My house is in Los Angeles, CA
~ 3000 sq foot
Our 1 year usage ~ 15,819 kWh
But, we just bought 1 EV car and plan on buying another by Jan 2022.
Zenernet (Overland Park, KS)
Quote:
Panels 31 x REC Solar REC400AA Pure Black
1 Year Production = 18,252 kWh
Inverters 31 x Enphase Energy IQ7-60-2-US [240V]
System Nameplate 12.400 kW
Annual Production Degradation 0.25%
Option 1:
Total System Cost = $54,306
26% ITC Incentive = $14,186
Net system cost = $40,186
Option 2 (With All Cash Payment Discount)
Total System Cost = $40,687
26% ITC Incentive = $10,579
Net system Cost = $30,108
SunPower by Green Convergence (Valencia, CA)
Quote:
SunPower Equinox® System
A Series 420
Panels 42 x A Series 420
1 Year Production = 19,281 kWh
Only Option 1 (No All Cash Discount):
Total system cost = $70,210
26% ITC Incentive = $18,254
Net system cost = $51,956
Should we go with Zenernet, we can do the all cash purchase and receive the lower overall system cost, so this choice was very appealing initially.
Then, I spoke with the SunPower representative and she mentioned some important points to consider.
- The yearly production is no realistic as we will require more panels/power, especially once we have the 2 EV vehicles.
- The SunPower panels are more expensive, yes, but they are far more superior than the REC panels. “The next tier down from SunPower would be more LG and Panasonic panels.”
- Zenernet is only a 3 year old company. There’s so many such companies popping up: here today gone tomorrow. This led up to point 4 which is important to me.
- Warranty. REC has the following limited 20 year warranty:
“Please note that this Limited Warranty does not cover, nor will the Warrantor reimburse, any on-site labor or other costs incurred in connection with the de-installation or removal of defective Products, transport or the re-installation of replaced or repaired Products or any components.”
I’m not sure it this applies to any on-site labor (including the initial installation) or the limited aspects of removal and re-installation?
Zenernet boasts a 25 year system, parts, roof, and labor warranty. I’ve requested a copy of the warranty to read the fine print. There good reviews on this company online, but I had never heard of them. After some research, it seems they are only a 3 year old company. Thus, I’m concerned they may not be around 10 years down the road when a problem arises. And depending on how you read REC’s warranty they may deny coverage of the issue.
Conversely, the SunPower dealer has stellar reviews, is local, and has been in business over 30 years. - Out of state companies, such as Zenernet, may face issues with the local power companies. The SunPower rep. mentioned horror stories of out of state companies misfiling or incorrectly filing the necessary paperwork with the power company such as Edison, and when it comes time to running the power through the system after installation there are heavy delays.
- Metal roof. Our roof is a metal roof and needs professionals with experience to handle the installation otherwise damaging it is commonplace. The SunPower rep. mentioned they have extensive experience and the installers are actual employees of Green Convergence. But, the Zenernet broker deals with contractors and I’m not certain of their experience.
As you can see, besides the price there are other areas of concern. I’m wondering whether it is worth it to pay the much more costly price and go with the local SunPower representative, or based on your experience the other factors won’t really be an issue with Zenernet and REC and it’s not worthwhile to pay the extra premium?
Any feed back is immensely appreciated.
Thank you,
