As Australia starts to embrace the benefits of renewable energy, the presence of low-quality solar systems and providers is also on the rise. So much so that a Facebook group page called ‘Crap Solar’ has over 40,000 members contributing content highlighting the not so awesome installations found across Australia and New Zealand.
Some of the examples of poor solar installations are obvious like these (source: Facebook group Crap Solar)…
Others are a little harder to see but can be just as painful. We’re often told by customers of this “too good to be true” deal they have been offered to install solar from another company, when the price of a solar system installed is less then you paid for your laptop, home computer or even in some cases your mobile phone(!) then you probably should avoid the headache that you know will follow.
One of the easiest traps to fall for is buying a cheap solar system from a sales company that does not do the installation work themselves, often these sales companies will sub-contract the installation work or simply sell the job to the lowest bid from a network of installers without checking previous work, references or relevant qualifications. This becomes an issue if you need to fix anything on the installation or have a warranty claim, the sales company handballs your problem to the installer who is typically not interested or no longer around, leaving you with a headache to deal with on your own. Unfortunately, we have been called out too many times then we would like, to redo a poorly installed system that the poor customer gets stuck with having to foot the bill twice for, once for a cheap system and the again to fix or replace the poor work undertaken.
So, when it comes time to look at solar options look for something that will stand the test of time, a quality system will last for decades and provide a fantastic return on investment over the life of the system. Look for a quality, reputable installer with proven reviews and references, when you buy quality, you buy once and can avoid the headaches of having to fix a poorly performing solar system.
Here’s some examples of what quality solar should look like, these are from our jobs so yes we’re biased!…
If you’re considering solar for your home, investment property or business, please get in contact and chat with our team to develop a solution that is tailored to your specific needs using high quality, reputable products backed by a warranty you can rely on CONTACT US.