San Diego Solar Program Q & A
Q: Which company is installing in the orange area of the map — groSolar or HelioPower? Thanks. - Lorene
A: We posted a map with their names on it… should have done that earlier. Thanks.
Q: Do you ensure the more stringent, leak proof installations?
A: Our RFP process takes into consideration the warranties on their installations as well as how their installation practices interact with existing roof warranties. Additionally, we look at how they install on different types of roofs. In short, we make sure that the companies we choose insure more stringent, leak proof installations.
Q: Just want to get to the bottom line price and see if the 6.09 price is real or a “bait and switch” bare bones “normal installation” system that no one would want. Send them over to give me a price ASAP.
One suggestion, and why I am a little dubious, is your material does not make clear if your watt is DC or AC. That is gross system size or net usable power. eg a 5.7 system nets about 4.8. If the 6.09 is net it is a really good deal and about what I can get one for, buying the panels, hiring a roofer and electrician and in effect acting as my own general contractor. So of course I’ll buy from you. If it is gross the real cost is about 7.30 to 7.50 which is what a knowledgeable buyer can get from any number of installers. Like buying a car thru Cost Co is better if you are clueless about dealing with a dealer but not if you know how to deal, because the dealer will not have to pay the referral commission and you can get closer to the real price. Your “ads” should be clear about that.
Assuming your watt is gross and not net what is the “value added” you provide to justify buying thru your referral program? - Vince
A: The price is gross and there’s no bait and switch going on here. The adders are locked in stone, you can check your proposal against our list. The lists are also industry standard and made a little lighter weight than typical, since simple is better for a community program.
Few things that cause adders are things like trenching, ground mounts (you need to build the infrastructure they mount to), steep roofs (installers have to tie in), concrete tile roofs (increased install labor time… some small mounting equipment costs).
These systems are turnkey and include everything. There would be no other costs other than the 1 time payment for the system. Electrical, net metering, rebate applications, sales tax, … EVERYTHING, is included.
This pricing is DC STC wattage. 6.09 AC would be a losing proposition for any installer in the nation, it would be wholly unsustainable. The pricing in this program, at this time, may be the lowest published residential pricing for solar energy in the US.
The value added is that, buying with a group, we get a very large negotiated discount to our members. Our referral fee comes from the installation company and no money changes hands between us and our members (more info on the about us page). The fee is a small fraction of the actual discount itself, and that price is what the consumer sees, so the fee is incorporated already. The fee is the same regardless of who is awarded the program, so it does not affect our decision making process. Integrating with two installation companies is actually a lot more work for us with no added monetary benefit, but we thought it was the best thing to do for our members.
Q: The price listed is per DC watt. Is this an STC or PTC watt. If it’s an STC watt this actually isn’t a very competitive price. I’ve gotten prices around $7/CEC-AC watt for much superior panels. I’d be interested in finding out more details, but this doesn’t appear to be that good of a deal. - Paul
A: It’s undeniably a good deal. It’s probably the lowest published price for residential solar. The 6.09 price is in STC (or “nameplate”) watt rating. We do it this way because nationally, this is the best way for us to evaluate the pricing in our RFP responses. To say that this pricing is not competitive is incorrect, it’s remarkable pricing from two reputable installation companies. Your rep from any installation company we choose will quote you in both AC and DC watts, so you have a price for both. Can someone on their own negotiate a deal as good or better than ours? Sure. But if you’re on your own, this is probably the best way to do it. Small outfits with very low overhead can often bid the lowest price, but we make sure the companies we do business with are putting in solar the right way and will be around to service their warranties.
Q: I’ve been checking specs on BP solar panels vs. other choices. They appear to fall below just about all other panels, by almost any measure including efficiency, power tolerance and temperature coefficient. Does 1BOG recommend the BP panels?- Paul again
A: We tried to keep it simple by only offering one panel, but there are a few others the installers can offer for the same price. I added them to the current campaign page and added spec sheets. Are these the best panels in the world? No. Do they have solid production quality and are CEC approved and UL listed? Yes. Either of these installation companies have a bevy of high-end, high-efficiency panels, and can provide them for small adder costs, easily. This can make sense if you have a small amount of roof space and need to max out energy production per square foot. In San Diego (unlike San Francisco) this is not often the case, but when it is, no problem, they can handle it.
So in short, they’re not the best panels in the world, but it’s like they’re the low end of the top 5% of panels in the world, it’s not a fair assumption. Does this panel or that panel have a triple redundant bus, string ribbon technology, etched surfacing, tight tolerance, rear mounted conductors… these are all things that increase or decrease energy production per square foot, but if you’re looking at it as a cost per AC watt (which all salespeople for all installation companies we do business with will quote in), none of this really matters. What does matter is that the panel manufacturer guarantees their product and is profitable meaning they’re be around to do so. There will undoubtedly be some consolidation in the panel market over the next two years, so it’s a best guess.
Q: What is the estimated rough average annual kWh per day per installed kW for East County (Blossom Valley facing southwest?- Lawrence
A: I’d ask the sales rep from the integrator. There’s lots of online tools for this, but the solar companies are going to have the tightest quotation for your specific situation. San Diego is great for two reasons: 1. Crystalline silicon products don’t like heat. More heat, less voltage. San Diego has nice weather. Crystalline silicon products like sun. More sun, more current. San Diego has lots of sun.
