If you've been following along, you know this takes a lot of thinking, calculating, comparing, etc. Well, once you recognized the possibility, set your goals, and found that it's possible and economically feasible, the real work begins. You've got some shopping to do. You can get competitive quotes for just about every element of the deal, so make sure to check out all of you options.
Our search for options started with a Google search. We found these sites-
http://www.apowersolutions.com/
http://www.txses.org/solar/
http://www.txspc.com/services-and-pricing.html
http://www.suncityenergy.com/about-us/north-texas-showroom/
http://www.sre3.com/
Fortunately and unfortunately, buying a solar array is more like buying a car than a fast-food burger. The same car might cost you thousands less if you go to the right dealer, whereas a What'a'burger costs the same, no matter which location you buy it from. Not to mention how easy it is to compare costs. You know how much it costs compared to a Whopper, Big Mac, or Hunger Buster. Jeeze, can you tell what I'm thinking about. But I digress... What this means is that it takes a lot of time and effort to get the best deal, but it's worth it. It would be stupid to walk into a car dealership and say, "I really want that one, let's do it."
We decided to get two competitive quotes, and thankfully they came to us. APS and Standard Renewable Energy were the companies we wanted to talk to. Right off the bat, we had a positive impression of APS. They got back with us very promptly, and we had a meeting scheduled within a week. We didn't hear back from SRE for about a month.
While waiting for our appointment, we worked hard to educate ourselves on prices, brands, options and industry standards.
We used these websites to bone up:
http://www.solarhome.org/
http://www.affordable-solar.com/
http://www.google.com/products
Most importantly, we learned that we didn't want to try installing it ourselves! Picking a company that would install and sell became a priority. Both APS and SRE will install.
APS's approach seemed to rely on customer education, flexibility, and a real desire to understand our needs as the customers. Jimmy, the APS sales person, was helpful and humble. We never felt like we were asking too many questions. He seemed just as committed to the project as we were and we hadn't even agreed to buy anything. He never applied any pressure, only answers and options. By the time our appointment was through, our initial impression was reinforced. APS had an edge. Jimmy couldn't give us the price we needed to move forward on site, but he promised to make an effort back at the office. He really seemed genuinely committed to helping us get it done. After some time passed, APS worked with us until we found a price that would at least work well enough to try and find other ways to save, like financing. Be we covered that thoroughly in an earlier post.
A couple weeks later, SRE showed up. Their late arrival was already a bit of a bad start. Then they started bad mouthing the competition. It wasn't going well. They did offer some positive points: They are a large and established company, have very experienced installers, promise to be around for a long time, and have completed some very large projects in Houston. Their sales approach was very high pressure, though. I remember continuously telling the sales person that price was my number one priority, because without affordability, I couldn't do anything. I also told him that I had a very favorable impression of APS, despite his opinion of them. I had to point out that he was also about a month late getting to the table. He made offers that would have saved me money, but it just wasn't enough for me to back out on APS. He really leaned on me to get a number that he could take back to his boss. I told him I would need SRE's quote to come in under $4.50 per per Watt for him to have a shot. He kept saying, "So If I can get it done at $4.50 is it a done deal?" I had to remind him time and time again that I valued APS, and that I would give them a chance to react. He persisted to the point of annoyance. "Look," I finally said, "I've been working with APS for nearly a month now, and I'm not going to just bail on them without giving them a shot." He got the picture, and left promising to push the $4.50 up the chain, but adding, "They're not going to like that it's not a deal closer."
He never called back...
Jimmy did. He came to the table at a very reasonable rate that was negotiated with little pressure or wrangling. We inked it with APS, and got the deal rolling.
We already had an interest rate lined up thanks to SACU, who was the best bank to work with. The local banks and national chains couldn't even sniff the deal they gave us. But beyond that, Greg and Eloise, at SACU, were instrumental in helping us make the numbers work and getting it done. It's a lot easier to shop for a loan, and the tools are easy to find on the internet. Having said that, we didn't find SACU through the web, but rather through APS.
So we had a bank and we had a seller/installer. All that was left to do was to keep everyone on the same page.
As you may have seen in the previous post, we ran into some trouble with the HOA, but it worked out. They just wanted to make sure it was a clean, black on black install that didn't have wires or conduit everywhere, and that you couldn't see under from the street.
The approval took longer than expected, and I would encourage you to give that part of the process 15 to 30 days. We had to reschedule closings with SACU and APS twice thanks to the HOA process, but it got done.
All in all it was a stressful, but worthwhile endeavor. One that you shouldn't be intimidated by. I hope this blog, in some way, makes it easier for you if you give it a shot. It is possible for the average family to do this if the conditions are right. We believe the conditions that exist right now, are making it right for a lot of folks. They just don't know it.
Next, we'll share our installation experience and show the finished product. But first, a little tease... Our meter hauling in reverse!
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