How Does a Solar Group Buy Program Work?
A solar group buy program typically offers lower rates than individually developed solar projects because of two things: competitive bidding and economy of scale.
Competitive Bidding
The installers participating in the Western Dane County Solar Group Buy have already submitted detailed proposals, outlining not only their project specifics and pricing, but also their company history and ability to provide the labor and support that you, as a participant, want.
Each proposal is reviewed by a committee of solar experts and community residents to select installers who can perform the installations required on time and with the quality you expect.
Only qualified local vendors have been chosen to participate in the program, saving you, the participant, the time-consuming task of vetting multiple vendors to get the best product at the best price.
Participating vendors are chosen on the basis of:
- Quality of work
- Price
- Ability to perform the projects in the time frame required
Economy of Scale
Group Buy programs offer great prices because the greater the number of participants, the lower the cost of each individual project. This is possible due to savings from volume purchasing of materials, and time and money saved by the installer on marketing, project development, and initial assessments.
Because the Group Buy provides education and initial assessments of sites and projects are limited to a specific range of options, installers can offer discounts and plan their installation schedules and staffing in a way that helps them reduce costs. Group buy programs help vendors focus on what they do best, installing your solar array.
One of the ways you can help lower the price of your own project, is to encourage your friends and neighbors who have been considering solar, to participate in this group buy as well. The more people who participate in a project, the greater the savings will be.
