How to choose a solar installer you can trust

Most solar systems are designed to run for decades. That is a long time to depend on one company, and a lot can go wrong between a friendly sales visit and a system that quietly does its job for twenty-five years. After years on install crews, I've seen what separates the installers people are glad they hired from the ones they spend months chasing. Here is how I'd compare them if I were choosing for my own home.

Start with licensing and insurance

Solar work involves roofs, electrical systems and your utility connection, so the installer should hold the right state or local contractor license for it. Ask for the license number and look it up with the licensing authority yourself. It takes a few minutes and tells you whether the license is current and in good standing.

Insurance matters just as much. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation cover. If someone is injured on your roof or a panel damages your property, you want that covered by the installer's policy and not by yours.

Find out who will actually do the work

Some companies sell the job and then hand it to a subcontractor you never meet. That isn't always a problem, but you should know in advance. Ask these questions:

• Will the company's own crew install the system, or a subcontractor?
• Who supervises the job on the day, and can I reach them directly?
• Who handles permits and the utility paperwork?
• If something needs adjusting after the install, who comes back?

A clear answer to each one is a good sign. Vague answers usually mean the responsibility gets passed around later.

Insist on a written, itemised quote

A good quote lists what you're buying: the number and rating of the panels, the inverter type, any battery, mounting hardware, permits and labor. It should also give the expected yearly output of the system and the assumptions behind that figure, such as roof direction and shading.

Be wary of pressure to sign on the spot. A fair price today is still a fair price next week, and an installer confident in their work will give you time to read the paperwork and compare it with another quote.

Get at least two written quotes, and ask each installer to explain the difference between them in plain language.

Read the warranties carefully

There are usually several warranties in play, and they are not the same thing:

• Equipment warranties from the manufacturer, covering the panels and the inverter.
• A workmanship warranty from the installer, covering the installation itself, including roof penetrations and wiring.
• Any separate cover on batteries.

Ask how long each lasts and what it covers. Then ask the question that matters most: if the manufacturer fails to honor a claim or the installer is no longer in business, what happens? A workmanship warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it.

Ask for references and look at past work

An installer who does good work will be happy to put you in touch with past customers. Ask to speak with someone who had a system installed a few years ago, not only last month. Questions worth asking include whether the crew kept to the schedule, whether the roof was left tidy, and whether the installer answered the phone when something needed attention.

Photos of completed local jobs are useful too. Look at how neatly the wiring is run and how evenly the panels are laid out. Tidy work on the roof usually reflects tidy work everywhere else.

Think about service after the install

Solar is not entirely maintenance-free. Inverters can need attention, monitoring can drop offline, and roofs eventually need replacing, which means the panels have to come down and go back up. Choose a company based close enough to respond when you call.

It's also worth asking whether the installer will service systems they didn't put in. A company that does shows it expects to be around for the long run.

Be honest about whether solar fits

A trustworthy installer will tell you when solar isn't a good match. A heavily shaded roof, a roof that needs replacing soon, or very low power use can all change the answer. If every house gets the same enthusiastic yes, keep looking.

What to do next

Pick two or three installers, check their licenses and insurance, and ask each the questions above. Compare the quotes line by line, not just by the bottom-line price. The right choice is usually the company that answered everything clearly and didn't hurry you.

If you'd like a straight answer about your own roof, you can read about our solar panel and battery service or ask us for a free, no-pressure quote.