The Solar Buyer's Checklist for Singapore: 25 Things to Confirm Before You Sign
Twenty-five specific things to confirm before signing a solar contract in Singapore, across credentials, the quote, equipment, warranty, and paperwork.
Quick answer
Twenty-five specific checks, across installer credentials, quote transparency, equipment quality, warranty terms, and paperwork, catch most of the problems that otherwise surface after a Singapore solar installation. The highest-value ones: verify the installer's <a href='/blog/solar-certifications-singapore-explained'>BCA ME03 license</a> and MOM safety record, confirm the quote is itemised and GST-inclusive, and get panel and inverter warranty terms in writing before any deposit changes hands.
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Specific items worth confirming before signing any Singapore solar contract
Before signing a Singapore solar contract, twenty-five specific checks, across installer credentials, the quote itself, equipment quality, warranty terms, and paperwork, catch most of the problems that otherwise surface after installation, when they are far more expensive to fix. Working through them in order takes under an hour and can be done entirely before you commit to anything.
Why does the order matter?
Credentials come first because nothing else on this list means anything if the installer itself is not who they claim to be. The quote comes second, since it is only worth scrutinising once you know the company behind it is legitimate. Equipment and warranty checks follow naturally from a trustworthy, itemised quote, and paperwork comes last because it is what actually makes everything before it enforceable.
- Installer credentials come first, since nothing else on this checklist matters if the company itself is not legitimate.
- An itemised, GST-clear quote with scaffolding as its own line item is the single strongest signal a quote is trustworthy.
- Warranty terms, panel, inverter, and workmanship, should all be in writing before any deposit changes hands, not promised verbally.
- One missing item is worth a question; several missing together, especially around pressure to sign quickly, is worth a second quote.
Installer credentials, 5 checks
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| 1. BCA ME03 license | The installer holds a valid, current BCA ME03 license, verifiable on BCA's public contractor registry. |
| 2. Equipment on EMA's approved list | The specific panel and inverter models quoted appear on EMA's approved equipment list, not just the installer's general claim of compliance. |
| 3. Track record | The installer can show real completed Singapore landed home installations, ideally with contactable references, not just marketing photos. |
| 4. Licensed Electrical Worker confirmed | The installer names or confirms who the Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW) signing off your specific installation will be, not just a general claim of compliance. |
| 5. MOM safety record checked | You have checked the installer's standing on MOM's workplace safety and health demerit-point record, a five-minute check most homeowners skip. |
Why does checking the LEW by name actually matter?
A company-level license confirms the business is legitimate, but the LEW is the specific individual legally accountable for your installation's electrical safety and sign-off. See what a Licensed Electrical Worker does for what this credential actually covers and why it is worth confirming separately from the company's own license.
The quote itself, 7 checks
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| 6. Itemised, not bundled | Panels, inverter, mounting, wiring, labour, scaffolding, permits, and grid connection each appear as separate line items, not one lump sum. |
| 7. Scaffolding included | Proper scaffolding is explicitly its own line item in the price, not folded into a vague total, since it is a common corner cut in a suspiciously low quote. |
| 8. System sized against your actual roof | The quoted system size reflects your specific roof's actual usable area and your electrical supply's real capacity, confirmed by a site survey, not a generic property-type estimate. |
| 9. Price per kWp is reasonable | The total works out to roughly S$1,000 to S$1,600 per kWp installed. A number well outside that range in either direction deserves a direct question. |
| 10. GST treatment is clear | Whether the quoted price is GST-inclusive or excludes the standard 9% is stated explicitly, so you can compare quotes on the same basis. |
| 11. Generation estimate basis stated | The installer confirms whether the quoted annual generation figure is a P50 (median) or P90 (conservative) estimate, since this changes how optimistic the number is. |
| 12. Inverter sizing explained | The installer can explain the quoted DC-to-AC inverter sizing ratio, typically 1.1 to 1.3x, rather than just listing a panel count and inverter model with no rationale. |
Equipment quality, 3 checks
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| 13. Panel certifications | The quoted panel model carries IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certification, and the installer can provide the datasheet on request. |
| 14. Balance of System quality | Mounting material, wiring gauge, and monitoring equipment are specified, not just panel brand and wattage, since BOS is over half the installed cost. |
| 15. Battery-ready if relevant | If there is a reasonable chance you will add a battery later, the quoted inverter is hybrid or battery-ready, avoiding a more expensive retrofit. |
Warranty and contract terms, 5 checks
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| 16. Panel output warranty | Typically 25 years, in writing, with the guaranteed output percentage at year 25 explicitly stated, not just implied. |
| 17. Inverter and workmanship warranty | Inverter warranty typically 10 to 12 years for string and hybrid units (often longer, sometimes matching the full panel warranty, for microinverters), installation workmanship warranty typically 5 years, both in writing. |
| 18. Defects Liability Period stated | The contract states the Defects Liability Period (DLP) explicitly, the window during which the installer must fix defects at no extra cost. |
| 19. Roof waterproofing method covered | The workmanship warranty explicitly covers leaks traceable to mounting penetrations, and the installer states the flashing method for your specific roof type. |
| 20. What happens if the installer closes down | Ask directly how panel and inverter manufacturer warranties are honoured if the installer itself stops trading, since manufacturer warranties usually survive independently of the installer. |
What if the installer can't answer check 20 clearly?
A vague or dismissive answer to what happens if the company closes is itself informative, since a reputable installer has usually thought this through and can point to the manufacturer's own warranty registration process. See what happens if a solar company closes down for how this actually plays out and what continuity protections are worth asking about upfront.
Process and paperwork, 5 checks
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| 21. Who handles SP Group paperwork | The installer, not you, should handle the SP Group grid connection application and export credit (SCT/ECIS) setup as part of the quoted price. |
| 22. Commissioning report provided | You will receive a copy of the Licensed Electrical Worker's commissioning report or certificate after installation, not just a verbal confirmation the system works. |
| 23. All three certification layers verified | You have personally checked the company (BCA ME03), the electrical worker (LEW), and the equipment (EMA list, IEC certification), not assumed one covers all three. |
| 24. No pressure, no deposit before a written quote | A free site survey and a written, itemised quote should both come before any deposit is requested. Artificial urgency or same-day-signing pressure is a red flag, not a genuine limited-time offer. |
| 25. Installer carries WICA and public liability insurance | The installer carries Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) insurance for their own workers, a legal requirement for manual work in Singapore, and ideally public liability insurance covering accidental damage to your property while they're on your roof. |
Why does check 25 matter if it's the installer's insurance, not mine?
Because a gap in the installer's own coverage can become your problem, not just theirs. If an uninsured worker is injured on your property, or a dropped tool cracks a roof tile or a skylight, the absence of WICA or public liability cover on the installer's side is exactly the kind of gap that turns into a dispute over whose insurance, if anyone's, actually pays. Asking an installer to confirm this before work starts, the same way you'd ask any contractor working at height on your home, is a five-minute question that closes off a genuinely avoidable exposure.
Does this checklist change if I'm financing instead of paying cash?
All 25 checks still apply in full, since they are about the installation itself, not how you pay for it. A loan or operator arrangement adds its own separate due diligence on top, not instead of, this checklist. See solar financing in Singapore for what to confirm specifically about a loan or operator contract's own terms.
Does this checklist change for an operator or PPA arrangement instead of buying outright?
The equipment and workmanship checks matter just as much, since you are still trusting the same physical installation on your roof, but the warranty checks shift: it is the operator's ongoing obligation, not a one-time manufacturer warranty, that matters most. See solar installer vs. solar operator for how the practical due diligence differs between the two business models.
What if a quote fails one of these checks?
One missing item is worth a direct question to the installer, not an automatic disqualification, since some are simply omissions in an early conversation rather than the final contract. Several missing items together, especially around scaffolding, warranty specifics, certifications, or pressure to sign quickly, are a stronger signal to get a second quote before proceeding. See red flags in a solar quote, annotated for what several of these actually look like together on one real quote.
What is the actual next step?
Run the Sunnify solar estimate before you request any quotes, so you know what a fair system size and price looks like first, then use this checklist against every quote you receive.
See how to check an installer's MOM safety record for check 5 in full detail.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Whether the installer holds a valid BCA ME03 license and whether the specific quote itemises scaffolding, grid connection, and warranty terms explicitly rather than bundling them into a vague total. These two checks alone rule out most of the problems that surface later with a solar installation.
A site survey itself should be free and without obligation, since it is how a proper quote gets built in the first place. Being asked for payment before a survey has even happened, or before you have seen a written, itemised quote, is worth treating as a red flag rather than standard practice.
There is no genuine reason a legitimate quote needs to expire in 24 or 48 hours. Real installers understand that a S$15,000 to S$25,000 decision deserves a few days of comparison against at least one other quote. High-pressure, artificially short deadlines are a common sign of a sales tactic rather than a fair offer.
No. The point is not to become an electrical engineer before signing, it is to ask specific, informed questions rather than accepting vague reassurance. An installer who answers a specific technical question directly and confidently is a different signal than one who deflects it, and that difference matters more than whether you personally understand every detail of the answer.
Yes, all 25 checks still apply, plus a few financing-specific ones: the loan or operator terms in writing, who is actually named on the equipment warranty, and what happens to the arrangement if you sell the home before it ends. Financing changes who pays and when, not what the underlying installation needs to get right.
Ask each installer to justify the difference specifically, rather than assuming the cheaper one cut corners or the pricier one is automatically better. A real difference in panel or inverter tier, warranty length, or installer overhead can explain a meaningful gap; if neither can explain it clearly, that vagueness itself is worth weighing. See Sunnify's guide to comparing two solar quotes line by line for a full worked example of this exact comparison.
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