The solar panel industry is growing at a very high rate, but it is still a young industry, which makes it more difficult to identify truly qualified professionals.
If you have already decided to buy a solar panel installation for your home or business, you will surely want to do it with the best professionals and with quality products that give you guarantees.
Some of the doubts that will arise will be: How to choose the best installer? What should I consider? The good news for you is that we have evaluated many solar panel installation companies and learned how to select the best ones. Here we show you our guide to finding the best solar panel installer for your home or business.
Index Choose Solar Panel Installer
Step 1: Receive offers from various solar panel installation companies
Step 2: Study the offers
photovoltaic equipment
Installation Design
Payment and Financing
Step 3: Analyze the solar panel installation companies
License and insurance
Certification and Experience
workmanship guarantee
Reputation with customers
What should you ask your installer when you receive a quote for solar panels?
Insurance and Guarantee of Photovoltaic Equipment
Knowledge and experience of the solar panel installer
Warranties and replacement and repair procedures
What should I know about the solar panel installer when I visit?
conclusion
Step 1: Receive offers from various solar panel installation companies
Buying a solar panel installation is a decision that requires careful thought since it can be a significant investment, so it is highly recommended to talk to several professionals in your area.
Each installer may offer different types of solar panels or suggest different layouts for the installation. When comparing several companies, you will not only compare prices, but you can see which technologies and Special Discounts options are best for you. It is important that you ask about the points that differentiate the offers to know what these differences are due to and if they compensate you.
Obtaining multiple offers from solar panel installation companies makes you better informed and leads to better conditions. At SotySolar we help you and make it easy to compare different offers from the best pre-selected installers in your area.
Step 2: Study the offers
Solar energy is not an easy purchase. There are many factors that go into choosing the perfect installation for your home and your lifestyle. Actually, installing solar panels is not a very complicated process, but there are many variables when deciding how to do it.
Not all installers work with the same materials, offer the same financing, or estimate installation size the same way. These are the main aspects that you must take into account when studying the offer:
photovoltaic equipment
You should analyze the equipment that each installer is offering you, especially which solar panel and which solar inverter. There are more than 100 different manufacturers of solar panels, and each one has several models.
Don’t worry, most installers will know which solar panels and inverters work best for your home or business. However, you should ask about the quality and capacity of the solar panel, the efficiency of the system, the durability, and the guarantee of the photovoltaic equipment, as well as the inverter.
All this will directly affect your savings, since using quality materials and guarantees, in the long term, will make your installation more efficient.
Installation Design
In the same way, you should also compare the different designs and dimensions of the installation. The number of solar panels and the way they are placed will directly affect the amount of energy produced by the system and therefore your solar savings.
Each solar energy installation company should be able to explain why they have designed the installation in the way that they do. It is clear that an installation that is too small will not meet your needs, but one that is too large does not make sense either if you do not get all the performance out of it and it will make you lose money.
Remember, if it is important to you, to take into account the aesthetics of the installation when evaluating the different designs. Your solar panels are going to be producing energy for the next 25 years, so you had better be comfortable with their fit on your roof, in addition to their production capacity.
Payment and Financing
Choosing the right financing is possibly the most difficult part of the buying process. If you can afford to pay for your installation in advance, congratulations! Solar energy is a safe investment, with a typical return on investment of around 20%.
However, many people cannot afford to pay for installation up front and opt for financing or a rental agreement. There are many different loan and lease options, and not all installers offer the same financing terms.
The Solar Subscription is a new model for consuming solar energy, without initial investment or maintenance.
We will take care of requesting all the necessary documentation so that your only concern is saving. Isn’t that great?
Step 3: Analyze the solar panel installation companies
There are many solar companies on the market, and the key is to differentiate the best solar panel installers from the mediocre ones. At SotySolar, we have created an exhaustive checklist to evaluate all installers who want to work with us.
Customer experience and quality are paramount to us. We analyze four basic categories to evaluate them:
License and insurance
At a minimum, installers must have the corresponding licenses and insurance:
- Be registered and insured to be able to install solar panels
- Meet your tax obligations
- Have a staff duly registered with Social Security
Licenses include electrical, general contracting, home improvement, and/or home performance contracting licenses.
Certification and Experience
workmanship guarantee
It provides coverage against installation errors and is generally a good indicator of the quality of an installer. They usually range from 1 to 5 years. We have found that solar panel installers that offer 2-5 year warranties are generally the best.
We offer a 5-year guarantee on the work of our installers because we know they are the best and we demand the utmost professionalism. Your roof will be safe and we will respond immediately to any unexpected circumstance or incident that arises during installation.
What should you ask your installer when you receive a quote for solar panels?
The most common is that the installer charges you for making a technical visit and preparing a budget. Others send an initial budget for your solar panel installation without making the technical visit.
It is not usual, but if we see any impediment to carrying out the installation, the visit is also free of charge for the client. You will only have to pay €50 for the technical visit if you end up deciding not to install it.
Insurance and Guarantee of Photovoltaic Equipment
- Do you have Civil Liability Insurance?
- Are they authorized Low Voltage Installers?
- Are they certified by the IDAE or by another body?
- Do they design and install the solar systems themselves or do they subcontract to local companies? If you use subcontractors, are they authorized?
- Will an expert electrician be present when the photovoltaic panel installation is carried out?
Knowledge and experience of the solar panel installer
- How many years have you been in business?
- Do you work at a local, regional or national level?
- How many solar panel installations have you done?
- Can you show comments, customer satisfaction surveys, references, and/or photos of your other facilities?
- Do you carry out the necessary procedures to carry out the work?
- Do you manage subsidies, if any?
Warranties and replacement and repair procedures
- Who should you contact if there is a problem with the installation of solar panels?
- Where are your headquarters?
- Who is responsible for ensuring that guarantees are serviced in a timely manner?
- What are the equipment guarantees?
- Do these cover transportation and labor costs in the event that a component needs to be replaced?
- Does the warranty also cover the roof?
- What happens if the installation does not produce as much solar energy as promised?
- Does the company offer a performance guarantee?
What should I know about the solar panel installer when I visit?
In the case of SotySolar, once you have accepted your budget, the installer will schedule a technical visit to learn about the particularities of your home or company and start the installation work.
During the visit, it is a good opportunity to verify the professionalism of the installer. The basic tasks that you will perform will be the following:
- It will measure the surface and check the condition of your roof.
- You will perform an analysis of shadow areas, if any, to ensure that the quote is proportionate and accurate.
- It will make an inspection of the electrical panel and other components necessary for the installation.
- They should answer any questions you have about the equipment they recommend and why they chose it for your home.
State of your roof, you can also take advantage of the visit so that the installer can inspect it before installation. They will inform you if any additional re-roofing work needs to be done.
Once the visit is over, you should be clear about whether the installer is the right one, if you feel comfortable with him and if he will be the one to carry out your installation of solar panels for self-consumption.
conclusion
When looking for the best installer, we should not only compare the different standardized offers. Look for those who work on your case in an individualized, close and professional manner.
Reputation with customers
The comments and opinions of previous clients can tell you a lot about the work that the company does.
