Buying solar can be like buying a car

The Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal
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By Marc Salata, Director of marketing for SunPower by Green Convergence

Probably more people experience buying a car than buying solar. Car buyers can research fuel efficiency, reliability and comfort to choose the right car for the right price. When most people consider going solar, they usually consider the equipment.

However, in solar there are two important players in the process — the panel manufacturer and the installer. The car analogy breaks down here. When buying a certain car, most think about a fair deal and good service. But purchasers are usually more concerned with what they drive off the lot, than where they buy it.

In solar, it is extremely important who sells and installs the system. That company is not going to just drop the panels off on the porch. They are going to install them on the roof – the most important component of a family’s most important asset — their home. The best panels are worthless if someone with no experience or skill installs them. Bad installation could lead to leaks, poor design, and other headaches for years to come.

SunPower arguably makes the best panel on the market. Their record-setting efficiency means more power generated with fewer panels. Equally important is their low degradation: SunPower panels will maintain a greater production capacity over time. To jump back to car-talk — a cheap tire may be a bargain today but may go flat in 30,000 miles. The better tire might cost a few more bucks but last for 70,000 miles. The mark of a good solar panel is electrical production over time.

When solar shoppers in the Santa Clarita Valley want the best installer, they come to Green Convergence. Founded by a roofing contractor and electrical contractor, each with over thirty years of experience, Green Convergence has an attention to quality and workmanship not fouand in many dealers. If vent pipes on the roof would cause an ugly checkerboard pattern of panels, Green Convergence moves the vent pipes. They run wiring through the attic, rather than through an ugly maze of conduit across the roof, and install low-profile systems. They match the 25-year warranty of SunPower’s panel with an equal guarantee of workmanship. Panels installed beautifully, functionally and solidly for decades.

Buying a car can be an afternoon at the dealership, then you drive it off the lot. When buying solar, the “machine” is only part of the story. The dealer matters.

Visit GreenConvergence.com for more information. ν

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