1. Are they selling reputable brands? This is your home we’re talking about. Electrical safety is paramount. You need to know that the brands being offered are on the Industry Lists of appropriate quality items.
2. Is this the right size system for your needs? There’s no “one size fits all”. You want the quoting person at your home looking at your roof size (not making estimates off Google Earth aerial photographs). You want them looking at your roof angle, looking at your electricity bill and talking to you about your electricity usage patterns and appliances. You want a solar power system tailored to your individual needs, not designed simply as the largest system that will fit on your roof – that could cost you more than you need to pay.
3. Do they have a local presence in Bundaberg? As a customer, you want access to before and after sales service on this product, because you’re investing thousands in it. You might want to see a system running in a showroom. You might want to ask questions after you’ve had your system installed. Will this company satisfy your need for information, rather than simply installing a piece of equipment for you?
4. Do they have a variety of brands to choose from? Some solar power companies only have one brand of panel. At AllSafe, we carry several brands, because some customers are very happy with top level (or Tier One) Chinese panels, but other customers prefer German or US solar panels. You want to have choice.
5. What about the warrantee? All solar panels in Australia have a 25 year output warrantee. That’s a requirement of law, but the factory warrantee varies between 10 and 25 years, depending on the brand. Not only do you need to check the warrantee on the products you’re buying, you need to think about whether the company supplying and installing them will still be around if you need to call on that warrantee.
6. Are there any additional costs? Will the salesman who comes to your home check your meter box to ensure it’s ready for solar power? Sometimes older homes need upgrades before the solar system can be installed and they might cost upwards of $500. You don’t want unexpected costs turning up after you’ve signed on for a system, so make sure you’re told about everything that needs to be paid for, so you can see the total cost of the system to you.
7. Am I in danger of sacrificing quality for price? As you can see from the points mentioned, a quality solar power system is vital from the perspective of safety, reliability and performance. It’s often better to pay more and get the right product, rather than jumping to the cheapest quote. You can’t ‘trade them in’ if you want a better model in three years’ time! You need to select the best model for your budget, lifestyle and needs now.
Hopefully we’ve been able to help you with that choice!
Post time: Feb-12-2017