Hiring a solar installer is one of those things you only do once or twice in your life. Get it wrong, and you'll be staring at a roof full of panels that underperform or leak. Get it right, and your power bill shrinks for decades.
What to Look For
Look for a crew that has been in business at least five years. New companies pop up every spring and vanish by winter. Ask for proof of general liability and workers' comp insurance — not just a certificate, but actual confirmation from their carrier. Check that they use Tier 1 panels and inverters from manufacturers with a proven track record, not no-name gear from a liquidation sale. A good installer will also have a physical office or shop, not just a P.O. box and a Facebook page.
Questions to Ask
Ask them how they handle roof penetrations and what warranty they offer on labor. Most panel warranties are 25 years, but if the company goes under, that piece of paper is worthless. Ask for the exact model numbers of every component they plan to install — panels, inverter, racking, monitoring system. Then ask for three recent local installations you can drive by and look at. Not references they hand-pick, but real addresses. If they hesitate, that's a problem.
Red Flags
Watch out for anyone who demands a large deposit before they've pulled permits or done a site survey. A few hundred bucks is normal. Thousands upfront is a warning. Steer clear of salespeople who claim you'll save money without even looking at your roof or your electric bills. Also avoid companies that subcontract all their work to random crews — you want the people who show up to be the same people you hired. If they can't tell you who will be on your roof next Tuesday, walk.
How Ratings Help You Choose
Ratings matter, but only if you read the actual reviews. A perfect score with no written feedback is suspicious. Look for patterns: multiple complaints about slow repairs, pushy sales tactics, or poor communication. One angry customer might just be a jerk. Ten people saying the same thing means there's a real problem. Good ratings from long-time customers who mention specific project details — like how the installation went or how fast the system started working — tell you more than a star count ever will.
Compare local solar installers on RatingsNearMe to see real customer experiences before you sign anything.