Vetting a solar installer before you sign

What credentials should an installer hold?

Electrical work must be done by someone legally qualified in the province, so ask for the licence or certification numbers and confirm them with the regulator. Business registration, liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage are all reasonable to request. Industry membership and manufacturer training can help, but they are not a replacement for a licence. Larger projects may also involve an engineer.

Ask who will physically do the work. Some companies sell the system and subcontract the build, which is acceptable if the arrangement is clear and the warranty responsibilities are written down.

How do you compare quotes?

Get at least three, and make them comparable by asking each to state the same items. A usable quote lists the panel count and rated power, the inverter type, the mounting, the expected annual production and the assumptions behind it, the warranty terms, the permit and interconnection work, and the total price with taxes. The cost guide and the Alberta cost guide explain what typically drives the number.

Compare price per installed watt only after you have confirmed that the scopes match, and compare the production estimates by asking for the shading and tilt assumptions. A higher estimate from one company is a prompt to ask how it was calculated. The peak sun hours guide helps judge whether the figures are plausible.

What are the red flags?

• Pressure to sign today to lock in a price or an incentive.
• A promise that the system will pay for itself by a precise date, with no stated assumptions.
• A suggestion to skip permits or the utility application.
• A refusal to put warranty terms in writing.
• Claims of a government programme the company cannot name.
• Large upfront payments with no schedule tied to milestones.

On incentives, an installer who speaks with certainty about money should be able to say which programme and how to apply; the incentives guide shows how to check.

Which questions should you ask?

Ask how many systems the company has installed in your area and whether you can contact two or three past customers. Ask who monitors the system and how faults are handled. Ask what happens after a hailstorm, how the roof penetrations are sealed and who guarantees them. Ask which inverter type is proposed and why; the inverter types guide explains the trade-offs. Ask for the schedule from signing to switch-on, and for the permits to be listed as part of the contract.

What should the contract contain?

The contract should name the equipment, the price, the payment schedule, the timeline, the warranties, the permit responsibilities and the cancellation rights. Provincial consumer-protection rules for door-to-door and home-improvement sales often include a cooling-off period, but details differ, so check with your provincial consumer office. For a view of how a well-documented project is described in the public record, the DLSC publications page lists the technical papers written about its design and monitoring, a useful reminder of what thorough documentation looks like.

How long should a design and quote take?

A site visit, or at least a careful satellite and roof review, should come before a firm price. Good designers ask for twelve months of electricity bills so they can size the system to your annual use, which is the method described in the sizing guide. A company that offers a final figure without seeing the roof or the bills is guessing, and the guess may not favour you.

After the quote, a few days to compare is normal. A reasonable installer lets you take that time. If shading, roof condition or the electrical panel changes the design, the revised quote should say what changed and why.

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