Advice: The importance of bidding on residential installs. Or how to get from $5.68 to $2.80 per watt and save $$$.
Just finished the bidding process and I thought I would share my experiences.
I was one of the first members of the community to have solar, but it was a hot water system at a time when PV solar was just in its infancy. I had been following the news about declining solar costs and determined that PV had finally reached the price point to make it economical. The first thing I did was contact the most popular installer for my town to get a quote. They sent out a consultant to assess my property, shading, etc. They then presented me with a very slick document that talked all about the economic benefits, payback period, etc. The cost was $5.68 per watt for a 345 Sunpower system.
This was outrageous and totally contrary to what I had read. I almost gave up on solar right there. After waiting a few months I thought I would see if others could offer a lower price. The next quote from another large regional installer was around $3.66 per watt. A huge drop from the first installer. I went back to the first installer and he explained that they have the best warranty, blablabla. But he could offer a Panasonic system with a standard 15 year warranty for about $3.50 per watt.
I had been reading on solar discussion forums that others were getting systems for $3.00 or less per watt. So I set that as my goal and then started seeking more bids. Two more large installers came back with bids at around $3.40 per watt for LG panels. Everyone was using Solaredge inverters, so that only differences were in the panels.
Finally, I decided to work backwards. I picked the system that I wanted, the price I was willing to pay and then went to contractors to see if they would be willing to do it. Several did not respond to my inquiries. Finally, I found a small installer willing to do it for $2.80 per watt. Then another regional installer came back with a quote of $3.00 per watt, but with much better components than I had proposed. He also convinced me that the upgrades were worth it. Better racking, better panels, better inverter.
I am about to sign the contract for the $3.00 per watt system using LG 335 panels. In total, I got bids from 5 installers and the price dropped by almost a half. I didn't go with the cheapest option, but the best value for money. Although I feel bad that other installers went through so much working preparing reports and such, I will be realizing thousands of dollars in savings. In fact, if I had stuck to the first installer's quote, I probably would have just not installed a system at all. I wonder how many people get scared away by overpriced quotes. And how many end up overpaying for their systems.
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