How do I choose a solar installer?

Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) now runs installer accreditation, taking over from the Clean Energy Council in 2026. "CEC accredited" is outdated wording, so ask for SAA accreditation. A genuine installer confirms it without hesitation.

This is the biggest difference between installers, and it rarely shows on the quote.

Some businesses are sales operations. The sale is the product, and the installation is passed to whichever subcontractor is cheapest that week, often paid per job in a way that rewards speed over care.

Others are owner-operated: they hold their own electrical contractor licence, use a regular crew of licensed electricians, handle the grid connection paperwork themselves, and are the same people who come back if something goes wrong under warranty.

Any one of these is a reason to slow down:

• Pressure to sign now, such as a deal that ends tonight or only two spots left this month.
• A vague quote with no exact panel or inverter model, no system size and no itemised costs.
• Being evasive about accreditation.
• Promises that sound too good, like zero power bills or a system that pays for itself in a year.
• No ABN or fixed business address, only a mobile number.
• Warranty fine print with high callout fees, or a warranty tied to a paid maintenance plan.
• A deposit well above 10 to 20 percent, or full payment before the job is finished.

Solar panels carry warranties of 25 years or more, but a warranty is only as good as someone being there to honour it. When an installer closes down or reopens under a new name, there is no one left locally to make a claim. A business with a real local presence, whose name is on the licence, is far more likely to still be there.

If the sale started with a door knock or a cold call, you have a 10-day cooling-off period and can cancel for any reason. Australian Consumer Law guarantees also apply on top of any warranty: the system has to be of acceptable quality and fit for its purpose, and fine print cannot take that away.

Every installer we introduce has their SAA accreditation and insurance checked by hand against documents on file before they are introduced to anyone, and signs a commitment to give their best price. Ray sizes your system first, then one verified local installer works through your numbers and gives you their best price.