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Not a duck, although it can be seen as such, but, for many reasons, I do not recommend installers/vendors.
Reasons:
- Everyone's situation is different. Some vendors may be better than others for different situations.
- Opinions vary. What may be a valid reason for you to like or prefer in vendor may not be the same as mine, or someone else's.
- I've seen vendor quality vary. I think part of that has to do with their professionalism (and that partly f(time in business)), and also the savvy and due diligence of the customer. Trust but verify.
- I've got the job of reviewing and recommending installations to the Board in my HOA. Since appearance and perception is usually everything in such situations, I feel I must avoid even and particularly any hint of favoritism or getting in a situation where that could be a result.
So, What to do (!?)
Aside from taking the bull by the tail and facing the situation squarely, Do your homework, trust your gut, seek knowledgeable opinions from people you know and trust, but know, that in the end, you're on your own.
Go with experience. Interview vendors as you would if you were hiring employees. References from vendors are less reliable than those of potential employees - as in, why would a vendor give you a name of someone they screwed or had a southbound job with ? Look around for jobs in your neighborhood that seem to have few service truck visits and that look clean and seem to make sense from your information/knowledge search.
Stick with Electrical contractors who were around before solar. They'll have a reputation and experience to do it right and a better chance of surviving the end/mod. of the ITC, if that happens as appears likely at this time. They also probably know how to hire good people and the value of a reputation as it translates to quality and professionalism. Still - no guarantees. Nothing fills in the quality cracks like due diligence by the customers. That's one reason why God made Q.C. depts. and vendor expeditors and inspectors. At the residential level, like it or not, those tasks, by default, devolve to the homeowner. More reason for the necessity of being informed and getting knowledgeable.
Bonus answer: Getting informed means you'll know more of the answers to the questions you ask before you ask them. A real bonus when interviewing vendors, and a real eye opener at times. Sometimes sort of a corollary to the rhetorical questions teachers sometimes ask students.
As for basics: Technical stuff - the usual "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies" comes to mind. Again, knowledge is power. The more the better. That's my best, most concise answer. I wish I had an easier one to execute.
As for inverters, IMO, same story as with vendors: Experience and quality. I don't care for micros - too many more failure points. SMA's are well built, seem fit for purpose and seem to have, to me anyway, a "feel" similar to a piece of high end audio or precision instrument, but there are others. Most, but by no means all of what I seem to hear about solar equipment is from people who know little and simply repeat what they hear to join the crowd and hear themselves sound important. Some of the rest is from knowledgeable folks who have skin in the game and something to sell. So, more do your homework and trust your gut.
Reasons:
- Everyone's situation is different. Some vendors may be better than others for different situations.
- Opinions vary. What may be a valid reason for you to like or prefer in vendor may not be the same as mine, or someone else's.
- I've seen vendor quality vary. I think part of that has to do with their professionalism (and that partly f(time in business)), and also the savvy and due diligence of the customer. Trust but verify.
- I've got the job of reviewing and recommending installations to the Board in my HOA. Since appearance and perception is usually everything in such situations, I feel I must avoid even and particularly any hint of favoritism or getting in a situation where that could be a result.
So, What to do (!?)
Aside from taking the bull by the tail and facing the situation squarely, Do your homework, trust your gut, seek knowledgeable opinions from people you know and trust, but know, that in the end, you're on your own.
Go with experience. Interview vendors as you would if you were hiring employees. References from vendors are less reliable than those of potential employees - as in, why would a vendor give you a name of someone they screwed or had a southbound job with ? Look around for jobs in your neighborhood that seem to have few service truck visits and that look clean and seem to make sense from your information/knowledge search.
Stick with Electrical contractors who were around before solar. They'll have a reputation and experience to do it right and a better chance of surviving the end/mod. of the ITC, if that happens as appears likely at this time. They also probably know how to hire good people and the value of a reputation as it translates to quality and professionalism. Still - no guarantees. Nothing fills in the quality cracks like due diligence by the customers. That's one reason why God made Q.C. depts. and vendor expeditors and inspectors. At the residential level, like it or not, those tasks, by default, devolve to the homeowner. More reason for the necessity of being informed and getting knowledgeable.
Bonus answer: Getting informed means you'll know more of the answers to the questions you ask before you ask them. A real bonus when interviewing vendors, and a real eye opener at times. Sometimes sort of a corollary to the rhetorical questions teachers sometimes ask students.
As for basics: Technical stuff - the usual "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies" comes to mind. Again, knowledge is power. The more the better. That's my best, most concise answer. I wish I had an easier one to execute.
As for inverters, IMO, same story as with vendors: Experience and quality. I don't care for micros - too many more failure points. SMA's are well built, seem fit for purpose and seem to have, to me anyway, a "feel" similar to a piece of high end audio or precision instrument, but there are others. Most, but by no means all of what I seem to hear about solar equipment is from people who know little and simply repeat what they hear to join the crowd and hear themselves sound important. Some of the rest is from knowledgeable folks who have skin in the game and something to sell. So, more do your homework and trust your gut.
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