FindSolar.caThe gap between a good solar installation and a bad one is rarely the panels. Modules from serious manufacturers are commodities of remarkable quality; what varies wildly is the company that designs the system, drills your roof, wires your service and answers the phone in year nine. Choosing the installer is the decision, and it deserves the same rigour you would apply to any trade working on your biggest asset.
Get enough quotes to see the outliers
Three detailed quotes is the working minimum, not because more numbers are magic but because outliers only reveal themselves against a field. A production estimate 20% above the pack, a price far below it, a warranty conspicuously vague: each becomes visible the moment there is something to compare it to. Insist every quote covers the same scope so the comparison is real, and read each one with the twelve numbers in hand.
Credentials, without the alphabet soup
Electrical work on your home must be done by qualified people under permit and inspection, and the rules are provincial. Rather than memorizing acronyms, ask each company plainly: who holds the electrical qualification on my job, what permits will be pulled, who files the utility application, and can I see proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage? Legitimate outfits answer in writing without flinching, and several utilities publish hiring guidance that echoes exactly these questions.
The site visit and the subcontractor question
Satellite-based preliminary designs are normal and useful. A final contract price with no one ever on your roof or in your electrical panel is not: service capacity, roof condition, attic access and shading all need eyes on site, before signing or as an explicit condition of the price. Then ask who actually does the work. Sales, design, roof crew, electrical and service can be five different parties; you want their names, their coverage, and one company contractually answerable for all of them, including the workmanship warranty.
Reputation you can verify, and the contract that proves it
Years in business under the same name, local installations you can drive past, references from projects a few years old rather than a few weeks, and how the company handled a problem, because every installer eventually has one. Then let the contract confirm the impression: clear equipment specs with no free substitution rights, a deposit structure that tracks delivered work, cancellation terms, and schedule language that survives a slow utility approval. Our red flags guide lists the clauses that should end a conversation.
Questions homeowners ask
How many solar quotes should I get before choosing an installer?
Three detailed, same-scope quotes is the practical minimum. The point is not volume but contrast: pricing, production claims and warranty quality only reveal their outliers against a field. One quote is a price; three quotes are information.
What licences and insurance should a solar installer have?
Rules are provincial, so ask directly: who holds the electrical qualification, what permits get pulled, who files with the utility, and show me liability insurance and workers' compensation proof. The pattern matters more than acronyms, and a legitimate company answers all four in writing without hesitation.
Should an installer visit my house before I sign a contract?
Before the price becomes binding, yes. Satellite designs are fine as a starting point, but roof condition, electrical service capacity and real shading need on-site verification. A company happy to lock a five-figure contract without ever seeing your panel box is pricing in surprises, and they will be yours.
What questions should I ask about subcontractors?
Who sells, who designs, who is on the roof, who does the electrical, who services problems, and which single company is contractually responsible for all of it, including the workmanship warranty. Subcontracting is normal; unclear accountability is not.
How do I check whether an installer is actually reputable?
Years operating under the same name, local systems you can go look at, references from installs old enough to have a track record, proof of insurance, and how they describe handling a past problem. Verifiable specifics beat stars and slogans; a company proud of its work volunteers them.
What contract clauses should make me nervous?
Large deposits due before any approval, free equipment-substitution rights, savings guarantees no one can enforce, missing cancellation terms, and financing that appears at signing with a different total than the quote. Any one deserves a rewrite or a walk; our red flags guide covers the full list.