Sipper Mania
Solar Revolution
Solar Sipper was born on a warm August night in San Jose, California when two neighbors exchanged the details of their recent solar installation.
The Yegar and Romeo families had been discussing installing solar panels to lower their respective utility bills for several years. The Yegar family went first and installed a 4 kW system on their home in May of 2008, [button with project specs: 12 month avg previous bill: $320, new average bill $25. - ad in a ton of details] with MotherGaiaSolar Co. They researched solar extensively, felt prepared for estimates, followed all recommendation made by the BBB and were excited to be doing something great for the environment and making a sound investment! The Yegar's were confident when choosing an installer. They received 4 different quotes, with varying system sizes, but felt they chose the most experienced company who would be around for the life of their 20 year warranty. They also negotiated a $1,000 discount! The Yegar family is still extremely happy with the quality of their solar installation and feels proud to help the environment! [Yegar install details here]
The Romeo's next door had purchased a hot tub in June and saw their bill jump $100+ and got serious about getting solar, and three months after the Yager's, they installed a 4.5 kW system.
4.5 kW Romeo Family System Details:
- Date of Installation: 8/4/2008
- System Size 3-6 kW
- Utility Company PG&E
- Type of Panels: 25 Sharp 175 Monocrystalline
- Type of Inverter:1 SMA Sunny Boy 6000US
- Roof Type: Composite
- Previous Monthly Bill: $320
- Current Bill: $25
- Estimate Payback/break even date: August 2015.
The Romeo's also did their research and ended up receiving 6 quotes from 5 companies. (You read correctly.) The first estimate was conducted by the same company who performed the Yegar installation. The next two estimates came from companies who advertised on Google, and the last three were chosen by a newly formed group. The group was made up of 6 homeowners who had connected through work, friends, Craigslist and the BART transportation system by chance. All 6 had an interest in solar energy. The group emailed information back and forth and chose 3 companies to contact independently for estimates. The group came to the consensus that 2 companies stood out in terms of quality and experience. We informed each company that we thought they were great, and were 1 of 2 finalists for a total of 6 installations... Wow! We quickly realized that this was how you get a great deal on solar!
The group negotiated together and reached a deal that resulted in the price per kW reduced by $1.70 per watt if 5 of 6 homes purchased. By decreasing the install cost $1.70, our 4.5 kW system directly saved us $7,650 pre taxes/incentives on our system! The winning company and lowest bidder was the same company that the Yegar's had used, but our system was installed for a net saving after all rebates and incentives for over $5,000 less! Click here to get estimates as part of a group! An almost identical solar system installed by the SAME company, with the same brand of panels, on the same street, 3 months apart, and over a $5,000 difference. This was made possible because of the purchasing power created by homeowners communicating, and leveraging their buying power in an open, fair market way.
My name is Pat Yeager, and My family and I overpaid for our solar system by well over $5,000 and that sucks! I’m out to spread the word! Partner with your community to get the best deal possible... you too can save significantly on the cost of installing solar by buying as a group. Costco or Sam's Club advertises bulk discounts--the same is true for your business as well... if solar companies know you are genuinely interested, they have proven to compete hard against their competition for your business. The average savings the 19 groups who have installed solar since November 2008 with Solar Sipper have experienced is between $.40 and $2 a watt, PLUS some groups have negotiated free panel cleaning for 5 years and waived utility connection fees. Absolutely Free- Sip the sun together! Click here to connect now!
