How To Choose A Solar Panel Installer

Complaints almost the solar industry take doubled in the final year.

Here's what you need to know and the questions to inquire to become a quality solar PV arrangement that lasts for years.

On this folio:

• Solar accreditation checklist
• How to pick a solar retailer
• What should I look for in a solar company?
• Tips on solar system pricing
• How to pick a quality solar panel and inverter
• What does 'Tier one' mean?
• Warranties and cooling off periods

Australia'southward residential solar industry is growing – in 2022, 3.5 million panels were installed, creating a capacity similar to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power station.

The smash has brought a rise in complaints about solar companies. Our consumer communication service, Selection Help, reported a 116% surge in members wanting guidance for bug with solar investments in the terminal year.

Clean Energy Regulator inspections of residential solar installations evidence that most 16% of units are underperforming or not configured correctly and 4% are unsafe.

Without trusted communication, investing in solar can be daunting and disruptive. We explain your rights under Australian Consumer Law and talk to industry insiders to prove you how to buy a quality solar PV arrangement at a off-white price to conform your free energy needs for many years to come.

Annotation: In the picture at the top of this story, a human being is walking on the solar panels. This is not recommended equally it can cause micro cracks.

Solar accreditation checklist

Is the company accredited?

The good news for consumers is that the solar industry has more accreditation than ever to protect consumers and maintain standards. The play tricks is knowing what accreditation to ask for and where you can bank check it.

When you're buying and installing a solar PV assortment, it'due south likely yous'll exist dealing with:

• the sales company (it may be a retailer)
• the system designer (who puts the panels, inverters and bombardment design together)
• the installer (who actually gets on the roof and puts the system in identify)
• a qualified electrician, who must sign off on the system and provide a Document of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW).

In some cases, i person (for case a local electrician who specialises in solar installations) can cover all four roles. It'due south also not unusual for larger retailers to secure the sale and contract, and so subcontract out the installation.

The accreditation body for the designer, installer and the components is the Clean Energy Council (CEC), which is funded by industry. The CEC also has Canonical Solar Retailers.

The CEC lists more than 7000 accredited solar installers on its website. Information technology also lists the categories of accreditation from pattern-only to install-merely to design and install. Off-filigree systems need dissever CEC accreditation.

Are the panels and the inverter accredited?

The CEC also maintains a register of approved modules and inverters that see Australian standards. Be sure the components for the system quoted are clearly specified by make, size and model, and are CEC approved.

No accreditation, no rebate

If the components, the designer and the installer are non CEC accredited, you won't receive the government subsidy (the "rebate") of Modest Scale Technology Certificates (STCs). A 6kW system can generate a subsidy from STCs of around $3500, depending on its location.

• ensuring a CEC accredited designer designs your system
• ensuring a CEC accredited installer sets up your organization.

How to pick a solar retailer

Over and above its accreditation scheme, the Clean Free energy Council also runs the voluntary Approved Solar Retailer plan, to help you find a quality supplier. Endorsed past the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), it aims to raise standards in the solar manufacture.

Expect for the logo and check the listing of CEC Approved Solar Retailers to verify if a supplier is actually canonical.

Many retailers accept been approved by the CEC, demonstrating their delivery to its voluntary lawmaking of acquit, including:

• responsible sales and marketing methods
• a five-year whole of system warranty
• ensuring a CEC accredited designer designs your organisation
• ensuring a CEC accredited installer sets up your system.

What should I look for in a solar company?

Across the CEC Approved Retailers, in that location are around 400 solar console companies and 4800 accredited installers in the market. Equally with whatever major investment, you should seek a number of quotes and vet the company before signing annihilation.

It's possible these trees grew afterwards the solar panel installation, just shade volition reduce the output of any organisation. Prototype: Newman Mundy.

Look for:

• A company that has been operating for more five years.
• Does the company take an Australian role and local phone number?
• Ask to talk to previous customers to ask about the service pre and post installation. Were in that location any issues with the system? Did the company follow them up? How was their communication? Don't rely on online testimonials.
• The company should visit your home to establish what your site needs and your energy load profile.
• Cheque your arrangement design is past a CEC accredited system designer and that it suits your needs and your budget.
• Enquire the salesperson who will install the system. Check for CEC installer accreditation.

One-size fits all quotes, pushy sales techniques and hard-to-believe pricing should raise ruddy flags. Image: Andre van der Berg.

Avoid companies that:

• Apply aggressive sales techniques such as asking you to sign on the spot, use door-to-door sales, or say 'act at present before government rebates cease' or 'limited time only'.
• Quote with a one-size-fits-all system.
• Offer systems well under the usual market place rate – you'll end up with a poor quality system.
• Make exaggerated claims such every bit 'no more than energy bills' or unrealistic investment payback times.

Has the system pattern in the quote been done by an accredited designer?

Pat Southwell is a technical and compliance specialist with the Clean Energy Quango and solar consultant with Neotech. He advises buyers to ONLY talk to companies that utilize a CEC accredited designer for pre-design of the installation Earlier yous sign a contract.

"You lot know and then that it is designed by someone who is qualified to do so. This will compress your list [of retailers] by 90% and reduce your chance of signing upwardly to a disaster."

Tips on solar system pricing

Finn Peacock, solar industry blogger and owner of solar brokerage company Solarquotes, writes in his blog that choosing solar systems on price lone is a recipe for disaster.

"The solar concern is a challenging one, and margins usually don't allow for deep discounts. We recommend calling around for a few quotes to found a base price for battery storage and installation."

Some of the bug with cheap quotes that he'south seen include:

• Baiting the customer with good quality components so swapping them for cheaper ones, while covered by terms and weather condition of sale that reserve the correct for the supplier to swap out for 'equivalents'.
• Baiting with a depression price based on cheap components so upselling to more expensive ones, or simply adding lots of surcharges.
• Cutting corners with rushed installations or unqualified staff, resulting in unsafe installations.

To get an thought of a fair price for a solar PV system, expect at Solar Choice's guide to residential solar power system prices.

How to selection a quality solar panel and inverter

Even if solar panels and inverters are CEC accredited, it'south not a guarantee of their quality. Components can be modified once on the market and this can mean a drop in quality.

In 2022, the CEC introduced random spot testing of PV panels on the market, every bit well equally stricter compliance standards.

Blair Pester, Managing Manager of Taiwanese panel manufacturer Winaico says, "The increase in requirements has done much to weed out lower quality manufacturers who took reward of relatively lax standards to register vast numbers of modules.

"The quality of production has improved a lot in the last six years since a lot of lower class manufacturers are dropping off."

On the other hand, James Martin from solar brokering visitor Solar Pick suggests merely ownership well-known brand proper name panels and inverters from companies that take a history operating in Australia.

It'south not unusual for the retailer or installer to go out of concern by the time an issue arises with your system. At that point you lot'll need to contact the importer or manufacturer to make a merits.

You lot can face applied challenges when trying to enforce your rights under a warranty (or under the ACL) where a manufacturer is based outside Australia.

DNV GL publish a PV Module Reliability Scorecard that lists height panel functioning based on randomised lab results, but information technology's incomplete and misses some of the practiced quality brands on the market in Australia.

If y'all purchase solar through a major energy retailer, you lot may have more than recourse if something goes wrong, as the energy manufacture is heavily regulated and held more than accountable.

What does 'Tier 1' mean?

Australian solar retailers will often talk nigh 'tier' ranking for solar panels, only tier rankings are designed for commercial solar investors rather the buying public and are not usually publicly available.

The tier ranking comes from Bloomberg New Energy Finance industry research and ranks the company on how big it is, how many solar farm projects its panels take been used in and how many financial institutions have invested in these panels.

Martin says you can inquire the solar seller to produce a certificate or other independent verification to show they really are 'tier i'.

Seek independent advice

"Installers will always push you to some extent to their favoured components and technologies," says Damien Moyse from Renew (formerly known as the Culling Engineering Association), a not-for-turn a profit organisation offering advice on sustainable solutions.

"Independent advice is notwithstanding very useful and ends up with a better consequence."

Renew offers a ane-hour energy consultation service (priced at $199 for their members, and $275 for not-members) that will look at your energy loads such every bit hot h2o, heating and cooling, and pool pump, and determine an optimum system size and design for your needs. It will also assist you source and compare quotes.

Co-ordinate to Pat Southwell, there are some essentials to look for in the quote, besides as some scarlet flags:

• Never take a mitt-written quote or receipt.
• All labour and parts should exist itemised with prices, including GST
• Components (solar panels, the inverter, the battery etc.) should exist specified by quantity, brand and model number. Otherwise they may be swapped for cheaper parts.
• STCs should be included in the quote.
• The installer should be named on the quote. Are they a sub-contractor or in-business firm? The latter is preferred.
• An guess of the organisation's operation should be included with the system design.
• Look for the product warranty for the inverter and panels, and an installation warranty (see below), as well as the standard 25-year performance warranty on the panels.
• Look for details of post sales service and a maintenance schedule. Who should you lot call?
• An estimated timetable for supplying and installing the system.
• Business organisation terms such as payment method, deposits and timetables and how long the quote will be valid for.
• Additional costs. Retailers must make it articulate that additional costs which arise at or later installation volition not be borne by them. These costs tin can include things similar meter exchange or reconfiguration and upgrade of meter box. Speaking of which...
• Brand sure to ask the installer whether there will be any other piece of work required, particularly an upgrade of the house's switchboard or meter. Older houses especially might need this piece of work done in order to go solar installed.

Warranties and cooling off periods

As mentioned above, whatsoever company which is signed to the Clean Energy Council's Retailer's Code of Bear MUST offer a whole of organisation encompass warranty for a minimum period of 5 years. This means that no matter what happens, the company must comprehend parts AND labour on whatever component in your system.

Exterior of the CEC Canonical Solar Retailers, solar systems are generally covered by two types of warranty, known equally the product and functioning warranties.

Operation warranties for the solar panels generally final for 25 years and guarantee that solar panels will produce a minimum per centum of their rated capacity, which slowly reduces as the panels degrade over fourth dimension.

Thesolar panel production warranty covers concrete and electrical issues in a PV module, that either cause information technology to fail or nether perform. Examples include moisture ingress, breakage of the glass, frame or back-canvas, and diode failure in the junction box.

Blair Pester says that the manufacture minimum standard is a 10-year product warranty, with some manufacturers offering longer guarantees, such every bit the xv years offered by WINAICO.

Pester says, "In addition to that, some manufacturers comprehend the removal of the PV module also as the replacement. Some will only provide new modules and not the reinstallation. That can be up to the consumer."

Read your warranties to check if they include the labour and ship costs of removal and reinstallation.

TheInverter product/manufacturer warrantyis very important every bit the inverter is most probable to be the get-go thing that needs replacement.

Jeff Wehl, General Manager of Ecoelectric says people should expect that the inverter manufacturer's warranty should cover parts AND labour for five years, and and so another five years for parts only.

"Be enlightened that depending on what it takes to identify and replace the unit, in that location could be additional costs involved," says Wehl. "A typical result is a telephone call out fee of up to $160 to diagnose and remove the unit, followed by the bodily replacement which is paid for by the inverter visitor."

If you have a warranty merits, it should go to the retailer or installer in the first instance. If they are non contactable, then become to the importer. If it is a problem with the component and not installation, y'all should contact the manufacturer as they have responsibilities nether Australian Consumer Law.

Cooling-off periods

When yous sign a contract that has arisen from an unsolicited sale, a x-day cooling-off period applies in which you can exit the deal.

Some suppliers may offering a 10-day cooling-off period in their terms, regardless of whether information technology was an unsolicited sale or not. Be certain to check.

Source: https://www.choice.com.au/home-improvement/energy-saving/solar/articles/how-to-find-a-good-solar-installer

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