Solar Panel Systems have become very common nowadays as a way to save tons of energy. However, some mistakes are commonly made during solar panel system installation. These mistakes are described here to make people aware of them so they can avoid them.
Not Getting Multiple Energy Quotes
It is critical to get multiple quotes when searching for a home solar system. People generally look at one or two quotes, but this is not enough. By getting multiple quotes from different companies, you will receive a breakdown of how much money solar energy will cost you. This helps you gain a real understanding of whether solar power is in your budget or not.
Unaware of how “cost reduction” works
Another big mistake is that people generally have a misunderstanding about how solar system cost reduction and feed-in tariffs work. Here is a short explanation of the main misunderstanding of solar power benefits:
#1: People generally think that getting a decent-sized solar system will allow them to never have to pay an electricity bill again, but they’ll also get a fat cheque from electricity companies in the mail every quarter for net metering. The truth is that this will happen only if you signed up for a gross feed-in tariff 4 or more years ago. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t significantly reduce your electricity bill with a solar panel system. Obviously, the cost will be lower significantly.
#2: The only benefit of using solar energy is what your electricity company prints on your bill.
Many people don’t understand that the benefits of a solar system remain invisible and are not written on the electricity bill. They don’t understand that the beneficial payoff for the system is quicker than it seems initially.
Unaware of “Warranty”
This may be shocking to some people, but you should not believe everything a salesperson says! All the time they will tell you that your solar installation will need to be serviced once every two years or more in order to keep the system in warranty. But it is not true. Good-quality solar systems will only need to be serviced once every 5 years and cleaned once a year. If any salesman tells you that you’ll need to pay a maintenance fee for keeping your panels in warranty, don’t believe them.
Another tactic that some dishonest salesmen use to meet their sales target is ensuring a 25-year performance warranty on the solar panel system. If any problem occurs in your system within the 25-year warranty period, they will cover it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Solar manufacturers find it very easy to wriggle out of this ‘performance warranty. Most of the time, the warranty is only good for 5 years for claiming any defects in the panel system.
You can get four separate warranties with your solar system. The performance warranty is one of them. The other three are:
• A 10-year warranty for your inverter
• A 5-year warranty for the workmanship
• A 10-year warranty for your solar panels
You can only apply for these warranties at the time of purchasing the solar system.
Thinking that your roof doesn’t face the optimal direction
Solar panels work efficiently, even if your panels aren’t facing north. If your roof is not set in the optimal direction, you will only lose 10-15% of your solar system production. Depending on your electricity use during the daytime, it may make more sense for your solar panels to face east or west for morning or evening sunlight according to when electricity usage is highest.
Not knowing the proper size
Not knowing the size of the system you need is an easier problem to solve because most renowned solar installers will visit your home to fully assess your electricity usage for your household before providing you with a quote. They will ask you about your budget and how much you wish to spend to purchase the perfectly sized solar system that matches your energy usage and budget.
All the above-mentioned mistakes are common when buying a solar system. This is why it is so important to research the solar system before buying. If you are not well educated on the topic, you will have to believe blindly what the salesperson says. This article may help to prevent all of these potential mistakes.
