Solar quote Newcastle NSW Rip Off?

Solar Quotes
1

Hi,

I live in Lake Macquarie NSW (Newcastle). All north facing panels on flat roof with tilt frames. No shading issues.
10.36kw panels
28x Canadian solar 370w panels
10kw sungrow 3 phase inverter.
With consumption monitoring
$9972-
Seems pricey to me for what it is. Mid/low range.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Plus, we use 20-24kwh average per day. Is system suitably sized? Would you put 30% more panels on the inverter for max generation.

Solar Installers Newcastle

2

Hi @Jamesy121

That’s after the STC discount I take it? I reckon you could get a bit better pricing than that, however 3 phase inverters do cost more, as do tilt frames and monitoring. So it’s probably not too far off. If you shop around, make sure you look for quality installer with top reviews.

A 10kW system in you area will produce 40+ kWh a day on average. A 6.6kW system could give you what you need on average, and you could get Sungrow 5kW 3 phase inverter with 6.6kW Canadian panels for around the $5k mark I reckon.

Cheers
Marty

3

Thank you Marty,

When you put it like that, the dollars make sense, what confuses me though, is how I see prices for the same system within an hour drive to be approx $7k. Im all for paying the right people extra to do the job right.

Anyways, I will probably get another 1-2 quotes to put my mind at ease.

4

Interested to know how you got with that @Jamesy121.

5

Hi Marty,

So I got 3 more quotes from 1 company.
I chose this company because of all their good reviews, and my brother used them recently and was very happy (if you know my brother, he is hard to please).
I felt comfortable with the gentleman I was talking to, as I could tell he was an experienced electrician.

  1. 8kw sungrow 3 phase inverter 10 year warranty
    10kw panels jinko cheetah 12 year warranty
    Consumption monitoring
    Clenergy mounting
    10 year install warranty.
    $6000-

  2. Same as above, but SMA 8kw 3 phase inverter instead of sungrow. $8200-

  3. 10kw SMA 3 phase inverter 10 year warranty
    13kw panels jinko cheetah 12 year warranty
    Consumption monitoring
    Clenergy mounting
    10 year install warranty
    $9500-

I haven’t pulled the trigger just yet, but thinking the SMA system number 3. Its cheaper than my first quote, but a brand i was more comfortable using. There is a big price difference though,
It poses my next question, SMA… is it worth the difference/ extra?

6

Hi @Jamesy121

Sounds like you’re getting close. Good to hear.

This is the age old question that is quite hard to answer. The SMA has a really strong proven track record, whereas Sungrow has a good reputation, but is a lot newer. SMA is a premium brand, Sungrow more mid range. It’s really what you are comfortable with.

As mentioned above, I don’t think you need 10kW either. Personally I would spend more for the inverter, but get the smaller size option.

Cheers
Marty

7

G’day Jamesy

I live in your area and have had higher quotes for smaller systems than you received. Which company did you get the quote from?

Cheers

8

A post was split to a new topic: Dual Axis Tracking (DAT)

9

Hi Jamesey121,
Inerested to know who you went with as im in the same situation now.

10

Hi Smithee60.3,

I will PM you like I did for Boomer1. I don’t feel comfortable giving the company name mixed in with prices, I think it’s a little rude. But good luck we are having ours put in very soon.

1 Like
11

Hi Marty,
Looking at your site, I see you are very experienced in this game…
Would you be good enough to suggest two or three reputable installers in Newcastle that I could approach for quotes? (as I have wasted with my time so far with the plethora of companies out there)

Many thanks in anticipation
Tony Christian
Email: antony.c.christian@gmail.com

12

Hi Antony

I retail solar in Brisbane so no competition to the Newcastle guys. The reason for making contact is because have seen some ridiculous quotes being sent to Consumers. Should you wish me to check pricing or give any advice please feel free to email or call. There are no fees for this service.

Thanks

Ivan

solar@3viso.com.au

13

Hi Antony

I’m afraid I don’t know anyone personally, but I have researched this before and this is the list I came up with:

https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/solar-installers/nsw/newcastle-hunter-valley

Hope that helps, and please PM me if any of these companies on our list where ones you had problems with.

Cheers
Marty