What to Look For when Comparing Solar Installation Quotes

Considering going solar is a big financial choice. If you are plan on installing solar for your home, a comparison-shopping approach will ensure that you get a better deal, before you commit to a solar panel installer. When looking at systems, you need to compare apples to apples. The best way to do that is to get the price of a system per watt. For example, if you are quoted a lump sum of $16,000 for a solar panel system (before tax rebates), to figure out how much it costs per watt, you first need to know the maximum wattage of your system.

If your system has 20 panels at 300 watts each, that means you have a 6 kW system or 6,000 watts.  At $16,000, the price per watt comes out to $2.66. It may also be helpful to ask your solar company for an itemized price list so that you can see what that $16,000 actually includes, and make sure the company doesn’t stick you with any hidden fees.

There is a big difference in price between brands of solar panels and inverters. A conscious trade off between lowest cost and brands of equipment that are least likely to fail and most likely to continue to be in business if they do fail in 10 or 15 years time. Most solar systems can live over 20 years. At this time, calling solar companies and asking them what they charge or different brands of equipment.

Getting Quotes through Bulk Purchasing Platforms Gets More Economical Prices

It is not secret that solar companies will provide you with their best pricing when they know they are facing competition.

That is why you get some of the best solar quotes through a marketplace. Installers know that if you have used this platform they will be facing more competition. Government data in California presents that on average users of a marketplace platform in 2015 paid $4.17 per watt for their solar system compared to a state wide average of $5.26 per watt.

Know the Actual Amount your Utility will Pay You to Export Solar Power to the Grid

In many states there is 1 for 1 net metering to receive  the retail price for solar  that is excess to  requirements during the day and is exported to the grid. This can be more complex than at first glance since the actual rate they pay may be lower than the rate at you purchase your power. Discussing this in more detail with your utility and your solar company is recommended.

Just like you should compare the cost of solar equipment, you should also compare the cost of installation services from various installers. You don’t want that $3 per watt price to rise to $5 or $6 dollars a watt because of hidden costs from an installer.

Though it is true that the more installers you talk to the more options you will have to compare, a good number to aim for is three to four installers. If you talk to just one installation company, especially if you let them know that you are talking to just one, you are giving that installer free reign to increase the cost of their services however high they can go, as they are not competing for business. If those solar installers are competing for your business, they will change their price, or at least differentiate why they are a better choice.

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