Selecting the best value solar panels for your home, and for your budget, can be a confusing decision, there is so much sales hype… everyone has the best brand, of course their solar panels cost you the least! Most solar power installations are defined by the amount of available north facing roof space your home of business has available, and your budget.
So, how do you decide???
If you have researched and decided on the solar panels for your home, and are finding it difficult to compare solar panels of the same technology, e.g. 3 different quotes from 3 competing solar businesses, all selling monocrystalline panels, start by asking the sale person these questions:
- Are your solar system designer s and installers accredited by the Clean Energy Council?
- Are your installers staff members or sub contractors?
- Does the price quoted include all the necessary paperwork?
- Can you provide me with references in my area of recent installations?
- How many systems has your company installed locally?
- Can you give an accurate chart of what the system production will be for my installation?
- What performance guarantees do I get for the solar system as a whole?
- Which guarantees/warranties are your responsibility and which are the manufacturers?
- Does the manufacturer of your panels and inverter have an Australian office?
- How long from payment of the deposit to fully installed?
The solar panels cost presented by each solar business is often confusing because they all have different sizes and configurations, divide the total cost by the total output of the system.
E.g. for a 1.5kw solar system: Quote (a) might be $3,450/1520 watts = $2.27 per watt and quote (b) might be $2,780/1480 watts = $1.88 per watt
Judging from the answers choose the company with the most local experience and overall credibility, and best value for money. The varriations of the solar panels cost between companies is significant, even between companies supplying the same panels.