Check how experienced your solar panel installation company is, as experience is very reassuring. And don't be fooled into thinking that just because solar panel installers are MCS certified they are highly experienced, as this isn't always the case. Make sure that your installers can provide references for other satisfied customers in the area who they have fitted solar systems for. There is also a REAL code of conduct which solar panel installers are obliged to sign up to, and this requires them to abide by certain rules, including not putting pressure on customers to agree to a sale and not being able to discount significantly.
Installer Experience
Also ask who is going to carry out the solar panel installation work on your property and how much experience they personally have. With the sudden growth of and demand for solar pv systems, you may end up with someone installing your PV panels who is effectively still learning on the job. Finding out how fast your solar panel installers have grown in the past 6 months may be a good indicator of how experienced their team is.
It's a good idea to find out what make and models of PV module they support. Pretty much every installer will have a set of reasons as to why they use one over the other and why theirs are the best on the market. Your solar panel installers should be able to offer you a choice. This could be between Chinese manufactured PV panels and European manufactured ones, and it's easy to guess which one would be the cheapest.
Customer Service
Check out your solar panel installation company's customer service and see what kind of phone support they offer their clients. Call them unexpectedly and see how quickly they can respond to something; again, due to the rapid growth of solar panel installation, many companies are finding their resources stretched at the moment and may not get back to you promptly. It's also a good idea to find out how quickly your solar panel installation can be carried out, and some solar panel installers will also be happy to do a site visit which will ideally include a technical survey before putting a quote together for you.
Ask your prospective company whether they would be happy to carry out such an on-site survey for you before putting together a quote, as a negative answer to this request could indicate the type of solar panel installation company you're dealing with. The quote should include:
- Whether your proposed site is suitable;
- What the optimum size is in terms of area and output that would suit you;
- Where you should site your solar energy inverter and any other installation issues;
- How much your solar panel installation will cost
- The length of solar panel installation pay-back in years;
- The anticipated profit after 25 years.
If your solar panel installers are able to offer answers in their quote to the above questions, then you'll be well on your way to choosing a solar panel installation company that's right for you. But that's not to say that that's all there is to know. There's a lot to take on board when choosing a solar panel installation company, and so here's a checklist for you to ask them or email over to them:
- How long has the solar panel installation company been operational?
- How many full-time employees do you have?
- How long have you been carrying out installations of solar PV systems?
- How many domestic solar systems have you installed?
- Can you put me in touch with customers of yours in my area for references?
- What manufacturers of solar PV module do you support?
- Which manufacturer do you generally recommend and why?
- Can you give me a break down in terms of percentage of which solar panel module your customers have chosen?
- Do you employ all of your own staff to carry out the solar panel installation, or do you use sub-contractors?
- Can you send me copies of typical warranties you offer on the different solar PV modules, the different inverters and the installation work?
- Can you send me a typical quote for a similar job?
- Can you send me your company's standard terms and conditions?
- When would you be able to carry out the solar panel installation?
- How many days would you expect the solar panel installation to take?
If your prospective solar panel installers are able to answer all of the above satisfactorily, you know that you're on your way to successful solar panel installation.