solar buyer's Questions

You can pose many questions to the solar installers, suppliers and contractors. Here is a large list...

General Questions

Pose questions about...

- Panels location (south-facing sun or...),
- Roof mounting, shadows, impact on the building structure
- Size of the system and number of collectors or modules
- Prepackaged kits
- Types of collectors or modules
- Overheating, freezing...

Quotes and prices

- In today's USA market, the average price of an active solar hot water system is around $2,500-$4,000 per home, for a 80 to 100 gallons of hot water per day. A passive system will cost about $1,000 to $2,000 installed (with a lower capacity of hot water production). Is the quote within this range? Why not?

- In today's USA market, the price of a PV system is often comprised in the range $13,000-$20,000 per home, without rebates and tax incentives (that will cut the price substantially). Is the quote within that range? Why not?

See for more details on prices: Prices of Pv Photovoltaic and Prices of Solar Heating Water Systems. See Rebates, taxes and financial incentives for solar energy

Payments and Quotes

Pose questions about...

- Quote coverage and additional costs
- Labor costs
- Financing options
- Payment terms
- Local and federal rebates or finance incentives

Hot water systems

Pose questions about...

- Type of system: active system, drainback system, thermosyphon system...
- Storage tanks and their capacity
- Outlet and inlet connections
- Local climate considerations
- Non-freezing fluids, heat exchangers (common on cold climates)
- Hot water temperatures (up to 140ºF/60 °C at least once daily?)

PV systems

Pose questions about...

- Stand-alone systems, grid-connected systems
- Modules
- The inverter, batteries (in the case of a stand-alone system), solar power monitor, electric meter...
- Payback
- Incentives and rebates

Installation

Pose questions about...

- Installation time
- Sub-contractors? Who will ultimately be responsible for what segments of work?
- Manufacturer and professional associations recognition
- Experience and accreditation
- Local references involving installations
- Related services: delivery, installation, commissioning, after sales services?
- The material and conformity with the manufacturer’s specifications
- Equipment certification
- Average performance (wattage, in the case of the PV systems)

After-Sales services

Pose questions about...

- Warranties for the various components of the solar system;
- Installation warranties?
- Annual service contract
- Emergency services

Searching suppliers and retailers of solar systems?

Try the box above. Eventually, add your local zone (Alabama, Australia, whatever...)