Don’t Become A Lost Sheep In A Field Of Wolves:

The Top 6 Mistakes People Make When Buying Solar Systems

1) Not getting multiple quotes

I swear this isn’t a shameless plug for the free service that my website provides. It’s absolutely critical to get multiple quotes wherever possible (and not just when it comes to solar!), as some unscrupulous installers are still going around charging people $20,000 for a $5,000 system. 

By having multiple companies give you a breakdown on how much solar will cost you, you can gain a real understanding of whether solar is right for your budget, and whether or not you’re being ripped off (in either price or quality). 

2) Being unaware of how the ‘rebate’ works

Another big mistake that I see people make comes from their (mis)understanding of how the solar ‘rebate’ and ‘feed-in tariffs’ work.

I explain in greater detail here, but to summarise, the solar ‘rebate’ is a point-of-sale discount when you buy your system legislated by the federal government. The feed-in tariff is the price you get for exported electricity when you use your solar system which is mandated by your state government.

Here are the 2 big misunderstandings:

Misunderstanding #1: The Rebate: People think that the solar rebate has finished. It hasn’t. It is alive and kicking and very generous, reducing the prices of solar systems by about $3,500 for a typical 5kW system (note: any advertised prices you see already have this rebate included).

But the rebate is legislated to start reducing from January 2017. So if you are considering solar – it makes sense to buy it in 2016 and get the maximum rebate.

If you’re looking to get quotes for solar from installers within our trusted network, that can claim your solar rebate for you: then simply click here to start the process 

Misunderstanding #2: The Feed In Tariff: The Feed In Tariff has reduced significantly in recent years. Many people think this makes solar pointless. That’s not true. While it is true that your solar system will no longer be a ‘money making’ machine, it can still be a ‘money saving’ machine. So don’t expect to get a cheque from your electricity company every quarter, but do expect a much smaller bill – if you get solar. For example – I’m only on an 8c Feed In Tariff,  but my latest power bill was only $33 for a 6 person household. 

3) Not knowing what protections you’re entitled to under Australian consumer law

This may come as a shock to some people, but you shouldn’t believe everything a salesperson says!

Almost every week someone will tell me that they’ve had a solar installer tell them that they need to have their systems serviced once every two years (or more) in order for the system to stay in warranty. 

This is bollocks. Speaking as a chartered electrical engineer, good-quality solar systems will only need to be serviced once every 5 years, and cleaned once per year.

If you have a salesman telling you that you’ll need to pay some kind of ‘maintenance fee’ to keep your panels in warranty, show them the door.

Another tactic that dishonest salesmen use is to assure you that your solar systems will have a 25 year ‘performance warranty’, to make it seem like any problems that befall your system will be covered under this apparent 25-year warranty.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. It’s very easy for solar manufacturers to wriggle out of this ‘performance warranty’, by claiming that any defects in the panels fall under the ‘panel warranty’, which can only be 5 years in some cases. 

In reality, there are actually four separate warranties that you get with your solar system – the ‘25 year performance warranty’ being one of them. The other three are for your inverter, the panels themselves, and the workmanship. In terms of warranty, what you really want to look for is:

• A 10 year warranty for your inverter 
• A 10 year ‘manufacturers’ warranty for your solar panels 
• A 5 year warranty for the workmanship

Check that the warranty is backed by an Australian Entity. I’ve seen cheapo deals where the Chinese manufacturer’s warranty states that the owner has to post the panels back to China at the customer’s cost to get them tested!

If you’re looking to get quotes for solar from installers within our trusted network, that are looking out for your needs (and not just their own wallet) then simply click here to start the process 

4) Not asking the hard-hitting questions to separate the solar installer wheat from the chaff

The only thing shonky installers hate more than an ACCC investigation is a customer who knows their stuff! With knowledge comes power, and if a shonky installer realises that you know solar, their ability to rip you off just took a nose dive and they know it.

Always, always, always independently verify information, whenever possible. There are numerous resources available to help you verify what solar salesmen tell you (the Whirlpool forums are one of my favourite sources of such information), but if Google can’t help you, I will. Just shoot me an email here. 

5) Not knowing what size system is right for your home

This one is easier to solve, because most reputable solar installers will sit you down and do a full analysis of your electricity usage habits before they provide you with a quote.

They will ask you what your financial goals are and how much you’re willing to spend in order to accomplish those goals – because it’s not as simple as purchasing a solar system size that matches your energy usage. 

6) Thinking that because your roof doesn’t face the optimal direction or because there’s some shade on your roof, solar isn’t worth it

This couldn’t be further from the truth! Solar panel efficiencies have reached the point where, even if your panels aren’t facing north, you only lose 10-15% of your solar system production – which means that the system is still well worth the investment.

In fact, depending on the time of day you use your electricity, it may make more sense for your solar panels to face east or west (for morning or evening heavy electricity usage habits, respectively). I go into greater detail about this topic here. 

There you have it! The top 6 mistakes people make when purchasing solar systems.  

If you’re considering installing solar panels for your home or business, SolarQuotes can help you get quotes from high-quality installers quickly and easily: