40 Questions to Ask an Installer
Provided by American Solar Energy Society
- What year was the company established? Where are the offices?
- Are you licensed and insured?
- Who designs the system and forecasts estimated annual output?
- Are the installers your employees? Do you use subcontractors for any part of the installation?
- Do you have your own electricians on-staff-in house?
- What financing options do you offer (Lease, PPA, Loan, Cash) and how do they differ?
- How much can I save using solar?
- Who does the paperwork for utility interconnection and permits? Are associated fees included in the price of the system or extra?
- Will someone from your team be present when inspectors come to inspect?
- Have you worked with my building department before?
- Can my homeowner's association stop me from putting solar on my house?
- What happens if I sell my home?
- Do you offer a system performance guarantee?
- Does your system include panel-level monitoring? Does it cost anything extra? How do I access it?
- Will the system meet local building and fire codes?
- Do you confirm that my roof is structurally OK to hold panels?
- Do you recommend using a central inverter, micro-inverters, or optimizers? Why?
- Should my panels be interconnected to the grid? Can I get power during a blackout?
- Will you give me a firm quote or an estimate prior to signing a contract?
- How are contract changes addressed? Do I have the right to cancel?
- How long will be between the time I sign the contract until installation?
- How long will the installation take?
- Will there be a master electrician on site?
- Do I need to be home during the entire installation?
- How much money is due upfront? When are other payments due?
- Which rebates and incentives come to me? Federal? State? Other?
- Who is responsible for fixing any damage to my home if caused during installation? Or due to a penetration in the roof that results in a water leak?
- Do you pro-actively monitor my system's performance after installation and notify me if there are issues?
- Can I add more panels/modules later?
- Should I wait for newer technology?
- Can I apply for shared solar or community aggregated solar?
- What warranties are there on the different parts of the system? Who do I call if there is a problem?
- Will my home value change? Will my real estate taxes go up?
- Will the panel performance degrade over time?
- Can you provide customer references?
- What is the process for future roof replacement? Cost for removing and replacing panels?
- What if a new building is built and shades my system?
- Can you install a canopy system, a ground mounted system, or a tracking system if my roof isn't appropriate?
- Will you perform a whole house audit and let me know how to reduce all my energy demands?
- If I have an electric vehicle, how much solar energy is needed to charge it? Can I charge it when the sun isn't shining?