10 Common Errors with Choosing Solar Panels and How to Avoid Them
According to research, 66.5% of homeowners want to install a residential solar system in the future. Are you one of them? If so, you’re probably checking out solar panel designs, setting a solar installation budget, etc.
But even with thorough research, you’re still prone to errors. The common errors with choosing solar panels are common for a reason, after all. Luckily, there are ways that you can avoid making these errors.
One of these ways is to learn what mistakes are possible. Read on, and you’ll learn more about ten common errors and how to avoid them.
1. Not Finding the Right Solar Panel Companies
There are 52,363 people employed in the solar panel installation industry. So it should be easy to find a solar panel installer to work with. However, the first company that you choose isn’t necessarily going to be the best possible choice.
The same goes for a solar panel provider. You need to make sure that the companies you choose are of the highest possible quality. Try using the tips in the list below.
Get Recommendations
Do you know a lot of solar power users in your local area? If so, consider asking them who they used to install their solar panels. They should have some good recommendations.
Years of Service
Look at the years that a company has been in service in a specific area. This number doesn’t just show you the experience level of the company. It also shows you that the locals trust this company.
Think about it. People will stop going to a company if they aren’t happy with that company’s services. Eventually, no customers will come to the company, and the company will go bankrupt.
Companies that have survived for a long time in the same area have the skills and experience to keep customers.
Analyze Their Website
A good professional company should have a professional-looking website. It needs to have a good design, have little to no bugs, and be easy to navigate. If you need a good example of a great solar panel installer’s website, click on this link.
Licensed Technicians
It may or may not be legal for a solar panel installer to work without a license. Regardless of if it is or not, you should get a company that has licensed technicians.
Technicians have to have several years of experience before they can get a license. They also need to take a test. You can be certain that licensed technicians have the skills and experience you need.
2. Not Learning About All Your Energy Needs
You should want your system to provide the highest fraction of your total energy possible. Your budget can dictate how much energy you can get. But you may find yourself disappointed by how much solar energy covers your home’s energy needs.
Curb your expectations appropriately with the following tips:
Calculate the Energy You Use
Some solar panel installation companies may offer you complimentary energy usage evaluations. Others won’t. But you can check your energy usage on your own if you have to.
Just look at your most recent electric bill. It should show you how much energy you’ve used over the last four quarters. Divide the number by four to learn how much energy you use up each quarter.
You can then use this to determine the size of the residential solar system that you need.
Calculate Your Future Energy Usage
Also, don’t forget to calculate your future energy usage as well. Are you going to add on to your home or expand your family soon? If so, you may want to get a bigger solar system than you originally intended.
3. Not Picking Your Installation Prices Carefully
It’s tempting to go with the cheapest possible price for a residential solar system. But this isn’t a good idea. You can end up in a lot of trouble if you decide to go with the cheapest option.
Solar panel providers and installers have several methods that they use to get their prices down. None of them are beneficial to you.
Buying Junk Panels
How can the solar company profit when they offer cheap prices? They do this by buying junk panels and inverters from China. You can’t expect these to work as well as regular ones.
Cutting Corners
The solar installer will have to cut corners to make a profit while still charging cheap prices. They may hire people that don’t have enough experience or use unfit equipment. This can cause your solar system to quickly quit on you.
Plus, the company won’t go through any complimentary but necessary steps. They won’t check to see if your roof is suitable for solar panels, check your usage, etc.
No Warranty
And don’t expect the company to compensate you for a faulty system. A cheap company is likely to not have any warranties.
If they do have warranties, don’t expect them to honor them. You won’t even get them to honor the warranty with legal help. They structure their company so they can’t follow up with warranties.
4. Not Considering Shade
Is your roof under a lot of shade? Is the sky in your area often overcast? Then your solar panels won’t work as well as you want them to. So you need to make careful considerations before you install.
Trim Your Trees
Do your trees’ branches stick out over your roof? If so, you should trim these branches back. This will ensure your solar panels work as efficiently as possible.
As a bonus, you’ll prevent tree branches from falling onto your solar panels and damaging them.
Check Your Climate
If you don’t know what your local climate is like, be sure to check various references online. You can still get solar panels if your area often experiences overcast days. Just realize that you won’t get as much energy from your solar energy system.
5. Not Learning if Your Roof Is Right
A lot of people pick their solar panels without considering how well their roofs will hold them. Not all roofs are suitable for holding panels. People can run into the following roof and solar energy system compatibility issues.
The Roof Is Old
Solar panels can weigh a lot. If your roof is too old, it can collapse under the weight of your new solar panels. You’ll end up having to pay to get the damage repaired and solar panels replaced.
Your solar panel installers should check your roof before they install your panels. But you don’t want money on calling them out. Get your roof evaluated by an experienced roofer ahead of time.
If your roof isn’t new enough, you may want to consider getting a roof replacement.
The Roof Isn’t Angled Right
Solar panels need to sit at a particular angle to catch the most sunlight. Your roof may not be sitting at the right angle.
You need to make sure that your roof is sitting at the right angle. If it isn’t, you may need to adapt your solar panels so that they’re sitting at the optimal angle.
6. Not Getting an Expert Solar Panel Installer
You can do a DIY installation with your solar panels. You may think that doing so can help you shave a few hundred dollars off your solar installation budget. But it’s a much better idea to get an expert solar panel installer to install your solar panels.
If you don’t get this done, you’ll end up making several costly mistakes.
Damaging Solar Panels
Are you sure that you are securing your solar panels correctly? If you don’t, your solar panels could end up sliding off the roof. You could also end up dropping your solar panels as you try to carry them up to your roof.
Not Connecting Devices Properly
You may end up not connecting devices as well as you should. In many cases, you’ll end up getting frustrated when your system doesn’t work. In other cases, your system may not work as well as it should.
A professional solar installer will be able to connect your devices properly. So you’ll end up getting
7. Not Looking Over the Warranty Terms
A warranty is a guarantee by the company that you will receive compensation should a product not work as intended. Even if you never have to use your warranty, having one can still give you peace of mind. When you have one, you won’t end up losing money on a defective product.
No Warranty
Some companies may not have a warranty at all. You don’t necessarily need one. But not having one comes with a significant risk.
Even the best systems can fail due to unforeseen circumstances. If they do and there’s no warranty, you will have wasted a lot of money. You shouldn’t want this to happen.
Short Warranty
It’s a red flag if a company has a short warranty. This means that they don’t have much faith in their product. You should go with a different solar panel provider if you see that their products have short warranties.
8. Not Using the Same Brand Throughout
People may try to use different brands for different parts of their residential solar system. This isn’t a good idea.
The solar power system components of brands often don’t fit with the components of other brands. They’re specially manufactured to fit together. So you’ll have the best success if you buy all the components of your solar energy system from the same brand.
9. Not Learning About Off-Grid and Grid-Tied
Do you want an off-grid system or a grid-tied system? Yes, there are differences between the two types of solar systems. If you outfit your system for the wrong purpose, you can run into a lot of issues.
Off-Grid
Off-grid systems are more complex than grid-tied systems. You’ll often need a battery or more to store the energy your home needs.
You’ll also need a ton more solar panels. Solar panels may not generate as much energy as you’d like them to. And certain homes may need a lot of energy.
Grid-Tied
Grid-tied systems won’t need as many solar panels. They can get the energy that they can’t get from panels from the grid.
You also may not need a battery. Your system can feed into the grid. Then you can get credits from the energy company as you gave them energy.
10. Not Reducing Your Energy Usage
Don’t rely on your solar power alone to fix your energy usage. You should also consider reducing your energy usage in the following ways. Then your residential solar system should be even more effective.
Change Your Lightbulbs
LED lightbulbs use way less energy. Consider exchanging all your lightbulbs with LED lightbulbs so that you can use less energy.
Cover Your Home’s Holes
Your home may have a lot more holes than you think. For example, there may be cracks between your windows and walls. Do what you can to cover up these holes.
Check Your HVAC
Your HVAC system may not be functioning as well as you may think. And a malfunctioning HVAC system can eat up a lot of energy.
Make sure to have an HVAC technician over to check on your HVAC. They can fix it to the point where it will function as normal.
More Like “Errors With Choosing Solar Panels” Ahead
As long as you don’t make these errors with choosing solar panels, you should fully enjoy the many benefits of solar energy. You’ll also feel the bliss that comes with knowing that you’re helping everyone have a better future. Good luck in getting your system set up and thank you for being sustainable.
Also, if you like learning about solar energy, look around our site. Plenty of our other articles talk about the uses and benefits of solar energy. We also have other articles on technology, plus ones about marketing, business services, and more.
Check them out! You’re sure to find something that you like.
