I'm a Tesla Model S owner, and I'm about to move forward on a proposal from SolarCity to have them install solar panels at my house...Any advice, suggestions, etc from fellow Tesla owners/SolarCity customers before I sign on the dotted line? Thanks
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I'm a Tesla Model S owner, and I'm about to move forward on a proposal from SolarCity to have them install solar panels at my house...Any advice, suggestions, etc from fellow Tesla owners/SolarCity customers before I sign on the dotted line? Thanks
did you get any other bids besides the Solar City bid?
I'm definitely getting SolarCity installation this year. I'm curious if you asked about the tesla 10kwh battery backup?
Especially when you can get a much better deal than a SolarCity PPA by buying your system outright.You should always get 3 bids.
I'd counter that the $$ you tied up in the investment for a system that size would be around half of the price of a MS. Any good installer will monitor/maintain. Maintenance is sort of a red herring, anyway, since there's really no maintenance (except maybe replacement of a string inverter around year 15).I signed a PPA last year--16kW system installed. Expert installation, no issues. Great esthetics--black panels and black skirts well laid out on mostly 'invisible' roof areas. Complex setup due to east-west installation (no good south roof). Could I have made more $$ over 20 years buying the system-sure. Would I tie up $$ in the investment--yup. But I have a no hassle no headache system monitored and maintained by SC with a guaranteed power output at a guaranteed price. Works for me. YMMV.
I didn't...I guess I probably should!
Solar City doesn't operate in FL so I can't comment on their offering BUT you should definitely get comparative quotes on a purchase (or lease) agreement of that size.
I signed a PPA last year--16kW system installed. Expert installation, no issues. Great esthetics--black panels and black skirts well laid out on mostly 'invisible' roof areas. Complex setup due to east-west installation (no good south roof). Could I have made more $$ over 20 years buying the system-sure. Would I tie up $$ in the investment--yup. But I have a no hassle no headache system monitored and maintained by SC with a guaranteed power output at a guaranteed price. Works for me. YMMV.
I also installed SolarCity years ago before ordering my MS and I too partially based it on hassle free maintenance. However, recently I've experienced lack of monitoring. Several months ago my system went offline line for an entire month before I was notified and just requested a refund for the guaranteed performance. Following this I reviewed the performance of my panels for the past 3 years and noticed a steady decline in performance. Only after I called and brought this to the attention of SolarCity did their engineers determined that there was a problem with my inverter and it took another month for them to replace it.
I also installed SolarCity years ago before ordering my MS and I too partially based it on hassle free maintenance. However, recently I've experienced lack of monitoring. Several months ago my system went offline line for an entire month before I was notified and just requested a refund for the guaranteed performance. Following this I reviewed the performance of my panels for the past 3 years and noticed a steady decline in performance. Only after I called and brought this to the attention of SolarCity did their engineers determined that there was a problem with my inverter and it took another month for them to replace it.
I am considering a Solar City installation. They are offering a no up front cost installation of a 9kW system with estimated annual production of 12,000 kWh. I simply pay $0.135 per kWh which compares favorably to my $0.163 per kWh rate I'm currently paying with CL&P. The SC rate increases 2.9% per year which takes about 8 year to get to the CL&P rate assuming no increase over that period by CL&P (not likely). They guarantee output and agree to monitor and repair as needed for the 20 year service period. While I do have to pay $6/mo to CL&P for service connection, I only pay CL&P for power if my consumption exceeds the capacity of my guaranteed output.
I had two other companies come and offer units that I can purchase. Cash outlay is roughly $15k after tax incentives. I guess my question is why outlay the cash? While the proposals provided by the purchase entities show a 7-9 year payback period, they don't include the opportunity cost of the $15k.
Other than being obligated to the 20yr lease with SC, is there anything else I am missing here?