What additional costs can be incurred in this program? How do I REALLY know everyone is getting the same deal?
Homes are different; some are harder to install on than others. If an installer charged the same $/Watt cost for all homes, they’d go out of business. This following “adder list” is the same one that SolarCity always charges on normal solar installations. We always have to fight to publish these and sometimes we lose (the installer doesn’t want competitors knowing what the list is), but SolarCity was very gracious to let us.
We HAVE to be transparent about these costs. Unlike regular solar energy customers, 1boggers actually have firm pricing expectations. For example, if we negotiate a $6.05/DC Watt price, then you’re going to expect to see a $6.05/Watt price on any proposal you get from us. If there are additional costs for trenching and your proposal turns out to be $6.78/DC watt, it might feel weird or bait-and-switchy. It’s extremely important for us to have our members understand that this pricing is set in stone. (I mean, that’s one of the main reasons we do this. Shopping for solar for your home is extremely difficult, and we’re trying to make it a more simple process so you don’t have to do any painful negotiating or comparisons).
On that note, here are ALL possible additional costs:
OCCASIONAL:
Types of roofs:
Flat Concrete Tile Roofs: ($.34/Watt)
Rolled (Torchdown, Modified Bitumen) Roofs: ($.19/Watt)
Spanish Tile & Foam Roofs: ($.34/watt)
EPDM Roofs: ($50/Watt)
Tar and Gravel Roof: ($.75/Watt)
Wood Shake Roof: ($.64/watt)
Conduit run through Attic/Crawl Space: ($250 flat fee)
System Monitoring: ($995 plus $0.15 per watt. Max $3,500)
RARE:
High Efficiency Sanyo Modules ($1.10/watt)
Upgrade Electrical Enclosure ($3000 flat fee)
Line Side Tap ($400)
Downsize Main Breaker ($250 flat fee)
Upgrade to Rafters ($1000 flat fee)
Roof Slopes: 26-34 Degrees = $.36/watt, 34+ degrees = $.50/Watt
Over 2 stories: $.06/Watt
Coordination with another contractor (new roof) = $1250
Homeowner Association Design Review ($500 Flat fee)
Multiple Sub-Arrays: ($100 per additional array)
Long Wire Runs: $/10 Watt to $150/watt depending on distance
Trenching: Concrete = $50/foot, Dirt $25/foot
Ground Mounts: by review
Explanations:
Types of roofs: Different types of roofs require different hardware and amounts of labor to install on. Some have to be flashed differently or sealed differently. Gravel needs to be removed from a tar-and-gravel roof which is time consuming. Because of this different types of roofs have different additional costs associated. The most common type, composition, is no additional charge as are a few other types.
Upgrade electrical enclosure: Larger systems may be too big by code for your current electrical service. This is one of the things no one can know until they come to your place, but it’s rare.
Line side tap: This is a cheaper workaround for doing an electrical service upgrade above, not always possible, but usually preferred when possible for it’s price.
Downsize main breaker: Again, dealing with coding requirements concerning your electrical service. Rare.
Upgrade Rafters: Some older homes may require increased support by code to hold solar on the roof. This is the charge for reinforcing your roof. Very rare and depends on the coding in your locality.
Steep Slopes: The installers can’t free walk around so they need to tie in, that slows them down and increases labor costs.
Coordinating with a roofer or other contracting job: It’s routine for a solar installer to coordinate with people redoing their roof. They can come out and put in the post, the roofer comes out and lays roof, they come back and install the panels. Increases labor time and costs money. It’s not very expensive to pop the panels off and do your roof at a later date if you want to go solar now and your roof has life left in it.
