Solar upgrade at Ellwood - Any takers?

Cornflakes

Cornflakes

Active member
RA is offering solar upgrades through sunpower G. Any buyers chose the option? WHat are your thoughts? IS it too pricey buying it from the builder?

TIA
 
Has anyone moved actually into an Ellwood house yet?  I remember being promised October move-in, but they seem vacant (mostly because they're not near done).
 
I am a newbie to Solar, but does it make sense to get Solar for a house <3,000 sqft?  I think it makes sense if your electricity bill is >$100 per month.  Also, you are paying 1% per annum until you move for an upgrade from the builder.  I have a 2,400 sqft SFR right now and my electricity bill averages $50 a month.  Not worth it for me as new homes have an efficient system. 

 
Good price for solar should be about $3.25-$3.50 per watt.  So 5kwh system should cost around $16250-$17500 pre tax deduction.  Use that number as a reference on whether or not it's a good deal.
 
If you are at home a lot while it is generating it makes more sense.  Generating power during day when not at home relies on being able to sell into the grid at retail.
 
LongIrvine said:
If you are at home a lot while it is generating it makes more sense.  Generating power during day when not at home relies on being able to sell into the grid at retail.
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This doesn't matter.  SCE will take what you use over a year and then take what you generate over a year and charge you the difference (or give cash for surplus).
 
Correct. Today they do that. Peer over to Hawaii, probably the area where solar makes the most economic sense given their high energy prices.

The net metering model doesn't work in scale.

CA legislation is already moving towards higher connecton fees and lower kw/hr prices to reflect the major cost of transmission. 
 
irvinebear said:
Has anyone moved actually into an Ellwood house yet?  I remember being promised October move-in, but they seem vacant (mostly because they're not near done).
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Assume you bought in Ellwood since you were being promised a Oct move in?  Were you at the meeting with the regional president of RAH where they addressed the issue in delays. 

I've moved in, only one I think, since I've never seen my neighbor. 

@Cornflakes - we never had the solar option being in phase 1, so I can't opine on pricing since I didn't do any research (our old place never needed solar).  I can't see our new places needing solar unless you work from home and/or plan to run the AC all the time. 
 
Thanks Akkord.

I saw my bills past year and I can definitely lower my energy costs by going part solar part SCE. They are offering 3kW system at ~13k before tax credits. It's much more expensive than $3.5/w As pointed on this board.

Saw on other website, they sell 7KW DIY kit for 10k. Add another 10k for installation and it still comes under $3/w. And, 7KW will eliminate your SCE bill altogether. I think that it is a good deal. It's just that I gotta have sufficient confidence in that DIY kit quality and being able to bring it all together.

Costco has a roadshow. I am gonna check out their pricing.
 
akkord said:
irvinebear said:
Has anyone moved actually into an Ellwood house yet?  I remember being promised October move-in, but they seem vacant (mostly because they're not near done).
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Assume you bought in Ellwood since you were being promised a Oct move in?  Were you at the meeting with the regional president of RAH where they addressed the issue in delays. 

I've moved in, only one I think, since I've never seen my neighbor. 

@Cornflakes - we never had the solar option being in phase 1, so I can't opine on pricing since I didn't do any research (our old place never needed solar).  I can't see our new places needing solar unless you work from home and/or plan to run the AC all the time.
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What were the reasons given for delay?  I have bought from another builder because I didn't like the sales tactics at Ellwood.  We almost purchased a house that was promised in October because we did have some urgency in moving in early, but now I'm glad we didn't.
 
Cornflakes said:
Thanks Akkord.

I saw my bills past year and I can definitely lower my energy costs by going part solar part SCE. They are offering 3kW system at ~13k before tax credits. It's much more expensive than $3.5/w As pointed on this board.

Saw on other website, they sell 7KW DIY kit for 10k. Add another 10k for installation and it still comes under $3/w. And, 7KW will eliminate your SCE bill altogether. I think that it is a good deal. It's just that I gotta have sufficient confidence in that DIY kit quality and being able to bring it all together.

Costco has a roadshow. I am gonna check out their pricing.
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Take the solar option from the builder to preserve roof warranty and minimize after COE hassle.  After fed tax credit it is only $9,100.  I have Sunpower solar panels for almost 2 years and never had any problem. 

Not worrying about the energy bill is priceless. 
 
If you want standard string inverters from the builder, then go with their solar package.  I would strongly recommend buying vs. leasing as the economics favor purchasing now, and you will get the tax credit.  Also, SCE will be ending/modifying their net metering policies soon so hopefully you can get in before then.

Personally, I would prefer to add a solar system post close, and go with a reputable company.  My builder only offered an 8 panel system on a string, but that would only have offset 30% of our usage.  I opted to install a 29 panel system using micro inverters, which comes closer to a 95% yearly offset.

Solar is a HUGE can of worms...if you don't care about the details, then go with the builder and their subcontractor.  If you care about the details, and want to maximize the return on your investment, get it done after escrow.  Even if you don't buy solar from your builder, find out if they pre-plumb conduit for solar wiring runs to your main panel.  My builder included that at no charge, as part of the standard build.

If anyone wants more details, shoot me a PM.  I've vetted out most of the solar providers in SoCal, and did a ton of research on the various solar options (brands, panels, inverters, etc.).  Lots of pros and cons to consider, so don't just take a sales person's word for it. =)

Cheers, and good luck.

My system:
29 LG LG300N1K-G4 panels
29 Enphase M250 micro inverters
Envoy monitoring
 
@gasman what was your average monthly electric bill and how long would it take to break even in your situation. My average bill is $50-60 in non-summer months. Peaking a little over $110-120 in the summer.

Can't see myself using more even in a bigger place with LED recessed lighting, more efficient appliances and AC, and dual zone central air. My old place had 10+ year old appliances though we did replace our AC condenser and furnace recently since that was 15+ years old and started giving us issues.

Delays by RAH due to competition for sub contractors - they didn't get enough, the non-norm roofline on the craftman home (steeper roof) took longer than expected, they re-did the design structure for the rooftop decks - made them "better".  Probably means either they were barely within code or somebody saw something suspect.  To be fair - I would think everyone would rather have the delay and a better structure than to put it up quickly and provide a worse product to the buyer.

I can't complain about RAH they worked with me, helped us pay for some incurred fees for the delay and made it right for us. Hopefully others who have bought have a similar experience.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
@gasmane:

To shortcut this, what company did you go with?
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LA Solar.  I vetted out Infinity, Suncrest, Sullivan, and a couple others I won't mention as they were far inferior.

Also vetted out using Solaredge optimizers (in lue of micro inverters) but didn't want the huge inverter box in my garage for various reasons beyond the aesthetic.

I would have gone Sunpower panels with Solaredge as an alternative to the LG/Enphase.  Sunpower panels generate well (and are pricier), and pair well with Solaredge...I wouldn't pair Sunpower with Enphase.

Fun stuff.
 
akkord said:
@gasman what was your average monthly electric bill and how long would it take to break even in your situation. My average bill is $50-60 in non-summer months. Peaking a little over $110-120 in the summer.

Can't see myself using more even in a bigger place with LED recessed lighting, more efficient appliances and AC, and dual zone central air. My old place had 10+ year old appliances though we did replace our AC condenser and furnace recently since that was 15+ years old and started giving us issues.

Delays by RAH due to competition for sub contractors - they didn't get enough, the non-norm roofline on the craftman home (steeper roof) took longer than expected, they re-did the design structure for the rooftop decks - made them "better".  Probably means either they were barely within code or somebody saw something suspect.  To be fair - I would think everyone would rather have the delay and a better structure than to put it up quickly and provide a worse product to the buyer.

I can't complain about RAH they worked with me, helped us pay for some incurred fees for the delay and made it right for us. Hopefully others who have bought have a similar experience.
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My bills are pretty high...$150-200 during low season, $250-400 during summer.  kwh usage was averaging 800-1K/month, or about 10k-12k/yearly.  ROI from my system is estimated at 6.5 years.  I'm generating 25kwh/day average during the winter months, and am expecting upwards of 40kwh/day during the summer.

I've converted all of our cans to LED housings, have 3 zones of AC, and an Ecovent system for individual room temperature control.  Our efficiency has been dialed in pretty tight, so I was able to get a pretty good profile for sizing a solar system.
 
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