July 2020 - QuickSolar Release Notes

Create Custom Solar Panels

Feature ID: #1156
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Background: Previously, if a solar panel was unavailable in the QuickSolar Solar Panel Database, the user would need to request it be added from QuickSolar, which could take some time.

Value: This feature allows the user to create their own custom solar panel from within the QuickSolar Design Tool.

• Adding panels can be done on the fly, while setting up a new design
• Only 5 fields are required to create a new panel. Other "Advanced fields" are available as optional data.
• Saved panels can be selected from the panel search bar for future designs
• New Solar Manufacturers can be added as well, if it doesn't already exist in the system
• A new custom panel is available to the user who created it, as well as others within the company. It is NOT available to users outside of the company

How to use it: 

• Log in to QuickSolar (or sign up for a free account here)
• Open a project
• Start a new design
• Find the property, and move to Step 2
• If you cannot find your panel in the search bar, click the green "Add panel" button on the right side of the search bar
• Fill out the required fields shown
  • Search our database for the module Manufacturer, and select one from the list that appears. If the Manufacturer cannot be found, add it by clicking the "Add New Manufacturer" button
• Advanced fields are optional
• Click the "Save" button

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Auto-calc Energy Bill Data

Feature ID: #729
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Background: Previously, missing data would be automatically calculated from within the design tool, but not in the Project Page. 

Value: This feature allows "missing" energy cost or consumption data to be automatically calculated from within the Energy Bills section of the Project Page.

• Can be configured using the "Auto-calc" toggle in the Energy Bills window
• Uses the selected Utility Rate for that project to calculate missing data. This works for either a flat utility rate, or any selected rate schedule.

How to use it: 

• Log in to QuickSolar (or sign up for a free account here)
• Open a project
• Edit the "Energy Bills" section. The "Auto-fill" toggle will be turned ON by default
• Enter any value into any of the cells. The opposing value will calculate automatically based on your selected utility rate.
• To manually enter values, simply click the "Auto-fill" toggle to turn it OFF.

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Label changed to "Average monthly savings (Year 1)" in proposal

Feature ID: #1248

Background: Previously, the label in the proposal was "Average monthly savings," which was slightly misleading; the calculated value only shows the monthly savings for the first year of operation, and may not be the same in subsequent years. 

Value: We've added "Year 1" to the label to make it clearer to homeowners on proposals that this average monthly savings value only applies to the first year of operation of the designed solar system.

How to use it: 

• Log in to QuickSolar (or sign up for a free account here)
• Open a project
• Open a proposal
• Scroll to the last page, and note the top value is now labeled "Average monthly savings (Year 1)"

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Bug fix: "Other" incentive Type no longer produces error message

Bug ID: #1249
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Original bug: Previously, when creating a custom incentive, choosing "Other" as the incentive "Type" would produce a notation error when attempting to save.

Fix: You can now choose "Other" as the incentive "Type" without experiencing any bugs when attempting to save.

How to test: 

• Log in to QuickSolar (or sign up for a free account here)
• Click "Welcome" in the upper-right
• Select "Incentive Wiki"
• Click "Create New Incentive"
• For "Type" select "Other"
• Fill out all other required fields
• Click Save button
• The new incentive will properly save

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