Saving Money on Your Solar Project

Sales Tax Savings

In MN I need to pay a 7.5% sales tax. For a $40k system that comes out to $3000. Some states like MN will give you a sales tax exemption for solar supplies. If you give the sellers the Tax Exemption Form for your state then you won’t have to pay sales tax.

MN Tax Exemption Form: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-07/st3.pdf

Inverter Savings.

You can save anywhere from 3-8% depending on the sales at Signature Solar. I am saving $400 with the 3% sale.

You can also save an additional $50 by using the following Coupon Code: DIYSOLAR50

Weld a plate to top of the posts

Getting a top cap for the 4.5” OD posts costs about $125 each. A top plate welded directly to the top of the post only costs about $10.

This gave me a net savings of $115x33=$3795

Used old oil well pipe instead of new pipe.

  • New Schedule 40, 20ft 4.5” OD Pipe: $362 for a 20ft post. Obviously it makes no sense to use new well pipe for posts if you have more than 2 posts. 6

  • 6”x6”x15’ Green Treated Post: $68 for each post

  • Used Oil Well Pipe 14’: $90 for 30ft used oil well pipe: $45 for each 14ft 4.5” OD post. This is significantly cheaper than the average post and a lot cheaper then new Schedule 40 pipe.

Selecting Oil Well Pipe gave me a total savings of $759 with my 33 posts.

Note 1: We attempt to find the best balance between quality and price. However, many of these parts are made in China and the quality may vary over time. Please check your parts before the return window ends.

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