Whereas the residential photo voltaic trade shouldn’t be in its infancy, an organization that began putting in photo voltaic lower than 20 years in the past in 2004 is among the previous guard. That is Trinity Photo voltaic, which began a decade earlier centered on HVAC. It is now one of many 10 largest photo voltaic firms putting in residential photo voltaic panels in America.
The photo voltaic panels, inverters and battery choices Trinity gives are of fine high quality with sturdy warranties (and widespread decisions for different firms as properly). All accessible indicators level to it being an organization that delivers sturdy customer support, too. The place Trinity trails another firms is within the warranties it gives prospects who buy its system, although lease and energy buy settlement prospects obtain protection during their settlement.
Trinity Photo voltaic scores what it does as a result of it gives alternative in high quality gear and customer support that seems to be sturdy. Nonetheless, Trinity would not share pricing data (many firms are dinged for this in our scoring methodology). Because it’s seemingly you are seeking to photo voltaic no less than partly for financial savings, it is laborious to present a full-throated advice with out pricing data.
Can photo voltaic panels prevent cash?
Interested by understanding the impression photo voltaic can have on your own home? Enter some primary data under, and we’ll immediately present a free estimate of your vitality financial savings.
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This evaluation would not depend on any hands-on testing or firsthand expertise with the ordering and set up course of, so do not depend on it to be an ideal information as to whether or not Trinity suits your particular scenario. While you’re searching for photo voltaic panels, you must get a number of quotes, together with from native, smaller photo voltaic firms, which can have much less overhead and be capable of give you a greater deal. Discuss to neighbors with photo voltaic and perceive your vitality wants earlier than selecting an installer. Our evaluation of Trinity, and of all of the photo voltaic firms we evaluation, will be a part of your procuring course of, however should not be all of it.
What do I get from Trinity Photo voltaic?
While you’re searching for photo voltaic panels, the panels, inverter and (presumably) battery are vital items of the puzzle. In the event you purchase from Trinity Photo voltaic, you must get high quality gear.
Can photo voltaic panels prevent cash?
Interested by understanding the impression photo voltaic can have on your own home? Enter some primary data under, and we’ll immediately present a free estimate of your vitality financial savings.
What gear does Trinity Photo voltaic set up?
Trinity Photo voltaic installs Qcells photo voltaic panels, although it might procure one thing else if a buyer requests them, stated Kristen Drigon, a spokesperson for Trinity Photo voltaic. The broadly used residential photo voltaic panels from Qcells, one of many largest photo voltaic panel producers on the earth, have prime effectivity rankings from 20.6% to twenty.9%. Effectivity measures the quantity of daylight the panels convert to electrical energy. Qcells’ rankings imply the panels are close to essentially the most environment friendly panels, however come up simply shy of some of essentially the most environment friendly choices from different firms, like SunPower.
Trinity prefers to put in SolarEdge inverters, Drigon stated. SolarEdge makes a string inverter that may hook up with energy optimizers. SolarEdge inverters have excessive efficiencies (as much as 99% relying on the mannequin) and include a 12-year guarantee that may be prolonged to twenty or 25 years. For sure tasks Trinity makes use of Enphase microinverters, which function at 97% to 97.5% effectivity.
Trinity additionally installs quite a lot of batteries, together with from Tesla and Generac. Tesla Powerwall batteries maintain 12.2 kilowatt-hours of usable vitality, although you’ll be able to add a number of batteries. Tesla Powerwall is a battery broadly utilized by photo voltaic installers. It will possibly present 13.5 kilowatt hours of vitality in complete at a price of 5.8 kVA repeatedly or 7.2 kVA for 10 seconds at a time. Powerwall guarantees 70% capability over 10 years, no matter how a lot the battery is used so long as it is used simply to again up your own home.
Generac PWRcell batteries begin at 9 kilowatt-hours and will be elevated in 3-kWh increments as much as 36 complete. Generac’s batteries can discharge about 1.1 kilowatt repeatedly per battery module. For instance, a 9-kWh setup (3 battery modules) can discharge repeatedly at a price of three.4 kilowatts. The batteries can discharge at a peak of 1.5 kilowatts, so a 9-kilowatt setup will discharge at a price of 4.5 kilowatts. PWRcell batteries additionally include a guaranty that is good for 10 years or till 7.65 megawatt-hours cycle by the battery per module. (A 3-module, 9-kWh battery could be underneath guarantee for 10 years or till 22.95 megawatt hours cycle by it.)
Whereas Trinity Photo voltaic favors sure gear and producers, provide chain points have impacted the photo voltaic trade. Trinity could set up different gear as restricted availability stays.
What warranties does Trinity Photo voltaic supply?
Apart from the battery and inverter warranties talked about above, you will obtain extra warranties on panels and the set up.
As a result of photo voltaic panels are long-lived purchases and do deteriorate over time, panel high quality can be measured by long-term efficiency. Qcells panels are assured to provide at 86% of their capability at 25 years. That is additionally a near-the-top score, but it surely ranks under just some different panels, like these from SunPower, which might assure 92% at 25 years. On the identical time, Qcells’ 25-year guarantee does match the longest mainstream warranties in the marketplace.
Trinity gives a 10-year workmanship guarantee to those that buy photo voltaic panels, Drigon stated. The corporate additionally stated it gives a guaranty towards leaks from the photo voltaic panel set up starting from 5 to 25 years. About 97% of Trinity’s prospects bought their panels with a mortgage within the final 18 months, which comes with a 10-year guarantee towards leaks.
Ten-year workmanship warranties are usually not uncommon within the photo voltaic trade, although some firms are beginning to supply 25-year choices. A ten-year guarantee towards leaks is fairly frequent, although ADT Photo voltaic gives a 25-year guarantee. The workmanship for leases or energy buy agreements from Trinity are totally coated for the lifetime of the deal.
Does Trinity Photo voltaic use subcontractors?
Most installations are dealt with by the in-house groups, although the corporate does have subcontractors readily available.
Watch this: New Photo voltaic Shingles You Could Not Even Discover
11:13 Does Trinity Photo voltaic supply monitoring providers?
Trinity confirmed you will monitor your photo voltaic system by the SolarEdge or Enphase app, relying on which inverter model you could have. Each apps are well-rated (SolarEdge receives 4.2 stars on Google Play and 4.6 on Apple’s App Retailer; Enphase receives 4.1 on Google Play and 4.7 on the App Retailer).
How a lot do Trinity Photo voltaic panels price?
As a result of Trinity Photo voltaic is a privately owned firm and never required to launch details about its enterprise to traders, getting a transparent reply about price and worth is more durable than it’s for firms comparable to Sunrun and Tesla. Trinity Photo voltaic declined to share a median value for a bought system as a result of pricing “is market-dependent and ranges broadly relying on the laws and related prices in any given space.” In keeping with consulting agency Wooden Mackenzie, the typical price for residential photo voltaic panels is $2.99 per watt for an 8-kilowatt system ($23,920 for the entire 8 kw system).
Trinity’s prospects can go photo voltaic both by buying panels or getting into right into a lease or energy buy settlement. Whereas shopping for photo voltaic panels typically leads to higher monetary financial savings over the lifetime of the panels, third-party possession preparations, comparable to leases and energy buy agreements, get rid of the up-front prices of going photo voltaic.
For that purpose set up value is not at all times the very best metric to guage its merchandise, Drigon stated. In the event you go for a lease or an influence buy settlement, set up prices are coated by the installers. Then, the vital metric for purchasers is the escalator, or the speed at which the annual payment will increase in comparison with the price of electrical energy from an area utility. Since these numbers differ by location, it requires some guesswork in addition to cautious consideration earlier than getting into into an settlement.
A typical escalator price from Trinity is 2.9%, Drigon stated. Yearly, there are a number of prospects who pay extra for his or her photo voltaic vitality than they’d with their utility (one thing we heard from different suppliers, as properly), however Drigon known as these cases “fairly uncommon.”
Over the lifespan of the system, nevertheless, Drigon famous: “We count on all of our prospects to indicate financial savings due to the very nature of photo voltaic vitality’s predictability when in comparison with their utility.”
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Does Trinity Photo voltaic function in my state? How do I order?
Trinity Photo voltaic operates in 9 states, all on the east coast:
Connecticut MarylandNew YorkDelaware MassachusettsPennsylvaniaFlorida New JerseyRhode Island
You possibly can attain out to Trinity by way of its web site. Trinity will contact you utilizing the knowledge you present to start out the method.
Trinity Photo voltaic has in-house set up groups in all of the states it providers, in response to Drigon, although the corporate does have subcontractors readily available.
Is Trinity Photo voltaic my most suitable option?
ProsOffers high quality equipmentSigns level to sturdy buyer serviceConsYou can discover longer workmanship and weatherization warranties elsewhereLittle pricing transparency
As with every main buy, it is vital to buy round for a number of estimates and browse all of the wonderful print. Doing a bit extra legwork might prevent 1000’s of {dollars}. Needless to say Trinity gives leases and energy buy agreements, which might help you go photo voltaic for little up-front price, although your long-term financial savings are more likely to be decrease than if you buy outright. You must get a number of quotes and take a look at smaller, native installers to your photo voltaic buy, and the identical goes for leases and energy buy agreements.
Trinity’s most well-liked suppliers for panels, inverters and batteries are all revered manufacturers that ought to carry out properly over the lifetime of your system. On the identical time, keep in mind that Trinity’s workmanship guarantee is usually 10 years, which is pretty typical, although longer workmanship warranties exist. There are additionally some seen indicators, like a responsive Higher Enterprise Bureau web page, that Trinity takes customer support severely. Whereas buyer satisfaction is tough to guage with out survey information, it is encouraging to see the corporate shortly reply to complaints. Trinity has an A-Plus grade with the Higher Enterprise Bureau.
And it needs to be stated once more: With out pricing information, it is not possible to present an unqualified advice. Remember to evaluate a number of costs.
Whereas I approached this analysis virtually and completely, I have not truly bought or examined Trinity Photo voltaic in any empirical method. Since photo voltaic providers differ regionally and are tough to evaluation, be sure to do your personal analysis earlier than you determine which option to go.
How we consider photo voltaic firms
Reviewing photo voltaic firms in a hands-on method is tough. Accounting for all of the variations mission to mission is not possible. To supply a useful evaluation, we centered on what we are able to measure and meaningfully evaluate amongst firms.
We concentrate on three buckets of standards: gear, warranties and repair.
Throughout the gear class, firms obtain scores for the panels, inverters and batteries they set up. Warranties embrace the ensures on the panels, workmanship and weatherization towards leaks. Corporations earn factors for service if they provide a value match, a significant degree of value transparency and a well-rated app for monitoring photo voltaic manufacturing. They lose factors if there are main points pertaining to customer support (lawsuits, investigations or clear reputations for shoddy service). These points will at all times be detailed within the evaluation.
You possibly can learn an in depth have a look at how the scoring breaks down.
We do not think about the typical value of an organization’s installations of their rating. This data is tough to seek out and laborious to match throughout service areas (and even roof to roof). Corporations are sometimes gradual to reveal it, too. We additionally pass over simply discovered however not helpful data like what number of states an organization operates in.
Trinity Photo voltaic FAQs
Trinity Photo voltaic is a family-owned firm. It claims to be the most important, privately held photo voltaic installer within the US.
What kind of photo voltaic panels does Trinity Photo voltaic use?
How lengthy has Trinity Photo voltaic been in enterprise?
Trinity Photo voltaic has been putting in photo voltaic panels since 2004, although it existed as a heating and air-con firm starting in 1994.
Is Trinity Photo voltaic dependable?
Trinity Photo voltaic has been in enterprise for almost 20 years and is attentive to buyer complaints on the BBB web site, indicating strong customer support. The corporate installs {hardware} from trusted nationwide manufacturers.
Correction, Could 10, 2023: An earlier model of this text misstated the Higher Enterprise Bureau’s grading course of. Any firm can obtain a grade from the Bureau, no matter whether or not it has paid to undergo the accreditation course of.