Who's gone Solar

[Tally Whacker]

As to is it worth the $10k savings - YES! In the 1st 10 years failures are extremely rare. IF you have one, software will tell you exactly where the issue is with a reasonable chance you can repair this plug-and-play system yourself. If not $10k pays for a butt load of service calls!

In our nine years of solar ownership, we've had two service calls. In one case, an inverter failed. In the other, a connection had come loose. If we'd paid for the service calls (they were free, since we'd gotten the service contract) it would have cost us, what, a couple hundred bucks maybe?

 

[HappyHighwayman]

https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/10d4sws/insane_pge_rate_hikes/

People complaining that their electricity but especially gas prices have climbed significantly while lamenting the CEO makes $1M a week.

 

[TwistedGRAY]

Someone convince me going through Tesla is a bad idea...they offer the biggest bang for your buck that I've seen so far, but then again it's Tesla so I assume it'll be a nightmare should I need to talk to a person.

 

[Eldritch]

Someone convince me going through Tesla is a bad idea...they offer the biggest bang for your buck that I've seen so far, but then again it's Tesla so I assume it'll be a nightmare should I need to talk to a person.

I'm not sure if they offer Solar panels, but everyone I know who has installed their powerwall is very happy.

 

[mean dad]

From another thread that veered into solar:

After 5-7 years solar systems pay for themselves. YRMV

I think the ROI is a little longer than that but hes not wrong

I’d say ROI depends on how much power a household uses and which tiers they get into. A household getting out of tier 1 and 2 will have a quicker ROI.

$51,831

Cash - $36,542

Cash - $32,500

What am I missing here? A monthly PG&E bill would have to be almost $400.00 in order for the solar to pay for itself in 7 years, and that's for the least expensive option shown.

7(12) x M = $32k
M = ~ $381.00


Or am I using that little electricity compared to others? My total PG&E bill is a hair over two hundred and frankly I try to keep it under two...including gas charges.
That's almost twenty years to recover install cost.

I've got to be missing something obvious.

 

[HappyHighwayman]

$200 a month savings for me is about a 7-8 year payback.

 

[TwistedGRAY]

Or am I using that little electricity compared to others? My total PG&E bill is a hair over two hundred and frankly I try to keep it under two...including gas charges.

That's almost twenty years to recover install cost.

I've got to be missing something obvious.

What does your kWh usage look like over the last few years? Without the hot tub, we average about 550kWh per month, but I work from home full-time, and we have a koi pond that runs 24/7. With the hot tub we're just under 650kWh.

 

[TwistedGRAY]

I'm not sure if they offer Solar panels, but everyone I know who has installed their powerwall is very happy.

They offer solar roof tiles, solar panels, and the powerwall. I have no interest in getting a powerwall though as it's a much better to add in non-Tesla batteries separately. My expectation, however, is that they won't allow you to connect third party batteries to their/your system.

With that said, their solar panel proposal is the best bang for your buck of the four quotes that I've got.

8 kW panels $14,728 versus a 5kW system for $13,759.

I mean, why wouldn't you NOT opt for the Tesla set-up? <--- This is what I'm interested in hearing / why not Tesla.

 

[TwistedGRAY]

Sorry, I'm slow and lazy, but here's the summary of quotes that I received. I changed the Tesla quote until it matched near the same kW to compare apples-to-apples.

Allterra Solar
$15,563
4.40 kW

Sandbar Solar
$13,759
5.04 kW

Solcius
$13,403
5.55 kW

Tesla
$9,573
5.2 kW

There are a different number of panels for each company, but that's pretty much irrelevant for me as I don't have a shade issue, and I don't care if it's 1 panel or 10 panels.

 

[Bowling4Bikes]

When I was comparing solar prices, I assumed Tesla was only making the tiles. Which were advertised to be much more expensive than normal panels. Somehow I missed that they had panels too.

A good colleague of mine bought the Tesla panels, paid less than I did for more capacity, and loves them. (/anecdotal)

 

[mean dad]

Never mind, I was forgetting about PG&E buying power back.


Carry on.

 

[mean dad]

Sorry, I'm slow and lazy, but here's the summary of quotes that I received. I changed the Tesla quote until it matched near the same kW to compare apples-to-apples.

Allterra Solar
$15,563
4.40 kW

Sandbar Solar
$13,759
5.04 kW

Solcius
$13,403
5.55 kW

Tesla
$9,573
5.2 kW

There are a different number of panels for each company, but that's pretty much irrelevant for me as I don't have a shade issue, and I don't care if it's 1 panel or 10 panels.

Are these systems solar- only, or would they be ready to use battery storage in the future?

 

[TwistedGRAY]

Sorry that I didn't clarify that the prices I posted were after the tax credits. I should have got a layered that so here are the cash prices, pre-credit &#55357;&#56397;

Allterra Solar
$22,233
4.4 kW

Sandbar Solar
$19,656
5.04 kW

Solcius
$19,148
5.55 kW

Tesla
$13,988
5.20 kW

 

[TwistedGRAY]

Are these systems solar- only, or would they be ready to use battery storage in the future?

Everyone can wire it that way, and what I've read with the Tesla setup is that you can use your own independent battery. Not required to use theirs, from what I understand.

 

[scratchpad]

The absolute best (Solar Panels) manufacturers are partially getting out of the game for one reason or another. Supply chain issues and profitability are some reasons ive read. Maxeon (SunPower), Panasonic, and LG

Not sure how that will affect the future for trying to find exact replacement if needed. They are still standing by their 25 year warranties for product and performance.

 

[Starpower]

Many solar manu's have a 3rd party insurer that is there even if the OEM goes under. However, there are many very solid manu's that should be around a long time as solar is only growing.

 

[greenmonster]

This thread has pushed me to get solar for my home. I have a metal tile roof (not sure of the exact name) that looks sorta like shingles.
Not everyone handles metal tile roofs like mine.
I've Googled a few companies and I'm waiting on call backs but if anyone has a recommendation I'm all ears.
Thanks in advance.

 

[bojangle]

I just pulled the trigger yesterday on a Tesla solar panel system. 9.6 kwh. $25,824.00 installed, before taxes and incentives. After incentives it's a little under $18,000. After taxes I figure the all in cost will be about $20,000 or so.

There's a small state incentive that I believe is taken off at time of sale. Then there is the federal tax rebate of 30%, but I'll have to wait about a year to see that money.

I did not order a power wall. Seems not worth the cost right now. However, always have the option to add one later. Technology might improve. Price could come down. And the 30% federal tax credit also applies to home batteries for the next decade.

Never mind, I was forgetting about PG&E buying power back.


Carry on.

If you're thinking about going solar, now is the time. The damn CPUC voted last November to slash net metering for new customers. It is currently about $0.30 kwh in excess energy produced that gets sold back to the grid. This is used to help offset your use at night, or when your panels are not producing. Starting April 15th I believe, all new customers will fall under net metering 3 and will only receive about $0.07 kwh in excess energy to the grid. That will severely impact the ROI of a solar system. It might not be worth it.

Tesla said they guarantee if you sign up by March 15th (I think) they will be able to get the plans in pace in time to fall under net metering 2. They say you don't need your system installed or operational before the deadline to qualify. You only need the plans in place and permits in place to qualify, etc.

 

[byke]

Good call on the Powerwall. There's no way I'd be buying lithium-ion cells for the home.

 

[TwistedGRAY]

I just pulled the trigger yesterday on a Tesla solar panel system. 9.6 kwh.

It appears that you and I will be comparing notes as I shot myself in the head a few days ago, too. Get ready for the notoriously horrible customer support, impossible timelines, and horrible follow on support should something fail.

I'm setting my expectations to TSLA level. I don't expect this to go smoothly, on time or with any level of care. But I love saving money, and so here we are.

In case you need any reasons to back out, here are a few threads. One of the posts links to another thread with some relative "horror" stories, lol.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/tesla-solar-vs-third-party-competitors.239004/

Tesla said they guarantee if you sign up by March 15th (I think) they will be able to get the plans in pace in time to fall under net metering 2. They say you don't need your system installed or operational before the deadline to qualify. You only need the plans in place and permits in place to qualify, etc.

Share the links where they make these guarantees please. Don't believe anything they say unless YOU get it in writing for your specific build out because they are notorious for going back on their words. And it doesn't matter if they guarantee it and don't meet the deadline, PG&E (etc) won't give a rat's ass.