You’ve decided you want to install solar. Now what? Before choosing a solar installer, you should make sure that your installer meets a variety of qualifications. How long have they been around? What do former customers say? Did they actually come out and look at your electrical panel? Will they take care of all rebate and incentive paperwork? Choosing a reputable solar installer from the outset can help you avoid change orders and repairs down the road.
Jeanine Cotter, Luminalt’s CEO, wrote a guide for the Sierra Club several years ago that talks about some of the questions homeowners should ask their installer. “Deciding if Solar is Right for Your Home” outlines many important qualities you should look for in an installer. While some of the information in that guide is now outdated, such as specific rebates, knowing whether your solar installer has complaints against their contractors license is highly important.
Doing a Bit Better, a green lifestyle blog, has a great list of 10 Questions to Ask Your Solar Installer. Below, we’ve responded to all of these:
- How long has your company been installing solar electric systems? Luminalt was founded in 2004, but co-founder Noel Cotter did his first installation in 1980.
- How many of your employees have solar panels on their homes? As a local company, most of us live in San Francisco and rent, meaning that solar won’t work for us (or rather, our landlords). Most of us who do own have a solar system – installed by Luminalt, of course!
- How many NABCEP certified employees work for your company?A whole bunch of them! More than one-third of our company holds some kind of NABCEP Certification. Our CTO Noel Cotter, widely respected as one of the most knowledgeable solar installers around, serves on NABCEP’s licensing board, helping to devise some of the difficult tests administered each year. The pass rate is typically less than 50%, so only the best of the best receive certification.
- Will everyone working on my system be an employee of your company? Yes! Beware of companies that will sub-contract to the lowest bidder. At Luminalt, we take care of our customers in-house to ensure that they have the best possible experience.
- Can I see a list of ten clients that you have installed solar electric systems for? Check out the projects section of our website for a few case studies, or look at the San Francisco Department of the Environment’s Solar Map.
- How do you determine your system output data? We’re in this with you for the long haul. Call us at anytime with questions about your new PG&E bills, your ideal rate schedule, or just to say hi.
- How long is your warranty on all of my components and your work? All of our work is warranted for ten years. By using the highest quality materials available, we build systems to last for at least 30 years. The warranty on equipment varies by manufacturer, but is typically 25 years.
- Does your panel manufacturer perform quality control audits on your installations? Only if you want them to! If you don’t want to be bothered, we’ll let them know.
- What is the efficiency of the panels that you are proposing to install? Depends on how much space you have on your roof. Luminalt typically uses SunPower panels, the highest efficiency panels on the market. Luminalt is a SunPower Elite Dealer, making us one of only a few companies nationally that meet this designation’s customer satisfaction and quality standards.
- How does your company implement its values? Luminalt believes in the transformative power of solar and the green economy on communities. As such, we have a Community Solar Grant Program and participate in Workforce Development training for those with barriers to entry into the job market.
And there you have it! Now go check out Doing a Bit Better and learn more about solar and other “real achievable ideas to make small changes that feel good, and do good.”