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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Hi Rebecca,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Good topic.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">As we build up our repertoire of installed systems we’re finding exactly what you describe below – more and more product failures, particularly with inverters. We have been very cautious to select products that we think have the highest chance of being reliable. Monitoring has been our biggest warranty issue to date followed by microinverter failures. I’m <i>really</i> worried about potentially selecting equipment by a manufacturer which might go out of business and won’t be around to support us. Luckily that hasn’t happened yet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">In our market (SF Bay Area) almost everyone offers 10 year installation warranties or longer which include repair and replacement of equipment at no cost to the Owner. So, we have to bake some O&M projected expense into our pricing. Putting together a process for following up with manufacturers to obtain their service reimbursement money is important. I’ve also found that some manufacturers will pay extra money if their equipment has caused us an exceptional hassle. It just takes a lot of negotiating and diligence to get the money from them! Our older systems are no longer in warranty so now we have to broach the subject of charging for service work. As others have mentioned, I’ve found that people are okay with paying for service work as long as the rates (typically T&M) are discussed up front and expectations are clear. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Just like Jason mentioned, staffing and coordinating for service work is not easy. Larger companies have dedicated service teams. Our company has enough service work at this point to keep two people busy for about half of their week each. It is always a challenge to keep all the work scheduled and moving forward but we’re getting better as we do more of it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Not easy!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Best,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">August</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a">Luminalt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#44546a"> </span></p><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> RE-wrenches [mailto:<a href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Rebecca Lundberg<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, October 15, 2014 1:40 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [RE-wrenches] Warranty replacements</span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">We are starting to see a fairly steady stream of various solar electronics needing replacement under warranty, including micro-inverters, AC modules (microinverter failing), and even modules with an integrated DC electronic component failing to work from the get go. I work with residential customers and care about doing right by them, and of course they expect that their warrantied part will be replaced at no cost to them, they have already invested a lot in their solar project. Sometimes the manufacturer has a stipend which at least offsets the cost of gas but does not cover time to travel to the site and do the replacement, but I have recently come across several manufacturers who do not give any stipend at all and I am surprised at that. Replacing a module in the middle of a pitched roof is no small feat, and getting to micro inverters on a steep pitch is always a challenge. As the code requires more safety features down to the module level, I suspect we will see more and more of this, and the electronics are no longer at ground level and easily accessible. What ideas do you have about how to deal with this? Must we have an O and M contract with every customer given current product choices? </p><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">A similar question relates to a particular module having issues with delamination and failed diodes. We have been called out to several sites where this has caused the inverter to sense a fault, and testing showed the module leaking voltage to ground. Who is responsible for getting the inverter up and running when it clearly stems from the module? I suspect the module manufacturer's warranty legally exempts them from responsibility, but again it is reasonable for the customer to expect a warrantied system to be up and running.</p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><p class="MsoNormal">Thoughts from the field?</p><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,</p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Rebecca Lundberg</p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br><br>-- </p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rebecca Lundberg<br>NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer ®<br>Owner/President<br><b>P<span style="color:#f6bc1c">o</span>werfully <span style="color:#008f39">Green</span></b>®<br>763.438.1976 | <a href="mailto:Rebecca.Lundberg@PowerfullyGreen.com">Rebecca.Lundberg@PowerfullyGreen.com</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Powered by the Sun!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"> </p></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>