Questions to Ask a Solar Installer Before You Sign
Questions to Ask a Solar Installer Before You Sign
The questions to ask a solar installer before you sign anything — licensing, system design, warranties, and the fine print Sydney homeowners often miss.
Signing a solar contract is easy. Undoing a bad one is not. Most of the regret we hear about from Sydney homeowners who went with someone else doesn’t come from the panels themselves — it comes from what nobody asked about before the deposit went down. Here’s what actually matters.
Is the installer and the installation itself properly accredited?
Ask directly: who is doing the physical install, and are they a Clean Energy Council (CEC) accredited installer? In NSW, this isn’t a nice-to-have — it affects whether your system is eligible for Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs), which is the main financial support mechanism behind most solar pricing you’ll see quoted. A company can be a registered business without every installer on the roof holding current accreditation, so ask for the name and accreditation number of the person actually doing your job, not just the company’s general licensing.
What’s included in the quote, and what isn’t?
Get this in writing, not verbally. Does the price cover the switchboard upgrade if your meter box needs one? Scaffolding if your roof pitch requires it? The actual STC discount applied, and whether that figure moves if your system size or panel placement changes after the site assessment? A quote that looks cheaper on the surface sometimes gets more expensive once these line items appear later as “extras.” Ask for an itemised breakdown before you compare two quotes on price alone.
Who is the inverter and battery warranty actually with?
There are two separate warranties in play: the installer’s workmanship warranty, and the manufacturer’s product warranty on the panels, inverter, and battery (if you’re adding one). Ask how long each one runs, and — this is the part people skip — what happens to the manufacturer warranty if the installer goes out of business. Reputable brands like Sigenergy and GoodWe back their own products directly, which matters more than it sounds like it should, because solar installer businesses do fold. Ask the installer to point you to the manufacturer’s own warranty documentation rather than taking a verbal summary.
How was your system actually sized?
A system sized off a quick look at your last bill is a different exercise to one sized against your roof’s real orientation, shading, and your household’s usage pattern. Ask what data they used: did someone look at your actual roof (in person or via satellite/plan review), or did they just plug in a rough daily usage number? Oversizing or undersizing is one of the most common reasons homeowners end up disappointed with performance relative to what they expected.
What happens after installation — who do you call?
Ask who handles the grid connection application with your distributor, who lodges your STC paperwork, and who you actually call in six months if the inverter throws an error. Some installers subcontract the physical work and disappear once it’s connected. Get a direct line, not just a head office switchboard number.
Can they show you real documentation, not just marketing?
Ask to see an actual Compliance Certificate example, or how they document STC eligibility (photos, meter details, etc.) for the Clean Energy Regulator. A business that can walk you through its own paperwork process is a good sign. One that gets vague or defensive about documentation is worth pausing on.
A reasonable checklist before you sign
Before you commit, you should be able to answer: who’s installing it and are they accredited; what’s genuinely included in the price; what the workmanship and product warranties cover and for how long; how your system size was calculated; who you contact post-install; and whether the company can show you their compliance process rather than just describe it.
None of these questions are about catching anyone out — they’re the same questions we’d want answered if we were the ones signing. If you’re comparing quotes for a Sydney install and want a second set of eyes on what you’ve been offered, Superb Solar is happy to talk it through — call 1300 371 883 or email info@superbsolar.com.au.
