Solar System Installation in Concord, CA
Solar Panel Installation
Solar Panel Installation
Solar Panel Installation
Installing a solar system in Concord, CA is very popular due to the continual PG&E rate increases. Homeowners are finding they are saving significant amounts of money making the switch to solar.
Whole House Batteries
Solar Panel Installation
Solar Panel Installation
Home batteries are being installed with almost every solar system installation in California. This is because homeowners store the excess solar energy they create during the day on their batteries, to use for nighttime electric power.
Smart Energy Management
Solar Panel Installation
Smart Energy Management
Managing your power consumption and how you use your energy is a key to reducing your electric energy costs. Managing your stored power on your whole home battery is also important to prolong power during blackouts.
The Best Solar System Installer in Concord, CA
Who is the Best Solar System Installer in Your Area?
The company you choose to install your solar system is a critical step of you making the switch to solar. It’s vitally important you get it right the first time and especially when you are counting on the system to operate flawlessly for the next 25 years plus.
You may have ordered the finest solar panels on the market today, but they are only as good as how they operate after they are installed. The main things to look for when considering which installation company is best is:
- Accurate Solar Design and Energy Production Calculations
- High Quality Equipment Options
- Timeline of Installation
- Pricing
- Warranties
- Customer Service after Installation
- Years in Business
Getting a quality solar installation is all about the people that are part of your solar installation process. So what are some clues to find out if you‘re hiring the right person? Let’s dig deeper!
How to Hire the Right Solar Installation Company
If you are going to enjoy the experience of having a solar system installation project completed on your home, it will be because of the team of people involved in your solar project.
Here are the people you will work with through your solar installation project:
- Sales Representative: Often called a Solar Energy Advisor
- Site Surveyor
- Project Manager
- Solar System Designer
- Solar and Battery Power Storage Installation Crew
- Electrician and Roofer Depending if Upgrades are Needed
- Service Technicians
- Plus the finance company, local city for permits and inspections and your utility company are all involved in the process.
Working with the right Sales Representative is potentially the most important person you’ll decide to work with because they are the ones who access your needs, design your system, help you choose the equipment, price out your job and schedule your installation crew. Besides your Project Manager, the Sales Rep is also your contact through the entire project and should be there for you after the installation if you need their assistance.
Schedule Consultation with Solar Energy Advisor
Find out if solar is a viable option for you and if it makes sense financially. Also, it is important to see if you qualify for solar based on your electric power needs and the amount of sun exposure on your roof.
Solar Energy Advisor in Concord, CA
Choose an Honest Sales Representative
Choose an Honest Sales Representative
Choose an Honest Sales Representative
Your solar project will always start with the Sales Representative. For you to have the best experience possible going solar you will need to have a Sales Representatitve that is both honest and experienced. You could have an honest Sales Rep who is inexperienced and end up with a bad customer experience. Even worse is an experienced sales rep who is dishonest and rips you off taking advantage of your lack of knowledge about solar.
What to look for:
- Industry wide, a Sales Rep with 50+ residential solar projects will have the necessary knowledge to plan well for most solar projects. Once a Sales Rep has completed 100 solar projects they are known as a Centurion Energy Advisor. These are most often the best of the best.
- Local knowledge is very helpful as each solar project has local installers and city inspectors involved. A highly experienced Sales Rep will know what installation crews are best in their area and make sure these crews are assigned to their customers solar projects. Working with local city inspectors on numerous projects helps with fulfilling expectations and getting jobs approved quickly. And, an understanding of the local utility company’s rate plans, their rules and regulations will help with planning, approving applications and smooth installations.
- Most highly experienced Sales Reps have also established industry partnerships with high quality electricians and roofers. This helps if you need electrical upgrades or a new roof needs to be done before your have you solar system installed. Companies with established relationships allow you to include roofing and electrical upgrades in the monthly financing option.
- Sales Representatives who have worked on a lot of projects also know what solar panels, inverters and batteries are of the highest quality, at the best price points. The Sales Rep creates the initial proposal with the available products their company offers. Each system is custom designed for each homeowner’s needs and budget. It’s important to have a Sales Rep who is trustworthy and who’s top priority is to design a system that is best for you and your long term benefit and not what’s best for their commission.
- Your price is most often determined by your Sales Representative. Sales Reps in the solar industry are commissioned based, so having a Sales Rep who prices fairly is a key to you getting the most financial benefits from your solar system.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Choose an Honest Sales Representative
Choose an Honest Sales Representative
After seeing lots of customer solar proposals, here are the MAIN MISTAKES I see Sales Representatives making when they design and price a solar system:
- Incorrectly figuring out your annual power usage. Either from inexperience or on purpose to make the numbers look better, when a Sales Rep miscalculates the annual electric usage… homeowners end up with large true up bills from their utility company. This because the Sales Rep miscalculated how much annual energy the home owner needed and designed a solar system that does not provide enough annual electric power. An outstanding Sales Rep is going to find out about future electric needs like an electric vehicle and make sure your solar system will provide the necessary annual energy.
- Misrepresenting the annual offset of electric power your designed solar system is projected to produce. Offset is based on your current kWh of annual usage compared to the solar system’s annual power production. An offset of 100% means that the solar system will produce 100% of the annual kWh of electrical power you currently use on an annual basis. Depending on your utility company’s net energy metering policies, a 100% offset does not always mean your solar system will produce enough electric power to cover all of the electrical expense. Depending on the credits your utility company gives you for the excess energy you export to the grid, will determine what offset is needed to supply 100% of the electric energy you need without having a true up bill at year’s end. Sometimes, a solar system needs to produce 130-150% offset of the annual electric power you use… this is the case if your utility company charges you more for the energy you use at night when your solar system is not producing than the credits you receive for sending excess energy to the grid during the day.
- Putting low quality equipment in the proposal to lower your price. Often investing more financially for a high quality solar system will save you money in the long run. This is because a quality solar system will be able to produce more energy from the sun everyday and most importantly not degrade in production over the years. A high quality solar system includes the racking system, solar panels, inverters and the batteries used. Lower the quality in any of these items and you will effect the performance of your whole system. It’s not good enough to just install high quality solar panels… you need the other supporting equipment to be of high quality for your solar system to have a high level of performance for 25 years and beyond.
Your Solar Project Steps
Solar Site Surveyor
Solar Project Manager
Solar Project Manager
The Site Surveyor does a site walk of your property and takes measurements and pictures for the final design team.
They will get pictures of the roof from both above and in the attic to ensure your roof is qualified to have a solar installation. Plus, evaluate your main electric panel, sub panels and what electric appliances you are powering.
Solar Project Manager
Solar Project Manager
Solar Project Manager
The Project Manager is definitely an important part of your overall experience. They keep your project on track and work with utility companies, city municipalities and installation crews to make sure things are getting done on schedule.
They are your contact for questions you may have through your solar project.
Solar System Designer
Solar Project Manager
Solar Installation Team
Solar System Designer is the one who makes sure the placement of your solar panels are maximizing the proficiency of the system. They also make sure you have enough battery power storage to provide electric power at night and during a power outage.
The most important task they do is to make sure the amount of power your Solar Sales Representative promised you is accurate.
Solar Installation Team
Solar Installation Team
Solar Installation Team
The Installation Crew is were the “rubber meets the road”. Obviously the amount of experience the crew has plus the installation training and quality standards of the solar company, make all the difference to how happy you’ll be getting solar installed.
Important: Find out whose contractors license is being used for your installation.
Electrician
Solar Installation Team
Roofing Contractor
Some solar projects will need to have electrical upgrades to the main panel to be able to have solar panels installed. Some solar installation companies have employees that will install new main panels, while other companies will sub this work out.
Your Solar Project Manager will help with scheduling the appointments with the electrician and getting city permits. The cost of the electrician can be included in the solar financing.
Roofing Contractor
Solar Installation Team
Roofing Contractor
Some solar projects will need to have a new roof installed to be able to have solar panels installed. Most solar companies sub out the roofing. However, working with a roofer that has worked on many projects with the solar company can be very beneficial.
Your Solar Project Manager will help with scheduling the appointments with the roofer. The cost of your new roof can often be rolled into your solar financing.
Solar Project Timelines in Concord, CA
Most Solar Projects in Concord, CA Take Between 45-90 Days to Complete
Often from the day of your first solar consultation to having the solar installed on your roof is less than 30 days. on some solar projects the majority of the time it takes to have your solar powered turned on is due to the time it takes the city to approve the permits and for PG&E to give final permission to turn power on.
- If you need a new electric main panel upgrade and/or a new roof installed your solar project timeline will increase.
The one thing your solar installation company can not control is the timeline and schedule of your utility company and your city/county municipality accomplishing the tasks they are responsible for. It can definitely help the process go quickly if the local utility and city has worked with a local solar installation company on many projects. Expectations have been laid out and relationships are established to help your project go smoothly.
- Utility companies often are very busy with the application process of solar projects, approving them and if the main panel needs to be upgraded your utility company will need to supply more electrical power to the home which often requires running new power lines to your home. Also, when the solar system is installed, utility companies are not always motivated to quickly give permission to operate (PTO). They are often receiving “free” energy from your solar system until they give final approval and begin giving you credits for the solar power you send to the grid.
- City municipalities are very different in their timelines. Some cities give permits within a week of receiving applications. Other cities takes as long as five weeks to issue permits to install solar. Getting city permits can often be one of the longest steps of your solar installation project. Scheduling a city inspector to approve the solar installation typically takes a few weeks in most cities. City inspection is the last step before we submit final approval from your utility company to have the solar power turned on.
Most of the installation steps of getting solar installed are happening behind the scenes. For most solar projects, the only time you need to be home are for the site survey and for the installation day. You can be there for the city inspection but most of the time that is not necessary.
Schedule Your Solar Consultation
Start the process today and we will have a Solar Energy Advisor talk with you about your solar options. The first step is to evaluate your utility bill and figure out how much energy you use annually.
Solar Consumer Protection Guide
Buyer Beware
In California, there was so much fraud in the sales process of solar, the California Public Utilities Commission created a protection guide to help homeowners make informed decisions when choosing a solar installation company.
Watch Out for False Claims >>> Know your rights and ask solar providers these initials questions before you sign a contract. This guide is available at this government website: cpuc.ca.gov/solarguide
Steps in CPUC Solar Consumer Protection Guide are the following:
STEP 1:
Is Solar a Good Fit for Me?
STEP 2:
Understand Roles and the Solar Process
STEP 3:
Find a Qualified Solar Provider
STEP 4:
Compare Your Financing Options
STEP 5:
Learn About Electricity Bill Savings
STEP 6:
Carefully Read All Paperwork
STEP 7:
Review Additional Resources
STEP 8:
“Before You Sign” Checklist
STEP 9:
Sign This Guide: This guide will be included in your solar contract paperwork