Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
If you’ve seen our ads, you’ve probably seen the grandma installing solar. Don't worry, a grandma isn't required for a DIY project—but we wanted to illustrate the relative ease and affordability of a solar installation.
Ads like these, with a healthy dose of charm and quirk from our content team, have received millions of views and have helped us expose the wrongs of the traditional solar industry. Our message is clear: we're not your grandma's solar company. Well, wait a second: we are your grandma's solar company. In fact, we'll treat your grandma better than anyone else. But the point is that we're not old-fashioned. We're innovative. New. Fresh. Disruptive.
So, what sets Project Solar apart? What is the Project Solar difference? Here's a hint: price. Let's look at the numbers.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report, the median price for rooftop solar in the United States is about $3.97-$4.18/watt. Project Solar comes in at an average price of $2.40-$2.70/W (fully installed, before incentives), making our offer nearly HALF the price.
Let's put this into perspective: With the average homeowner needing 9.2 kW (9,200 watts), you can save over $15,000!
Keep reading to learn how we bring our prices down while simultaneously improving customer experience.
Changing the Industry
Here are some details on how the solar industry currently works.
Disregarding the more expensive big names, there are many solar companies in the US that simply handle the back-end stages of the process (engineering, equipment, installation, etc). These companies will install solar for close to $2.50/watt. However, they don't sell the systems themselves.
Instead, they let door-knockers do the selling, and allow them to keep anything that they charge on top of the $2.50/watt. This incentivizes the salespeople to charge as much as possible, resulting in a high national average.
With the average solar install being 9 kW (9,000 watts), it’s not hard to calculate commissions: $1.47-$1.68/W.
If we multiply the commission (PPW) by our system size (watts), we get a total commission of $13,230-$15,120 (plus any lender fees).
Does this make you mad? It makes US mad…
Although the traditional solar sales tactics are predatory and unethical, that doesn’t mean that solar is a bad investment—quite the contrary, in fact.
If properly priced, solar can save you a LOT of money.
Here’s an example: After the federal incentive, a 10 kW system from Project Solar with full-service installation would cost just under $17,000. On average, it would produce 48 kWh a day. If you multiply this by 365 (days in a year) and then 25 (years of the warranty period) and factor in an average of 92.5% for degradation, you would have 48*365*25*.925 = 405,150 kWh produced.
If you divide your system's price by its total kWh produced, you would have a total cost of 4¢/kWh. To put this excellent rate into perspective, consider that the average cost per kWh from a traditional electric utility company in the United States is almost 17¢/kWh.
In other words, when priced FAIRLY, your solar build should pay for itself 3 times over by the end of the 25-year warranty period. AND it should keep producing for many years after that.
So what's the solution?
We'll let our founders explain:
Co-Founders
Current Incentives
One last note: we're not alone in believing that solar should be affordable for everyone. The federal government recognizes the external benefits of homeowners going solar, too. The current federal tax incentive, commonly known as the ITC, gives 30% of the total purchase price back to the consumer in the form of a tax credit.
This incentive brings Project Solar's pricing down as low as $1.71/watt (with DIY, this can be up to 50 cents lower!). The current federal incentives are set to go down in 2033 and completely expire after 2034, making now the perfect time to go solar. Plus, many states and utility companies offer additional incentives.
Ready to get started? Just click the link below to try our free automated quoting calculator.
P.S. All Project Solar panels, inverters, and racking systems are warrantied for 25 years. If you opt for full service install, we also include a 25-year production guarantee, plus a 10-year workmanship warranty that covers any incidents involved in the installation of your solar equipment, including leaks.
We believe in the intelligence of the average consumer. We encourage you to do your research, compare offers, and learn about the different equipment. Below are a few links that provide further detail on our offer:
Equipment Specifications
Solar Care (TM) Warranty Info
Working with Project Solar - Flow Chart
