Over 2.6 million solar panels have been installed in Australia, and many more are on the way. If you’ve decided to switch to green energy and reduce your monthly expenses, you need to know that your solar investment will last and perform well.
How do you choose a solar company that will give you the best products?
This guide will help you evaluate your area’s solar companies and find reputable services so that your solar investments last. Keep reading to learn how to select a solar company, choose the best products, and evaluate quotes and pricing.
What Should You Look For In A Solar Company?
If you’ve decided to install solar panels in your home, you’ve taken the first step in reducing your carbon footprint and monthly bills. However, you need to find a solar company you can rely on.
Solar panels are expensive, and with any significant investment, you should review different products and companies to ensure you’re getting the best value for money. You need to get multiple quotes from solar companies to gauge the standard price of solar panels.
Some key traits of an excellent solar company include:
- Experience – you want a solar company with over 5 years of experience, as you need to know whether their existing customers have experienced any issues with the product or installation.
- Follow-ups – when you have your solar panels installed, you need your installation company to assess how the solar panels function. Ask the company about their follow-up procedures.
- Accredited – you need to know that your installation company meets industry standards and that your solar system designer is CEC accredited.
- Affordability – you need to find a solar company that offers panels and installation within your budget without sacrificing quality.
How To Choose A Solar Company
You must take specific steps when choosing a solar company to ensure your solar panel investment lasts. Here are the best tips for selecting a solar company.
1 – List Available Solar Providers
To begin evaluating solar panel providers and installers, you will first need to gather a list of the available solar providers in your area. Use a Google search to compile a list on a computer document or use pen and paper. As you gather more information on each provider, you can cross some off the list if they do not meet your standards.
2 – Consider Your Budget
You need to consider how much you’re willing to pay for your solar panels. If you cannot finance the total cost of the solar panels, you can look into the various solar panel grants on offer in the New South Wales area as part of the net-zero initiative. Once you have established how to pay for the solar panels, you can create a budget.
3 – Look For Insured Providers
You need assurance that you will get a warranty with your solar products and that the company is fully insured should any damage be caused during installation. The solar panel provider you choose must be fully licensed and insured. If anything goes wrong down the line, the solar company can provide you with compensation through their insurance company.
4 – Look For Experienced Providers
Most solar panel companies go out of business within the first 5 years. If your solar company goes bust, you will lose your warranty. So, it’s best to opt for experienced and established providers with over 5 years of experience. This way, they will be less likely to fail, and you can secure your warranty.
5 – Ensure The Provider Offers High-Quality Products
You need to review which products your solar panel installer provides and which ones they do not install. If you want a solar converter, solar battery, and solar skylight with your panels, you need to check with the provider to ensure they can supply and install these products. You should also verify that the products they offer are from reputable solar brands.
6 – Review The Company’s Credentials
The company should have the certification that speaks to their training and competency in the industry. Look for a system designer’s CEC accreditation for each product they offer and look at the evidence of their previous work. How many PV solar systems have they installed over the years? Have they got experience installing solar panels on your specific roof type?
7 – Read Customer Reviews
When evaluating any contractor, you must always read customer reviews. The customer reviews will give you insight into their service – for example, whether the contractors clean up after themselves and whether the company takes accountability for any errors. If there are many negative reviews based on the quality of the service, then you should avoid this contractor.
8 – Ask About Subcontractors
Many solar panel companies enlist the services of subcontractors that specialise in some aspects of the installation process. You need to enquire about your company’s subcontractors and check their credentials. You need to know who will be performing the work on your property and that the subcontractors are reliable.
9 – Ask About Warranties
You need assurance that they will replace your solar panels if faulty. Solar panels are a huge investment, and you may be unable to replace them on your own. So, contact the companies you are considering and ask about their warranties. You should prioritise more extended warranties, as you could save money on the cost of replacement or repairs for longer.
How To Choose A Solar Panel And Inverter
Some smaller solar manufacturers have taken advantage of lax market standards, which means you could risk investing in an unregulated product, even if the CEC verifies it. Once a product is on the market and CEC accredited, the manufacturer can make changes to the product without consulting the CEC.
The CEC tried to mitigate this concern by performing random spot checks on products. However, when choosing your solar panels and inverters, it’s best to select products from larger energy companies. Larger energy companies are held to higher standards than smaller ones and are generally the safer choice.
How To Evaluate Your Quotes
When you gather quotes from solar companies, this is a good indicator of whether the company is reliable or not. There are some key indicators that the solar company isn’t reputable that you can find in the quote:
- Handwritten quotes – your quote or receipt should not be handwritten. You need an official printed document you can refer to in a dispute later down the line.
- Omitting labour prices – the quote should include all the labour and parts with each expense.
- Components aren’t specified by quantity – if the solar company does not specify the components’ amount, brand, and model, then they could switch these products for cheaper and less reliable versions when it comes to installation.
- STCs (Small-scale Technology Certificates) arent included
- No system performance estimate – your quote should include a system performance estimate, so you know how much energy you can expect from your panels and when to complain about your panels’ performance levels.
- The subcontractor isn’t listed – you need to know who will be installing the panels on your property and whether the company will perform it themselves or hire a subcontractor.
- No warranty – it is vital that you look for a standard 25-year warranty on your quote.
- No post-sale service specifications – you need information regarding the post-sale service and maintenance of the panels should you encounter any issues.
- No timeframe – you need to know that you won’t be left waiting for your solar panels to be installed. Your company should provide a timeline for when the installation will be complete, and your solar panels will be up and running.
- Additional costs and work required – you need to know what to expect when your solar panels are installed. Your quote should include details of any additional charges you can expect. If your house is old, you may require extra work to get your home ready for solar panel installation, and your quote should include any additional work.
- No payment terms – the quote should include how you can pay for the service and whether you will make the payments in instalments.
How Do You Determine Whether You’re Getting A Good Price?
You need to gather quotes from several solar system installers to evaluate what price you can expect from a solar company. You should opt for solar companies with competitive pricing, but also be wary of costs that are too low – this could be a red flag. The company could be switching out parts for cheaper alternatives, there may be hidden costs, and the staff could be underqualified. So, it’s best to opt for a competitively priced solar company, but not one that is too competitively priced.
Summary
This guide should help give you the direction you need to choose the right solar company. You need products and installation experts you can trust. If you’re looking for solar panels and solar panel installation in NSW, you should contact SolarPath today!
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