Solar is overwhelming. I just have to put that out there... Frankly, there is a lot to learn about solar energy and our journey began with our energy assessment. I can honestly say after the assessment I wasn't sure where to go for information since we don't know anyone that has solar panels. Initially, I did a search online and a site popped up to input contact information to recieve follow up. From that one inquiry, I received one call back from a company called Power Home. Because we wanted to learn more I set up an appointment for early October for a morning both my husband and I would be home. The consultation is scheduled at your home so that specifics of solar power to your household can be discussed. Unfortunately they cancelled and we had rescheduled for the third week of October and I was the only one available for the consultation.
The day finally came for our appointment and I admit I didn't do much research in advance despite having to reschedule and having two extra weeks. One thing they did ask for and I had ready was the average KWH used per month averaged out over the last year. I did calculate the average per day using the values shown in the attached photo. Our average electric KWH total per month was 981. I went into the meeting willing to learn all I could so that I could review everything with my husband and we could make the decision on going solar together. The Power Home representative was very nice and informative. Power Home does include plenty of extras in their price which is great if you need them. Attic insulation, LED lights, hot water heater insulation and a nest thermostat are included and all things we already had. Basement insulation, something we need, would have been amazing addition but unfortunately it wasn't part of the Power Home package. During his presentation we discussed many things but there was no talk of price. I don't know about you, but a delay in discussing price always raises a big concern with me. In this instance my concern proved to be right. The overall price made my jaw drop... this system was on the higher end of pricing at $5.24 per watt. Now granted, the price would be reduced by the federal tax credit but the overall price was still high and only produced 80% of our anticipated electric use. They also used American/German made Solar World panels which having a product American made or at the very least North American made is something we were very interested in supporting. We also discussed net metering and how it will work with DTE, our service provider. Once the pitch was done, then came the pressure to commit. "If you sign today we will give you a free panel reducing the price by $1500.00". I had to refuse his persistence because 1) I still needed to talk to my husband and 2) I don't react well to high pressure sales tactics wanting me to sign immediately before leaving our house. I parted ways with the Power Home sales representative on good terms but not signing anything. It reaffirmed my determination to research solar power and determine what is best for our household.
After the consultation, I found that I had so many questions and kept in contact with the representative asking questions and getting links and things to help me with my research. After only one consult I knew I needed additional quotes or even additional consultations so I went back to looking for other companies. Luckily, I stumbled across a website that became an unbiased source for me to turn to called Energy Sage. This website allows you to create a profile and input information specific to your household so that you can get multiple quotes from solar power vendors. It took about 3-4 days and I got one more quote from Michigan Solar Solutions this quote was 1/2 the cost of the first and used Chinese panels. The panels wer 295 watts and cost per watt was $2.85. This vendor also had delays in install dates due to the panels coming from overseas. At about day six I received a third quote from YellowLite. It was a middle of the road quote and consulting with Energy Sage really helped me determine what my needs were. I talked to an Energy Sage representative multiple times regarding questions I had as well as talked to Yellowlite representatives regarding the system specifics. The information I gathered from these people matched information I gathered on my own. Yellowlite originally quoted me with Solar World panels at 300 watts. Ultimately after some negotiation, yes you can negotiate your price with solar vendors, we settled on a 310 watt Canadian Silfab solar panel. The Solar World panels were sold out until 2018 and we did not want to wait that long to install. Plus we liked the addition of 10 watts per panel. And our negotiated price of $3.07 per watt we felt was a great price to go solar based on our home assessment. It was also a good fit for our space and needs. There are other factors including labor warranty, panel warranty, size of panel, operating temperatures and performance decline to consider but this will be discussed in another post. Overall, Energy Sage made it easy to see quotes and price in advance. Also Energy Sage representatives were helpful in identifying and confirming information about going solar. They were always available when I needed them. A definite win-win in my book!
My next blog post will talk about calculating your energy needs - something important to do before solar shopping, net metering and how it works.
Link to Energy Sage
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