Is $66,000 to install a 3.28 kW solar system with battery storage under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement a fair price?
Project Details
I got some Sunrun door knockers this week. They are trying to sell PPAs, and I said they could run the numbers for me. They said a few things that I don't believe, so I wanted to double check here. They claimed they would be my new utility, so I wouldn't get a Southern California Edison (SCE) bill, and that if I sell our house the transfer process would be as easy as switching utilities. I am not going to go with them as I would be better off financing a system. SCE is starting a Base Services Charge of $24 in November and will lower the price per kWh at the same time, which makes this PPA deal even worse if I still get an SCE bill. My current average bill is $105 with all fees, so the $141 PPA plus a $24 SCE base service charge would be $60 more each month than I currently pay. With California NEM 3.0, you get very little for what you send back to the grid. When we sold our last house, the owned solar system completed the deal, and the seller wanted proof that there wasn't a loan on the system and proof of maintenance. I can only imagine how a bad PPA would complicate things. I also got a quote for a larger 4.98 kW system with a Powerwall 3 from a replicable local installer for $33.2k before tax credit, which would be much less than $100k even with bad loan terms.
Quote Details
This quote is for a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a solar energy system with battery storage. The total estimated cost over the 25-year contract is $66,000. The system is designed to offset 135% of the estimated current usage. - System Size: 3.28 kW - Battery Storage: 1 Powerwall - Estimated Total Production: 5,522 kWh (including Sunrun Flex) - Estimated Current Usage: 4,093 kWh - Estimated Offset: 135% (including Sunrun Flex) - Year 1 Flex Rate: $0.215/kWh (for additional energy above 341 kWh) - Year 1 Battery Service: $44.99/month - Year 1 Minimum Monthly Bill: $141.33 (includes a 5% ACH discount, does not include applicable taxes) - Annual Escalator: 3.50% - Due Today: $0.00 - Company Claims: Sunrun would become the new utility, eliminating Southern California Edison (SCE) bills; transfer process upon selling the house would be as easy as switching utilities.
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More Details
Category
Solar
Price
$66,000
Quote Date
August 11, 2025
Location
California
Battery Storage?
No
System Size (kW)
3.28
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