Flogging a dead horse?

[whinmoor]

I've changed my mind - yes we're flogging a dead horse. I can't compete with some idiot selling 3.8kwp @ £5600. What's the point in having a business that doesn't make any money and having the ball ache of the ridiculous paperwork that goes with it!

That's a pretty remarkable price. There can't be much margin in that. Tesco are still advertising a very similar system (3.76kWp) at £8499: Solar electricity prices from Tesco Renewable Energy

 

[SRE]

The kit is £3,800 and fitting is £1500. I've just re-worked my prices again to see if I can cut some corners. I think I need to buy kits, fit less hooks, maybe buy our own scaffolding towers, offer 2 ranges - the ones I want to sell and the cheapest I can get on the market so that I look as though I'm competitive, create a list of extras to go on top of the standard price, do fewer surveys unless the customer has committed (to reduce the costs of fuel) and stop doing PVsol and difficult roofs.

If I do all of that and we can split our overheads over 80 jobs in the year I think I can sell at £7,500 and clear slightly more than the minimum wage. 8k and have a little bit of something to fall back on to keep up to date with new stuff coming through.

So at £7500 - yes I'm flogging a dead horse when I'm competing with someone @ £5,600.

 

[whinmoor]

We've noticed a change in the type of customer approaching us. We seem to be seeing more price-sensitive people who ask questions like: "Can I pay in instalments?" They tend to be less affluent and usually have a smaller roofspace so the payback works out as less attractive.

Not sure if this trend is going to continue but it could be that the mass-market is beginning to get the idea of PV.

 

[Somecamel]

I don't include scaffolding in my quotes any more, we can arrange it if needed though
Adwords has cost me £260 for the past 5 days. Lots of clicks- No enquiries.

 

[Eco Deal]

I don't include scaffolding in my quotes any more, we can arrange it if needed though
Adwords has cost me £260 for the past 5 days. Lots of clicks- No enquiries.

Lots of sales reps are clicking away !!!

 

[Eco Deal]

I know a big out fit are still charing 10,999 with ROI 0f 9.2 % ???

 

[Eco Deal]

Do you not agree that we need to make the public understand if they do not buy now they will miss out at th 21p rate and the rush will see lots of people not get installed at all???

 

[SRE]

Yes, but not if it means I have to pay my customers to compete with other companies who can't do their sums!

Our goal is to be a long term sustainable business. Sustainable in all aspects including financially. We're lucky we don't have to keep guys in work - we're just small installers, but the flip side of that is that we're not a stack em high sell em cheap business.

I will be picking my market carefully ......

 

[whinmoor]

I spotted this parked up in a small town in Yorkshire. Sorry for the erasing but I didn't want to publicise the company.

Nice new van but I can't believe the price plastered on it. I wonder how much the Panasonics cost. Can anyone get anywhere near this?

Happy Easter all.

 

[SRE]

Must be the Suntech prices advertised but even so that's a ridiculous price. I don't know whether we're going wrong with the prices..... are these guys not counting in the cost of insurance, van, fuel, scaffold, mcs, Real, NICEIC, mobiles, accounts, marketing, stationery.... I don't know about you but my list goes on and on.

 

[grandfortune]

jesus, there goes my business then

 

[Somecamel]

I spotted this parked up in a small town in Yorkshire. Sorry for the erasing but I didn't want to publicise the company.

Nice new van but I can't believe the price plastered on it. I wonder how much the Panasonics cost. Can anyone get anywhere near this?

Happy Easter all.



View attachment 11664

WoW- I just done the sums and based them on Segens price for a 2kW Hyundai with SMA 2000hf

£2491.75
VAT @ 20% = £2990.10

HOW the ----

 

[Gavin A]

WoW- I just done the sums and based them on Segens price for a 2kW Hyundai with SMA 2000hf

£2491.75
VAT @ 20% = £2990.10

HOW the ----

they won't be using hyundai for starters.

I was pricing up the cheapest possible 2kWp system last week to see if a rent a roof thing would be viable for a large housing provider, and for that I was just about able to justify it at around those sort of prices based on doing lots of jobs in the same area, but no way is that viable for one off jobs for the public.

Maybe if there were no scaf costs or something.

 

[SRE]

or any of the overheads ;-)

 

[SRE]

Just had an email through from Solar Essence - 4kwp £6,491 with Aurora. Don't know how they can do it!