So… you want a Newcastle Solar Power Installer that you can trust and that is competent?? Ahhh well.. forget about the telemarketers, forget about the TV advertisements offering solar power bill busters with celebrities and cricketers. The question is how do you separate the wheat from the chaff: How do you know which Company is REAL and which company is FAKE? Which company ain’t in it just for a sale but to achieve the actual objective as best as possible.
IE: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH SOLAR POWER COMPANY IS GOING TO ACTUALLY DO THE RIGHT THING BY YOU?
That’s what this blog is about, stay tuned to find the reality of how it all works and at the end we’ll give you a checklist of what to look out for.
STEP ONE: Separate the solar power wheat from the chaff
“Where is the Solar Power Company located? Are they local”
Why is this relevant?
This one’s huge — and it’s often overlooked.
You wouldn’t hire a plumber from interstate. So why would you trust a solar company that isn’t even based in Newcastle?
A lot of slick and corny looking companies will throw around phrases like “local team” or “servicing the Hunter” — but dig deeper, and you’ll find:
- No local office
- No local installers
- No service team within 100km
- It’s just pyramid contracting
They might ship in subcontractors to do a quick install, and vanish before your system has even synced to the app. And if something breaks? Good luck getting someone back out.
You know, when we quoted a customer the other day he asked what our (Newy Solar Co Pty Ltd) solar workmanship warranty was. I actually didn’t have an answer! He said all the other companies were pushing this 10 year workmanship warranty super hard and I said to him look mate,
‘we are local. If anything every happens just give us a call. Not that anything will happen (because we do a damn good job) but if it ever does just give us a buzz and we’ll be around to fix it. We will here’
And I said I have never been asked that question before and I didn’t actually have an answer for him about workmanship warranty. I think the companies that peddle and advertise workmanship warranties are the ones that you will probably need a workmanship warranty the most to be honest. But when you go to claim it, the phone will likely ring out and your Sydney bill buster install company will be no where to found (and then you realise the power of local)
Ok so here’s why choosing a genuine local company matters:
- We’re accountable — our reputation is on the line with every install because we live here and when we drive past the jobs we want to point to them and be proud and say we done that solar install job right here in town.
- We’re around — if your system throws a fault, we’re minutes away, not a plane ride
- We reinvest locally — our team, our suppliers, and our community connections are all right here
A solar install isn’t just a transaction. It’s a long-term relationship. And those work better when we’re neighbours.
So next time you’re checking out a company, ask them:
“Are your installers in house, are they local – are YOU local?”
If the answer’s vague, or in another state, you’ve got your answer. Don’t do it – we are warning you…
Now you have separated the wheat from the chaff, so let’s move on;
STEP 02: DON’T BE FOOLED BY A SOLAR SALESMAN
I know, I know. How can you not be fooled if you don’t know the first thing about solar power? Even the owner of Newy Solar Co understands this one in depth and sees firsthand the rifeness of the slimy solar salesman within the industry. Here is a prime example of a solar salesman in Newcastle being dishonest – it’s a short story.
We (Newy Solar Co) were called to do a quotation for a customer. We scheudled a time with them and then headed out to site to give them a free solar power quotation and when we arrived, the customer embarrassingly told us how they had double booked us with another solar contractor who was in the house right now. I said ‘no worries i’ll keep busy’ and I went around doing my site assessment works, checking the voltage on the main switchboard, getting the drone up and the ladder out to check the condition of what we were doing. When the solar salesman left, I waved to him and jokingly said ‘are they tough customers’ – he didn’t really laugh.
When we sat down with the customers to discuss our proposal – which was a just a standard grid tied string system, the customers were confused. They said;
‘the solar salesman told us we needed an optimised system because it’s safer. He showed me pictures of houses and walls that had burnt down because of unsafe solar power systems’
I LAUGHED (to myself) and let a slight chuckle. I knew this salesman was trying to push his own product onto the customer.
Because the reality of the situation is that the customer did not need this optimized system. They had zero shading on their roofs, and in honest a good value string inverter represented the actual best solution for this customer. Being an accredited solar installer myself i snuffed this salespitch as soon as they mentioned it – the company was trying to pressure these customers into buying their solar optimised system via the utilisation of scare tactics. And in fact, string systems represents the majority of the installations anyway. This is quick table we made – we can’t guarantee it’s accuracy 100% but we think it is close.
| Segment (AU residential + C&I rooftop, 2023) | Directionally-sound share range | Confidence basis |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional string inverters | ≥ 50 % of revenue / installations | Grand View Research AU report; market-wide installer experience. |
| String + power‐optimiser (SolarEdge-type) | ≈ 5 – 10 % | Global optimiser revenue vs. string; SolarEdge’s own AU sales claims; anecdotal installer mix. |
| Micro-inverters (Enphase, Hoymiles, etc.) | ≈ 2 – 4 % | Wood Mac & IHS global MLPE data; Enphase investor calls note AU is a “single-digit‐% share” market. |
| Central inverters (utility-scale) | Remainder (mostly large solar farms) | Utility projects use central or large multi-MPPT strings rather than MLPE. |
Now, as i chuckled to myself i said to the customers;
“Look – this is a common sales-pitch. The reality is that most installs don’t actually use these systems. And in fact – by putting in all these extra electronic components you actually reduce the reliability of your system – it’s simple mathematics. More electronic components = a greater chance of failure. All you need, is a bang for buck string inverter’
They were shocked, to say the least.
As a consumer, you have to be wise to these types of people because you will find them everywhere in life. The solar power industry is rife with them. Our advise is to question everything and anything but most importantly, you must look at the person and get a sense of what they are about. Are they there just trying to peddle their own solar power systems so they can get their hands on a greasy commission – or are they a local, Newcastle solar installer who tells you the reality of the situation.
Finding a solar installer that is trustworthy and competent is tough – you really need to have your wits about you. But you should rely on intuition to a certain extent to understand if the person trying to sell you something what their main motive is. Is it to simply peddle their product – or have they come up with a genuine reasons and good design that is a direct answer to your requirement?
STEP 03: TIER 1 SOLAR PRODUCTS – DON’T GET BLINDSIDED
Ahhhh yes. We only use tier 1 products. Whilst this can seemingly be an indication
What “Tier 1” actually means
- “Tier 1” is not an official quality standard.
- It’s a list published quarterly by Bloomberg NEF that ranks solar-module manufacturers according to one thing only: bankability.
- To make the cut, a company must have supplied modules to at least six projects > 10 MW that were each financed by independent commercial banks in the previous 24 months. assets.bnef.comvicoexport.com
- The logic is that if multiple banks will lend against a brand, the firm is likely to stay solvent long enough to honour a warranty.
It says nothing about the panel’s performance, longevity, or build quality.
Why you shouldn’t rely on Tier 1 status alone
| ⚠️ Limitation | Why it matters to a homeowner in Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Purely financial metric | A “Tier 1” factory can still ship duds. Bankability ≠ reliability. solarreviews.com |
| Short historical window | A newcomer that lands a handful of big projects might leap onto the list, while a proven niche maker stays off it. The list can swing every quarter. |
| No grading below Tier 1 | Bloomberg doesn’t publish “Tier 2” or “Tier 3”. Those labels are just sales slang. |
| Panel-level testing ignored | Tier 1 doesn’t consider results from independent stress tests like the PVEL or RETC scorecards, which actually measure degradation, PID, hotspot risk, etc. |
| Local service not captured | A Tier 1 brand with no Australian office may leave you chasing an overseas RMA if something fails. |
STEP 03: Look for Heart in the Work and Person
Let’s bang out a few quick words here;
- Local Newcastle solar power installations showcases
- Previous Newcastle solar jobs
- Professionalism
- Excitement
This might sound strange, but it’s something we believe in at Newy Solar Co.
When a team cares about your home, your power bill, and your future—they show it in their work. They take the time to explain things. They tidy up after the install. They go the extra mile without being asked. The sun starts to set and the boys are still their slogging away…
Because when you’re working with a company built on trust, solar becomes more than panels on your roof. It becomes a long-term relationship. You have put your trust into us and we want to repay it through doing what we said we were going to at the beginning.
To Newy Solar Co, doing every job to the best of our abilities comes built into each and every price and quotation we send to the customers. Sometimes, we don’t tell customers the extent of everything we do.
Rather, if they choose us, we show our customers what a true solar power installation by a local company is really supposed to be like.
And they always, always, thank themselves for choosing the local solar power company here in Newcastle to take care of them
✔️ Newcastle Solar Installer Selection Checklist
Use this at the end of your research to make sure you’re choosing a real, competent, and local solar company—not just the cheapest sales pitch.
| ✅ | What to ask / inspect | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Local proof | Are your installers on staff and Newcastle-based? Who turns up if I need service in 12 months? | True locals are accountable and close by if anything goes wrong. |
| Licences & accreditation | Show me your NSW electrical licence and CEC Accredited Installer number. Are you an Approved Solar Retailer | Guarantees legal compliance and eligibility for STCs & warranties. |
| Workmanship quality | Can I see photos of three recent jobs? Who signs off the electrical Certificate of Compliance? | Neat installs last longer and protect your roof warranty. |
| No-BS product specs | Why did you choose this panel & inverter combo for my roof? What do independent PVEL / TÜV tests say about these panels? Where is the Australian warranty service centre? | “Tier 1” ≠ quality; independent test data and local support do. |
| Fair pricing, no scare tactics | Is an optimiser/micro-inverter solution genuinely needed on my roof? (Get a straight answer.) Can I see an option with a good-value string inverter for comparison? | Eliminates upsells that add cost without benefit. |
| After-sales support | 1How do you monitor my system once it’s live? What’s your response time for faults? Do you service what you sell, or hand me to the manufacturer? | Ongoing support is worth more than a paper “10-year workmanship warranty”. |
| Paperwork & payment | Clear, itemised quote (panels, inverter, racking, labour, STC rebate). Contract includes start/finish dates & clean-up clause. Payment schedule tied to milestones, not 100 % up-front. | Prevents surprise extras and protects your cash. |
| Community reputation | Google Reviews & local Facebook groups – what do homeowners say? Ask for one Newcastle customer you can phone. | Word-of-mouth is the fastest way to separate the wheat from the chaff. |
Print this list, tick every box – and you’ll land a solar install that delivers decades of trouble-free power, not decades of regret.
Or – for simplicity sake just choose Newy Solar Co Pty Ltd. We are your local, Newcastle, Maitland and the Hunters local solar power installation company for everything solar. Click below.
