Forum

Fiveboro Solar installed 21 panels on our roof this summer. We purchased the panels, I don't have any info on leasing.  They were a great company to work with and took care of everything from permits to ConEd follow up etc.  They were also a pleasure to have working in our home - reliable and responsible.

11:08 AM 12/21/2012 | 0 Votes

Can you give me rough estimate on cost?  And what advantages there are to purchasing? 
I spoke with a rep today and asked him to send me quote. 
Thanks

6:50 PM 12/21/2012 | 0 Votes

I never considered leasing so I have no comment about that vs. purchasing.  The cost is really site specific and has a lot of variables especially in the area of tax credits and rebates. Tax incentives are constantly changing.  Brett is really good at figuring this all out.

10:58 AM 12/22/2012 | 0 Votes

Our solar panels went online in December 2010. The company we used was Aeon Solar. We did a fair amount of research in advance, they had excellent refs from many customers, and we were very happy with the work they did. They took care of all the paperwork -- which is the main issue with solar installations -- and when the final inspector came, he commented that these were installed exactly right, and he doesn't often see that. Since then, two of our neighbors have installed solar panels -- jobs were finished within past two months -- they both used Aeon as well and were very happy with the result.
My after-rebate cost was about $9,000. Don't know about leasing, and since prices have dropped quite a bit since I installed, and rebates have changed, my numbers probably aren't a true assessment of costs. 
If you lease for $9,000, do you still get net metering from Con Edison? 

10:52 PM 12/22/2012 | 0 Votes

I believe with leasing, Con Ed still meters and the leasing company receives the checks, if any, from Con Ed. However, I could be wrong.
I am looking into FiveboroSolar and Aeon Solar for estimates.
Will post later with updates and what I finally decide to do. I think the incentives/grants are really good and prices have definitely dropped over the last number of years.

9:27 AM 12/24/2012 | 0 Votes

I believe with leasing, Con Ed still meters and the leasing company receives the checks, if any, from Con Ed. However, I could be wrong.
I am looking into FiveboroSolar and Aeon Solar for estimates.
Will post later with updates and what I finally decide to do. I think the incentives/grants are really good and prices have definitely dropped over the last number of years.

9:27 AM 12/24/2012 | 0 Votes

I believe with leasing, Con Ed still meters and the leasing company receives the checks, if any, from Con Ed. However, I could be wrong.
I am looking into FiveboroSolar and Aeon Solar for estimates.
Will post later with updates and what I finally decide to do. I think the incentives/grants are really good and prices have definitely dropped over the last number of years.

9:27 AM 12/24/2012 | -1 Votes

Sorry about multiple postings..
Forgot to mention that I would lean towards purchasing, but the question would be a warranty - which may only be for 5 years. Can one purchase an extended one? If so, at what cost?

9:42 AM 12/24/2012 | 0 Votes

Sunbury - thanks for starting this thread.  I am really eager to learn about your research and experience and would love if you could continue to share more details, as you go.  

4:51 PM 01/02/2013 | 1 Votes

I had a company take a look yesterday.  Was surprised they made appt. for New Year's Day.  May check out Aeon Solar. 
Silvermax - what did you have to pay up front before you got back rebates, etc?
 

6:35 PM 01/02/2013 | 0 Votes

Hi- we installed with FiveBoro (Pros Hghts company) this past fall, a 6.7 KW system in order to cover the full energy use of our two family building in Crown Heights. Takes up just over 1/3 the roof (bldg is 60 x 20), and was installed so we can walk under it for shade and add a garden up there.  Experience was incredibly easy.  Total cost to us was $4k up front, a 2-3 month wait during the city permit process (100% handled by FiveBoro), another $10K at that point once the installation started, and the balance due once the system was fully operational ($16K).  We will get about $23-24K back this spring with our tax return (also all handled by FiveBoro.)  
In sum - $30K out of pocket, $24K back and $6K out of pocket total.  Meanwhile out Con Ed bill for December was $0.  We will have a bill for January and February at about half the usual rate (less sun and longer rays in the winter) and then it will fall back to zero again as the sun strength gets stronger with the spring.  (Every Dec 30, Con Ed gets to set your account back to zero, so until that changes, there will be a always be a low Con Ed bill in Jan-Feb.)  If you can figure this out with the staggered payments and loans to pay back with your tax return, strongly recommend this.  Solar will only get cheaper and more efficient, but we'll just pop in more efficient panels and supporting inverters in the future when that's feasible - solar is an elegant and simple power system allowing for upgrades.  
Another cheaper way to go is to install the framework and start with a few panels, and then add more each year over 3 years until you're covering your full usage.  They really are sort of like tinkertoys - smart easy design.
Finally, there are solar leasing companies that offer lease-to-own, at least in other states - but I couldn't find any here in NYC.  I looked hard at leasing - which is a MUCH cheaper upfront cost - but in the end felt uncomfortable simply producing power for a for-profit corporation in order to have a lower bill.  At least a lease-to-own programs allow you to buy the full system after 10 years, have a very low entry cost and give you the max carbon footprint reduction and zero elec bill most of the time.  You might look into that option before signing with SolarOne or other leasing companies.  (BTW, I spoke with 3 of them and they all seemed puzzled by the idea of multifamily homes and multiple meters - which was a nonstarter for me.  Bret of FiveBoro is open to this and explored lots of ideas with us - extremely low key and helpful, zero pressure and besides, I love supporting a neighborhood business.)
Good luck, happy to discuss anytime.

12:25 PM 01/05/2013 | 0 Votes

Bret and 5 Boro are installing 50kw on my coop - so far so good!   Bret has shown amazing patience with all of our questions,  was open minded to our ideas, and is great with the paperwork.   It's been a fun project, and the rebates are too good to pass up.  
I will also say that I know Matthew Myshkin who sometimes does work for Aeon and he does excellent work as well - though I don't know anything else about the company.   Can't go wrong with either of those two.    Solar is great - and now is the time to live in the world we dream of! 

8:14 PM 01/10/2013 | 0 Votes

I'm really glad I came across this thread - I've been swimming through online info about solar panels for multifamily coops in the city and have gotten pretty lost.  One question I have is: If you install enough panels to produce more energy than you use, will ConEd pay you for the excess?  (If not, it may not be financially feasible for our coop, since we could only install for common area usage, which is very small.)

12:01 PM 01/26/2013 | 0 Votes

No doubt Solar energy is the Eco-friendly, sustainable and abundant sources of energy. But Equipment cost , energy storage and space is the major issue for me.
http://www.chesstelecom.com/Te...

2:52 AM 05/17/2013 | 0 Votes