What’s the likelihood these days that one can beat the April NEM deadline, given the mad rush? Reading reviews, seems like some are better than others at timeliness and communication. Would be an issue if you got strung along and then missed out.
All you need to do to beat the NEM deadline is submit your application. Don’t even need permits approved.
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Anyone has done solar in Dallas Texas area?
Any recommendations?
We are in the process now. The installer submitted permits for approval and same day submitted application to the power company.
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Should be doable, turn around is about 30-60 days from documents to installation to PTO (permission to operate) in California.
Some states will have same day permits like Nevada and others. (Really rare case I’ve had customers get installed the following day, think my record is 14 hour turn around in Las Vegas).
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Tesla doesn’t serve my area anymore. It was definitely the cheapest, not sure how good it was.
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Is Ikea a good option to check? (I think they use sunpower.)
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Lowest quote I got is $2.55/W (360W panels, REC TwinPeak 4 Black Series REC360TP4 Black) and highest 3.05/W (400W panels, Q CELLS Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ 400) . This is before the fed credit.
I used your link, thanks!
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Any links for NY tri state area?
Theres really no reason to get the “Ferrari” 360+ watt panels or stronger as you’ll be overpaying so much you’ll wish you leased a telluride and palisade
@cyak Does this still apply 2 years later? I’m starting to get quotes and this is the first panel I was provided a quote for:
yes this always applies…
always better to go for the bang for buck middle of the pack over a panel thats 10-20 watts more and 1% more output, because the ADM usually is .25-40 cents ppw (ouch). Spending 10-20% more for 1% more doesnt generally make logical sense.
On my own home I would put the 350-400w middle tier panels over any high end expensive model. The middle tiers are generally just as good as the high end models and it becomes splitting hairs at 1-2% more, these days almost every panel is HE (high efficiency) monocrystalline black on black.
Any recommendations for installers in MA? I am currently working with Critical Mass and Revision Energy for an initial quote. A few neighbors have gone with Critical Mass. They have a 25 year warranty on panels and inverters, along with a 10 year warranty on roof penetration. I will share more info once I have an update.
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I received proposals from two companies. I’m currently in the process of reviewing the details. At a high level, both installers came back with similar size systems based on my consumption from last year. Both companies will be using the same number of panels with similar wattage from the same company. Warranty on the panels and inverters is 25 years (from the manufacturer). No outsourcing of any the work. Both are New-England based with offices in my state. I like supporting local businesses, especially small businesses whenever I can.
Where they differ is in cost (before tax credits) and loan interest rate at the same terms (15 years). I am leaning towards one company for a few other reasons, on top of the obvious. Once I finalize the deal, I will post an update.
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Solar loans through solar companies and installers are predatory. Make sure you do the math manually because they aren’t going to be forthcoming about the sum of your total payments. And even if you ask for total system cost with all interest and fees included over the life of your loan, they’ll likely give you a sum that doesn’t equate. Make sure to shop solar loan rates at banks and CUs.
I’ve mentioned this before, but considering that we probably have a lot of handy people on the site, has anyone considered doing the install yourself and saving an absolute boatload of money? It can actually be a very fun project! The ROI will also improve by a factor of 2 most likely as well.
I will be posting details soon. The installer I will be working with has been transparent with pricing and loan terms. I am being offered a 15 year loan @3.99%. There is no pre-payment penalty and no other fees tacked in. If I did a cash purchase, I would receive a 10% discount off the solar system.
No CU or bank has anything that comes close this - I am referring to personal loan rates or home equity rates. If anyone has any recommendations for banks/CU that can beat this rate, please let me know.
3.99% with no origination fees? If so, that’s solid. But just make sure to manually calculate the sum of all payments over 15 years and ensure that you’re actually getting 3.99%. Every solar installer I spoke to quoted anything from 1-8% and every time I did the manual math, it always worked out to a much higher APR than the interest rate quoted.
Of course, this was in SoCal so completely different market. But just wanted to make sure to give you that warning in case it ends up being helpful.
No origination or hidden fees. I am in MA, btw.
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Another installer was offering either a 10 year loan @4.99% or a 15 year loan @5.99%. They were also about 20% higher in costs.
Both installers used the same number of panels and inverters from the same manufacturers. It made it easier to compare proposals.
At the end of the day, I am happy with the deal and my payment. This installer has done 4+ houses in my neighborhood alone (50+ houses), with 2 more next month. My install is scheduled for April (as long as there are no delays).
Do they offer some kind of extra warranty if they go out of business? Not sure how this works, but I heard from a friend who got solar installed many years ago and now he cannot find the the installer.
Any suggestions on how to protect your investment in case installer goes under?