How to Choose the Right Solar Installer in Malaysia

Why the Installer Matters as Much as the Panels

Good panels on a badly built system will underperform for 25 years. The installer designs the system, fixes it to your roof, handles the paperwork and answers when something fails.

Here is what to check, in the order that saves you the most trouble.

1. SEDA Registration

Under Solar ATAP, the homeowner does not submit the application. SEDA requires the applicant to appoint a Registered PV Service Provider, or RPVSP, to submit it.

SEDA publishes a directory of Registered PV Service Providers. Ask the installer for its registered company name and look it up. Do this for every installer you consider.

An installer that is not registered cannot submit your Solar ATAP application.

2. A Site Visit Before the Price

A serious installer looks at the roof before quoting a final price. The visit checks the roof structure, the shading and whether your supply is single-phase or three-phase.

Be careful with a firm price given from a photo alone.

3. An Itemised Quotation

The quotation should name:

• The brand and model of the panels, and how many
• The brand and model of the inverter
• The system size in kW
• What is included, from mounting to the Solar ATAP application
• The payment stages

Our guide to installation costs explains each part of the price.

4. Warranties in Writing

There are three, and they come from different parties.

• Panel warranty, from the panel maker
• Inverter warranty, from the inverter maker
• Workmanship warranty, from the installer, for the installation itself

Ask how long each lasts and who you call to claim. A promise that is not on paper is not a warranty.

5. After-Sales Service

Ask what happens after the system is switched on.

• Who do I contact if production drops?
• Do you have your own service team?
• Do you offer maintenance visits, and at what price?
• Will you help with a warranty claim?

6. A Realistic Saving

Ask how the monthly saving in the quotation was worked out. Under Solar ATAP, the saving depends on how much power you use in the daytime.

An installer that promises the same saving to every home has not looked at your bill.

Warning Signs

• The company name is not in SEDA's directory
• A price far below every other quotation, with no explanation
• No written warranty
• Pressure to sign or pay today
• A large payment asked before any site visit
• A fee to "apply for the rebate"

The last one deserves a note. The SuRIA Home rebate needs no application by an installer. TNB contacts eligible customers directly and pays into their own bank account.

How SolarKita Works

• A free site assessment before the proposal
• A detailed proposal within 48 hours, with the system design and the expected saving
• The Solar ATAP application prepared and submitted for you
• Installation in one to three days for a home
• Maintenance visits after installation

Questions to Bring to the Site Visit

1. Is your company in SEDA's directory, and under what name?
2. Which panel and inverter do you propose, and why?
3. How was the monthly saving worked out?
4. Who installs the system, your own team or a subcontractor?
5. Who do I call in five years if something fails?

Get a Site Assessment

WhatsApp SolarKita for a free site assessment, and bring these questions with you.