Buying A Solar Panel Part 2

In part 1 I explained why I wanted to have a solar panel on our roof and how I worked out what size system we could get.

This time round I'll be looking into the things I needed to think about/organize before I made the final decision; How I managed to figure out which installers to come round and give me a quote; and what questions to ask them.

Things To Keep In Mind

Fitting solar panels sounds simple enough but there are some things you've got to think about or chase. For example, do you need planning permission? There are various consumer guides (Which? having amassed quite a library of them), and this is the one I used. It explains how FITs (Feed-in Tariffs) work, who you can trust, how free solar panels work, and what you should be considering before you take the plunge, plus what to ask the installation companies.

And, talking of Which?, I found this list of things that a good surveyor should do when they visit in one of their excellent guides (Sorry, I can't find the original link):

• Make written notes of all the measurements, in particular the orientation of the roof.
• Look at the roof – from both inside and outside.
• Use access equipment for closer inspection where roof quality is uncertain.
• Record any possible risk of shade on the roof from trees, neighbouring houses and chimneys.
• Examine the loft and measure the tilt angle of the roof.
• Look in detail at your consumer unit (fuse box) and metering.
• Identify your main electrical appliances and when you use them.
• Look around your house and discuss where to locate cables and equipment.
• Provide an in-depth quote including scaffolding costs, panel/module information, details of warranties, details of the inverter, the company’s terms and conditions, and information on how it has calculated the payback, rate of return and savings.

Which? warn that, despite industry regulation, some solar panel companies are still attempting the high pressure sales tactics so beloved of double glazing and kitchen unit salesmen (e.g. large discounts, today only offers etc.). If they start doing that, then I'll be getting very suspicious.

Looking for an Installer
So, I've got all my questions prepared, I know what to watch out, and I've found out I don't need planning permission, next I need to get a list of 3 installers to bring in to give me a quote.

Normally, I like to go by recommendation from people I know when getting work done on the house. However, I don't know anyone locally who's had panels fitted. That leaves me looking for reviews on the web.

Fortunately I've found 2 useful sites: Here and here. Ignoring companies with very few reviews (Because they might have been left by employees), and choosing from the ones with the best scores, I was able to find my short-list.

And that's as far as I've got.

Next: Getting the quotes.