The savings of a cheap panel may seem intriguing in the moment, but a high-quality panel with a manufacturer that stands behind it will provide you with security in your investment long-term.
Understanding Solar Warranties: Will My Solar Panels Really Last 25 Years?
Contributed by | LG Solar
If you invest in a high-quality panel, not only are they guaranteed to last for 25 years, but they are likely to last for many more. Solar energy is a long-term investment, making it critical to consider the history and reputation of the manufacturer you choose to purchase from. Using high quality panels from a respected, company with a stable background will help prevent any potential problems from arising in the future. In the rare case that an issue does come up, a company with a proven track record for customer service will help address the problem so you can get back to loving the sun.
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LG NeON® R is guaranteed to perform at a minimum of 88.4 percent efficiency after 25 years!
Understanding Solar Panel Warranties
Quality solar panels come with three different types of warranties. Let's look at what those are.
Product
When most people think of warranties, they think of a product warranty. A product warranty is what covers the item you have purchased against manufacturer defects. This warranty is typically offered on consumer items like household appliances. LG is able to offer a 25 year warranty against defects, breakage or any other product issues, in the rare case that one would arise. To give you an example of how rare it is that an LG panel would experience an issue, of the roughly 800,000 panels sold in Australia within the past eight years (at the time of writing), less than 20 had warranty claims due to manufacturing faults. That's a failure rate of approximately 0.00025 percent. No wonder they are guaranteed for so long!
Performance
When the sun shines on solar panels the change that occurs to the panel is called scorch. Scorch causes all panels to lose efficiency over time. While scorch affects all panels, some panels resist it better than others. LG's performance warranty guarantees your panel's performance over a 25 year period. For example, the LG NeON® R is guaranteed to work to 88.4 percent of its day one capacity after a quarter of a century of use. Standard panels won't guarantee this type of production. It is important to know what the performance guarantee is for the panel you buy.
Labor
The third type of warranty is the labor warranty. This is where some panel manufacturers separate themselves from the rest. Most manufacturers will not guarantee labor costs in the event of a panel needing to be replaced. That means that even though they may replace the panel, they will not pay someone to climb up on your roof to remove the damaged panel and install the new one. As the labor can be more expensive than the panel itself, a standard warranty is of little value if it doesn't have a labor warranty to go with it. LG will cover their customer's labor costs up to $450 in the rare case of a problem, more than enough to replace a panel.
Your panels may have different lengths of warranties if your products are manufactured by different companies. If you choose to invest with LG, your product, performance and labor warranties are all covered for 25 years! LG's solar pros can help you find a solar system and warranty that works for you!
What Should I Ask?
Here are some of the questions you should ask your solar professional about your warranty prior to making a decision.
- How long is my warranty? Is there a difference between the length of the product, labor and performance coverage?
- Who do I contact in the event of a claim?
- What is covered under my warranty? What is not?
- Are incidentals covered?
- Is the warranty transferable?
- Do I have to register my warranty before I can make a claim?
Be sure to find out all of the information you can about your manufacturer's warranties before making a final decision. The savings of a cheap panel may seem intriguing in the moment, but a high-quality panel with a manufacturer that stands behind it will provide you with security in your investment long-term. Contact an LG PRO today to learn more and get started on your project!
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
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