The Cheapest Solar Quote May Be the Most Expensive One

I have seen customers compare solar quotations and immediately focus on one thing:

“How much is it?”

And honestly, I understand why.

Solar systems are not cheap. When someone gives you a quotation of ₦4 million and another installer gives you ₦3 million for what appears to be the same system, the ₦3 million quote naturally looks attractive.

But here is the problem.

Sometimes, that ₦1 million difference is not because one installer is simply making more profit than the other.

Sometimes, you are not actually comparing the same system.

I have seen situations where a customer says:

“Installer A quoted me ₦3.5 million, but you are quoting ₦4.5 million. Why should I pay an extra ₦1 million?”

That is a fair question.

But before choosing the cheaper quotation, I always advise customers to ask:

“What exactly am I getting for the money?”

Because the cheapest solar quotation can sometimes become the most expensive system you ever buy.

The price on the quotation is not the real cost

Let’s say two installers give you quotations.

Installer A: ₦3.2 million
Installer B: ₦4.1 million

At first glance, Installer A looks like the obvious choice.

But imagine that Installer A has provided:

• A smaller inverter
• Lower-capacity batteries
• Fewer solar panels
• Smaller cables
• Minimal protection
• Cheaper breakers
• No proper surge protection
• Poor-quality mounting accessories
• No serious after-sales support

Installer B, on the other hand, has properly assessed your load and designed the system around your actual requirements.

Suddenly, these are no longer two quotations for the same thing.

They are two completely different systems.

And this is where many customers get into trouble.

“But they are both 5kVA”

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see customers make.

Two quotations can both say:

5kVA inverter

and still represent very different systems.

The inverter brand matters.

The actual continuous power rating matters.

The surge capability matters.

The battery voltage matters.

The number and capacity of MPPTs matter.

The maximum PV input matters.

The battery chemistry matters.

The battery capacity matters.

The quality of the components matters.

Even the installation method matters.

So when someone tells you:

“Don’t worry, both are 5kVA.”

That doesn’t mean the two systems are equivalent.

The same thing applies to batteries.

Two installers may both quote a “10kWh lithium battery”, but the battery’s usable capacity, discharge limits, BMS, cycle performance, operating conditions and manufacturer specifications can all affect how that battery performs in a real installation.

The label alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

The cheapest quote may have fewer panels

Sometimes the easiest way to make a quotation look cheaper is simply to reduce the number of solar panels.

A customer may not notice immediately.

For example, one installer may quote a system with 10 panels while another quotes 14.

The first quotation is cheaper.

But the question should not simply be:

“Why are you more expensive?”

Ask:

“Why do you need 14 panels?”

There may be a very good reason.

The battery has to be recharged.

The house has a certain daily energy demand.

The available sunlight varies.

Panel output is not constant throughout the day.

Weather conditions affect generation.

And the inverter has limits on how much PV it can accept.

If the PV array is undersized, you may have a beautiful inverter and a large battery that spends too much time waiting for the sun to recharge it.

Then the customer starts saying:

“This solar system doesn’t last.”

Sometimes the battery is not the original problem.

The system simply isn’t receiving enough energy.

Then there is the battery problem

This is another area where cheap quotations can be misleading.

Someone can reduce the price of a solar system by installing less battery capacity.

And technically, the system may still work.

But for how long?

A customer may tell the installer:

“I want the system to run my house through the night.”

The installer gives them a quotation with a battery that is barely enough for a few hours.

The system works beautifully during the day.

At night, everything goes off.

The customer becomes angry and says:

“But you told me this battery would carry my house.”

This is why I don’t like looking at the price of a solar system without first looking at the expected energy consumption.

A battery is not just a number written on a quotation.

It is part of an energy system.

You need to know what loads you intend to run, how long you intend to run them and how much of the battery’s energy can realistically be used.

Cheap cables can become an expensive problem

This one is easy to overlook because nobody gets excited about cables.

Customers want to see the inverter.

They want to see the battery.

They want to see solar panels.

Nobody usually asks:

“What size cable are you using?”

But cable sizing matters.

An undersized cable can result in excessive voltage drop, heating and unnecessary losses.

And on the battery side, this becomes even more important because large inverters can draw very high currents from the battery.

Imagine spending millions of naira on an inverter and batteries and then trying to save a relatively small amount of money by using inappropriate cables.

That is false economy.

Protection is another place where quotations get cheaper

A quotation can also be made cheaper by leaving out proper protection.

You may see a quotation with:

• Solar panels
• Inverter
• Battery
• Cables
• Installation

Everything looks complete.

But where are the appropriate DC protection devices?

Where are the isolators?

Where is surge protection where required?

What about AC protection?

What about proper earthing and bonding?

What about protection between the relevant parts of the system?

These things may not make the quotation look impressive, but they are part of a properly designed installation.

I would rather explain to a customer why protection costs extra than install an expensive solar system and pretend those things don’t matter.

Cheap installation can become an expensive repair

There is also the workmanship.

Two installers can use the same inverter, the same batteries and the same panels and still produce completely different results.

Why?

Because installation quality matters.

Poor cable termination.

Loose connections.

Bad crimping.

Improper cable routing.

Poor ventilation.

Bad panel mounting.

Poor earthing.

Incorrect configuration.

Improper battery connections.

Bad string configuration.

These problems may not show up on the day of installation.

The system may even work perfectly for several weeks.

Then problems start appearing.

The inverter begins throwing faults.

Connections heat up.

Performance drops.

The battery doesn’t behave as expected.

The customer starts spending money on troubleshooting.

And that is when the “cheap” installation starts becoming expensive.

The cheapest inverter is not always the cheapest inverter

I am not saying customers should always buy the most expensive inverter.

That would be another mistake.

There are good and bad products at different price points.

What I am saying is that the inverter should be selected based on the actual requirements of the system.

If your load requires a particular capacity, surge capability, PV input capacity or battery configuration, choosing a cheaper inverter simply because the price is attractive can create problems later.

And replacing an inverter after installation is not exactly a small expense.

What happens when you need to expand?

This is another question I think customers should ask before accepting a quotation:

“Can this system be expanded later?”

Maybe today you have:

• Television
• Fans
• Lights
• Refrigerator
• Freezer

But next year you may add:

• Air conditioner
• Washing machine
• Water pump
• More refrigerators
• More office equipment

If expansion is likely, the original system should be designed with that possibility in mind where practical.

Otherwise, you may find yourself replacing equipment that you could have avoided replacing if the system had been properly planned from the beginning.

And don’t forget after-sales support

This is one of the biggest differences between a quotation and a complete solar service.

What happens after you pay?

If the inverter develops a fault two months later, who do you call?

If the battery starts behaving strangely, will the installer come?

If you need help understanding the system, will somebody answer?

If a configuration needs to be checked, is the installer available?

Some people choose an installer because the person is ₦300,000 cheaper.

Then three months later, they are posting in WhatsApp groups:

“Please who knows somebody that can repair this inverter?”

The installer who collected the money has disappeared.

That ₦300,000 saving may suddenly look very expensive.

I don’t believe every expensive quotation is good either

Let me make this clear.

I am not saying:

Expensive = good.

There are installers who overcharge.

There are also installers who use expensive brands without necessarily providing better system design.

A high price does not automatically mean a high-quality installation.

That is why I don’t advise customers to choose based on price alone.

Don’t choose the cheapest.

Don’t automatically choose the most expensive either.

Compare what is actually being offered.

Ask these questions before choosing a quotation

Whenever I look at a solar quotation, these are some of the questions I want answered:

1. What is the actual load the system was designed for?

If the installer cannot explain the load calculation, I become concerned.

2. What appliances can run simultaneously?

A system should have a realistic operating expectation.

3. What inverter exactly is being supplied?

Not just “5kVA inverter”.

Ask for the brand and model.

4. What is the battery capacity and chemistry?

And what backup time should I realistically expect?

5. How many solar panels are being installed and why?

Don’t just count panels. Understand the PV design.

6. What protection is included?

Ask about the AC and DC sides, surge protection where appropriate, isolation and earthing.

7. What cable sizes are being used?

Especially between the batteries and inverter.

8. What happens if I have a problem after installation?

Get clarity on support and warranty.

9. Can the system be expanded later?

If you know your energy needs will increase, discuss it before installation.

10. What exactly is excluded from the quotation?

This one is important.

A cheap quotation may become expensive when you start adding all the things that were never included.

Why I would rather see a transparent quotation

A good solar quotation should not just be a list of products and prices.

It should help the customer understand what they are paying for.

I would rather see something like:

Inverter: Brand + model + capacity
Battery: Brand + model + capacity
PV array: Number and wattage of panels
Protection: AC/DC protection and relevant accessories
Cables: Appropriate sizes
Mounting: Mounting structure and accessories
Installation: Labour and commissioning
Warranty: Clearly stated
Expected system capability: Clearly explained
Exclusions: Clearly stated

Now you can actually compare quotations.

Because you are comparing systems, not just prices.

So, should you reject a cheap quotation?

Not necessarily.

A cheaper quotation can genuinely be better.

Maybe the installer has lower overheads.

Maybe they have a better supplier.

Maybe they are offering a better-priced brand.

Maybe their profit margin is simply lower.

There is nothing wrong with getting a good deal.

The problem is when the quotation is cheap because important parts of the system have been compromised.

That is the difference.

My advice to anyone buying solar in Nigeria

Before you ask:

“How much is the solar system?”

Ask:

“What exactly does the system need to do?”

Then ask:

“How was this system designed to achieve that?”

Then compare quotations based on:

• System capacity
• Energy requirement
• Battery capacity
• PV capacity
• Equipment quality
• Protection
• Cable sizing
• Installation workmanship
• Warranty
• After-sales support
• Future expansion

Only then should you start comparing prices.

Because when you buy solar, you are not just buying panels, an inverter and a battery.

You are buying a system.

And a system that is poorly designed or poorly installed can cost you far more in the long run than the money you thought you saved at the beginning.

The cheapest quotation is not always the cheapest system.

Sometimes, it is simply the system that costs you less today and much more tomorrow.