It’s actually in the works right now – we’ve had some hiccups that have created delays in the process so I haven’t gotten a loan funded just yet. I’ll follow up here once I’m able to get it squared away though.
I think I’m more interested in which solution/product did you go with rather than how you financed it.
Everywhere I look in CT their ads for solar panels but always for lease, and a few times my brother tried to look into that - it never made sense financially.
Felt worse after their sales pitch, as if they decided to combine the worst sales practices between time-share and dealerships.
Any recommendations in Georgia?
Company to go with?
Oh, I see what you’re saying. I decided to work with @cyak so he’s account managed it for me. It’s a cash transaction but I’m planning to finance it with a solar loan from a local CU – solar company financing terms are too predatory and cash is king right now if you can find a competitive rate.
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How did you find installer? Is it available on sunrun website? what’s the process.
and any recommendations in Los Angeles area.
Went through Costco and had Costco do everything for us.
great. net Costco visit I check with them. Any good places to start and price out the system? was costco system (going through costco) more expensive than the others?
Anthing between $3-$4/watt installed is probably the standard now, depending on where you live. This is cash price, not financed/leased.
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Question on lightening strikes with all the solar hardware on your roof. Is there any concern with this? Have had two lightening strikes in two different states in the past couple years. NJ, took out our standby generator. MA, took out in ground sprinkler, alarm system and standby generator. I’m guessing we’re just lucky.
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All my SoCal bids came in between $2.50-$2.90 before the rebate. Obviously the equipment will impact pricing but I had installers quote me for REC400s and Iq8m inverters. Generally they send you a slightly lower bid upfront and then bump the price 10-15 cents when you express interest and start going over details. But for folks based in CA, you definitely shouldn’t be over $3.
I ultimately chose to run with Corbin because I trust he’ll take care of me, but it doesn’t hurt to get quotes from local installers to help set expectations and familiarize yourself with what the market rates are. Knowledge is power 
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Depends on the size of your system. Smaller systems will run you more per watt, larger systems less.
Located in LA. Signed contract in June 2022. Installation August. PTO issued in September.
Here are my specs: 12kw system. REC Alpha 400 pure all black panels, Iq8a inverters installed. $2.99/watt installed.
Also did a main panel upgrade and installed an EV charging outlet for an additional cost.
That’s a beautiful system, and a competitive price given the fact you went with the IQ8As in addition to the 400s 6 months ago.
and you get 30% fed credit back when you file your taxes, right (if you have that much tax liability)? Is buying it outright usually the best? I saw one quote many months ago and there were ridiculous fees for a loan on these panels.
Spoke with my CPA and confirmed 30% tax rebate on entire cost of system. I compared financing costs and some options didn’t make sense for me. I was able to get a loan with a local credit union for 3.99% with no points which is the best I found.
Financing solar is similar to buying a house. I had the option of buying down the rate to 1.99% but it added about $5,000 to the loan amount. I did the calculations and it made sense to go with the 3.99% as it was the lowest total cost over the life of the loan.
Can you share which local CU had you at 3.99% (if they still are)? The lowest I found here was 4.25%
Keep in mind this was from 6 months ago.
Thanks for sharing. Tried connecting with the loans dept but after a short wait, it just defaults to “nobody is available to take your call. Try again another time”. I was able to connect with their general customer service dept and they submitted the request to have someone in the loans dept reach out. Small percentage chance but would love to know if their rates have remained the same.
Edit: Confirmed this evening their rates start in the high 5’s.
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What kind of loan was this.
Getting your own loan is probably the best option with solar.
I found a good solar installer in NorCal wiling to do $2.90/watt (before tax credit) for 6kW of REC Alpha Pur 410W panels + Enphase.
Seriously can’t believe prices have not come down much in the solar industry. Last time I bought solar was a 6kW LG Neon R system back in 2018 for $3.00/watt (before tax credit). I mean who’s pocketing all the extra money in the whole chain these days?
I don’t know, but for the reasons you’ve expressed I installed the system on our last house myself (in 2018) and actually enjoyed doing it. I recall that after all of the dust settled, including the tax credit I was at something around $0.90 per Watt with good name brand stuff.
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