10 Questions To Ask Your Solar Company

Author: Lacy Cook — Sun-powered living is becoming increasingly popular as more people embrace the benefits of solar energy. With technology advances and increased affordability, solar power has become a viable option for homeowners and businesses. And with solar, you can lower your power bills and your carbon footprint. But how do you know which solar installer to choose for your project? Here are 10 questions to ask your solar company before you make a decision.

1. Is my roof a good fit for solar? Why or why not?

First things first: does solar make sense for your roof? Factors like how old your roof is, how much shading it gets, and which direction it faces (north, south, east, west) matter when considering if solar would work for you.

Some shading is okay, and roofs facing south, east, and west are all excellent for solar. If your roof only faces north, it may not be beneficial, although a solar company should always be willing to take a look for you.

2. Are you licensed and insured?

It’s crucial to ensure the solar company you choose is properly licensed and insured, so you’re protected in case of any damage. At Uprise, we have multiple types of insurance. We’re insured for the installation process. We’re also covered by a different policy in case of a natural disaster like a hurricane. And we’re fully licensed, with a Home Improvement Contractor license.

3. How long have you been in the solar industry?

It’s good to know how much experience the company you’re researching has in the solar industry. Our managing director and founder Chris Sewell has been in the solar industry since 2010, and combined, our leadership team brings 80 years of experience to Uprise.

4. Are you a local or national solar company?

We’re all about staying local here at Uprise. We believe you’ll find a local company will perform better work and take care of you. You’re our neighbor! With a giant national company, you’ll be a number. They also often subcontract their projects out, and you can’t be sure of the quality of installation you’ll receive. 

5. Can you provide references or customer testimonials?

Ask your solar company if they can provide references, and also check out their reviews on platforms like Google, EnergySage, and Angi to gain insight into their work quality, customer service, and professionalism. We’ve made it easy for you — click any of those to check out Uprise’s reviews! We’re happy to provide references upon request as well.

6. What warranties do you provide?

Your solar panels and other equipment should include warranties. But also ask if a company warranties the work they perform. Uprise uses equipment from manufacturers that provide a warranty of 20-30 years, and we also warranty our own work; it’s in our contract.

7. What type of inverters do you use?

Everyone tends to ask about what panels a solar company uses, and by all means do ask that, but you should also be asking what types of inverters they use. If panels are the wheels of a solar system, inverters are the engine. There are two main types: string inverters or microinverters. In Uprise’s opinion, string inverters are technology of the past, while microinverters are today’s best option. String inverters connect all the panels together. With microinverters, each panel gets its own inverter. That’s a better option because it means if one panel stops working, it doesn’t knock out all the other panels. A great way to think about this is shading: if a tree shades one of your panels, that panel doesn’t stop all the others from working. They can keep generating energy. It’s the same with microinverters.

8. What financing options do you offer?

At Uprise, we pride ourselves on making solar available for everyone, no matter your budget. You have the option to pay in cash, finance the system with a solar loan, or choose our no-cost solar program, where you agree to host solar on your roof and we cover the cost of installation and maintenance for 20 years. Learn more about your options in our blog post on how to pay for solar.

Be careful when asking about financing — unfortunately, there are solar scams out there. If someone offers you free solar, dig into those contract terms. Who’s paying for it? Is it really free? We believe transparency is important, and are able to make our no-cost solar program available because we count as the system owner, and therefore receive the financial incentives like the 30% federal solar tax credit.

We are more than happy to answer any questions about our contracts, so you can feel confident about what you’re signing.

9. Will you submit permits and utility interconnection paperwork for me?

Yes! No matter how you pay for solar, at Uprise we handle all the paperwork for you. We submit permits to Washington DC’s Department of Buildings, and submit interconnection paperwork to Pepco. We aim to make the solar process hassle-free.

10. Do you provide system maintenance and repairs?

What happens if your solar system needs maintenance? It’s a good question to answer before the system goes on your roof. With Uprise’s no-cost solar program, we handle maintenance and repairs for 20 years, since we’re the system owners. If you paid for solar in cash or with a loan, you are more than welcome to call us for any maintenance issues; you’d simply pay us as you would another contractor.

We monitor all of our solar projects, and no matter how you pay for solar, you’ll receive access to the Enphase App so you can monitor them too. You can track your electricity consumption, and see how much power your panels are generating.

Ready for answers to these 10 questions to ask your solar company? We can’t wait to hear from you! Call us at (202) 750-5718 or schedule a free consultation on our website.