Below I will review our SunPower solar panels we have on our roof here in Texas, 3+ months since they were first installed in two days. I will review the total process time, installation quality, funding, application and other factors. For each factor, I will give SunPower a score of 0 to 5, with 0 being the worst and 5 being the best for each factor. Overall, I gave SunPower a rating of 41.5 out of 45. There are a few areas where it can be improved, which is true for all of us. My general recommendation: I highly recommend the panels and the company.
Note: Russia is being forgotten by Russian aggression. Anything we can do to reduce funding for that murderous regime is in the best interests of the world. Solar panels are great for avoiding burning coal and natural gas, saving tons of CO2 every year and significantly reducing your annual electricity costs. I own nominal stock amounts in Ford, SunPower, Sunrun and Tesla.
Average delivery time – 5 months. Result: 3 out of 5
This was the area with the lowest number of points for SunPower. Due to some unforced errors, our average delivery time (the time from the beginning of the process to the end) was 5 months. The main factor here was the approval of the Homeowners Association (HOA), which lasted for 3 months, from October to January. I have authorized SunPower to negotiate and submit the necessary documentation for our solar panels on our behalf. For the first time, they submitted documents incorrectly and incompletely. By the time they realized what was wrong with the HOA guidelines, two months had passed. If you are looking for solar panels and have a HOA, obtain the necessary documents required by the HOA and submit them yourself. Our Architecture Audit Committee meets once a month. If something is wrong, we have to wait another month. Texas efficiency at its best (sarcasm). Not everyone will be as patient as I am to procure solar panels. A neighbor from the community installed panels on the roof in 2 months, from the beginning to the end, with the help of Tesla.
Average cycle time – 3 to 4 weeks. Rating: 5 out of 5
After we had the HOA approval in hand, SunPower was able to schedule the panel installation within 3 to 4 weeks. This seems reasonable and that’s why I gave SunPower 5 out of 5.
Panel installation time – 3 hours. Rating: 5 out of 5
22 solar panels were installed on my south-facing roof within 3 hours. That includes running cables through the attic, down my gutter and next to the electrical box. Another person came in a few days, set up a SunPower surveillance box, connected the electrical wires, painted the cable next to my gutter, and did a preliminary inspection. The other person needs 1 hour extra. States can do much better to get approval for solar energy more easily. It should not take more time to obtain approval than to install.
It took 1 month after the solar panels were installed to force my utility to install the two-way board. SunPower said it would continue, but there were no results after a month. I called the utility company directly, they apologized and said they were made, and then the next day they set up a two-way meter. The power was turned off for 5 minutes and a new two-way meter was installed. This meter calculates how much energy you get from the grid and how much you send back.
Note: Even if you do not have a two-way meter installed, the panels power your house. You simply will not get any credit for what you send back to the network.
Application quality. Rating: 4 out of 5
The app has some good features and has so much potential. If you have a battery, you can see the real-time flow of energy between your home, battery, solar power, and grid. I recommend SunPower do the same if you only have solar power. I currently need to switch between my local utility app and the SunPower app to get all the information about home use. Our service application is one day late. SunPower has the right opportunity to simplify the user experience.
Image from the SunPower website, which shows the real-time flow of electricity in the app for users with batteries.
Features of the application that I like: real-time power reading, energy production every 15 minutes, as well as energy and power produced in the day, month, year, lifespan and custom. I really like to see how much CO2 we have saved, which is the equivalent of trees planted, miles traveled and fuel savings. I would love to see how much water is saved from solar panels.
The phone number and email of the customer service are easy to find. The app tells you the size of the system. This did not work while I was using the app. I talked to Sana about that issue last week. Sanah is in SunPower’s public relations department. She said she would take it out with their engineers and fix it.
Note: From a wrapper backup budget, any decent-sized solar panel system will save more CO2 for lower out-of-pocket costs than most mid- and high-end electric vehicles. Exceptions where EV may make more sense to compensate for CO2 are if you drive a ton every year or your state’s grid relies heavily on charcoal (power cough, Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky). I asked Sanaha if SunPower could include CO2 calculations in the app, for data nerds like me. Solar panels> EV for most of us, in terms of CO2 savings. Special thanks sri for the discussion.
It includes real-time electricity generation, lifetime production and CO2 savings.
Professionalism. Rating: 5 out of 5
Everyone was professional and cordial throughout the process. Photo: Vijay Govidan /CleanTechnica.
Customer support. Rating: 4 out of 5
I contacted SunPower customer support once via email after installation due to observed low power production. They responded within 2 days and said everything was fine. Sanah told me that the new CEO, Peter Faricy, who previously worked at Amazon, has improved customer service in the No. 1 focus for SunPower in the future.
The app includes SunPower email and phone number, as well as business hours.
Quality. Rating: 5 out of 5
As you can see in the photos, I am very satisfied with the quality. The panels look good, the installation is clean, everything is done neatly.
Notice on our switch board, external wiring in the cable sheath and SunPower control box. Photo: Vijay Govidan /CleanTechnica.
Photo: Vijay Govidan /CleanTechnica.
Photo: Vijay Govidan /CleanTechnica.
Financing. Rating: 6 out of 5
Tesla’s financing is now 4.49%, 10% less and more than 10 years. SunPower became my partner with Tech CU in California. They offered me 1.99%, 0% less and a term of 25 years. For the same $ 100, they can fund a 4 kW system with Tesla and a 7 kW system with SunPower. I am asking to add more panels and the interest rate will be higher. Nevertheless, it will be lower than 4.49%.
Easy financing is key to the rapid spread of solar energy for housing. We need more panels, more efficiency, with lower start-up and monthly costs. At this low rate, the solar financing rate is lower than my mortgage rate. Because the financing is a credit union, any extra money they receive is used for the benefit of the credit union owners. SunPower has done a great job in partnership with Tech CU. Note: Once funding is set, you have 30 days with Tech CU to expand the amount of funding.
While solar panels will reduce your overall energy consumption, making you better at credit risk, the financial system will reduce your credit because you are another loan. This is another way in which the current financial system works hand in hand to promote fossil fuel suppliers. Choose a financial company that wants to help grow solar and renewable energy.
Various. Rating: 4.5 out of 5
SunPower has partnered with 17 of California’s 20 leading home manufacturers to efficiently install solar energy in new homes, right on schedule. Their last was Landsea Homes on March 1st. I look forward to spreading that program across the country. It is easier for people to add solar energy while building a new house. Ford has partnered with Sunrun to install solar and electric chargers at home. SunPower can improve solar relationships by working with other car manufacturers.
One thing I appreciate – SunPower makes it easier to expand solar or batteries with an existing system in the future.
Batteries and virtual power plants are in the early stages of expansion. If you want batteries, the Tesla Powerwall via SunPower will cost much more than the Powerwall directly from Tesla. SunPower’s own battery offering is based on LFP chemistry.
Conclusion
As I said at the beginning, I would warmly recommend SunPower for your solar panels. I told everyone in our community to take a look. I look forward to their battery offering in Texas.
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