Navigating the market for any product or service can be overwhelming, and home solar projects are no exception. In the DMV area, numerous solar installers advertise “top” performance, making it difficult to discern quality. You deserve an excellent system that starts reducing your energy bills immediately. So, how can you identify a top-tier installer from the rest? Which of Virginia’s high-quality firms will be the best fit for you? We’re here to guide you through the process.
What distinguishes the best solar installer in Virginia in 2024?
Experience and certifications are still a great starting point when selecting a solar installer. Consider how many years the firm has been around and also how many years’ combined experience the leadership and the key team members involved bring with them.
NABCEP is a certification that proves a solar professional has completed a course of training, and continues with ongoing education each year, in key disciplines for solar installation. Some states and localities even require that a solar company have NABCEP certification in order to be permitted to do projects there.
You may see other “stamps of approval” that solar companies boast, which are all helpful to demonstrate their commitment to the customer, from Better Business Bureau to Chamber of Commerce membership. More isn’t always better, and take any listings with a grain of salt, but these labels show a company is mindful of its reputation.
You may wonder, does the solar industry rank installers? There is a list of the top contractors by number of projects and solar capacity built annually and the new ranking will come out in July, which might help customers see what companies are larger or smaller, serve a more limited area, or are simply younger or less established.
Heard of “Solarize” programs? Local action campaigns where many homeowners go solar during a limited-time period have nudged many people to do a solar project with a pre-screened installer. These events can catch some residents at just the right time. But you may have missed a solarize program in your area if the timing wasn’t so convenient – maybe you’re waiting a couple more years until you need to repair your roof and you may as well take advantage of higher solar panel wattage. Maybe you weren’t ready to take down trees that shaded your roof, but now you’re cutting them. Now’s your chance to independently pick your perfect installer, and still get a good $/Watt price, outside of the bulk contracting event.
The customer reviews speak for themselves
Day to day, customers routinely post ratings and reviews of their solar contractors, influencing everything from search results to other customers’ ultimate choices of who to use as their installer.
If you have the patience to form an idea about your installer’s reputation by going past their average star rating and reading individual reviews, look for patterns and keywords that keep coming up. These trends and common threads will probably be more enlightening than any outlier, whether a glowing love letter review or a nightmare horror story from a disgruntled client.
Whether you’re on Google, Facebook, Yelp, or Angi, or solar-specific outlets like Energy Sage, Solar Reviews, remember to take time after your project is done to return the favor by posting an honest review that could be super helpful to the next potential customer. (These reviews can also be a place where customers voice their feelings about aspects of their solar experience that weren’t under their installer’s control, like whether the utility company granted permission to operate soon after inspection or only if they had to wait, which helps ease stress by tempering expectations and knowing that the solar experience is bigger than just the solar installer!)
Products, price, warranties, and financing
As we discuss elsewhere on our blog there are many solar panel makers competing to put out great products. Whether the customer is after the most favorable price in $/Watt, or wants access to American-assembled or American-made modules, most installers can offer a brand that will suit the customer’s objective. Your installer will need to clearly delineate in your solar proposal the solar system’s manufacturer warranty from the installer’s labor warranty.
Sometimes installers will set themselves apart by offering funding options beyond the usual cash or loan options, such as power purchase agreements, which require no upfront capital costs and are available in Maryland and D.C. for Ipsun customers. A good solar installer will have sales and consulting team members who are experts at navigating all these options with the customer to put together the best structure.
Any solar team must be familiar with storage too. Grid-connected solar with battery backup is now commonplace around Virginia and any decent installer should be able to show off several successful case studies to any potential customer who asks for references.
Go with your gut: 3 ways to choose a solar installer with less guesswork
Did your eyes start to glaze over reading about NABCEP, online ratings, and price comparisons? Here are 3 less-rational ways that we’ve noticed actually push people to pick one solar company and be happy they did:
Direct conversation with neighbor, family, or friend
The conversation might start when you see a solar company van in your neighbor’s driveway or your sister-in-law suddenly has a solar company yard sign out front. You pipe up can ask about it. Whatever their reasons for choosing their installer, you now know that a quality local team are conducting a project near you. Watch it unfold and if it’s a smooth install, maybe you’re next! We may be in the digital age, but word-of-mouth still works!
Social media photos and project gallery
We’re wired to believe our eyes, and you better believe that solar installations have never looked better than they do in 2024. Flipping through project photos is a great way to get a feel for a company’s work and know that behind each image is a happy customer who gave permission to post every shot. Check out Ipsun’s project gallery.
This is a great time to remember that before you get a quote or during the quoting process, you or your solar company should have a roofer look at the roof and either schedule a re-roof before the solar build or make smaller repairs to help make sure you’re set for at least the first 10-20 years of the solar system’s life, to minimize the need for a temporary solar panel removal, reroof, and solar reinstall down the road.
Culture and values
Do you want to be firmly steered through the solar process, or would you rather feel less pressure and engage in more of an open collaborative discussion to determine your solar system plan? Would your ideal solar customer experience feel more tech-driven or more people-focused? Do you care if your solar company is foremost profit-seeking or is a B-Corp such as Ipsun, with a more balanced, sustainable-minded outlook? These are the kind of things to consider right before you sign your solar project contract and firmly set your project in motion.
Find the perfect fit: The best solar installers will offer personalized attention
As soon as you call or click for a solar proposal, any quality installer will respond promptly. You can expect them to start by exploring your home’s solar potential and your solar energy goals with you. During this early phase of your solar process, more you can drop in comments or questions about what you’ve been looking for in an installation provider, like clear communication or top-tier components at a reasonable price, the more they’ll be accountable to deliver the experience you want.
By the time you meet with a representative from your solar company, you should be feeling like you’ve made an excellent choice to sit down with them. With a little planning and thought, you’ll connect to an installer who you’ll be happy to trust with your solar project.
