Solar Companies in Socal for Competitve Bids

[AdaminOC]

I had TESLA come out yesterday and I'm very interested in adding solar now and maybe a power wall in the future. I'm very interested but after doing some reading on these forums I see that it's typical that other companies tend to come in much cheaper, and Tesla will typically match or beat the pricing. Does anyone recommend other companies that I should consider here in Orange County in Southern California?

Also, I've also put a deposit down on a Model 3. I can't wait to get it but it seems there will be quite a wait.

I apologize if this has already been covered. I did a search and didn't see anything.

 

[HookBill]

Semper Solaris. They also install Powerwalls.

 

[cartwright]

Don't know if they serve Orange County, but Jamar Power Systems was my choice in San Diego.

The best resource online that I've seen is Forums - Solar Panels - Solar Panels Forum

 

[bakerboy]

I went with this company:

Nexgen Construction
NexGen Construction - Los Alamitos, CA

They are a "smaller" type of company, but the service, installation and communication was top notch! i did get 3 other bids from bigger companies and it just felt right going with Eric (he's the owner) and his company.

 

[NuShrike]

Semper Solaris. They also install Powerwalls.

I've tried Semper Solaris. They're good if you're okay with cookie-cutter installations.

I needed tilt and Semper couldn't deal with it, so Stellar Solar did it better. I do think Semper was more polished on its execution, as inflexible as it was.

Semper Solaris is also another PW price "gouger". My salesperson was very against PWs (or Tesla) for their battery immaturity. Their owner would not negotiate on price ($12K installed for one last time I asked), to get closer to Tesla's price.

Looking at PVOutput, there's a lot of LA Solar Group installations in the area. Looking at the SGIP applications, there's also lots of Grid Alternatives installations.

 

[NuShrike]

For a complete list of all installed NEM systems (including installer, date, price, panels, inverter, zipcode, etc):
https://www.californiadgstats.ca.gov/download/interconnection_nem_pv_applications/

For all of the SGIP apps (to get an idea of battery installations and price, and who's installing at better prices):
https://www.selfgenca.com/report/public/

 

[JHellow]

We used Swell for a solar and PE install and they subcontracted with Asgard Energy Company out of San Diego. Great installers with really good attention to detail. I am sure you can contract with them directly. The solar install used LG Neon R panels with Enphase IP6+ microinverters.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Perfectly legit way to do things in our current ridiculous customer acquisition model.

Be straightforward with a local installer. Tell them you have no questions, just want a written estimate for X amount of rooftop solar and you're not paying more than $2.70/Watt, but you're ready to go.

They'll give you an estimate that you can then take to Tesla for matching. Just be cognizant of not wasting toouch time/resources of the other guy. Good luck.

 

[AdaminOC]

Thanks all for the feedback! I appreciate it and will update after I get more info about my system, pricing, etc

 

[Az_Rael]

I used energysage.com to get quotes. LA Solar was there, as well as a few other companies who offer powerwalls. Very slick system for getting a bunch of quotes at once. I had LA Solar and another company come out and do site visits.

Chose Tesla because LA Solar didn't have any PWs in stock last year and the other company was price gouging them.

I will say my install with TE was not fast or smooth. We signed the contract September 2017 and we JUST passed the city inspection today (after having failed it once). Communication was poor, and they installed the wrong panels on our house during the first go at it. Luckily they have been good at correcting all their errors without any fighting.

 

[bomquito]

I had TESLA come out yesterday and I'm very interested in adding solar now and maybe a power wall in the future. I'm very interested but after doing some reading on these forums I see that it's typical that other companies tend to come in much cheaper, and Tesla will typically match or beat the pricing. Does anyone recommend other companies that I should consider here in Orange County in Southern California?

Also, I've also put a deposit down on a Model 3. I can't wait to get it but it seems there will be quite a wait.

I apologize if this has already been covered. I did a search and didn't see anything.

 

[bomquito]

I experienced the opposite. My Tesla bid was much better than SunRun (Costco) and few other local solar companies in the Inland Empire. I believe I paid around $3.70 per KW

I had TESLA come out yesterday and I'm very interested in adding solar now and maybe a power wall in the future. I'm very interested but after doing some reading on these forums I see that it's typical that other companies tend to come in much cheaper, and Tesla will typically match or beat the pricing. Does anyone recommend other companies that I should consider here in Orange County in Southern California?

Also, I've also put a deposit down on a Model 3. I can't wait to get it but it seems there will be quite a wait.

I apologize if this has already been covered. I did a search and didn't see anything.

 

[dotbombjoe]

I'll second the approach quoted. If you want to go with Tesla and are just trying to bring the cost down, keep it simple for whoever you speak with... FWIW, there are often inexpensive installers on Craigslist and Tesla will sometimes match them. That said, it's always a good idea to compare legitimate offers from other reputable vendors -- maybe you don't/shouldn't have your heart set on Tesla.

My experience with Tesla was ok. It took much longer than they said. They didn't put the panels where they said they would, which is really not ok...but, my work was done pretty well and the installation went smoothly and seems to be working well. Powerwall's rock and you sort of need them with the new TOU plans -- I guess the economics may have changed depending on where the SGIP rebates are...

Perfectly legit way to do things in our current ridiculous customer acquisition model.

Be straightforward with a local installer. Tell them you have no questions, just want a written estimate for X amount of rooftop solar and you're not paying more than $2.70/Watt, but you're ready to go.

They'll give you an estimate that you can then take to Tesla for matching. Just be cognizant of not wasting toouch time/resources of the other guy. Good luck.