Technician installing solar panels on roof

5 questions to ask your solar installer

Fact Checked Fact Checked

In this Canstar Blue guide, we discuss some of the most important questions to ask your solar installer before purchasing solar panels.

Solar panels are a huge financial investment for households and businesses, so you don’t want to be messing around when it comes to picking quality service, products and advice. But how can you ensure you are choosing a solar installer that’ll do a top notch job and offer ongoing support? Well, it all comes down to the questions you ask prior to your installation.

By way of a guide, we’ve narrowed down some of the most important questions you should ask your solar installer before installing panels below. These range from questions about the company itself, to potential savings, support and financing options.

Advertisement

1. What’s the company’s experience and expertise?

Solar is a lucrative field and there are many solar companies, whether they be chain retailers or locally owned, at the ready to help you move away from grid electricity. But the problem with all this choice is that it can be hard to weed out the amateurs from the experts.

To combat this, you should always ask your chosen solar installer for the company’s certifications, experience, level of expertise and years in the business. The years spent in the business may ease any concerns of the company going bust in two years’ time, while understanding the experience and expertise of your installer will ensure you aren’t leaving the structural integrity of your roof and solar panel system in the wrong hands. It could be handy here to also ask for customer reviews or photos of previous jobs to get a feel for their work before you embark on your installation.

For certifications, you can check to see whether your solar company is a New Energy Tech Approved Seller (previously known as a Clean Energy Council Approved Solar Retailer) by visiting the Clean Energy Council website. A New Energy Tech Approved Seller is a company that meets the requirements of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC), which is a set of standards designed to protect consumers when purchasing new energy technology, such as solar panels, solar batteries and electric vehicle chargers. 

2. What are the warranties available?

Expertise is one way to ensure you are in safe hands for your solar installation, but what happens once the install is over? Who do you call if something goes wrong with your solar inverter or panels that disrupts the efficiency of your system? This is where understanding what you are covered for and by who is vital.

When researching solar installers be sure to ask about the warranties available to you, not only on the products themselves, but the workmanship and installation too. Some of the key items to know the warranty for include the panel performance warranty, panel product warranty, solar inverter warranty and the solar installation warranty. You should also ask for the documentation available for these warranties so you have a clear understanding on who to call, whether it is the installer or manufacturer, when something goes wrong, as well as the process for putting in a claim and expected entitlements if the claim is found to be valid.

Compare Solar Energy Plans

Click on your state below to see a range of solar deals in your area.

Here are some of the cheapest solar-specific deals from the retailers on our database. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. We show one product per retailer, listed in order of lowest price first. Annual price estimates assume general energy usage of 3911kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Price estimates exclude solar feed-in tariff credits. These are products from referral partners†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

Here are some of the cheapest solar-specific deals from the retailers on our database. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. We show one product per retailer, listed in order of lowest price first. Annual price estimates assume general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Price estimates exclude solar feed-in tariff credits. These are products from referral partners†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

Here are some of the cheapest solar-specific deals from the retailers on our database. These costs are based on the Energex network in Brisbane but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. We show one product per retailer, listed in order of lowest price first. Annual price estimates assume general energy usage of 4613kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Price estimates exclude solar feed-in tariff credits. These are products from referral partners†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

Here are some of the cheapest solar-specific deals from the retailers on our database. These costs are based on SA Power network in Adelaide but prices will vary depending on your circumstances. We show one product per retailer, listed in order of lowest price first. Annual price estimates assume general energy usage of 4011kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Price estimates exclude solar feed-in tariff credits. These are products from referral partners†. Our database may not cover all deals in your area, and please check retailer websites for up to date information.

3. Do you offer financing options?

money on solar panel

As we mentioned earlier, solar is a huge financial investment and costs are often one of the main deterrents for households and businesses when it comes to installing solar. But, what many may not realise is that these days there are a number of financing options beyond the standard loan when it comes to solar installations.

Whilst in discussions with your chosen solar installer, it may prove fruitful to ask about whether they offer financing, such as interest-free loans, Buy Now, Pay Later schemes, Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) or green loans to help manage the upfront costs of your solar installation. It might also be handy to ask about your eligibility for any government-funded solar rebates, or see if you can knock a few dollars off the total costs by signing up to the installer’s solar package instead. Some installers may wrap up their deals with a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) offer or adjoining electricity plan so be sure to check you aren’t missing out on potential savings there.

4. What will my return on investment look like?

It’s all well and good to have an expert solar installer with a fantastic warranty array and numerous financing options. But, if your household or business is not in a position to gain maximum returns on a solar installation, then going the whole nine yards may not even be worth it to begin with. This is where asking your desired solar installer about your potential return on investment is key.

Any good solar installer should be able calculate your estimated energy output from installing solar panels, based on your desired system size, the angle of your roof and your household energy usage. They should also be able to give you a rough estimate for your payback period (i.e. the time it will take to recover the costs of your solar installation) and how much you could save on your power bills in the long-term.

There are numerous factors that can impact the output of your solar system at any one time from the climate to quality of products. So, understanding what the average or benchmark operation of your system should be will help you to identify both if an installation is worth the investment in the first place and if you do go ahead with an install, when something may be wrong with the system that is preventing it from performing.

5. What ongoing support and maintenance can I expect?

Before choosing a solar installer you should also ask about any continued support and maintenance you may be entitled to as part of your installation. Just like any other major appliance, solar panels require regular maintenance to ensure everything is working up to scratch. Solar panels will also require a good clean every now and again to remove any debris that could potentially be reducing the system’s efficiency. Your solar installer may offer these as part of your package so be sure to enquire about your options.

It may also be helpful to find out whether you have access to a support line or care centre. This could be handy when making warranties enquiries or if you have a question about your system and its current output. If further down the track you wish to upgrade your solar system too, then this point of contact could helpful to know.

If you’re just starting your solar journey and aren’t sure how to choose a solar installer, be sure to check out Canstar Blue’s annual solar installer ratings. Here we list the solar installation companies that everyday Aussies rated top notch for their own with solar installations.

Best-Rated Solar Installers

Image credits: zstock/Shutterstock.com, simez78/Shutterstock.com
Original Author: Lilly Miller

Kelseigh Wrigley
Energy Specialist
Kelseigh Wrigley covers Australia's retail energy market, growing her industry specific expertise over the last 2 years. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism at the Queensland University of Technology and has contributed her skills to online publications Hunter & Bligh and local radio station 4ZZZ.

Share this article