There are two different dimensions to selecting your solar company – the products and the installation. Components of solar systems have improved dramatically over the past 10 years and continue to do so every year. Warranty periods have increased dramatically. Solar panels are now warrantied for 30 and 40 years, batteries for up to 15 years and inverters that convert the solar energy into electricity for 10 years. This means that whatever solar system components you choose, you are virtually married to your installer for a long time. Why? Because, the installer must maintain your system, replace defective parts within the warranty period, and address problems of installation.
Not all installers are the same – they don’t have the same certifications, experience, performance, likelihood of staying in business. That means that beyond deciding on what products you want, you really have to pay attention to the company that is going to install, maintain, and warranty those products. Here are some of the criteria that you may want to use in making that choice.
TIME IN BUSINESS IN BCS. Longevity in business in Los Cabos is one indicator of how they they are likely to survive. Having worked with three different solar companies in our time in Los Cabos (both on and off the grid), and reviewed many others, we have watched some come and go. At times, their survival rate is linked to the products that they sell, many of which have short life spans. So, check out their local history carefully.
AUTHORIZED DEALER AND INSTALLER STATUS. Is the company formally authorized to distribute and install the products that they sell? Several of the companies in Los Cabos import products from other distributors in the United States or Canada and not directly from the manufacturer. Why is this important? If you have a problem with the product during the warranty period, it is possible that your installer will have to go through the original distributor to get warranty service or replacement authorizations. This may or may not come, and at minimum, the time take to get the authorization and then the product could be lengthy. The result is that you may not have a functioning solar system or be on a generator for an extended period of time.
ESTIMATE PROCESS FOR YOUR PROJECT. How the solar company approaches estimating the cost and timing of the installation of your solar system is also important. Do they provide you a generic estimate based on the number of bedrooms in your residences and whether or not you have a pool based on a brief phone call with you or a visit at the sales office, or do they visit your site, carefully review the demands for electricity based on your actual or planned usage and examine the challenges for installation of the system. For example, if you have an existing residence will conduit need to be run through the walls from the placement of the panels to the electrical breaker box to the batteries?
EXPERIENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT. Has the solar company installed systems in your neighborhood in the past? What is their relationship like with the contractor or developer? When we added solar to our townhouse in Pueblo Campestre Phase 2, we were the first in the Pueblos to get official approval. It required the presentation of detailed cad cam design drawings showing all of the conduits, the placement of the panels, inverter and battery. This took three rounds of presentation to the developer’s design representative. The fact that the company that we chose, Innovacion Solar had installed solar on homes in the development and new both the rules and the person responsible dramatically shorted the amount of time for approval.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF THE DESIGN AND INSTALLATION TEAM. Are all of the staff on the solar company’s installation team trained and certified? There are electrical and solar installation certifications available for staff in the industry. Do they have all of the technical specialties on staff or do they use third-party sub-contractors in the installation? Our second solar installation at our house on the beach in Zacatitos was done by a company in the neighborhood that said that they have a great time to do the installation. When the system completely failed in less than two years, we learned the components weren’t correctly grounded (or grounded at all), the conduits from the roof were not properly sealed so that water ran down them into the components in the solar room, the bank of 48 sealed-lead acid batteries were connected incorrectly (so not all batteries were online), and more small problems. Consequently, we frequently had to go to generator power or had no electricity, especially when the sky was overcast. The third installation had to correct all of these problems and update the components to give us a correctly functioning system, which was done by Innovacion Solar. Having a full engineering team to design the installation in detail, providing it to the installation team, and immediately responding to questions can make all of the difference in ensuring that the installation is done correctly – the first time.
AFTER SALES SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE. Does the solar company offer a plan to maintain your system? Los Cabos has a lot of dust. Solar panels that are not cleaned regularly can have a significant reduction in efficiency. It is easy to lose up to 50% of the solar energy capacity just with dirty panels. Like other electronic components, inverters and battery management systems frequently require firmware upgrades. How is this done by the solar company – online or by visiting your system? Can and does the company remotely monitor the performance of your system and contact you when action is required? If you have a problem, how long does it take the company to respond and send a team to resolve the issue? Immediately or do you hear silence? Our system at the townhouse in Pueblo Campestre can be monitored remotely both the company and by us. We have a maintenance agreement that ensures regular cleaning of the panels and upgrades to the electric components of the system. Innovacion Solar ensures that the system is always performing efficiently. With a separate after-sales and service department, they have been here the next day to address any issues.
CASE STUDIES AND REFERRALS. When reviewing the online presence of the solar companies that you are considering, do the website and social media include case studies of their installations with appropriate details? How many and what types of installations are described? Do they match the type of project that you are planning at your residence or business? If you ask, does the solar company provide your with a list of customers to contact to learn about their performance and ongoing service.
REVIEWS. Does the company provide information on the reviews and testimonials of customers and are they clearly identified? How is the company rated on different online services? It is important to review the comments of the worst reviews to see what types of issues you should address in your meeting with the companies that you are considering for your solar installation project at your home or business.
Feel free to contact me to answer questions at enjoyloscaboslife@gmail.com. There are also almost 50 posts about solar installation on Enjoy Los Cabos Life on Facebook, many with Solar Sunday in the title if you search the page.
