Tip 1 – Ask Friends, Families, and Neighbors
If you live in California then there’s a good chance that you know somebody who has already had solar panels installed on their roof, or in their backyard. California has traditionally been one of the friendliest states towards solar power. In fact, Lancaster county recently passed an initiative that every single new home built has to generate at least 1 KW of energy using solar panels.
With the popularity of solar power in California, it’s almost a guarantee that if you want to install panels, you know somebody who you can ask for advice. Don’t forget to take different situations into account though. For example, a builder who specializes in installing large commercial systems may not be the best fit to install a small residential system.
Tip 2 – Help with Financing
If you hire an experienced solar panel installer, you can be sure that he’s helped other homeowners to acquire financing. Naturally, this is not his main job, nor should you ask too much of him. However, he should be able to guide you through some of the steps you’ll need to take in order to apply for the financial grants available to homeowners in California.
Interestingly, this also translates to the personality of the contractor who’s going to be helping you out. You want to pick someone who is easy to work with and who can easily answer your questions. Installing a solar panel system on your roof is no small task and you want to be sure to pick someone who you’ll be able to get along with.
Tip 3 – Understand Which Solar Panel Brand is Best for Your Home
Each homeowner’s needs are different. For example, if you have a large roof that has access to the sun most of the day, you can install less efficient panels. This is actually a topic we talk about in our article: “The Top Three Solar Manufacturers”. The reason for this is simple. If you have enough roof space, the most economical choice for you will be to install a greater number of cheaper panels. If you buy the most expensive panels, they will cost you more and they won’t provide you as significant an amount of savings. There are really only two reasons to spend money to buy the most efficient panels possible.
1. If your only concern is being as green as possible. If that’s the case, and money is no object, then you may want to consider panels from highly rated manufacturers like SunPower.
2. If you have limited roof space, or your roof is such that you only get a short amount of sunlight every day.
If either of these is the case, you may want to consider installing the most efficient (most expensive) panels. These are all questions that your solar panel installer should be able to help you answer. If they advocate installing the most expensive panels, even though you feel like less efficient panels may be the better fit, perhaps you should consider hiring someone else.
When it really comes down to it, the easiest and quickest way to get a solar panel system installed on your roof is to go through Solar.com. We compare bids from various installers and we guarantee that you always get the best price. If you’re ready to go green today, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us! We’re standing by to help you to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels, and save money in the process as well.
Sources
https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/08/6-tips-about-choosing-installers-for-solar-panels
