Perfect, will do. Thanks!Find a local company with good reviews. Try energy sage as that is promoted by the DoE.
Compare and save on clean home energy solutions | EnergySage
EnergySage is the most trusted, transparent name in solar. Shop confidently and save thousands by comparing free, custom quotes online from local contractors.www.energysage.com
Also, start researching panels. Figure out where the best ones are made (last time I looked it was Malaysia) and start comparing efficiency in watt/Sq in.
Where are you located? If in San Diego, I would Try either Baker electric or Palomar Solar.
I’m in Northern CA. So far @hydbob’s suggestion of getting quotes on Energy Sage has been a home run.
I also recommend Energy Sage. I highly recommend Cobalt Power. Had a fantastic experience with them.
www.solarreviews.com
I’ll let you know how my quote goes. They just reduced the system size and I need to wait until Friday to find out why. They are incredibly automated but it is hard to get anyone in the phone.
Back in 2018 when I was shopping around, I went with the provider I found on Energysage (LASolar). Tesla provided a quote for the same amount *BUT* the other system had a 10kWh LG-Chem battery and the Tesla system did not. The installation for a system with battery is also more complicated since it involves pulling breakers from an existing panel and moving it into a "backup" panel. I also got LA-Solar to install a NEMA14-30 outlet in my garage (had no EV then but I was planning ahead) as part of the same quote.
That’s great to hear about LA Solar! Out of the 7 or 8 bids I received, that it the one I planned on going with before I decided to look at Tesla. They have a 450 watt panel, which is as rare as hen’s teeth. They are the only ones who were able to get me to 100% energy coverage because of the panel size and some weird angles and vents I have on my roof. Even Tesla revised their bid today, which I assume will take me below 100%.
I had some initial issues where the SolarEdge inverter needed to be replaced (not LASolar's fault). That was done promptly and I've never had to call them for anything. The only issue was that the installation with battery is more complicated and they had one electrician who was really overworked (this is in the Bay Area). I really hope they have more hands now. A second issue was someone there forgot to pay the interconnect fee and there was a 6 week delay in turning on the system because we were all going around in circles trying to figure out what happened. I wasn't too happy about that but they cut me a check for $250 - I did not ask for it.
www.energysage.com
I have used American Solar for both installation of solar panels and Tesla batteries. I would highly recommend them.
That’s really awesome, 100% of your energy needs met! It sounds like they delivered what they promised. Thanks for sharing, I’m back on board now.I had some initial issues where the SolarEdge inverter needed to be replaced (not LASolar's fault). That was done promptly and I've never had to call them for anything. The only issue was that the installation with battery is more complicated and they had one electrician who was really overworked (this is in the Bay Area). I really hope they have more hands now. A second issue was someone there forgot to pay the interconnect fee and there was a 6 week delay in turning on the system because we were all going around in circles trying to figure out what happened. I wasn't too happy about that but they cut me a check for $250 - I did not ask for it.
Look at this case study I created. There is a lot of useful information if you scroll through the pictures on top.
5kW System, 10kWh LG-Chem battery, Bay Area, CA | EnergySage
Case Study: Solar PV in action - Bay Area, CA - The system consists of 15 Panasonic panels with a total rating of 4.95kW DC paired with a 9.8KWh LG…
And American Solar also installed my 100 Amp home charger for my Tesla a few years back.
I wasn't going to trust anyone's claims about meeting 100% of my energy needs. I downloaded my detailed electricity usage over the previous three years from PG&E and spent one month analyzing and crunching that data myself. That forced me to understand exactly how NEM (net metering) works. At the end I had a very detailed spreadsheet where I could simulate what happens with different battery sizes, what happens if my solar production goes up/down etc. If CA did not have the SGIP rebate program for the battery, I would have never gotten the battery - it made zero financial sense (power outages are extremely rare for me).
