Quote for 4kw system

[kablue2000]

hello,

i have been asked to quote for a 4kwp system,I know E-on have quoted already and don't want to loose the job but don't want to cut my own throat either.advise please

 

[Markc]

Advice for what? I assume you are a smaller business than E-on? Should be easy to under cut them. Way up the merit of the job. Any future works, marketing opportunity and profile of the works etc. Consider your bottom line cost, Materials, Labour, Access etc. Taking all this in to account what do you want to make off it. As I said if there's opportunities for future works or good firm leads from it then may be think about keeping it a bit keen with out cutting your own throat. I would expect E-on to be on the high side but as experience has shown me it's not always about cost (I've even been awarded a job over a competitor and been £2K over their price) Some times its more about the individuality and professionalism you can bring. The ability to be an individual rather than a corporate man for example. Good luck and I hope the work comes your way.

 

[Noshocks]

Agree with above, small companies like ours on this forum have the advantage of lower overheads and although dont have the buying power of the big players should still be able to undercut these companies by 20%.

Just because you are small doesent meen you should not be professional, image and personality count for a lot, the quotation should be comprehensive and not reflect the size of company.

 

[SolarCity]

For a 4kW system, it depends where you're pricing. We would price a 4kW system at around 18k depending on location. London to Bristol and down to the west country, we'd expect 20k.

We win 3/4 of our jobs in these areas yet only win 1/2 of our jobs in the Midlands/North at 18k.

This is for domestic premises. For commercial premises, they tend to be a little more expensive (9/10 they are more labour intensive)

We follow up all our quotes to see if we missed out on price or if the customer decided against solar.

 

[JulianC]

How are you guys quoting for 4kW systems getting round the G83 requirements for a max system output of 16A (3.6kW) - does your DNO accept above this or are you quoting for 4Kwp of modules into an inverter that will kick out no more than 16A?

 

[kablue2000]

Although its a 4kwp system in reality its not going to be perfect conditions very often so not likely to hit its peak, so sometimes your lucky and the DNO will let you install under G83 but if it was bigger than 4kwp I'm sure it would be under G59

 

[Markc]

DNO seem to consider the Kwp over Amps in my experience. In fact when I last spoke to them about a commercial system they seem even less interested......but that may just be EDF!

 

[JulianC]

Ta gents.

Central Networks (E-on) tend to take the max inverter output current (from the G83 App3 commissioning form we submit), multiply it by 230 and use that as the system power. At least that's how they rate it when they send the letter to our customer authorising the use of the system. Another delightful grey area by the sound of it.

 

[accordfire]

Advice for what? I assume you are a smaller business than E-on? Should be easy to under cut them......

Um. If only life was that simple.

Different dynamics.

Small company, low(er) overheads, lower buying power, need to make profit quicker.

Large company, High Overheads, Massive buying power, no need to make profit in a hurry.

Large businesses are more than willing to sell at less that cost these days, and will recover the profit and any loss element of installation through "maintenance" contracts, often lasting five years minimum.

From experience, going against the big boys is never that easy or straightforward - if it comes down to a money fight, you've lost. Do whatever you can to stay away from the cost of the job, and concentrate on the undoubted extra value you'll bring to the table - quality, quicker service, better knowledge, lower cost of life (not necessarily initial cost), and so on.

Also, it pays to not ever forget that the customer isn't buying an "xyz" special - they're buying YOU, or your competitor. It really is a personality contest in the end. Whether or not what you're offering can do the job is normally sorted within minutes of any sales pitch.