How You Can Avoid Solar Energy Pitfalls

While solar energy is a good alternative source of energy, there could be some pitfalls. Hopefully this article will help you avoid the scam artists, inflated prices as well as other problems associated with solar energy systems.

The first thing you will need to do is do your research. Prices can vary greatly between systems. Even if it seems that several makers offer systems that contain most of the same parts, the prices and quality will be different. You may be tempted to go the cheap route, but end up paying for repeated repairs or even a replacement system. There goes the difference between a "Cheap" system and a more expensive system.

Make sure to check prices for installation, parts and don't forget to check out the warranties that they offer. Don't just go with the first company: do your homework. Don't overextend yourself, moneywise. You want to be able to afford the system but you still want a warranty, high quality parts and an installer who is bonded and has good reputation.

Watch out for the salesperson who doesn't listen, doesn't care about the size of your home or even if your home will be able to use the system efficiently. These guys will pester you with how great their high priced system is and how lousy and overpriced their competitor's systems are.

Don't fall for their ploy and agree right away to buy their system. If it's for sale today, it will be there tomorrow. Collect their information and quotes as well as that from other companies. Buying the first one may jip you out of a great deal from another seller.

While there are salespeople that only offer overpriced systems, there are the scammers that will try to do the opposite. Rather than high price systems, these guys will make you believe that they are giving you a great system for a ridiculous low price. Their reasons could be: another solar company has gone out of business so this company purchased the systems cheap so they can pass the savings down to you or they'll say they have a really low mark-up or perhaps, they get them direct from the manufacturer so they cut out the middle man.

These are just a few of the many scams out there. Use your common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Another thing that should warn you that you're being scammed is if they want you to sign up right now and give a large deposit or down payment. More than likely they are fly by night operators that'll take your money and run. Another way to figure it out is if they don't even come out to your home. A seller that won't meet face to face is not someone to trust.

Another thing to check out is whether your home can handle the weight of the solar panels. Many homes are not conductive to having mounted panels. Have a professional check your roof before you buy a system. Rather to pay a pro to find out your roof can't handle it, than to pay for a whole system that you can't use.

If your roof won't handle the weight, it doesn't mean you won't be able to use solar energy. There are different types of systems, but that's another article.