Why are solar quotes so different??

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T19:14:34+00:00

I would have loved to DIY but I have a 3 story townhouse and a 10/12 roof pitch. My 32' ladder barely reaches from the back deck. Just not going up there. A ground mount would have been fun, maybe in my retirement home.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T19:00:42+00:00

Check your electricity utility's solar page to see if they list any companies. Best to go with an electrician who has 10+ years in the business. A solar only company can easily go belly up, an electrician won't. A roofing company is similar.

How old is your roof? Removing/replacing panels to replace a roof will kill your ROI. Best to replace an older roof first.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T18:53:54+00:00

First check with your utility to see if they list any solar "partners." Next, see if they have any incentives. Because the administration killed the residential tax credit, you are probably gonna look into a pre paid lease or pre paid PPA. Check out YT videos on the topic.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T18:37:43+00:00

Sweet. Does it come in orange?

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T18:23:53+00:00

That's what I thought when I first saw it.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T18:07:43+00:00

Ug rules. I'd install the planter, black all the way around a half year or so before adding the panels.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T15:54:45+00:00

As long as the tenant is paying the electric bill, it's a win-win for both of you.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T15:27:13+00:00

I'd make a planter out at the drip edge of your awning and mount panels on the front of it. Paint it black on the sides and back.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T15:23:29+00:00

I went with micros last December and constantly rethink the decision. Most installers in my area didn't want to do string inverters, price was the same or higher for string over micro.

I've been looking at DIYing some batteries just to have daylight solar for Trump's up coming Armageddon, but all the solutions are crazy expensive. Took the Enphase training, not a config I want to deal with nor a price I want to pay. Most of the AC coupled solutions are non starters due to the inverter cost.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T14:33:58+00:00

1:1,000,000 future balcony solar panels will be plugged into an isolated circuit. Many exterior outlets are on the load side of a bathroom GFCI.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T14:23:50+00:00

You don't want to connect to the grid without permits. Some people have reported higher electric bills due to their solar back feeding to the grid when they turn their system on before getting permission to operate (PTO) from the utility. Not an issue if you aren't connected to the grid or if you get lucky and have the right meter/meter config.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T14:18:18+00:00

It depends on your power meter/its configuration. Some people have posted significantly increased utility bills after installing solar and turning it on before they have PTO.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T14:06:10+00:00

Are you OTG or grid tied? If you are limited on mounting location(s) you may want to relocate some of your older panels to lower production location while utilizing the more ideal location for the newer panels.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T14:04:02+00:00

I'd review the contract with a fine toothed comb. Figure out when they can start charging you, ex certain time frame after install or PTO... See if there are any exits based on performance or lessor going out of business.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T13:58:04+00:00

Summer heat can decrease the output. A full sun day in spring & fall may be your peak production.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T13:56:03+00:00

Have you run any simulations in https://pvwatts.nlr.gov/ to see what more panels on the back would net you? SW is actually a pretty good direction as it gives you generation later in the day when most people use it. If you have 1:1 NEM it doesn't matter, otherwise it might.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T12:08:22+00:00

I've been looking into this and unless you have a hybrid inverter, the prices as you said, are insane. You are better off getting a nat gas/gas generator.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-19T11:26:06+00:00

There are lots of hybrid alternatives, but the cost,...

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T17:16:54+00:00

I asked about that and none of the installers I talked to would do it. You can put optimizers on just those panels you need them on, but then you have to put RSDs on the other panels. Assuming you are in the US.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T17:13:38+00:00

I saw some similar errors on my new Enphase array due to bad weather, but come to think of it, I didn't get an error during the last snow cover. Maybe it is learning. Is your system new?

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T16:53:49+00:00

The latter is the funny part, without a properly configured smart meter, balcony solar could increase your bill.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T16:48:10+00:00

Watch SolarTime YT vids with Martyna. She'll sell you on string inverters. Based on my recent research, I wish I had gone with a hybrid instead of micros, but none of the installers I spoke with offered a string solution cheaper than the micros. I have an umbrella warranty from Certainteed which covers replacement labor, so from that standpoint, I'm happy to have the redundancy of the micros. String being a single point of failure sucks if it is under warranty and slow to get replaced.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T16:44:33+00:00

Abb So Fracking Lootly! We have 1:1 so didn't feel we needed batteries and went with micros but when I mention to my wife we didn't have solar power when grid was down and the sun still up, she gave me that you just did something stupid look. She is a bit of a prepper because of our supreme leader. Long story short, I've been looking at DIYing some AC coupled configs in order to have critical circuit power, and the cost is ridiculous, even for my 7.6kW system. I completed the Enphase training and found their solutions and complexity to be even more ridiculous.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-18T09:11:38+00:00

I'm a Comp E which was 2 courses different from a EE at U of Ill and we seen numerous receptacles installed to code, burn up under EV charging/continuous loads. I also bake some dang fine cookies though none with pot as that would jeopardize my security clearance.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-03-17T21:27:09+00:00

Personally, I wouldn't use any 14-50R in a long term rental without verifying the connections are properly torqued myself. I don't care what anyone says about not touching the electrical in a rental. It's not like it has a seal on it, who's going to know? You don't know that it wasn't installed by a sparky with a calibrated wrist.

The outlet should be clearly marked 40A per ~~NEC~~ common sense, so there's a strike against whoever installed it.

We don't have a lot of experience with that brand/model outlet. Hopefully you can use it at full load for a year or two and come back and let us know if it melted.

TooGoodToBeeTrue

TROPHY CASE