If you’re looking to install solar panels on your house for the first time, you might have a lot of questions regarding exactly what to look for in a solar company and where to find it? Besides the obvious task of scanning through online reviews of solar panel providers, here are a few key things to look for when choosing a solar company.
Word of Mouth — The best kind of verification is word of mouth, so ask around. Word-of-mouth conversations and referrals are great because they can help you identify problems (and even intangible benefits) that won’t come up in a normal online review.
Cast a Wide Net — Get a sense for all the options you have in the area and you might be surprised about the amount of providers in your region. There are some companies that might be more prevalent in your neighborhood or even be doing local advertising, like Solar City or Vivint Solar, but you’d be surprised.
Prepare for Sticker Shock – No matter which solar provider you ultimately select, be prepared to open your wallet. If you are serious about going solar, you need to ready for the high cost. Even though in the long run solar panels pay for themselves, there is a high upfront cost. Also, your home’s electrical system might need some upgrades to accommodate for the solar panels, adding more costs.
Determine Which Type of Panels You Want – Not every solar provider offers different types of systems. For example, some companies will only do rooftops systems. If you desire not to have the panels on your roof but instead want a ground-mounted system, your choice of providers will be different. In most cases, ground-mounted systems will be more expensive than their rooftop counterparts due to the need for longer wiring runs. Moreover, if you are looking for a hydraulic solar tracker for the yard, the providers will be even more limited. Older homes may not be able to support the added weight of solar panels.
Check the Warranty — Every solar panel company should provide some sort of warranty for your panels. The industry standard is 25 years.
Source: https://www.energymatters.com.au/residential-solar/buying-a-solar-system/
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I appreciate you talked about how it’s important to do your research and know how much you’ll be paying to get a solar system. My grandpa wants to get a solar panel tracking system built in his home so he can start converting most of his belongings to electric. I think I will talk to him about making sure he knows what he’s getting into.
Great info, my wife and I have been doing some research for solar panels on our house but there just seems to be so much to learn. I bookmarked this page so we could reference back to it before we make a decision.
We are very excitedly looking at solar power for our home. I appreciate your advice here to check the warranty since most places offer 25 years. We will have to keep that in mind when looking for our solar panels!
Thanks for explaining that through word-of-mouth referrals, you can identify problems or benefits that won’t come up in a normal online review. My wife and I would like to see our energy bill eventually decrease, so we thought perhaps now would be a good time to look into solar energy options. We will be sure to start asking around locally about solar panel installation.
This is really appriciable, how you managed all the necessary details in this article. Before planting the solar panels we should always keep these things in our mind. Great to see an informative post. Keep writing such things.