Getting the Best Out of a Solar Survey Part 2: During the Survey

This article is the second in a 3 part series on how to get the most out of a solar survey. We’re members of the REAL Assurance Code, so it’s in our in our interest to promote information that helps customers to choose an installer that offers a good quality service at a fair price. The information here comes in part from the REAL Code, also partly from the consumer watchdog Which? and a little bit from us too, to top it off. You can read Part 1 here.

The survey is the perfect time to get your requirements across and for a surveyor to collect detailed information about your property. It’s also useful to be able to gain an understanding of the company and the products that they use.

Check whether the representative from the installation company is a salesperson or a surveyor. It’s important to recognise the difference between the two, as a proper assessment of your property will need to be made at some stage before installation.

A good salesperson should explain:

That they will be unable to fully appraise the quality of your roof or your fuseboard in the way a surveyor would. The property will need to be assessed by experienced surveyor. They cannot provide a quote on the day – their estimate could change following the survey. Whether they are paid commission on sales. You shouldn’t sign a contract on the basis of their visit alone. A good surveyor should:

Check the orientation and pitch angle of the roof. Assess roof quality inside from inside the loft and out. Analyse and record any shading that occurs (it’s a good idea to book the survey for daylight hours) Take a detailed look at your fuseboard. Discuss your energy usage with you, including how much energy you use and when you use it. Look around the house and discuss where to put cables and equipment. They should be somewhere out of the way, but accessible. By the end of the survey, the result you are looking for is to have a technically capable person who has collected enough information specific to your property to provide you with a suitable quote. That person should not have offered you any large, on-the-spot discounts or tried to pressure you in any way. You should be looking forward to getting a quote which you can easily compare with others on your way to making a decision.