How do you select a supplier/installer?

[robocheme]

I'm seriously considering having a grid-connected system installed at my home. There are literally dozens of companies in my area (SF bay area) claiming that they can do the job. Based on some of the on-line calculators, the prices seems to be about the same ($21K for a 3 KW system before rebates).

So, how do you select a company to go with? What questions do you ask them?

Thanks,

Cliff

[Mike90250]

ask them about

1)Warranty replacement for a bad panel 27 months from now.

2) building permits, and no final payment till final city sign-off & elec co approval to turn on.

3) monitoring options. Should be free, good inverters have comm hardware already, just a cable to your computer. Otherwise, 1/2 your array could go bad, and it'd be months before it sinks in - that the bill is high.

4) Roof leakage - how do they deal with that next rainy season?

[russ]

İt would be great for people to have a check off list for people to go by. İt would be a generic thing but probably 90% of the people out there haven't got the foggiest idea and another 9% are not well informed.

Readers of this blog and a few others have an idea but they are very few.

Maybe such a list could be under it's own heading to be easy for search to find.

Maybe everyone could add suggestions and then one person would responsible for adding to/removing from/correcting the list.

İ expect that many people want to go hide under their bed when talking to a salesman about an expensive system like this.

[vintovka]

Choose your installer carefully and write in both performance and price drop guarantees. Forget Home Depot or any other front store as they could care less. I used Solarecity in rocklin. I fell for the supposed HOME DEPOT/BP guarantees they offerred. They delayed install for over four months and made me sign a second contract to "stay on install list". Right after install of my 3.8kw system I found out BP panel prices had dropped significantly ($3K!!). they said "too bad" and kept the savings. I believe it was an intentional delay. Home depot also denied any responsibilty for Solarcity even though they are their advertised installers!

Also insist that holdowns be set on every rafter and wire sizes meet or exceed code.

[Sean]

Im interested in this as well. If more people that have gone through the process would put down more questions in this conversation, it would be nice. thank u

[russ]

In my opinion, you are far better off finding an installer(s) in your area that you can gain confidence in.

This Global Solar Center is most likely only trying to collect leads that they sell to others. You get no information at all prior to entering name and address/telephone number. The people that buy leads like this tend to be of the huckster variety.

Their site has no equipment specific information - only generic information - to me that is the mark of a party to stay away from!

[MarineLiner]

This Global Solar Center is most likely only trying to collect leads that they sell to others.
You get no information at all prior to entering name and address/telephone number.
The people that buy leads like this tend to be of the huckster variety.
Their site has no equipment specific information - only generic information - to me that is .....