SolarCity 20-year lease too good to be true?

[MarineLiner]

Could just add the time schedule of the works?

Please feel free to let me know if you have additional questions.

[mangoman]

So why not enlighten us?, by actually telling more of the story than
I win, the end....
What & how much equipment was installed?
Are you satisfied with the quality of the work?
did you end up paying the same price you quoted in the OP?
do any of the terms of the lease concern you?
were there any add on expenses, like additional homeowners insurance?

I will answer pretty much any question that anyone has here. All they need to do is ask. So, allow me to answer yours:

What & how much equipment was installed? Well as I have mentioned before but for those too lazy to go back a few pages to find it, the system I have is a 5.04kWh system. I don't think I have mentioned specific manufacturers. So, there are 24 X 210W Kyocera KD210GX-LFBS panels. 12 are on my garage (south facing) and 12 are over the bedroom, living room and kitchen (west facing). All tie into 1 Fronius IG 5100 inverter. Also installed was a new electrical panel.

Are you satisfied with the quality of the work? Extremely. About the only thing that I was not happy with was when they came to start install, they discovered that my roof should be re-papered so they stopped. I was happy that they stopped the install but I was disappointed that this wasn't discovered during my roof assessment when they were determining if I was a good candidate for solar. Anyway, times being tough for contractors these days, I was able to get a good deal on a full roof re-papering. The roofer and Solar City worked closely together on the project. The installers were very friendly and knowledgeable and sought input from both my wife and I anytime they had questions about how we would like conduit to run or exactly where we wanted the inverter installed etc.

did you end up paying the same price you quoted in the OP? I have not been asked to pay a single penny more than the agreed price. Here again I posted my cost in another Solar City thread on this forum but here is a review:
20 year Solar City Lease
$7,180 Down
$40 X 239 Months = 9560
-$500 rebate for more than 50 homes in my community signing up

Total paid to Solar City over 20 years = $16,240
Is is a good deal compared to what others have gotten. I am sure some have gotten better and some have gotten worse. But as I have also said before, I don't stay awake at night kicking myself in the ass for spending $20,000 on a car knowing that someone walked into the same dealership the next day and got the same exact car for $18,000.

do any of the terms of the lease concern you? Not at all. If I had concerns that had not been addressed, I would not have signed up. I hope everyone reads and understands any legal documents that they sign. I read it, it made sense to me and my family that this was the way for us to go and therefore we signed up. No regrets.

were there any add on expenses, like additional homeowners insurance? Just my new roof, which also has the same 20 year warranty now as my solar system. All insurance, support and maintenance etc is covered in the cost. I did call my HO insurance just to make sure as I was a bit skeptical, and yes, everything is covered by Solar City. What if my panels are stolen? Covered. What if my roof flies off? Covered. What if a panel flies off and crashes through a neighbor's house? Covered? Yes!

Please feel free to let me know if you have additional questions.

[Garthhh]

He posted his complete electric bill a few pages back.

when I made the post the pics were broken
They are working now, no idea what caused this

[mikegoldnj]

asking for more information isn't bashing
the devil is in the details
your bills don't actually appear in your posts...
if the terms of the lease are equitable, they shouldn't be treated as state secrets
SCE appears to charge a meter fee

you continue to look foolish

A Hank Hill deal is when the salesman convinces you paying more than retail is a good deal

He posted his complete electric bill a few pages back.

[Garthhh]

The title of this thread is "Solar City 20-year lease too good to be true?". Well for some, myself included, it is very good. Please forgive me for sharing my story in a thread where I thought my story was relevant. I have apparently ruffled a few feathers in shining a positive light on what several here think is a bad idea.

So why not enlighten us?, by actually telling more of the story than
I win, the end....
What & how much equipment was installed?
Are you satisfied with the quality of the work?
did you end up paying the same price you quoted in the OP?
do any of the terms of the lease concern you?
were there any add on expenses, like additional homeowners insurance?

[mangoman]

asking for more information isn't bashing
the devil is in the details
your bills don't actually appear in your posts...
if the terms of the lease are equitable, they shouldn't be treated as state secrets
SCE appears to charge a meter fee

you continue to look foolish

A Hank Hill deal is when the salesman convinces you paying more than retail is a good deal

I never said you were bashing.

My May bill does appear in my post. Perhaps you should review again. And yes, SCE does charge a meter fee. You can clearly see that on my bill that I posted. FACT is though that even with that fee, my bills for each of the 2 months that my leased system from Solar City has been running, my 2 bills have been under $2. Something that someone here claimed was not possible. I posted a copy of my bill since he basically called me a liar and he he has not said "Wow, I guess I was wrong. Congrats on your sub $2 bills". Instead he accused me of only posting a "partial bill" inferring that I was still trying to hide something and out right called me a liar even after the bill was posted and most offensively he accused me of having a stupid name like "Don".

Nothing in my lease is State Secret. I just choose not to share it. Others have here and from what I have read in the review of the 1 lease that has been reviewed in this thread, my agreement is similar, if not identical.

Here are the facts:
I leased a system from Solar City. I posted all the details on system size and exactly how much I paid. I think I got a pretty good deal and I have posted how the system has benefited me in the first few months of ownership and that I am still very happy with my decision.

In response, I am told that I must work for Solar City and asked when I will get my promotion. I get told I am a liar. I get told I am only posting part of the story and not posting details about things like my system size. I get told I am getting f^$*@d by Solar City. Etc.

OK, the operators of this board do not like leasing, we get it. It seems maybe leasing companies like Solar City are starting to eat into their personal bottom line. Leasing make since to some people though, more than outright ownership. They need to see that and understand it. To me, it made more sense.

The title of this thread is "Solar City 20-year lease too good to be true?". Well for some, myself included, it is very good. Please forgive me for sharing my story in a thread where I thought my story was relevant. I have apparently ruffled a few feathers in shining a positive light on what several here think is a bad idea.

I encourage anyone that is considering buying or leasing a solar system to do all their homework and due diligence. Just like if there were buying a car, or a house etc. But do not ignore the lease option, because it is not in the financial best interest of a couple of people on this forum. If you get the lease and it makes sense to you, sign up and I hope you get the same $1.77/month energy bill that I got this month.

[Garthhh]

Nice try chief but it ain't gonna happen. I have posted everything that has been asked of me other than the actual lease. My bill even includes my usage. I have no idea who Hank Hill is so I don't know what that comparission is about.

I went through this thread again. I had forgotten that Russ had gotten his hands on a few peoples contracts. He even admitted that 1 of them seeded like a good deal. He never commented on the others. Perhaps because they were also good deals further making him look foolish for bashing on those of us with Solar City leases.

asking for more information isn't bashing
the devil is in the details
your bills don't actually appear in your posts...
if the terms of the lease are equitable, they shouldn't be treated as state secrets
SCE appears to charge a meter fee

you continue to look foolish

A Hank Hill deal is when the salesman convinces you paying more than retail is a good deal

[russ]

Nice try chief but it ain't gonna happen. I have posted everything that has been asked of me other than the actual lease. My bill even includes my usage. I have no idea who Hank Hill is so I don't know what that comparission is about.

I went through this thread again. I had forgotten that Russ had gotten his hands on a few peoples contracts. He even admitted that 1 of them seeded like a good deal. He never commented on the others. Perhaps because they were also good deals further making him look foolish for bashing on those of us with Solar City leases.

I have commented on several - buying is always better if a person can manage that. Yours is one of the least attractive apparently - maybe that is what it took to get the bigger system.

You have supplied minimum information - and requested copies of other leases when you refused to give your own - and you were told no as the others have asked I not spread copies around. I wouldn't believe anything you reported anyway - you seem like that type of person.

An old boss of mine liked to have a laugh someone asked about cost - he always lied about it - either high or low depending on the circumstances just to make the other guy think he got a good deal. Your name isn't Don is it?

Regards
Russ

[mangoman]

By posting selected parts of the story, you can make it seem any way you wish
testimonials are worthless
post some of the key terms of the lease, actual usage, you know facts
not gloating rah rah bullshine
Sounds like you got the Hank Hill deal & are trying your best to spin it a different way

Nice try chief but it ain't gonna happen. I have posted everything that has been asked of me other than the actual lease. My bill even includes my usage. I have no idea who Hank Hill is so I don't know what that comparission is about.

I went through this thread again. I had forgotten that Russ had gotten his hands on a few peoples contracts. He even admitted that 1 of them seeded like a good deal. He never commented on the others. Perhaps because they were also good deals further making him look foolish for bashing on those of us with Solar City leases.

[Garthhh]

Wow, like I said before, it must be horrible going through life being so mistrusting of everyone.

That was not a partial electric bill I posted. It was the complete bill, minus my account number, name and address. Oh, I also didn't post the back sides of the 6 page bill because they are irrelevant and would have been nothing more than a waste of bandwidth. The back sides of each page contain no billing information, just notices of public hearings. contact information, how to dispute a bill and other "mice type" things. Nothing related to my charges. That info was all contained in the 3 pages I did post.

I really feel bad for you and I hope you get the help you need to become more trusting of your fellow human beings. Maybe you might even smile once in a while.

Everything you have questioned about my deal, I hove posted facts to disprove you and yet you still think you can get some angle on me to show that I am somehow getting screwed by Solar City. Well I have not posted my contract nor would I ever post that for you and I have explained why and you just keep proving that reason over and over again. Feel free to go back and re-read this thread if you forgot those reasons.

By posting selected parts of the story, you can make it seem any way you wish
testimonials are worthless
post some of the key terms of the lease, actual usage, you know facts
not gloating rah rah bullshine
Sounds like you got the Hank Hill deal & are trying your best to spin it a different way

[mangoman]

All the facts in a contract count - not bits and pieces as reported by some. Partial electric bills have no meaning.

Russ

Wow, like I said before, it must be horrible going through life being so mistrusting of everyone.

That was not a partial electric bill I posted. It was the complete bill, minus my account number, name and address. Oh, I also didn't post the back sides of the 6 page bill because they are irrelevant and would have been nothing more than a waste of bandwidth. The back sides of each page contain no billing information, just notices of public hearings. contact information, how to dispute a bill and other "mice type" things. Nothing related to my charges. That info was all contained in the 3 pages I did post.

I really feel bad for you and I hope you get the help you need to become more trusting of your fellow human beings. Maybe you might even smile once in a while.

Everything you have questioned about my deal, I hove posted facts to disprove you and yet you still think you can get some angle on me to show that I am somehow getting screwed by Solar City. Well I have not posted my contract nor would I ever post that for you and I have explained why and you just keep proving that reason over and over again. Feel free to go back and re-read this thread if you forgot those reasons.

[russ]

Hi Nate - I haven't lived in Oregon since 1978 - a few things have changed most likely.

Try contacting http://www.srectrade.com/fixed_price.php they may be able to help.

I am sure you have seen it but for Oregon http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/i...R23F&re=1&ee=1

The message is -

The entire investment package is what counts - not part of the package.

All the facts in a contract count - not bits and pieces as reported by some. Partial electric bills have no meaning. Maybe CA is different but the utilities need to charge for the grid connection - whether you use more or less their investment cost for the connection and the requirement they provide what one demands any time the party demands has a cost. If the user is not paying that then everyone else is paying for that user.

OR had a special limited deal for net metering at a high rate but I believe the offer is closed now.

Nothing wrong with using the incentives and deals offered by the federal, state governments and utilities - they are there - you and everyone else will pay whether you avail them or not.

Forget most of the green message spread - it is useless chatter - just read the foolishness on many green sites where useless items that don't work are praised by Ed Bagley/Jay Leno (or whatever his name is). We should not make a bigger mess than necessary and should not waste. That is far more green plus good common sense.

Russ

[nate]

Seems like the message I was told, was to get the best return on my investment, I shouldn't lease due to the leasing companies taking SREC's instead of me.

However I've been told otherwise by several companies that install systems in Oregon, as well as the reps from Energy Trust of Oregon at the NW Solar Expo. The only option that I see in writing for selling back the power I produce at a higher rate is the Oregon Feed in Tariff program. If you do the Oregon Feed in Tariff program, you are not eligible for the Oregon State Tax credit or the Energy Trust of Oregon rebate. This is true regardless of if you lease or buy the system.

I'd really like more information about what SREC's I'd be able to take advantage of. Is there anything besides the the Oregon Feed in Tariff?

[mikegoldnj]

Buy a green tee shirt or lease a solar PV system - it is the same thing. You are simply allowing someone else to make the investment - therefor they can claim any 'green' credits.

The leasing company is working on any carbon footprint - you are an innocent bystander.

Russ

How did you get to be a moderator here? You must really enjoy hearing yourself talk because, clearly, you have no capacity for hearing anyone else's facts or opinions.

[russ]

That makes no sense whatsoever. The company owning the tax credit and SRECs does not negate the 'green' value of the homeowner lowering his or her carbon footprint.

Buy a green tee shirt or lease a solar PV system - it is the same thing. You are simply allowing someone else to make the investment - therefor they can claim any 'green' credits.

The leasing company is working on any carbon footprint - you are an innocent bystander.

Russ