First, you want to find an actual installer, rather than a sales company. You need to find someone relatively local, who is knowledgeable and believes in what they do. You don’t want someone who’s doing it just for the money, although of course they need to make a living. There are installers out there who are doing it for love – because they really want to help as many people as possible to get clean energy from the sun. Let’s help you find one of those installers – it’s quite a big investment, so you want to spend your money wisely.
Your installer should be an accredited installer with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). Your panels and other products will need to be certified as well – but your accredited installer will ensure that they are. See www.microgenerationcertification.org and make sure your installer is on the list.
Who to avoid
Rule one – if a company also installs plastic double glazing, give them a wide berth. We have to learn to spot the difference between sales companies and genuine installers. For some reason, there are lots of sharks in the solar world.
Many companies who appear to be solar installers are nothing of the sort. They’re just fronts – sales companies, who nevertheless may be on the MCS website. They will take your money and sub-contract the job to the cheapest installers, paying them very low fees, but providing regular work that has to be done very quickly to be financially viable. Installations will generally take place in one day. The sales company will get kit from suppliers, but the kit will be pre-selected by the supplier in ‘kit’ form – i.e. the cheapest, and what happens to be available at the time. So the customer has paid top price, but gets a cheap, hurried installer and cheap kit. Their system won’t work as well, and won’t last as long as it should.
A good installer isn’t going to be a slick salesperson who focuses entirely on price. This isn’t a good yardstick and will only lead to false economy. It’s not a precise science, but you can get a feel for whether their pitch sounds too good to be true, or if they don’t point out potential problems. There’s no need to install silver-framed blue panels any more. If you’ve got them, they’ll continue to work just fine, but nowadays everyone wants sleek black panes, and solar companies know that. The prices are very similar, so if you’re offered silver-framed blue panels, it could well be a sales company trying to get rid of old stock. Ask them about it.
Be careful of who you give your details to. Don’t give them to companies who say they will get 3 companies to give you independent quotes. They will take details of potential customers and sell them to a local installer for around £40 each. Two of those small, local installers will lose their £40, and maybe all three, because the potential customer might change their mind. It’s a system that impoverishes local installers. It’s better to cut out the sales company and make sure your money all goes to the right people.
Look out for clever talk from the salesperson. Anything that hints that they are going to do extra calculations / use computer prediction software, especially for you, to show you how much electricity you are going to generate, is not true. There is only one set of figures that MCS installers have to use, and that’s the figures provided by the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme). They can use another set of figures, as long as you use the MCS figures as well, and tell the customer which is which. But really, you only need the official MCS prediction.
How to spot the good guys
This is how a good company operates. The installer will visit the customer’s house, and select the right kit for their needs. The price won’t suddenly change if you’re not sure if you can afford their quote. They will give you a good price, based on good products and good workmanship.
The first port of call when trying to find a good installer is the internet. Search for local companies. Find them on the map. Is their office in the centre of a town or city. If so, be wary – they’re more likely to be a sales company. Installers will more often be on a local industrial estate. Go to see their offices. Do they have stock of panels and kit, vans, ladders? If they do, that’s a good start.
Does the company install solar thermal as well? If not, why not? Do they do maintenance of existing systems? Be shrewd. Call them and tell them that you have a solar electric system, but the installer has gone bust, and you have a problem. Could they come and have a look at it? A sales company won’t, but a genuine installer will. At least it won’t be out of the question. OK, it’s a bit of a white lie to say that you have a system when you don’t, and so we’re on dodgy ground here, ethically. But ultimately, your intentions are good – you’re looking to give money to a good company. Besides, if they don’t do maintenance, what’s going to happen if you need maintenance work in the future?
It’s not all about the panels
Panels are rated. If it’s a 250 watt (peak) panel, it will produce 250 watts in peak conditions. It’s been tested by shining a light on it at 1000watts per m² (i.e. like a bright sunny day in the UK). Then they measure the amount of power you get out of it – very simple. If they try to tell you that you’ll get more from one panel than another, but they’re both 250 watt panels, don’t trust them. It doesn’t matter if it’s polycrystalline or monocrystalline either. If it’s a 250 watt panel, it doesn’t matter – you’ll get 250 watts in peak conditions. They’ll both decrease in output by about 1% a year, and this will be built into the calculations. If you think you’re buying panels manufactured in Europe or North America, the cells will almost definitely have been produced in China. There’s nothing wrong with Chinese panels. If you want a better quality system, put all of your effort into the inverter. Find out where it’s made, and with inverters, European or North American are best.
Thanks to Norman Phipps for the information.