Recommendation on Solar Panel vendors

[markcmann]

I'm looking into solar panels for my home, anyone out there have any recommendation on vendors / installers in the Southern California / SCE area? Also, any positive or negative experiences you could share?

 

[gambit]

We used a local contractor that only does solar and we were very pleased with the outcome.

I suggest that you get at least three quotes - and include as many smaller independent contractors as you can find.

The big nationwide companies (SolarCity and Verengo) tried to steer us to a lease with the minimum amount of panels, with their goal of keeping our monthly electric bill at some dollar amount that they figured out that "we should pay" to both them (for the lease) and SCE (for the off-the-grid consumption to keep us in Tier 1). Frankly it was a complete turn-off because they didn't understand that I wanted the maximum quantity of solar panels on my roof.

As a side note - dealing with Verengo was a complete joke: I set up an appointment, and when they called the day before to confirm, they figured out that we were on SCE's medical baseline rate; so they decided that they couldn't provide a quote. Not a problem since I was scheduled to meet with other bidders. So the next day, the sales rep from Verengo calls me up to confirm the time of their self-canceled appointment - and I explained the situation, but he insisted on meeting regardless. He shows up in his Prius and proceeds to explain how they can keep my monthly payments at some price that services their lease payment and keeps me in SCE tier 1 rates. He stated that he had to perform an inspection of the house and check for surrounding trees (the other contractors did not have to do this). The real laugher came when he told me that he needed to inspect the attic to "ensure that the roof was structurally strong enough to bear the weight of the solar panels." I don't know how he planned to get into our attic since he brought no tools or a ladder in his little Prius. I looked at him and informed him that the other contractor's didn't have a concern with our roof and I told him that I didn't need to get a quote from Verengo. He became a little annoyed that he wasn't allowed to inspect the attic and that he wasted his time.

The company we used was NexGen Construction Services in Los Alamitos. They worked closely with us to explain the options (buy vs. lease) and design (micro-inverters vs. a single inverter) as well as sizing (we went with a design sized to 110% of our average monthly usage and included micro-inverters on each panel). The actual installation took less than a week, once the plans were reviewed and all of the permits were obtained. NexGen has installed solar systems in San Diego county - so they might be interested in bidding on your job.

We are very pleased with our solar system and our monthly bill went from over $200/month to typically less than $9/month. We had a couple of $15 bills when the weather was unusually hot and we ran the AC for more than 10 days.

I am very glad we went with the biggest solar system that could be put on our roof - based on the money I'm saving (i.e. not spending on SCE and gasoline every month) - driving the Spark EV is a real joy.

 

[NomadMac]

We went with Sun Run/ REC. Leased 16 panels with micro inverters. My $91 lease payment won't seem like much in ten or fifteen years.
I didn't have time to shop around as we signed just days before the end of the year 2011 and the federal rebates went away. The panels cover 75% of our annual usage. We don't have AC; which is usually mitigation of bad architecture.

I leased because I don't want to own it. Microinverter goes out, not my problem. Tree branch through a panel, not my problem. I stipulated Kyocera panels as they are more efficient per square area, I have limited roof area, and I didn't want Chinese made panels. Even if you don't have a shading problem and panels are all on the same plane, they will output different amounts and the bottleneck will be the lowest performing panel. At noon there isn't much difference, nine in the morning it's substantial. Microinverters allows you to monitor the production of each panel.

My output production:
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/GQBN60469

Unfortunately, the new web interface no longer allows the public to see power output per panel over time and I don't see that we can add attachments.

I would suspect any company that didn't look at the structural integrity of a roof. These installations need to be engineered and plans submitted for the permit.
My carport roof required additional blocking. It's not the static weight of the panels that is the problem, it's wind load. 60mph winds in winter are not uncommon at my house on a hill. No issues so far on the mounting. My neighbor signed the same day with Sun Run and he's had no issues either.

I did have to replace the WiFi-interface box from Enphase, at no cost, of course.

By California law, your house can't be reassessed for property taxes because you install solar panels. I got a notice from the county stating because I pulled a permit for a master panel replacement, that I needed be reassessed. I wrote back that the panel upgrade was part of the solar installation and was therefore exempt. They never bothered me again.

If you go with Sun Run, tell them Martin Mitchell sent you. Yes, I get a referral fee.

 

[StevesWeb]

We live in the IE and had a large solar panel grid-tie system installed. We used a company named Sun-Pro Solar in Wildomar, Ca. They were competent and willing to work with us to design the system we wanted without pressuring us to do a lease deal. They reinforced portions of our 50+ year old structures to bear the weight. We bought our setup outright and I'd suggest considering that option.

We also had brief and unpleasant contact with Verengo, a very aggressive, persistent, annoying and unpleasant company in my firmly held opinion.

You can see nearly real time performance details of our system here or photos.

 

[markcmann]

Great info, thanks to all three of you for your replies. Regarding the option of buying vs. leasing, what is a typical monthly payment (assuming this will depend of the amount of panels, etc.) but just in general?

 

[NomadMac]

Great info, thanks to all three of you for your replies. Regarding the option of buying vs. leasing, what is a typical monthly payment (assuming this will depend of the amount of panels, etc.) but just in general?

Since no one answered, I guess I will. $4000 down with 20 years @ $91 per month for a 3.9 Kw, 16-panel system with micro inverters.
My mounting cost more because I had to have racks with feet to compensate for the reverse pitch roof.

 

[emotodude]

I will also be installing Solar this spring. I am looking at a 5kw'ish system with the enphase microverters. I would highly recommend the micro inverters it makes modifying and managing the system so much easier. I am looking at Real Goods Solar, Solar City, and the local Alterra Solar.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I'm not in SCE land, but it have 8kw DC / 6.7kW AC on my roof.

35 SunPower panels (US made) and 35 Enphase micro inverters. I intend to nearly double the output in the coming year or two so that I can power the entire house, plus two or more EV's. I used all Unirac mounts.

My cost was $42,000, minus the 30% federal tax credit and much smaller California state rebate. Net cost, $28,000.

Baker Solar Electric in Escondido handled this install. Yes, you could do it cheaper today.

Disclaimer: I get a $400 gratuity for referrals.

 

[Anonymous]

We used PV4EVS.com they offer the new Hyper X solar panels that they say offers higher performance than over 100 of Sunpower's panel models and we went with Solaredge power optimizers instead of micro inverters for higher efficiency. We installed a 9.28 kW system on a canopy and charge both my wife's 2013 volt and my 2014 Spark. We purchased a Bosch 30 amp charger with an 18 foot cord. Wish we would have got the 25 foot cord model instead, but are otherwise happy with the Bosch unit.


_________________
2014 Silver Spark EV with DC fast charger
1,026 miles at the time of this writing
32 Hyper X 290 watt
32 400 watt power optimizers
2- 5 kw Solaredge inverters
Absolutely no issues so far.
Absolutely love it!

 

[VonSpark]

We used PV4EVS.com they offer the new Hyper X solar panels that they say offers higher performance than over 100 of Sunpower's panel models and we went with Solaredge power optimizers instead of micro inverters for higher efficiency. We installed a 9.28 kW system on a canopy and charge both my wife's 2013 volt and my 2014 Spark. We purchased a Bosch 30 amp charger with an 18 foot cord. Wish we would have got the 25 foot cord model instead, but are otherwise happy with the Bosch unit.


_________________
2014 Silver Spark EV with DC fast charger
1,026 miles at the time of this writing
32 Hyper X 290 watt
32 400 watt power optimizers
2- 5 kw Solaredge inverters
Absolutely no issues so far.
Absolutely love it!

Sparky55, when did you installed your system? Did you buy or lease your system?

 

[fengshui]

If you're in CA, you should download the California Solar Initiative master database. It lists every solar installation in CA in the last 5 years, with detailed pricing information, equipment selection and tons of good data.