Solar City

They made holes in my shingles and voided my roofer's 15 yr warranty. They said the holes were from fall protection equipment. However, if they had used a different anchor system, they could drill through the substrata and thereby protect the shingles. I have been dealing with them for 7 months and I got a judgment from small claims court on June 29, 2018 for $735.40. They have not paid me as of 8-7-18.

The whole process of getting the solar system up and running took a lot longer than expected. There was a lot of time spent waiting for permits and inspections. They kept me fairly well informed during the process. Now that it is finally running I am very pleased with it. I have had one problem with the system and when I called the company the set up an appointment to have someone come out and take care of it. He came when scheduled and fixed the problem promptly.

We lease the solar panels from them and something broke inside an electrical panel so they replaced it. It was no cost to us. Actually they are the ones that called us and told us it broke. We have a little modem in my computer room so they get all the information on how the solar panel is working. They call us and told us it needed to be replaced. They are definitely an A rated company.

As expected.

Getting solar energy was a February to September process!!! Partly that was my delay contemplating the lease vs purchase, solar loans etc. Here is the bottom line: Loans: The Feds offer solar loans called EEM, Energy Efficient Mortgages. Used to be called Power Saver Loans. The Fed website links to a list of approved banks and NONE of the banks every heard of it(!) Finally Solar City linked up with Mosaic Solar who offer full financing at low rates; 2.99%, ten years, with a lower required FISCO score like 620. Lease vs Purchase: The lease option is not the best route. Purchase is best especially with a low interest rate loan. Cost: My 26 panels were gross $21+. I am paying a net of $13+K over ten years. i.e, the loan agreement is on the NET amount, NOT the GROSS, but over the next two tax returns, the alternate energy TAX REBATE from the Feds must be sent to the lender. i.e., the gross to net difference. If you go shopping with your rebate ... the loan interest goes up. Be warned. Savings: My APS budget was $121 per monthly on the standard program. (I'm a cheap user.) My solar loan payments are $146 per month. NO other electric bill. Can't beat that, right? Run the maths over the twenty year life expectancy of the panels. The savings are in the thousands ... and no carbon foot print. Think about that next ELECTRIC car you are getting, right? Free motoring!!! Energy: I have been online generating solar energy for the last half of this rainy, cloudy September 2016 and I am producing 169%. i.e., I produced 348.8 kWh and used 207.5 kWh. (Kilo Watt Hours.) The way it works is simple. You use APS electric, but your panels generate electric and send it to APS and they, in turn, supply locally. i.e., your neighbors. At year end ... you get back the difference. Note: Solar City does not like to WAY over produce because of the amount APS pays you for your solar electric. Solar City: I had an amazing sales person; Michael Frank. I learnt very quickly to ignore the "Solar Concierge" and go through Michael and copy Michael on all my communications. Solar City panels are installed very close to the roof and not like some which look like sun-sails(!) (Critters like to nest in the "sun-sails.") They also have a "decorative" trim in front for aesthetics. Quite frankly, they are much more attractive than I thought they would be and I really never see them them I arrive home. The installation crew were professional, funny, and quick. I was almost sad to see them finish. Michael has "hand-held" me though the whole process including the switch on. Easy process, but ... he's "Mr Man." That's what Mr. Men are for :) APS: If you have APS ... you are okay. If you have the other guys ... it's a whole political mess. Roof: My, almost flat, roof was renewed in late 2014. However, my roof incline is 7% and therefore was firstly 'flagged' as a leak risk. (Any roof 10% incline and less.) However, the senior technician waived that restriction. Solar City has their own, propriety mounting system to avoid leaks ... but they cover all damages if there is a leak. Advice: Solar energy/Alternative energy is going to win whatever folks say about "Net metering" etc. It IS THE FUTURE. Be patient, go with the real professionals ... Elon Musk's (Tesla) Solar City. (And I hope your region has Michael Frank. Just saying.) Good luck.

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