56 STC kW array. but you probably paid about 25 % more for it than you would have if you had purchased other equal quality stuff. only difference was in the footprint. You probably would have been money ahead taking conservation measures to reduce the excess power use get ~ a 4.5 kW array with about the same footpring as the Sunpower 327's. The conservation measures would have made up most of the difference in output for a lot less than the differential price in the panels.

[paris401]

I remember discussions with you about this stuff on this forum back then.
You probably would have been money ahead taking conservation measures to reduce the excess power use get ~ a 4.5 kW array with about the same footpring as the Sunpower 327's. The conservation measures would have made up most of the difference in output for a lot less than the differential price in the panels.

i have done as much conservation as is possible at that house led's, timers, etc - all the appliances r new- when the solar rep. came and saw the previous 12 mos of bills, he made a comment he never saw such a small house , use so much electric... ofcourse my kids don't pay the bills... i do.... but i must say, they have gotten better over the last 5years... and the $$$ i spent on the system has... or just about been paid back....

and i do remember all your helpful comments back then, which i thank u for...

[RichardCullip]

... but being on long island , the home of the most expensive power around ......

Your "around" must not expand enough to cover San Diego, CA. SDG&E just might, according to some comparisons, have the highest electricity rates in the US.