DEADLINE EXTENDED: Oregon Solar Soft Cost Survey

Energy Trust, in collaboration with Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed this survey to clarify what contributes to the cost of solar installations in Oregon. Survey questions ask about your Oregon solar installations and their associated costs in Q1 and Q2 of 2016 and the survey results will be compared to benchmark values from the 2014 Oregon installer survey. This worksheet provides the survey questions so you can collect any necessary information before beginning.

In order for your company to be counted, we have extended the completion deadline to Wednesday, November 30th. The survey should take 30-45 minutes to complete. Follow the link to begin the survey now: https://hbb.qualtrics.com/jfe1/form/SV_aW7aiZ1S8BsgryJ

According to studies performed by the national labs and U.S. DOE, solar hardware costs are decreasing, while non-hardware "soft costs" continue to account for an increasing share of overall system price. Soft costs are associated with permitting, interconnection, incentives, financing, marketing and advertising, design, installation labor, bid preparation, inspections, overhead and project delays. Nationally, soft costs account for over 50 percent of installation costs. National studies are useful for guiding federal policy, but may not accurately represent the situation in any particular state. The objective of this survey is to assess the current soft costs associated with installing photovoltaic (PV) systems in Oregon.

The results of this survey will help the Oregon solar industry by:

· Clarifying what contributes to the cost of a solar installation in Oregon

· Quantifying the real costs of inefficiencies and identifying the entities with the power to address them

· Making a persuasive case for more affordable and consistent requirements for permitting, interconnection and incentives

· Highlighting opportunities to simplify and streamline the process of selling and installing solar.

Questions ask about your Oregon solar installations and costs in Q1 & Q2 of 2016. Information you will need to collect in order complete the survey:

· The number of residential and commercial installations and total number of kilowatts installed during Q1 & Q2 2016

· Your company’s sales and marketing budget for Q1 & Q2 2016

· Average labor hours per project spent on installation, permitting, tax credit & incentive paperwork for installations in Q1 & Q2 2016

· Wait time (in days) for permit and interconnection application approval in Q1 & Q2 2016
You will have the ability save your survey if you are unable to complete it in a single session. Only one representative from each company need answer the survey.

Follow this link to begin the survey now: https://hbb.qualtrics.com/jfe1/form/SV_aW7aiZ1S8BsgryJ

All answers will be kept confidential. The report of this survey’s results will not identify any business by name and will not disclose raw data from any individual survey respondent. The report will present all information in aggregate and may offer a statistical analysis of results (showing, for example, what proportion of installers or what regions of the state face higher or lower costs). All results will be treated anonymously and will not reveal any respondent’s trade secrets or confidential business information.

If you have any questions or need any assistance in completing the survey email jeni.hall@energytrust.org or call 503.459.4075