With the energy prices rising to unimaginable amounts especially in Cairns and Townsville, a lot of resident and commercial businesses are opting to installing solar systems as a way to reduce monthly electric bills. Perhaps you are also already considering getting one for your own use. However, looking for the right solar system is not a walk in the park, particularly in Cairns and Townsville, where there are many businesses competing for your attention such as NQ Solar, Hush Energy and of course, us. While it can be tempting to look for cheaper brands, in many cases, the overall quality can be poor or inconsistent – and customers end up spending more for repairs or even buying another unit than saving some cash. This is one reason why we work with select suppliers to deliver excellent quality products with consistently good quality control. First-time and inexperienced buyers might be attracted to “cheaper” deals and misleading promises which can do more harm than good. We don’t make misleading promises and we’re not the cheapest business but we do offer great products at great prices due to less overheads.
Anyway, even though choosing the right solar installation can be difficult, it should not take too much of your time, leave you confused and, or feel frustrated. That is why it is important to be careful when it comes to choosing the right solar energy system for your property. It can be a big investment on your part, so it is just logical to buy something that is worth your money, effort, and time.
There are some common mistakes a lot of solar system buyers often fall victim to, so we’re addressing what they are, and ways to avoid them:
1. You do not check what specific size of the solar energy system you actually need.
As they say, there is no “one-size-fits-all” for solar energy systems. Choosing the right solar system for your own use is like shopping for new clothes or shoes – it should be fit your needs right. The same goes to solar energy systems – it needs to fit according to your usual energy consumption (and goals.)
As such, it is also crucial to determine which part of the day you consume the most amount of electricity, your intended budget, and whether you intend to upgrade your solar system in the future.
In such cases, you should consult a solar energy professional who should be able answer your questions, understand your situation and recommend a tailored system for you. We offer this service as the Greenfield Energy Audit and have helped hundreds of residents throughout Northern Queensland. We’d like to offer you the same opportunity. Otherwise, choosing any solar energy system without consulting an experienced professional can lead to problems later down the road.
2. You do not check out different companies
When it comes to choosing the right solar energy system, it is just as important to find trusted firms to install it professionally. Many people pay thousands of dollars for sub-standard and potentially unsafe installation. We recommend our customers to check with other businesses and see what solutions are offered because we’re confident that we offer the best products, with great service, and at the best price.
3. You do not take time to understand the solar system’s warranty conditions
The third common mistake buyers often suffer from is not understanding the warranty conditions. At Greenfield Energy, we make it our responsibility to ensure you make an informed decision when purchasing your solar installation and what you should do if there is a problem. However, in most cases, electronic products offer warranty, albeit varying in duration and specific conditions. This also applies to solar energy systems – most of them offer specific warranty conditions that are supposed to benefit buyers. Common warranties covered by our solar equipment suppliers include:
-
Performance warranty – We offer a 25 year warranty for our Bloomberg Tier 1 Monocrystalline Solar Panels.
-
Materials and Workmanship warranty – we offer a 5 years workmanship warranty. This kind of warranty normally covers defective workmanship or material quality.
-
Inverter warranty – We offer a 10 year warranty for our Fronius inverters and 12 years warranty for our SolarEdge inverters. Your inverter and is operation is responsible for converting solar energy into electricity and therefore, is the most important of all the solar products we install.
4. Delaying buying solar systems, hoping for discounts/price drop for the batteries
Some of our customers have informed us that they have delayed buying solar installations because they hope for a price drop on the batteries. In reality, buying a battery system for your solar panel can cost upwards of two thousand dollars and you should be prepared to spend around $10,000 or more for a solar battery. Hence, many people delay buying solar power, with hopes of a price drop on solar batteries over the next years.
However, consider this: the more you delay installing a solar energy system, the more time and money you spend, paying for expensive monthly electric bills. This will continue over the next few years that you delay harnessing solar energy for your own use.
Furthermore, solar batteries usually only carry a 10 year warranty, with most people paying for it well after the warranty ends. Therefore, it may not be a financially beneficial option to add a battery to your home. Instead, consider solar energy as a long-term investment you can benefit from immediately. If you insist on a battery or even if you want to know whether or not a battery installation will be economical, book an Energy Audit with us.
5. You do not consider using solar systems because you think it won’t work
Do you have a large tree covering a part or entirely your roof, or are you worried if your roof doesn’t receive plenty of sunlight. On the contrary, solar energy systems can still work even in such situations, albeit about 10 to 15 percent less unlike those with optimal sunlight exposure. Nonetheless, solar energy systems are one of the best property investments you can make.
As mentioned earlier, shopping for the right solar system should not be time-consuming and frustrating. We hope this list will help you learn more about choosing the right solar energy system and asking the right questions so make the most out of your budget, time, and peace of mind. We feel that we offer even more value to our customers and to find out how, register for an Energy Audit now.