Iām looking to go solar but thereās so many companies in the market these days that offer what āappearā to be good deals & lets face it a warranty is only good while a company is in business! Iāve tried to read up on solar panels but again thereās so many & I get confused by all the techno babble. I just want a decent system that does a great job & will last, from a reputable company with quality installers who know their stuff & great after sales service (just in case all the previous must haves fail in some way) & not get ripped off in the process. Is this an impossible dream?
I understand your pain. I often wonder how a consumer can wade through all the noise out there to be able to confidently purchase a solar system. Especially given youād hope itās a once or twice in a lifetime event. Itās certainly a big reason for us starting CER, we were working full time in the industry and still couldnāt work out what weāre quality products or not.
In terms of installers, there are of course some ācowboysā out there, but in reality the majority of operators are professional and passionate about what they do. It takes quite a commitment to become a solar installer, in Australia and the US at least, and the regulations to ensure installations are done to a high standard are quite tight. I would say the best option is to get recommendations from friends and family for electricians in your area, a lot of electricians install solar or at least can recommend someone. You can also do one of those get three quotes services, but I think the risk there is being convinced by slick salespeople rather than quality products etc. If you donāt have any good recommendations, you can search for Clean Energy Council accredited installers in Australia here https://www.solaraccreditation.com.au/consumers/find-an-installer.html. I would get quotes from three or four. You will get a good understanding of how these guys operate from communicating with them.
Once you have a few quotes to compare, have a look at our website and articles on the best solar panels and inverters to check the products are there. Or ask questions in the forum. Let us know if you have any further concerns.
Hey Marty,
No, Iām afraid I didnāt I got sidetracked with health issues. I have had a couple of quotes lately from Colar Solar & Solargain but Iām not sure if theyāre good quotes or not, maybe you could help me??!
These two are for 5kw systems 07|380x500 &
I live in central Victoria & was told by Cola Solar that I didnāt need a 5kw system but I said I wanted something that would cover me for the long hot summers as I need the aircon most of the day & some of the night, he gave me quotes for both 5kw & 3kw systems.
Iām quite partial to Cola Solar, from my (albeit limited) feedback I have had on them, they seem to be pretty genuine and sell quality stuff. Itās very rare for a company to down sell, because they make less money by doing that. Which strikes me as a pretty good sign of a trustworthy business.
Huawei optimisers and SunPower are top notch products, and if they say you donāt need 5kW, I would probably listen to that advice.
Hope that helps, and thanks for getting back in touch. Please let us know how you go.
