Avoid Making These 5 Mistakes As A New Solar Customer

You’re a new solar customer (or are seriously considering going solar), and despite having made a sound decision to switch to solar and being able to look forward to lower energy bills and a great return on your investment, there are still some mistakes it’s possible for you to make, that could easily be avoided.

To get the most out of your decision to go solar, here are 5 classic errors you don’t want to be making:

1. Delaying your decision

Now that you’ve made the decision to switch to solar power at home, there really is no better time to get on and have the panels installed. The longer you sit around twiddling your thumbs, contemplating lower energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint, the more money you could be missing out on saving, thanks to rebates and tax incentives that won’t last forever. 

You’ve made the decision, now it’s time to act on it!

2. Purchasing low quality solar panels

Not all solar panels are created equal, and while it might be tempting to recoup some of your investment by purchasing cheaper solar panels, this is usually not a smart move. Buying cheaper panels today, typically results in you having to spend more money much sooner than you would if you’d invested in high quality panels from the get-go. Being forced to replace the cheaper panels sooner or having them not produce as much energy, will not give you the greatest return on your investment. 

3. Failing to carry out thorough research

There are so many solar installers out there, that you could simply close your eyes and point to one in a local directory. However, it never pays to select a company without knowing anything about them first, and at the very least, you should check whether they have the appropriate licenses and insurance. It also pays to see what warranties they offer and to check out their online reviews from previous customers. 

4. Not considering the value of rebates and incentives

With certain incentives in the form of tax credits and rebates, among others, available to a good many homeowners when they install a solar system, there are a lot of great ways to get the most out of your investment. Failing to give serious consideration to these could mean that you miss out on powering your home with clean, green energy. 

5. Not having reasonable expectations

Expecting to make immediate savings the minute your solar panels are installed, and failing to recognize the importance of making such an investment in terms of long term savings, will only set you up for a fall. Not only will it take some years to break even on your investment, but the sun is an indomitable but wholly uncontrollable force, and there will be nothing you can do about low sunlight days and consequently, low solar generation days. 

Try to have realistic expectations about your solar investment, and avoid setting yourself up for what you deem to be failure, and a poor investment. 

Going solar is a journey, and to start yours, you will need to avoid making any (or all) of the 5 mistakes listed above. However, this is easy if you keep an open mind and try to see the true worth of your long term investment.