What Defines a Quality Solar System
So you search “Quality Solar” - or “Quality Solar System” - but do you know what it actually is? What on earth is a quality solar system and why should you believe anyone when they say they can offer it to you?
This blog post sees the very common terms that many solar websites use such as ‘best solar system nsw’, ‘best solar deals’ ‘quality solar’ to drive traffic to their website. Is it known to the consumer that these companies tend to only hold a solar retailer license, and are not themselves accredited solar installers not accredited solar designers?
These terms and representations have the possibility to be confusing to a consumer - what is a solar retailer, what is an accredited solar installer and why do I want an actual solar technician as the owner of the business? How can I actually get a quality solar system, and what actually is that!? This blog seeks to clarify these things and in-turn advise what actually goes into a quality solar system to enable you to identify something that does represent good value for money, and something that doesn’t.
Firstly, you should know;
“In order to claim federal government financial incentives available under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), consumers must use a CEC-accredited installer and designer” - These are what you know as the Solar Government Rebates
The difference between an accredited solar retailer and an accredited solar installer / designer
As defined by the Clean Energy Regulator, “a solar retailer is responsible for the procurement, sale and arrangement of the installation (including grid connection, where applicable) of a solar PV system for a consumer either by contracting a party to do so or using its own employees”
Importantly, a solar retailer must engage a solar designer and solar installer to conduct the works. A company with only a solar retailer license can not complete the solar installation themselves.
This is an important point. Many businesses will tout the badge ‘solar retailer’ but what does this mean? A solar retailer may be nothing more than a middleman! Sure they certainly have responsibilities as defined by the Clean Energy Regulator, but it should be known that anyone can become a solar retailer in a short amount of time, but a solar designer and solar installer will take years of work to achieve (you must be a qualified electrician to begin with - solar technician) - more than 4 years in most circumstances. This is because a solar retailer can simply contract the solar work out to someone else !
And so this is the first step in understanding what to look for when refining your choices in looking for a business that will give you a Quality Solar System. A solar business that holds solar designer and solar installer accreditation from the Clean Energy Council (CEC) IN HOUSE can only be more proficient when it comes to the initial consultation, initial solar design and proposal, and then the actual installation - because the initial contact will be made by somehow who actually understand the intricacies of how the solar system will work and by doing this, they can truly recommend and offer you a quality solar system - not just one that sits will for their sales scheme. You want a solar technician to talk to, not a salesman. Check the logos on our home page - Newy Solar Co are proudly accredited solar deisgners and installers.
Secondly,
You really want to avoid companies who say things like: best solar system nsw, tier 1 panels, best solar deals, long warranties and so on and so forth. These terms hold no actual value. For example, warranties are set by the industry, not the product. What we mean is that a company can offer a product with a 30 year warranty, but if that solar panel is a relatively new or cheap brand, it wouldn’t matter if they offered a 50 year warranty. The point being, the period of warranty holds no value for an unknown product.
Therefore, you want to ensure that you use trusted brands that have been in the industry and are proven to be reliable. A quality solar system consists of quality solar components.
Finally,
The last point to check is the quality of the work of the business. You can do this various ways - how long have the solar technicians been at the business, do the solar techie’s have a high turn around? Companies that have high turn arounds tend to not retain their solar technicians for a few reasons and it may be an indicator that they are not being treated correctly. This is common in solar companies whom are predominantly solar retailers and lack the solar installation accreditation.
We admit that this industry is an absolute minefield for consumers, with many companies claiming they are the best at certain things. Big businesses constantly tout these common sayings and bombard thier customers with these statements. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST stay away from any companies that try to create an unjustified sense of urgency such as “LIMITED TIME SALE - 6.6 KW SOLAR SYSTEM” or things like “TIER 01 BILL BUSTER PACKAGE”. Stay away from any companies that seek to sway you by purchasing the marketing power of any famous persons.
The best advice it to keep it simple and to keep it local. Go with a business that has an accredited solar designer and installer as they are best positioned to offer you an accurate solar proposal, stay away from the above buzzwords, do not accept solar door salesman sales tactics, and judge the person based on their character.
If you are in the market for a real, quality solar system, Newy Solar Co would be happy to help.
