State and Federal rebates have brought the cost of installing solar within the grasp of most home owners, but Brett Hekman, owner of Rockys Solar in Foster Street Sale, advises people proceed with caution.
Having decided to go with a cheap option offered by an out of town company, some home owners have recently been left high and dry months later because those companies couldn’t find anyone to actually install the solar system. After months of delay, Solar Victoria rebates expire and the home owner is left with no option but to cancel their rebate and apply again from scratch with another company, having learned the hard way, they turn to Rockys, a Gippsland Solar Retailer approved by the Clean Energy Council.
Problems before installation are only one of the issues with using companies that don’t have a well established presence in the local community.
“We get a high number of calls from people who have had solar installed by out of town companies,” Hekman says. “They promise the world but when something goes wrong they’re reluctant to travel back to Gippsland to fix it, and that leaves the customer to try and find a solution on their own.”
“Even worse, companies selling cheap solar often go out of business after a year or two leaving people with no warranty to fall back on.”
If you receive an offer for solar or battery storage that seems too good to be true, it often is and it’s wise to dig further. Buying solar can be overwhelming with so many different options available and it’s hard to compare one quote against another so it’s important to take your time and get reliable advice. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion from a company that has a good reputation in the local community.
Ask lots of questions and discuss what it is you want to gain from installing solar or adding battery storage. Do you want to cover your entire bill or are you more interested in the shortest payback period? Do you need your battery to allow your solar to keep working when the grid is down? Not all batteries do!
Never pay anything up front without getting full details of the proposed installation. Full details would include specific product brands, model numbers and qualities, along with performance and savings estimates and pre approval from AusNet Services. A trustworthy company will offer all of these things when providing you with a quote and before insisting on any money up front.
Solar and battery storage have the potential to offer many benefits and huge savings on your power bill but only if it’s done right. “Always get a quote from a local company” says Hekman, ”You’ve got nothing to lose and it could save a lot of heartache down the road.”
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