If you want to take advantage of the Feed-in Tariff scheme when you install solar panels on your roof, you’ll need to have your solar PV system installed by a certified solar PV installer. The process involves a consultation with the installer. Understanding what to expect when you decide to explore your renewable energy options can help you choose a reputable installation professional. These tips can help you evaluate the solar panel installers you interview.
Choose an MCS Certified Installer
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme is a quality assurance scheme that is regulated by the members of the solar PV industry. In order to carry the MCS certification, a solar panels installer must agree to meet rigorous standards of quality for both products and behavior. In order to qualify for participation in the FiTS, your solar PV system must be installed by an MCS certified installer.
What a Solar PV Installer Does
Obviously, an installer installs solar PV systems, but the scope of work is actually considerably broader than that. A qualified installer of solar panels can give you accurate advice on choosing the best solar PV system for your needs, perform surveys to determine the suitability of your property for solar panels and provide you with an accurate quote that includes both how much your solar PV system will cost and how much benefit you can expect to receive from them. In addition, a qualified installer can mount structures for your solar panels, install the system and the wiring, test your system and provide maintenance for it as needed.
What to Expect from a Consultation
When you schedule a consultation to determine whether solar panels are a good fit for your home, the company may send a salesman or a certified installer. A salesman can describe the company’s products and services for you, but he can’t tell you much more than that. An installer, on the other hand, can survey your property and determine whether it is suitable for solar panels. He or she can estimate how much electricity generation you could realize from various sizes and configurations of solar panels and give you an actual detailed quote that includes both the cost of the system and the likely benefits you’d receive from it.
In order to provide that kind of detailed quote, the consultant will need to be able to access your roof from the inside and out and may ask to look around your house to determine the best place to locate your inverter and run the wiring. He will have questions for you to help him determine your typical electricity usage so that he can estimate how much you can expect to realize if you install solar panels. In all, the MCS estimates that a consultation of this sort will take up to two hours.
Scheduling a consultation with a certified solar panels installer is the best way to find out what benefit you could reap by installing a solar PV system. Most installers will do a consultation at no cost to you, so feel free to call around and schedule consultations with up to three installers to get your best quote.
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