Sungevity, Kennedy's company, has come up with a Web-based system for evaluating the solar potential for a given home through satellite data. Customers log onto Sungevity's site and provide an address and some information about their monthly electrical bill.
Within 24 hours, the company sends customers a quote for installing a solar system, an estimate of how much the system will save them over 25 years, the prospective increase in the value of their home, and simulated imagery of what their home might look like after solar panels are installed. Traditionally, the process that provides all that information takes days and a physical examination of the roof.
ppointment and put a deposit down on a solar system.
I did an estimate on my grandmother's home. The system would provide 25 percent of the home's power and cost $7,511 after rebates. It would save $27,360 in electrical cost over time, according to the quote. They gave the option of paying upfront or through installments. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted for the deposit. The quote came back two hours after I handed over the address.
Reducing a complex sale into a quick online exchange--the same trick that propelled Dell to the front of the PC world--helps reduce one of the nagging costs of the solar world: the install expenses. Installation costs come to around roughly half of the cost of a solar system. Sharp, Akeena, and other companies have tried to reduce installation costs through prefabricated frames for solar panels. Others have developed roof tiles with solar cells built in. SolarCity, meanwhile, has aggressively used software to coordinate solar panel deliveries and installations to cut down on the number of trips electricians and contractors have to make. SolarCity also leases solar panels.
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