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d-cent t1_j7viwn0 wrote

I haven't looked in a while, but there are lots of providers in Vermont now. I would shop around because it feels like prices change every year. The only one I would avoid is Tesla but otherwise go with whatever company gives you the best bang for the buck

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HomeOnTheMountain_ t1_j7vlybw wrote

If anyone tries to sell you on a tesla power wall, tell them to get fucked. They're trying to sell you the lexus equivalent of a battery. It stores power and sits in a room. You don't need the lexus model to do that.

Edit: Catamount did our install and they were great.

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murrly t1_j7vmtae wrote

I worked with SunCommon and highly recommend them.

They've been super easy to get ahold of and didn't pressure me at all. SunRun people were too aggressive for my liking.

Plus they are local. If you choose SunCommon dm me and I can do a referral and you'll get $500 off your installation ( I'll get a $500 check as well to be transparent ). Good Luck!

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notsocomplexpizza t1_j7vqtkb wrote

Before you decide on company I would suggest doing research on whether you want to buy panels or lease. Typically with someone like SunCommon you buy your panels but with SunRun you lease. Once you determine that I would suggest then deciding on a company.

I used SunCommon and bought my panels and very happy with the decision all around.

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OkStatement1682 t1_j7vr6an wrote

Ask them for ROI on the investment. There is none. All this is - is a feel good decision. However, I do not understand the difference environmentally if we are buying hydro power (which is constant) to sun power that requires you to have a battery bank (and that may not be sufficient for prolonged sunless days). The annual increase in the contract exceeds the historical rate increases. I did this on almost a 100% sun capture and based on the limited carry forward of the credits, I calculated a net loss over time on the investment.

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WantDastardlyBack t1_j7vxeiy wrote

Replying to notsocomplexpizza (#1,764,320)

SunCommon used to lease, but I'm not sure if they still do or not. I've never even broken even with the design they came up with over a decade ago and we regret it. We're tired of having inches of snow stuck on panels after storm and when it finally comes down, people have to carefully time leaving or entering our house or you might end up with a mound of snow coming down on you all at once.

I've been tasked lately with writing press releases and articles on the state of solar panel recycling in the U.S. It's still new territory, and now some of the first panel installations have reached end-of-life and homeowners who bought rather than leased don't always find it easy to recycle them. It's raised concerns with me as to what will happen to mine in another 9 years. Originally, I was told they'll likely just give them to me rather than have to take them down and fill all the holes, but I don't want them to stay. If I ever do solar again, it will be yard-mounted, or even better, I'd rather sponsor panels on a solar farm.

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MarkZahra t1_j7w1td6 wrote

I started out with sunrun, their quote was almost double the quote from catamount. Sunrun also did a couple of salesman double-speak type of things that I called them out on and eventually made me terminate the relationship.

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captaincrunch00 t1_j7w8kbi wrote

One thing to verify is who gets the government incentives at the end of the day? This is what SunRun and Suncommon used to do, they'd install it and lease you the panels, claim the incentives, and then a few years down the road sell the panels to you at their remaining cost.

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jo7468 t1_j7we0ig wrote

Took over a SunRun lease, would not recommend. Luckily the price is locked in, but most leases increase annually and start to add up after a few years so you pay through the nose for an aging system.

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Blueslide60 t1_j7wfn99 wrote

I recommend buying local. The folks that do solar in Vermont have to maintain their reputation because we are a small market. Some of the national firms pick up and move to where the incentives are best. As a general rule, these national firms have aggressive sales teams that know more about financing then electricity.

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ResidentConfidence16 t1_j7wgm89 wrote

Sunrun boost its price because they are 100% commission and their culture is all about making as much money as possible off someone. Not what they need or are looking for. I know the people who run the Vermont market and they are all about profits.

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anothervtcouple t1_j7wolbf wrote

As someone who owns a small solar company in Vermont, I’d recommend sun common or catamount. They both do good work. Avoid sun run at all costs. Sun Run will give you the worst quality install for the highest price.

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Specific_General_334 t1_j7wv1kn wrote

Replying to Human802 (#1,764,452)

As someone who installs Tesla batteries I generally agree with u/homeonthemountain. Though I don’t think it’s so black and white. To answer your question though. It’s not the state it’s GMP and VEC. And not actually a deal with Tesla as far as I understand. Both of those utilities have leasing programs that allow people to get batteries at relatively low upfront cost and a low monthly fee. The utilities get to use the batteries as small peaking generators while primarily maintaining them in reserve for use as home backup. They used to only offer the program with tesla batteries more recently they’ve also started allowing Enphase systems as well. Another alternative, though not necessarily as simple, would be a custom system with lead acid or maybe lithium. Those come likely with higher upfront cost and potentially more challenging financing and insurance implications. Not to mention a somewhat more complex system that might need periodic maintenance. Though cost over time could be lower. No doubt though installers push the low upfront cost that is essentially just an installation fee to get people to buy batteries they don’t necessarily need and pay the higher cost over time. All that said there’s plenty more to consider on what kind of battery you get or if you even need one.

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VermontArmyBrat t1_j7x2z2m wrote

I used SunCommon. Very pleased. As I recall sunrun leases vs sells. If that’s still the case, research the pros and cons of leasing. As in, if you try to sell your house, what happens to the panels.

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_j7x55yo wrote

Replying to WantDastardlyBack (#1,764,721)

Sounds like they are trying to get out of some work. Like ohhh don’t worry about it. You can keep your end of life panels .... youre welcome.

I think you have the right attitude personally. Call them and be like come get your panels and patch the damn holes. If the holes leak after you patch them, you will be getting a call back.

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Aeropug t1_j7xiaby wrote

+1 for Suncommon. Heard great things about Green Mountain Solar as well. Nothing but horror stories about Sunrun. Suggest getting 3-4 quotes and ask a lot of questions.

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kidkili t1_j7xp56r wrote

Natosi Solar did ours and went above and beyond in my opinion. Have nothing but terrible things to say about Green Mountain Solar’s integrity. Avoid at all costs.

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WantDastardlyBack t1_j7z3eu1 wrote

Replying to Kitchen_Nail_6779 (#1,769,936)

The PV module only lasts 30-35 years, some quit sooner and some last longer, but they do have an end-of-life and will need to be recycled and new ones installed if you still want them. That's one thing that's happening in areas, like California, where rooftop solar started. They've reached that end of life and few recycling facilities that can take apart the different components exist. https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/end-life-management-solar-photovoltaics

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airhogg t1_j7z8u8s wrote

The folks at Green Mountain Solar did a good job on our installation

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HomeOnTheMountain_ t1_j7zencq wrote

Replying to Specific_General_334 (#1,766,622)

Why lead acid? We're off grid with Storz Lithium and they're great with zero issues on installation, insurance, power level usage, or maintenance. Lead acid meanwhile, we used to have to balance them and you'd muck them up if you ran them down too low too often.

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jteedubs t1_j7zqsv8 wrote

I had Sunrun do an estimate and solar plan for my property. They wanted to add 40% more panels on my roof than needed because their plan neglected to add any panels on Southern exposure. After some investigating I learned they need to sell “x” amount of panels to qualify for some subsidies. So their model is to put panels in less than optimal exposure so the customer needs more panels and they can meet their panel goals.

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duncym t1_j80x4df wrote

I highly recommend suncommon. as a company, They treat employees well and do a great job.

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Loudergood t1_j81o0yi wrote

I was happy enough with suncommon to get a quote from them when it was time to expand my system (did not anticipate buying an EV as soon as I did)

Ultimately went with Green Mountain Solar because they were able to put more panels in less space where Suncommon said it couldn't be done.

(Let me know if you want a referral code to either)

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phred14 t1_j8bffix wrote

I'm looking at this, but my roof situation doesn't work because of the trees, siting, etc. It's not just cutting my own down, it's my neighbors' trees, too.

However I have a place in my back yard where a (mostly) stationary installation would work. I say mostly stationary because it's south-facing and I'd have to adjust the slope higher in the spring and lower in the fall for best power. (Friends from work do this.)

Do any of these companies do installations like this?

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Kink4202 OP t1_j8ngclc wrote

Thank you everyone for the input. I will get additional quotes from the ones you folks recommended.

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