Going For Solar – Get Multiple Proposals or Bids (Step 4)

Since solar installations (even after incentives) cost more than most cars, you should definitely speak to several companies or contractors before making your decision to proceed and selecting the right one for you.

Because we were not doing the standard roof top solar installation, several of the big players in our area NexAmp and GroSolar were not interested in the project.  As it was, we did get 2 similar bids which confirmed for us that the prices were in the ballpark and that the overall design idea was good.  Remember, the lowest bid is not always the best and be sure to compare apples to apples.  Ask your contractor to break out the proposal into the following costs:

  • Solar Panels
  • Inverter
  • Structure (if not roof mounted)
  • Mounting Hardware
  • Wirings & Interconnects
  • Labor

Be sure to know if the proposal includes all necessary permitting, what the warranty is for the installation, inverter and panels and whether or not a monitoring system is included.

We got useful bids from Ben at SunBug Solar and Steve at Go Green Industries and will talk more about comparing them and choosing in our next step on Going for Solar.

Happy Greening!
Jon

solar PV awning
Going for Solar Series

To learn more about residential solar installations, check out our series Going for Solar, which details every step from dreaming about installing solar, through picking a contractor and the steps in construction.  We provide information and advice for every step of the way, as well as different approaches such as paying for it yourself versus leasing a system.  Don’t miss the steps on how much money we saved during our first year of usage!



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