Tesla Solar vs ....[third party competitors]

[kabin]

IMO, having lots of solar, batteries, and whole house generator, best bang for the buck is get as much solar installed as you can get approved.

If I was living remote I would be right there with you otherwise I worry the more stuff I get the more it breakdowns.

I was looking at backup natural gas generators. They seem to be a relative bargain. Just need to make sure it's secured so it doesn't walk off.

 

[h2ofun]

If I was living remote I would be right there with you otherwise I worry the more stuff I get the more it breakdowns.

I was looking at backup natural gas generators. They seem to be a relative bargain. Just need to make sure it's secured so it doesn't walk off.

If one is only worried a possible power outage, then the generator is by far the best bang for the buck, and do not have to deal with PGE, TOU, inverters going out, etc

 

[BGbreeder]

What you can do is call Sunrun and let them know you are Costco member. You will get the same bonuses. Having Battery backup is the best! We don't have to worry about losing power if SRP goes down. I have a 70-gallon Saltwater Reef tank with expensive corals and fish. I sleep better at night now knowing we have the Powerwalls.

So, just curious, pre-Powerwall, what did you do to keep the water circulating and the air bubbling?

 

[taphil]

For saltwater tank with expensive fish and corals, always have multiple layers of back up. My tank has 2 Ecotech Vortechs with the Ecotech battery back up, which is plugged into a UPS, and then Powerwall. If all those fail, I have a 2100W gasoline inverter generator I can switch one power cable over to run the pumps. I also have Neptune Apex that will report power outage or internet disconnect over text and push notifications to phone. Also got both battery and AC powered video cameras to view the tank remotely in case of emergency. And cable modem and wifi are on UPS too.

 

[ptdusn]

So, just curious, pre-Powerwall, what did you do to keep the water circulating and the air bubbling?

Had a big UPS battery

 

[Patrick66]

Personally, I was thrilled working with Tesla on my order and initial site visit: professional, helpful, and communicative. Their price was about 30% lower than competitors, all sourced from direct contacts and not lead generators.

Unfortunately, Tesla cancelled because they won't install on a silicone roof. (Brand new roof and my roofer would silicone over any penetration they made if they wanted them to.) So now, I will go the DIY battery backup route which really better serves my needs anyway, at roughly the same price as Tesla, but without the 4 kW of additional PV.

 

[DRobust]

Ordered the 10.625KW + 2 Powerwall in Oct 2021 with 25 panels. (That comes to 425 watt panels). (10625 watts divide by 25 panels = 425 watts)
Yesterday 2 weeks before installation (March 18th 2022, Upstate NY) Tesla changed the design and the NEW system to now 10.27KW + 2 powerwall with 26 panels. (That comes to 395 watt panels)

Does any one has experience with the installation and specifications of the 395W panel? Never heard of the 395 Watt panel before. Should I proceed with installation.

 

[Patrick66]

Does any one has experience with the installation and specifications of the 395W panel? Never heard of the 395 Watt panel before. Should I proceed with installation.

It is just a binning issue; some of the panels end up with fewer defects and get a higher rating, and some end up with a few more defects and get a lower rating. It shouldn't impact life or any other issues.

 

[kabin]

If it's binning with slightly lower performing samples then Tesla should be saving some money on the install. It's all water under the bridge now but I would be curious if they were the same brand/model and if they were within spec.

 

[kabin]

Sunrun is no joke. They are crazy expensive even backing out the costco card!

 

[ptdusn]

Sunrun is no joke. They are crazy expensive even backing out the costco card!

They were a little up there, but their Customer Service, Monitoring and Warranty are very good. From what I have read on this Forum, Sunrun's Customer Service make tesla look like kindergartners.

 

[brkaus]

Sunrun was very expensive, esp with the power walls. But they kept promising me "lots of extra budget to address things like roof replacement or panel upgrades". I haven't got far enough to find out actual cost. I know I need a new roof and may need to upsize our feed. They wanted a signed contract (that could be cancelled) before they would detail anything.

 

[ptdusn]

Sunrun was very expensive, esp with the power walls. But they kept promising me "lots of extra budget to address things like roof replacement or panel upgrades". I haven't got far enough to find out actual cost. I know I need a new roof and may need to upsize our feed. They wanted a signed contract (that could be cancelled) before they would detail anything.

So, during the inspection by their Site Manager, he found that the underlayment, (we have a tile roof here in AZ), was dried out and cracking. They went ahead and subsidized $4000 of the $6500 cost for a lift and relay repair of our roof. Our feed was sufficient to handle the load. The Powerwalls were $6500 each. The expensive part was the labor cost for the installation. We got a $17500 tax credit for our install.

 

[brkaus]

So, during the inspection by their Site Manager, he found that the underlayment, (we have a tile roof here in AZ), was dried out and cracking. They went ahead and subsidized $4000 of the $6500 cost for a lift and relay repair of our roof. Our feed was sufficient to handle the load. The Powerwalls were $6500 each. The expensive part was the labor cost for the installation. We got a $17500 tax credit for our install.

My quote has the power walls at around $16k each.

 

[taphil]

$6500 for a Powerwall? That’s a lot cheaper than buying from the first party seller.

 

[ptdusn]

My quote has the power walls at around $16k each.

WOW, is that through Costco?

 

[ptdusn]

Sorry, was a little off.... I have 2 Powerwalls

SOLAR MODULES SUNRUN $1 Item 1296936

$4509.00

SOLAR INVERTER SUNRUN $1 Item 1296958

$2025.00

TESLA POWER WALL2 BATTERY Item 1451197

$14900.00

BASE PLUS SYS MONITORING Item 1479919

$7200.00

INSTALLATION SUNRUN $1 Item 737913

$31816.00

 

[kabin]

My Sunrun quote was almost 2x more than Tesla's $2/watt quote. I'm still getting quotes but for a equal spec'd panels and the same micro inverters, add pigeon guard and free monitoring I can save 34% savings over Sunrun including the Costco pay-no-attention-to-the-man-behind-the-screen card. I think someone else earlier said the same - Sunrun is about 33% more expensive.

I also felt a little uncomfortable communicating with a Sunrun solar designer/sales person out of state being there are so many solar companies and people local to me.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

The expensive part was the labor cost for the installation.

Important thing to remember with Sunrun is the largest cost component is sales cost. They may filter this into the "labor" category when they break out costs, but sales commissions and lead costs are several times more than the actual install labor.

That's why Tesla is 30% cheaper, they don't pay the $4-10k in sales commissions for each install.

 

[kabin]

It's probably a good idea to lock in a deal with solar energy system prices starting to climb.