CHEAP SOLAR?
YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO KNOW 2 IN 5 SOLAR SYSTEMS ARE DODGY.
Cheap solar is something that we have never endorsed, and we do our best to convince everyone why. It is great to now see Clean Energy Council backing up this message.
It’s a complete shock that: one in five rooftop solar systems have been found to be defective, new data from the Clean Energy Council (CEC) has revealed.
There was even talk of banning a lot of the brands you often see advertised on Google and in the papers, however it is still currently a matter of buyer’s awareness.
Every day we have at least one person come in and say their solar system from another company is not working. Said company has suddenly shut down or the installer is not picking up his phone… In every case, the poor customer does not even have a manual and they don’t even know what components they have.
The three catches of cheap solar:
- Bad quality installation of the components (isolators, cables, circuit breakers) that lead to below average output
- Broken or refurbished product (panels or inverter) that often cannot be replaced under warranty.
- A sub-standard or unsafe installation
1. Below Average Output
One of the biggest traps with cheap solar systems is that there is no easy way to keep track of the system’s output, so households are often left in the dark.
Panels and inverters can be bought from anyone. Even your local electrician will supply you the same panels and inverters. But the reality is that you are not only paying for the panels and inverters but also the isolator, cables, circuit breakers, wires and the most important the after sales services.
This is by far the most important step in the whole process but sadly, it is not paid its due attention. Our company pays on average 1.5 times more for a job so the installer is not in and out within a few hours but takes his time to do the job properly.
“The next problem is working out what to do if your system is under-performing. Without panel-level insights into your system, you are going to need to pay someone to get up on the roof to test every panel. In many cases, there isn’t going to be anything obviously wrong.
A huge amount of DC Power is generated by the solar. Do you think the components will be capable to hold such as strong amount of power over a long period of time with the cheap quality installation material being used?
That is the only reason why the system fails to work in a very short span (3-4 years) of time.
2. Sub-Standard Installations
According to information obtained by Fairfax media from the CEC, of around 4100 residential solar systems inspected last year approximately 800 systems didn’t meet the Australian Standards (Hasham 2018).
This is also on par with the previous year, where 22% of systems were substandard.
One of the most serious problems the CEC finds with dodgy installations are that some of the components are in the direct contact with the open atmosphere and due to this water gets into the electrical components, causing a fire risk.
The installation should be done by an experienced team of CEC accredited installers, who have the time and budget to perform good quality work.
“If you go looking for a $500 discount on our quote, you will eventually find someone willing to take $500 of work out of your installation.”
One of the main problems with the bottom-feeders in the solar industry is the practice of hiring sub contactors and roofers to do the job who are auctioning off installations to the cheapest bidder.
The solar company you gave your precious money to doesn’t want anything to do with your service request, and the installer’s phone number never gets answered. That’s often when you pick up the phone and speaking with a reputable solar installer about coming out to fix the mess.
3. Broken Components
Cheap Inverters
One of the main issues we see with cheap inverters is they die and are unable to be fixed. The inverter converts DC to AC and is the working part of the system. Cheap solar systems generally use inverters from China that cost less than $500. I often joke that you should buy a spare one with a system like this because eventually, you’ll need it. However it often comes as a complete shocker as business companies are now using refurbished products to lower the cost – they rebrand the item with a slick logo and present it to the market. The poor customers think, “why should I pay extra if I am getting the same product in a much lower price?”
In reality such companies are misleading the customers to that extent.
Cheap Panels
Cheap solar panels are pumped out of China at a dime a dozen. Cheap solar panels can often have no claimable warranty despite the marketing claim of a full “25 year Power Output Warranty”. Often there will be a phone number that no one answers or contact details for an office in China where no one speaks English. Furthermore, if it wasn’t brought into Australia through an official distributor the warranty is lost if the manufacturer goes bust (or simply changes their name).
When I’m driving around Sydney, I am starting to see more brown solar panels. This is due to a chemical reaction in the panel that can affect output, not to mention they look horrible. Even the thought of these old panels sitting there for months on end instead of being replaced under warranty makes my blood boil.
Fire Risk
DC isolators are something most people know nothing about; even after they have a solar system installed. Yet, cheap DC isolators cause all types of problems, including fire. If you buy the cheapest solar system you can find, there is a high chance that the installer will cut corners on the quality of electrical components. Quality DC isolators are around 5 times more expensive than the cheap ones, and this is why we only use the best models available.
RUN FROM THE COWBOYS:
There are a number of companies that have sales representatives that mislead and essentially do whatever is necessary to get you to sign on the dotted line. The ACCC has fined solar companies a number of times for misleading customers. Sales members are often on a commission-only pay structure and if they don’t hit their monthly target they are sent packing. Of course, when your job is on the line you are going to do whatever you can to bring in the sales, especially when your employer is willing to turn a blind eye.
The strange thing is, most people know all about the dangers of buying a cheap solar system but the entire industry often gets a bad rep because of the reliability issues with these faulty systems. From messed up components to dodgy installations and non-existent service, there are thousands of horror stories posted online, and we get dozens of calls a week from people trying to get their system back online after people give up on trying to get help from their original installer.
We aren’t exaggerating when we say how important it is to avoid cheaper system, the Clean Energy Council recently came out with their findings that an incredible 1 in 5 systems they inspected in 2017 were dodgy – hence failing inspection.
LETS FORGET ABOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM LETS TAKE A GENERAL PERCEPTION OF HUMAN TENDENCY.
If you were going to buy a new television, you would walk into the store knowing that the cheapest model in the shop is probably not going to be the best value. It would be too small, low quality and deep down you know there is a higher chance of the thing breaking within a year or two.
Everyone understands the basic reasons why the price of televisions varies so much, and yet when it comes to solar power so many of us go hunting for the cheapest quote we can find. Every day I hear people saying, “yes, you have good reviews, your system sounds great (etc.), but I have a quote here for the same system that is $1,500 cheaper…”
IT’S NOT THE SAME SYSTEM!!
“”The Cheapest Solar Power Quote Is Rarely the Best Value””
Solar Power is an Investment
A quality solar power system is designed to last 25 years and beyond.
If you buy from cheap companies, there are two main things that we see happening over and over again. Either the output isn’t what it should be, or the components simply break and need to be replaced. It’s rare for a cheap system to show any signs of trouble in the first year or two (by which time you have left a glowing review of how great your system is), but it is at around the 4 year mark (just when you are getting your money back) that things start to go wrong. But unlike a television – you can’t just throw out a solar system and buy a new one and the things go even worse when the company who installed the system is no longer in the business.
ONE TIME DISCOUNT WITH A LIFE TIME PROBLEM IS NOT A GRATE DEAL RIGHT!
When it comes to buying a solar power system, buying good quality brands from a reputable installer is one of the most important purchasing decisions you will make.
This is why I recommend you choose quality products, go with a solar company with a stellar reputation and a company that offers full warranty support, service, system monitoring and a fair (rather than a cheap) price.
25000+ installations is not a small number. We have happy customers all over Australia and this is what we aimed from the very beginning. Most of the turn over that a business makes is through the references only. Homeowners are more than happy with our services just because we never try to sell the product. We first understand the needs, suggest them the best quality system accordingly with the best quality installation material and that’s not enough our back end team is in continuous touch with the homeowners if they face any problem never left untreated without any delays. The customers who got the system from us in 2010 are still getting the workmanship.
We looked around the industry and found there were many, many instances where customers had been made unrealistic promises, overpaid for or been supplied with shoddy products or services and often left without after-sale customer service.
One of our main objectives in founding ADS SOLAR to set a standard for the industry to follow – a standard where customers know they are receiving the right advice for their own situation, that they will receive what was promised, and in the event of a problem, that the company and its team will deal with it to the best of their ability.
This means we do not sell ‘cheap solar’ we believe in quality material, quality installation and best after sales services. You are not paying us any extra money if you compare with the cheap retailers in the market. You are paying for the quality and a peace of mind. You can save your $500-$700 today by going with any of the cowboys, but if you understand the meaning of quality I can give an assurance you are at a right place.
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