A word about a site evaluation - If you would like us to recommend a contractor, please fill out the contact form and indicate how many contractors you want to visit your location.

 Is cheap really good?
Not always!  Especially when you have a 25-year warranty on a product like solar panels. Relax! The good news is that there are only about 25 approved installers on the State of Connecticut list.  Some of these have consolidated, and others specialize in commercial installations, so in actuality, there not many more than ten.  They range from small electrical contractors to fairly large publicly traded companies.  Some of these installers can only do a couple of installations a month, because they "do it all," paperwork, engineering, permitting and the actual installations.  Others do everything but the installation, and actually sub-out the install. Because solar is just starting to become mainstream, there are some very new players, and there are also several installers from out-of-state.  Neither of these should be a deal breaker.  The bottom line: if you are like most homeowners, please institute a buyer beware policy like with any other purchase.  This is a big one, and you want to be reasonably assured that your contractor will be there when you need them.

Check out more solar fun facts or solar lease facts or info about the financial analysis of a solar system in CT.  You can contact us at info.CTSolarlease@gmail.com  with comments questions, photos etc.  Or you can also use the contact form to request a free solar evaluation by a qualified, State of CT approved, solar installer. You will be contacted within 48 hours of submitting this form.

The Contractor’s Dilemma   

The solar industry in the Northeast is a little bit like musical chairs. Solar companies establish themselves where the rebate money is.  States have rebate money, then they don't.  New Jersey in 2008 downsized their rebate program after many installations in 2007 and installers ran to CT & NY.  NY ran out of funding mid-year and everyone concentrated on CT.  CT ran out of money in November and everyone is running to New York again, because NY was re-funded in November 2008. Like musical chairs "and there it goes around and around, and where it stops nobody knows!"

The reality is that this all-or nothing approach is not good for the industry.  It creates an unstable marketplace for installers and, therefore, homeowners.  I have heard many homeowners say, "I can't even get a solar installer to call me back."  Well, that's because it is feast or famine in CT.   Installers are either bombarded with work, or they are laying off workers that they just hired and spent six months training.  Installation of solar panels is not a "high-margin" business.  There are many costs that some installers end up "eating" because a) it’s too difficult to add charges to the homeowner bill, b) you have to restart the rebate paperwork and add to an already hideous labor-intensive maze of paperwork.  Items include: additional engineering, structural reinforcement, electrical upgrading, additional bracketing, painful trenching, etc.  The decision often is to stop the job, do a change order, renegotiate with the homeowner.  Not a very attractive option when you have 30k in panels that need to be paid for sitting on the roof.

Know your contractor
You have several layers of built-in protection.  1st of all, the contractor can't even do the job unless they are on the CCEF-approved contractor list.  2nd your job is inspected by your Town building inspector. 3rd Your utility company inspects the system.  If you don't know the contractor, talk to someone who does.  Every contractor should be very willing and able to give you several good references.  Make sure they are references in CT.  What the contractor did in CA. NJ, NY, VT – who cares??? Your installer going out of business or moving out of State is not the ideal situation.  You will survive.  Most Panel manufacturers have multiple distributors in CT.  Read your warranty to verify what would happen in the case of a panel failure if your installer is no longer in business.

That hidden value of your contractor

The real value of your contractor is in the things you probably won't see!

Engineering - The value of your installer is in the items you generally don't even see.  The engineering of your system is perhaps the most important aspect of your system.  Your contract should provide you with a line drawing of your systems and wiring diagram.  This can have a huge impact on your system if done incorrectly.

Roof - How they penetrate the roof is equally important, given the many penetrations that will be made to put panels on the roof.  These penetrations should be properly flashed and sealed.

State Rebate paperwork and shading study -  Most companies have disclaimers in the contract that you sign that holds them harmless in case the state comes back and lowers the rebate.  The rebate that the contractor quotes you is calculated by the contractor, and the variables include the roof pitch, orientation to the sun on a compass, and the shading that occurs on your roof.  All of these factors, and more, affect your rebate and also affect how much electricity you will produce!

Total number of approved applications as of 6/30/08 is 586 which equals 2,459 kW_{AC according to CCEF}