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How do the warranties work?

There is quite a variety of warranties for solar systems. What kind of damage is covered by what warranty and what do you need to do to file a claim?

Which warranties do you have on our solar products?

16 november 2022 15:40
Last updated on 05 december 2024 20:45
Reading time 17 min
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A solar installation is covered by multiple different warranties. There are warranties for the separate components (panels, inverters, mounting systems etc.), and for the entire installation: This latter warranty is called the installation warranty (installatiegarantie)

Installation warranty

For the duration of the installation warranty period, the seller must ensure that any defect to the system is repaired without costs to the customer. The installation warranty is invalidated if any parts of the installation are altered (except by Zonnefabriek) during this period. Most companies offer a 2-year installation warranty; since 2013 Zonnefabriek offers a 5-year installation warranty. The installation warranty covers the solar installation from the main electrical circuit board up to and including the solar panels; the internet communication is explicitly excluded from the installation warranty due to the dependence on third parties such as the Internet Service Provider (ISP). Defects caused by 'acts of god' or damage by third parties are also not covered.

You can find details on Zonnefabriek's installation warranty (in Dutch) in our General Terms and Conditions.

Product and performance warranties

The various parts of the installation each have their own product warranty, which usually continues for a longer period than the installation warranty. The product warranty is covered by the manufacturer. If the product becomes defective during the warranty period, the manufacturer must ensure the repair or replacement of the defective product, unless the defect is caused by an external act of god or by damage inflicted by a third partry. A consumer does not have to deal directly with the manufacturer, instead they can address the company that sold the product to them; in our case that would be Zonnefabriek.

Warranties for the various components of your system

Click on the various components below to learn more about the warranties for their respective products.

Warranties for solar panels

Solar panel warranties

In general solar panels have two separate warranties: a product warranty and a performance warranty. The product warranty entails that in the case of a defect in the product during the warranty period, the product will be either repaired or replaced, or else the customer is entitled to a financial compensation. The duration of the warranty period varies between different manufacturers, as well as what exactly is covered by the warranty. The best case scenario for the customer is that the entire repair or replacement is covered and you can rest assured that it will all be taken care of. However in some cases the manufacturer will only supply a financial compensation for a defective panel, with the amount based on the current market value of the (increasingly old and worn) panel, and that you yourself will have to pay for someone to come and take down the defective panel and put in a new panel which you will have to pay for as well, as well as transport costs. That's why it pays to read the warranty conditions carefully.

Solar panel performance warranty

The performance warranty is meant to ensure that the power that a solar panel can produce, doesn't decrease too quickly over time. All solar panels do experience some degradation over the years, usually in the range of about 0,6% per annum. The performance warranty is there to ensure that you can get compensation in case the panel degrades faster than expected.

Now this can be a tricky warranty to claim: How can you prove that a panel degraded more quickly than expected? In order to establish that you will often need specialised equipment: Where will you get that, and: who will pay for it?

Furthermore many manufactureres state that degradation as a result of a defect is not covered by the performance warranty, but by the product warranty. That makes quite a difference: imagine you have a 10 year product warranty and a 25 year performance warranty. Your panel's performance starts to worsen significantly in year 12. After an extensive investigation (paid by yourself) it turns out that the degradation is caused by a defective solar cell within the panel. What will the warranty cover? Nothing: the manufacturer will be able to say that the defect falls under the product warranty and not the performance warranty, and since the former has already expired, there is no obligation for them to honor the claim..

Overview of solar panel product and performance warranties

In the table below you will find the warranty conditions for the most common brands of solar panel installed by Zonnefabriek. For the exact terms and conditions you can click on the links in the table. If your brand isn't included in the tabel you can contact our service department for more information.

N.B.: Warranty conditions are regularly updated by the manufacturers. For the most up-to-date versions of the warranty conditions please check the manufacturers' own websites.

Solar panel brand

Performance warranty

Product warranty

What do you get?

SUNPOWER

Maxeon solar panels installed by a certified SUNPOWER installer like ZONNEFABRIEK

 

For terms and conditions click here

40 years for panels installed from January 1st 2022 onwards

 

For solar panels from before January 1st 2022: 25 years

 

For panels installed from July 1st 2017 onwwards: for the first year 98% of the stated power, then -0,25% per year.

 

For panels from before July 1st 2017: In the first 5 years 95% of the stated power, from then on  -0,4% per year

 

40 years for panels installed from January 1st 2022 onwards

 

For solar panels from before January 1st 2022: 25 years

 

the defective panel will be either repaired, or replaced by a compatible panel with the same or more power than the defective panel. Furthermore the costs for transport of both the defcetive and the replacement or repaired panel are covered. Costs relating to removal of the faulty panel and installation of the replacement or repaired panel are also covered

SUNPOWER

Maxeon solar panels NOT installed by a certified SUNPOWER installer like ZONNEFABRIEK

 

NB: if the panels have not been registered with SunPower then the warranty period is not 40 years but only 25 years

40 or 25 years (see above)

 

For panels installed from July 1st 2017 onwwards: for the first year 98% of the stated power, then -0,25% per year.

 

For panels from before July 1st 2017: In the first 5 years 95% of the stated power, from then on  -0,4% per year

40 or 25 years (see above)

the defective panel will be either repaired, or replaced by a compatible panel with the same or more power than the defective panel. 

Costs for transport and installation are NOT covered 

SUNPOWER 

Performance panels (P3)

For warranty terms and conditions click here

25 years

First year 98% of the stated power, from then on -0,45% per year

25 years

the defective panel will be either repaired, or replaced by a compatible panel with the same or more power than the defective panel.

ET Solar

 

For terms and conditions click here

 

25 years:

First year 97%, then -0.65% per year

10 years: the customer must prove that the defect came from within the panel and not from outside

repair, replacement, or payment of the current market price of the module. In case of power loss, additional panels may also be sent to restore power. Shipment of the panels is included.

Hanwha Q.cells G9

For terms and conditions click here

25 years

First year 98%, from then on -0,5% per year

12 years

repair, replacement. Compensation for the inspection and shipment of the panel but not for installation or removal

Hanwha Q.cells G5

 

For terms and conditions click here

25 years

First year 98%, thereafter -0,54% per year

12 years

repair, replacement. Compensation for the inspection and shipment of the panel but not for installation or removal

Hanwha Q.cells G4

 

For terms and conditions click here

25 years

First year 98%, thereafter -0,6% per year

12 years

repair, replacement. Compensation for the inspection and shipment of the panel but not for installation or removal

Trina Solar polykristalline panels

 

For terms and conditions click here

 

25 years:

First year 97.5% , then -0.7% per year.

10 years

repair, replacement or payment of the current value of the panel (i.e. not the purchase price)

Trina Solar monokristalline panels

25 years:

First year 97%, then -0.68% per year

10 years

 

repair, replacement or payment of the current value of the panel (i.e. not the purchase price)

 

Warranties for inverters and optimizers

Warranty on Inverters and Optimizers

In the table below you can find an overview of the warranty terms and conditions for the main brands installed by Zonnefabriek. If your brand of inverter or optimizer is not mentioned please contact our Service department for more information.

Brand

product warranty

What is covered?

SMA

 

For terms and conditions click here

5-10 years.

 

Since 2014 Zonnefabriek offers 5 years extra product warranty (i.e. 10 years total): Check your sales agreement

repair or replacement by a compatible type of inverter. Shipment and installation of the replacement device, and removal and collection of the defective device

SolarEdge

 

For terms and conditions click here

Inverter: 12 years,

Optimizer: 25 years

repair or replacement or a credit note worth the current value of the defcetive part. For repair or replacement, installation and collection are included.

ZeverSolar

 

For terms and conditions click here

 

5 years.

repair or replacement. Transportation costs are included but installation costs are not (however, these are covered by the installation warranty)

Warranties for battery systems

The warranty on home batteries has two parts: a product warranty and a performance warranty. Below are details of both.

Product warranty

The product warranty of home batteries means that the battery must be free of technical defects within the warranty period. If not, the manufacturer must at least provide a replacement product or damage compensation.

Brand Product warranty
SMA Home Storage 10 jaar
BYD HVS en HVM 10 jaar
SunPower Reserve 10 jaar

Performance warranty

The performance or performance guarantee specifies the minimum amount of time the battery should continue to work after a certain period of time. The storage capacity of all batteries decreases with time. If they are used intensively then that capacity decreases faster than if they are hardly used at all.

For most batteries, the term of the performance guarantee is 10 years, only SMA's Home Storage batteries offer 12 years. It is often guaranteed that after this period the battery will still have at least 60% of its original storage capacity, unless the battery has been charged and discharged more than a predetermined number of times within the performance guarantee period.

The number of charges is indicated by the throughput energy, expressed in MWh per kWh. One MWh per kWh means 1000 full cycles, if the battery would not lose capacity. But taking into account the slow and inevitable decrease in battery capacity, we can count about 10% extra. So 1 MWh/kWh amounts to about 1100 cycles.

In this table you can find the performance guarantee for the different brands of home battery.

 

Brand/model

Performance warranty Maximum guaranteed throughput energy Amount of cycles Minimum guaranteed capacity
SMA Home Storage 12 years 7,2 MWh/ kWh 8000 60%
BYD HVS 10 years 3 MWh/ kWh 3300 60%
BYD HVM 10 years 3,1 MWh/ kWh 3400 60%
SunPower Reserve 10 years 3,1 MWh/ kWh 3400 70%

Guaranteed and expected life

When a battery reaches its guaranteed energy throughput, it does not mean that it will fail immediately afterwards. Today's lithium batteries (all brands here are Lithium Iron Phosphate or LiFePO4 technology) last a very long time, even if the storage capacity decreases over time. Most systems are expected to last at least 15 years.

You can find the downloadable warranty terms for the various batteries below.

Warranties for EV-chargers

Solar Factory installs SMA brand electric car charging stations.

Both the SMA EV-charger and the SMA eCharger come with a comprehensive 5-year manufacturer's warranty. The conditions can be found in SMA's general warranty document, which you can download here here.

Warranties for heat pump boilers

Zonnefabriek installs heat pump boilers of different brands.

On heat pump boilers from Vaillant you get 2 years product warranty on the appliance and 5 years on the boiler tank. The Vaillant warranty terms and conditions can be found here. You will also find the product user manual here. Please note that on heat pump boilers, Zonnefabriek provides an installation warranty of 2 years instead of 5 years.

Warranties for air heat pumps

Daikin's air-to-air heat pumps come with a 5-year product warranty. In combination with a maintenance contract with the Zonnefabriek, this is extended to 10 years.

Warranties for mounting material

Mounting materials

Although we at the Solar Factory have never had to call on the warranty of mounting materials, the table below provides an overview of the terms of our house brands Schletter, SunBeam and Esdec.

Brand

Product warranty

What will be reimbursed?

Schletter

 

For terms and conditions click here

10 years

Replacement or repair of the defective part

Esdec

 

For terms and conditions click here (article 8 general conditions)

20 years

Replacement or repair or credit in an amount (not to exceed the purchase amount)

SunBeam

 

For terms and conditions click here

10 years

Replacement or repair or credit in an amount (not to exceed the purchase amount)

Warranties for communication producs

Products used for communication between the inverter and the Internet generally have a 2-year warranty. These include items such as Powerline Adapters, SMA WebBox or Cluster Controller, ZeverSolar PMU or ZeverManager. The Sunny Home Manager also has a two-year manufacturer's warranty. For terms and conditions for SMA products, click here.

Warranties for cables and electrical components

All other products used in the installation such as cables and electrical material usually carry a factory warranty of a shorter duration than Zonnefabriek's installation warranty. Zonnefabriek will replace or repair such material without cost for the consumer within the warranty period of the installation warranty, since these parts are considered to be a part of the installation.

Bankruptcies

What happens in case your installer or the manufacturer of your products files for bankruptcy?

Should Zonnefabriek go bankrupt, then you will lose our installation warranty. However you will still have the product warranty for the various parts of your solar installation. In case of a defect, the manufacturer will ask you to contact a different installer, because they generally don't deal with the final customer themselves. For instance SMA have a network of 'Advance Partners' in the Netherlands that can help out when the original installation company has ceased to exist. Zonnefabriek is regularly contacted by former customers of other installation companies that no longer exist, in order for us to help them with their warranties on SMA products.

Should the manufacturer of the products go bankrupt, then Zonnefabriek will no longer be able to source the products required for a repair or replacement of a defective part. If possible we will try to look for alternative products to keep your solar system running. Since there is no longer a manufacturer who can compensate for the costs incurred, these costs will be therefore billed to you.

Quality is your best warranty

Private consumers are well protected in the Netherlands. The Dutch government website 'Consuwijzer' (in Dutch) explains all the rules for consumer protection. The rules are different for commercial customers (business-to-business).

A final word: The best warranty is the one you never need to use. The best guarantee for a good system is a good product, much more so than good warranties. With our long experience in the world of solar energy we think we have a good view on what does and what doesn't work in the long term. This experience has led us to the selection of products in our range.

Hessel van den Berg
Hessel is technisch manager bij Zonnefabriek. Hij doet regelmatig verslag over actuele ontwikkelingen in de wereld van duurzame energie. Hessel heeft er een talent voor om complexe informatie te vertalen naar glasheldere blogs.

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