4 things to look for when choosing a Solar Company for you
Updated: Aug 24, 2021
Since 2014, when government in India gave a nod for a net-metering solar system to be installed on any roof with a local DISCOM connection, there is a boom in the number of solar companies who can install it for you. When this is the case, it is very easy to get confused on which company to install a rooftop solar system from!
Digging into the topic, let us try to roughly segregate all the solar companies into 3 categories.
Electrical Shop or free lance installers: There is a lot of boom in recent times that a local electrical shop takes up a dealership of a certain solar company (which is the installation company, not manufacturing) and by the visibility of his own shop, attracts customers and simply passes them on to the main company which is a Solar EPC company. Opting for such a solar vendor, you wont be clear on the type of components or quality you would get as the shop owner is just a forefront. This fact is true with the electricians who visit your home, they are just tied up with a solar company and try to sell you that companies product or offering. Opting for such solar vendors keeps you in the dark with the new product line top manufacturing companies like Trina, Panasonic, Canadian Solar, JA solar, etc are coming up with.
Solar Manufacturing and Installation companies: To extend their source of revenue, certain manufactures set up a installation team. The advantage of going with these type of companies is that they might push you and convince you to install the product that they are manufacturing. One advantage of this is that they can provide you with the best kind of service for their branded product, but again you might loose out on the advance technology that industry is making as not all manufacturers can come up with such sophisticated products. Some solar companies will create un-necessary pressure on you to purchase their brand products but always keep in mind that quality-oriented solar installers will never do that.
Solar EPC Companies: The last kind of solar companies are EPC companies. These companies don't manufacture anything of their own but stock or have contracts with manufacturers to procure their products. Now, due to price or internal agreement these companies also might push you towards their preferred brand of solar products, but best solar companies like BigWit Energy never push the customers towards any brand but just educate them and let them decide according to their investment capacity. This way, you know all the latest happenings in the solar industry and have the power to choose which one suites you the best with BigWit Energy’s guidance.
Now you know how you can segregate solar companies into 3 broad spectrums, let us see the four most important things you should look out for in a solar company before finalising.
Heavy Discounting: Believe when I say this, but keep away from heavy discounted sellers! Your rooftop solar plant is expected to function for more than 25 years and you don't want to spend Rs5000 per year after 3-4 years of starting period. Premium components are investment heavy and they do offer a extremely long life with little to no maintenance for even 25 years! When a solar company is giving you heavy discounts or is the cheapest in the market, that usually means that some corners are being cut while installing your solar plant. In fact, some vendors are also providing with second hand solar panels to their unsuspecting customers!
Requirement study: One most important thing to notice is whether the solar company representative is listening keenly to all your requirements and guiding you properly towards your solar system size requirement. Keep in mind all your doubts are valid and all should be answered in a very elaborate manner and till you are satisfied. Either a home visit or a digital layout must be presented to you after the first interaction before you go any further with that company. Don't fall victim to a over sized solar plant which you don't require. Give us a call on 7082955224 or send us a mail on sales@bigwitenergy.com with your average electricity bills and we would reply back with your excat solar size requirement along with technical clarifications.
Check existing projects: When you shortlist a few solar companies which you feel are offering a good deal, one most important thing is to check with their existing projects and customers. Some solar companies have a tendency to commit various things before sales, and don’t follow through later. Make sure you speak with at-least one of their customer on call and visit a installed plant by that company. Do notice the structure installed, if it is 90deg with respect to the ground, the way wire is installed (wether perfectly parallel or perpendicular to the wall) or the inverter is installed. After all, aesthetics are also very important!
Service validity: Look out for companies that offer you the best service promise. Now keep in mind that the best service promise is not essentially only the company which offers the longest service duration. There are huge numbers of solar companies which would promise you service of 5 years but would never show up once the plant is installed. This is due to the fact that solar plant does not have any moving parts and thus essentially requires no active servicing to work like your car. But, small checkpoints like spray painting on structure where there is rust or reapplying cable ties or fixing of saddles and checking of inverter fan if dust is accumulated. Cleaning service is a very essential service that extremely rare you can find in the market. The plants require cleaning at-least once a month to remove the dust on top of them and keep them performing at their optimal level. If you are not able to do it regularly, it is better to ask your solar installation company to take a cleaning contract with you.
If you want to be the part of BigWit solar rooftop family, you can give us a call on 7082955224 or send us a mail on sales@bigwitenergy.com. BigWit Energy is one of the best solar companies in Chandigarh, Mohali, Punjab, Panchkula and all of North India and we offer EMI plans of upto 3 years for our customers too pan India!
Alternatively you can schedule a callback from us at your preferred time over here.
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