Top Concerns of Potential Solar PV Customers
We had the privilege to speak to Mr. Ahmad, Sales Engineer at Green Electric Solutions Victoria Australia. Mr. Ahmad with Graduation in Electronics has been with Green Electric Solutions for quite some time now. We believe that sharing his experience can be valuable and serve as a guiding light for both customers and sales experts alike, showcasing how and what to ask a solar installation company from the customer’s perspective, as well as how a sales engineer should equip themselves with the knowledge to address customer questions effectively.
Summary of Contents
What concerns a customer show before getting solar PV installed?
It’s not as simple as customers deciding to install solar panels right away. Before making a decision, they often have concerns, questions, or fears. What are the top concerns or questions you typically encounter during your initial conversations with customers?
Budget Constraint
The first and foremost question mostly customers ask, if there are any incentives available for them from the state or federal government.
Are there any incentives or rebates available for installing Solar PV system?
Here in Victoria, the Government is helping the public to save on energy bills, tackle climate change and build a eco friendly environment. These rebates go up to $1,400 plus option of an interest-free loan.
But customer has to bear the out of pocket cost. For example, for a 6.6kW PV system, customer has to pay almost $1500 upfront cost for the single story and nearly $2300 for the double story building. Most of the time customers negotiate on this, they ask to further lower the price. In that case, we offer them or refer them to 3rd party companies that are providing interest free loans. And actually that works. Many customers acquire those interest free loans.
Technical Fears
Sometimes customers come to us with some referrals, or with their research/homework done. So, they ask for what brands we are going to install for them. Then we share all the available inventory/brand details with them.
How many solar panels do I need for my home?
One of the frequently asked question is, how many solar panels do I need to install. We handle it following way:
- Ask for the recent electricity bills
- Top electric household items that are mostly running
Based on information collected, we analyze their daily electricity average usage and then propose them a PV system. I would like to explain this with a real scenario.
For example, if a customer has a daily electricity usage of 15kW, we recommend they install a 6.6kW PV system. This system typically includes 15 solar panels, each rated at 440W.
6.6kW PV system = 15 panels x 440W
What size inverter do I need for 6.6 kW PV?
After that we purpose PV system to the customer, we then suggest him a solar inverter. With a 6.6kW PV system, we suggest 5kW inverter (take a look at this article for an in depth knowledge of why 5kW inverter is used for a 6.6kW solar system). Below are the calculations we do before suggesting the right inverter size:
6.6kW PV / 1.3 = 5kW
The solar panel capacity should not be more than 33% higher than the inverter capacity. Let me quote:
Under the Clean Energy Council rules for accredited installers, the solar panel capacity can only exceed the inverter capacity by 33%. That means for a typical 5kW inverter you can go up to a maximum of 6.6kW of solar panel output within the rules.
As per Solar Choice Australia
What is the expected electricity output of a 6.6kW PV system?
After we suggest them a PV system. They ask for the estimated daily electricity production. In Australia, 1kW solar system produces about 3kWh x 1kW = 3kWh of power (in middle of winter). So, for a 6.6kW PV system the daily current production could be 19.8kWh. We also elaborate this to the customers that this is the ideal production and could vary (slightly) depending on environmental or temperature factors.
Electricity production: 6.6kW PV x 3 = 19.8kWh
| System Size | Weather Condition | Power |
| 6.6kW PV | Middle of winter | 6.6kW x 3kWh = 19.8kWh |
| 6.6kW PV | During summer | 6.6kW x 5kWh = 33kWh |
Above calculations are taken as per below formula from SolarChoice.
A 1kW solar system would produce about (3kWh x 1kW =) 3kWh of power on a day in the middle of winter. In summer, power generation from the same 1kW solar system would be around (5 x 1kW =) 5kWh.
SolarChoice
Roof inspection before solar panel installation
Once we receive a lead query from a customer or any third party, we inspect the customer’s premises using Google Maps. We analyze the roof structure to better understand it and plan our installation accordingly. If the roof structure is quite simple, our installation team simply makes the installation. However, if the roof structure is complex or if it is a multistory building, we send our assessment team there.
We also ensure that our engineering work and installation process do not compromise the integrity of the roof, both during and after the PV installation.
Conclusion – Top Concerns of Potential Solar PV Customers in Victoria
This is the very first-hand knowledge/information that we were able to collect from one of the industry experts in Victoria, and we are thankful to Mr. Ahmad for sparing time and addressing all the top concerns of potential solar PV customers in Victoria.
If you have any questions, please feel free to raise them in the comments. However, if you need a solar panel installed anywhere in Victoria, Australia, get in touch with us right away.
