The process of going solar can seem complex, so you all want to hire the right professionals to make it easier. So how do you choose a qualified, certified, and experienced professional solar installer who uses high-quality solar products?
The quick answer is by researching and interviewing multiple installers. Here are some of the most important questions you must ask your solar installer.
Q1. Are you licensed, bonded, and insured?
It’s critical that the solar installation company you hire has received a license from the county/city and state in which they are working. The contractor should be insured and bonded, as well.
Check Staten’s License details here
Q2. Can you provide your customer reviews & testimonials, references, and other examples of your installations?
Nothing beats a track record of success. Any good company should be able to show you photos of projects completed and have honest reviews and testimonials. Ideally, you could get some addresses and go see other projects they’ve installed, after due permission.
But if you can’t go see any, perhaps some of their customers are willing to talk with you on the phone. It doesn’t hurt to ask. The best customer to talk to is someone who had their installation done several years ago. If they are still happy with it, you can have confidence in this solar installation company.
Another simple way to look for the company’s Website, Facebook, Instagram, or probably their LinkedIn page. Many well-established firms post their success stories, their work-in-progress project as well completed work announcements on these websites and social media platforms.
Q3. How is solar going to impact my utility bill?
If a salesperson says your electricity bill will disappear after solar installation. Beware! You will always have an electric bill due to various fixed charges levied by your utility. However, your solar installer should be able to tell you how much you could expect your energy bill to go down after installing solar.
Q4. How are rebates, incentives, permits, and all paperwork handled?
Will the company handle all the paperwork for acquiring the permit, solar renewable energy credits, grants, and other incentives(if available), or will you have to navigate this on your own? If you don’t want to deal with bureaucracy, hire a full-service solar panel installer near you to handle the paperwork.
Q5. Will my solar energy system be On-Grid or Off-Grid?
There are different ways that solar panels can work with the grid. Be sure to know which option you want before you sign anything with the installer. Here are the different types of grid options for solar panels:
- On-grid systems
- Off-grid systems
- Grid-tied systems with a battery backup
Your solar installer must be capable to tell you the clear difference between them.
Q6. What about the warranties?
One of the best things about questions like this is that you really just want to see how well they know their stuff. A warranty for a solar installation should be a no-brainer, non-negotiable, standard offer that doesn’t cost anything extra. Any company that does not offer a warranty probably won’t be in business very long.
Staten Solar offers a 25-30 year production warranty on their solar panel installations. With how well the technology has advanced, anything less than 25 years should be regarded with suspicion.
Also, be sure and get the warranty for the inverter, which will likely be shorter than the one for the panels.
Q7. Who do I call if there is a problem?
There should be a local person you can contact if you have any issues with your solar panel array, inverter, or energy production. Ideally, you will have a business card, email, and phone number for the same person who does your solar consultation.
One simple way to test this is to send them an email a few days after the consultation. If they never respond or take days to get back to you, that’s a bad sign.
Anyone selling you a solar array – an electricity-generating system that will be a permanent fixture at your home – ought to respond to your emails in a timely manner.
If you have any other questions regarding your solar installation, we are happy to help you. Staten Solar is enchanted to guide you on the path to solar. Dial +1 (408) 780-2889 or write to vijay@statensolar.com
