Complete Guide to Solar: Getting a Quote

When you purchase a solar energy system for your home, it's important to find an installer who provides accurate, honest quotes. A reliable estimate will help ensure that you're paying a fair price and won't be surprised by the final bill.

What to Expect

Competent, trustworthy contractors visit customers' homes during the quoting stage or before installation takes place. While a pretty accurate estimate can be made by speaking to a home owner about their property, using aerial imagery for panel mapping and viewing the photos of a switchboard, if a retailer sends an estimate via phone or email without seeing your house, this amount may not reflect the actual final price and no one enjoys being told about extra costs on the day on installation.

At Generate Energy even if our consultant performs a home visit during the quoting stage we still have one of our electricians perform a pre-installation inspection where we examine your electrical switchboard, measure the array can fit on the roof and finalise the location of the equipment to ensure there are no surprises on the day of installation.

Detailed Quotes

A detailed estimate will provide specific information about these products as well. For instance, it ought to list the model, wattage and quantity of photovoltaic panels. Look for the inverter's output capacity; this equipment plays a crucial role in most systems.

Meter Upgrades

Due to the smarter homes metering requirements you'll usually need to replace or upgrade your electricity meter. This step is usually free, however some retailers do charge a meter upgrade fee so you should speak to your retailer about this.

Installation Work

Will the installation be performed by in-house employees or contractors? In-house employees usually only perform a single install per day whereas contractors can try to perform multiple installers per day to maximise their profits and may cut corners to ensure they can complete these multiple installers per day. Some retailers also use unskilled labourers to install the rails and panels and only have an electrician come at the end of the job to install the inverter and commission the system.

At Generate Energy all our solar and battery installations are carried out by our in-house highly trained and experienced staff. This ensures a high level of consistency and professionalism, guaranteeing all our staff are appropriately trained and are kept up to date with the latest technology.

Warranty Coverage

Be sure to learn about the warranty that comes with a system. How long does it stay in effect, what does it cover, and is it provided by a trustworthy, well-established company with an Australian based office? Also keep in mind under Australian consumer Law a consumer cannot be directed to chase up a warranty from a manufacturer themselves by a retailer. Instead it is expected that the retailer has to do all the leg work or they need to provide a remedy themselves and out of their own pocket if required. Therefore with a warranty it is extremely important that the retailer you choose is a reputable company with skin in the game and a business model that will allow them to be around for the length of the product warranties.

Getting Money Back

A knowledgeable retailer should be able to estimate electricity savings, feed-in tariffs and rebates. These savings and credits help you recover the cost of your equipment. The Small-Scale Technology Certificate supplies an upfront saving of the purchase price of a system and the self-consumption and feed-in tariffs compensate you for excess power that your system exports to the electrical grid.

Ask the consultant about a system's payback period. This is the approximate number of years it will take for you to recover your investment through electricity savings, rebates and tariffs. Keep in mind that unpredictable weather and economic conditions can shorten or lengthen this period.

Installation Time

In addition to estimating the cost and future savings, an installer ought to tell you when the work would begin and how long it will take to complete. The number of days may vary depending on how many people the company employs and the level of demand for its services.

To sum it up, you can benefit from finding a solar retailer who takes the time to inspect your home and provide you with comprehensive information on every major aspect of an installation project. 

If you are interested in installing solar on your Adelaide home, request a quote with Generate Energy today.