9 Crucial Things You Should Know When Considering Where To Buy Solar Panels
Don't have clue regarding where to buy solar panels? Discover 9 crucial things you need to consider before you make your solar panel purchase.
Many Homeowners Have Been Thinking About Where To Buy Solar Panels
Residential solar power has grown from a cottage industry to a fairly large one in the last decade and a half.
New incentives for renewable power and energy efficiency are incentivizing lots of companies to get into the consumer solar market, and right now, that market is taking on a bit of the unregulated Wild West feeling.
It will eventually shake out as the fly by night companies fold up, but knowing where to buy solar panels from can be a bit tricky.
When Looking At Where To Buy Solar Panels, Protect Yourself By Thinking About The 9 Crucial Things You Should Know Before You Commit To Buying A Solar Panel
When buying solar panels, be cautious.
You are not buying crown molding or windows, you're buying a high energy device that can be dangerous if installed improperly.
Take your time with all phases of the project and protect yourself.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #1. Think Watts
When considering where to buy solar panels, remember that every solar reseller is trying to convince you that their panels are better, best, or something.
First and foremost, understand that every reseller is going to tell you a higher number of watts generated than you're going to get.
Rather than look at the watts they're selling, you want to look for the number called the minimum warranted power, that's what those panels are supposed to generate in real world conditions.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #2. Think Per Watt PTC rating
Next, when looking at where to buy solar panels, there's going to be a rating - it'll be called something like Per Watt PTC.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #3. Think Inverter Capabilities.
If you're buying a full residential solar power system, where to buy solar panels as part of a tesidential solar panel kit, you're going to want to look at the inverter capabilities specified as well.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #4. Think Warranty.
Another aspect of where to buy solar panels from is getting the warranty in writing.
Reputable vendors will warranty monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels for upwards of 20 years or more.
- If the seller you're saying doesn't, they're probably selling reconditioned parts, or they're a company that doesn't have the financial track record to stand behind their product.
Some newer panel types (such as CIGS panels) may have shorter warranties because we simply don't know how long they'll last, but it's an important consideration in choosing where to buy solar panels.
- Things that promise huge performance boosts in the lab may not translate into measurable improvements on your home.
- If you're up to being a consumer guinea pig for this, more power to you.
- Just remember, this is something that's going to be out in the sun, under the rain and possibly under snow if you're not careful.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #5. Think Efficiency
When choosing where to buy solar panels, look for both efficiency (higher values of which reduce the size of the installation needed) and cost-for-payback.
Perfect efficiency usually increases the cost (because they're more expensive to make to that higher tolerance).
- Cost-for-payback is important - it gives you an estimate on when your system's energy savings will have repaid your initial investment.
- Remember to adjust your electric rates by a few percent per year to cover the rising cost of electricity in your calculations.
Some Vendors Will Also Try To Push 'Thermal Break-Even'
Some vendors will also try to push "thermal break-even" as some sort of cost for payback - they'll tell you that their solar cells took less energy to make, and are thus 'greener'.
- What they aren't telling you is that the reduction in efficiency on the panels from those 'greener' production methods tend to dwarf the reduced energy to make the panels in the first place.
- Some even try to pitch this as a 'reduced cost for payback' and deal with green guilt that way.
- Thus, when you make your decision on where to buy your solar panels, don't let the sales pitches fool you into buying a solar system that's not right for you.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #6. Think Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Most established companies have a record with the Better Business Bureau.
One of the best steps you can take before you buy your solar panel is to check with the BBB to see how many complaints a company has received.
- No company is perfect and depending on the length of time that they have been in business you may see a few complaints.
- The question is how many complaints over what period of time and were those complaints resolved ?
When Checking Out A Company'S Bbb Record, You Will Want To Visit The Specific Bbb Website That Handles The Town And State That The Business Is Located In.
For example, if you were considering a Solar Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, you would visit the Better Business Bureau by visiting http://www.saltlakecity.bbb.org/
- Click on the orange link titled "CHECK OUT A BUSINESS OR CHARITY" next enter the name of the business where it says "search for:
- In this example you would enter the name of the company you are looking for.
- Select the state from the drop down box (In this example the state would be UT for Utah)
- Now keep in mind that we do not have an office in Utah so whatever companies you see listed have nothing to do with us.
- Click on the blue link for the company and there you will see the BBB rating and the number of complaints that the company has had in the last 36 months.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #7. Think Contractor's License
Does the company claim to be a licensed contractor?
If so most states require that the company post their contractor's license on all of their advertising including any website.
If the dealer claims to be a contractor but doesn't post his or her contractor's license, ask him or her to provide you with the number and look up the number on the particular state's contractor's license board website.
- If the company claims to be a contractor but refuses to provide you with a contractor's license number, the company really should be reported.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #8. Think Corporate Filing
Lately there's been a crop of companies that are calling themselves Corporations in an effort to appears more established than they really are.
- If you are dealing with a company that is using the "Inc." designation check with the Department of Corporations on the Internet in the state that the business is located in and look up the company's corporate filing.
We're finding more and more businesses that claim to be Corporations when in reality they are not.
- In fact some of these Corporations" don't even possess a valid business license or resale permit.
When Looking At Where To Buy Your Solar Panels #9. Think Years-Of-Solar-Experience
It doesn't take much nowadays to set up a website from a spare bedroom have a few business cards and brochures printed get a custom embroidered shirt made and call yourself a renewable energy dealer.
- So called 'solar-dealers' like that are cropping up every day.
Always Protect Yourself By Doing Your Due Diligence To Ensure That The Solar Company You Are Buying From Is A Reputable Company.
Don't get us wrong we're not trying to make it difficult for the little guy who's just getting started, we just feel that it's important for an individual to have a certain level of integrity, competency and commitment to the industry before they identify themselves as a renewable energy dealer.
- At the same time, we do not feel that this is the type of business that an individual can start without previously having received professional training and experience.
Here's to finding a way to bring more solar power into your family!
P.S. Here's a few more tips to help your solar power projects go smoothly...
