Over the past decade, Australia’s solar energy sector has grown immensely due to its financial benefits and the government’s commitment to buying excess power from citizens.
Unscrupulous entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the booming business to introduce substandard solar power products to unsuspecting customers, which has resulted in fire accidents and financial losses.
These companies will entice naïve customers with TV commercials and social media ads that offer too-good-to-be-true deals. If you fall for these tricks, you will be stuck with a low-quality solar power system that barely meets your power needs.
How do you get cheap solar power?
Everyone is after the best value for their money and with so many options to choose from, it can be tempting to go for the cheapest.
So how do you find affordable solar services?
There are two ways:
- Cheap solar panels, inverters, racking equipment, and batteries
- Low installation costs from using unqualified workers.
What are the risks of cheap solar?
You probably think you got a better deal than your neighbour, who paid hundreds of dollars more for their solar power project. Your system seems to be working fine but are you aware of the risks of cheap solar?
Cheap solar panel suppliers won’t tell you this, but their products are effective only four to five years after installation. Furthermore, they won’t tell you that their warranty will be useless because they won’t be around for long to respond to their claim.
The following are some of the risks of cheap solar products and installations:
- Unsatisfactory service
- Household accidents
- Immature shutdown of the system
- Environmental pollution
- Costly running and maintenance
Unsatisfactory service
When it comes to solar power infrastructure, you get the service you paid for. A cheap solar will probably have inefficient power production, charge control, and storage issues.
The cost of a product reflects its assembly or manufacturing price and the manufacturer’s profit. Therefore, if you want excellent services, you need to buy excellent quality solar products.
Household accidents
The safety of a solar power system depends on the quality of the components and the installation process. Unfortunately, cheap products are of low quality and won’t withstand extreme weather conditions.
If you purchase inferior products, your house is prone to accidents such as fire outbreaks and burned appliances.
Untrained and uncertified contractors may offer to install the solar power components at low prices, but their work is substandard.
You may see ill-fitted parts, loose wiring and solar snakes, all of which are hazardous to your family. To avoid such hazards, always hire a contractor certified by the Clean Energy Council (CEC).
Immature system shutdown
Cheap solar power systems work perfectly for the first three to four years and might fool you into thinking you got a terrific deal.
However, your system will start having problems past the fourth year, and some components, such as the inverter, may shut down completely. So guess who will spend more money to buy a new inverter? Unfortunately, you.
Environmental pollution
One of the significant disadvantages of cheap solar is environmental pollution. When the components fail, you throw them away and replace them with better ones.
These components may contain toxic materials that will leak into the ecosystem. This is especially true for solar panels and batteries.
Costly repairs and replacements
You wanted to save money, which is why you went for the cheap solar in the first place. As the saying goes, cheap is expensive, and the costly repairs and replacements will attest to that.
The worst thing is that most cheap solar panel suppliers do not have a reliable warranty and these unscrupulous traders don’t stay in business for long. You may call them and find that the line is no longer in service or go to their offices only to find a new company unrelated to solar.
Conclusion
A cheap solar power system may save you some dollars initially, but the risks are not worth it. It may develop faults after a short while, which will cost you a fortune in repair and replacement.
Furthermore, poor quality and ill-fitted components may cause electrical defects and fire outbreaks. To avoid these risks, choose high-quality products and hire an expert to install them.