What warranty terms should a solar quotation state?

Separate the warranties by who gives them

A quotation usually carries more than one kind of warranty, and they come from different parties. The manufacturer stands behind its own equipment. The installer stands behind its own workmanship. A customer who cannot tell which is which will not know whom to call.

• Modules: the maker's product warranty, and any separate warranty on output over time.
• Inverter or pump drive: the maker's warranty on the unit.
• Battery, if any: the maker's warranty, which has its own conditions.
• Mounting structure and cables: whatever the supplier or installer gives.
• Installation: the installer's own promise on workmanship, and how long it applies.

Copy the period from the maker's document

Warranty periods and conditions are set by each manufacturer, and they differ between makes and models. Take the period from the datasheet, the certificate or the warranty document for the exact model you quote, and do not round up or assume.

This guide gives no warranty period for the same reason. Where a period is not in writing, leave it out of the quotation rather than guess.

Say what is not covered and how to claim

A warranty is as useful as its claim process. State what the warranty excludes, for example damage from misuse or from a cause outside the equipment, and how a claim is made: whom the customer contacts, with what documents, and how the unit is inspected or replaced.

Say who bears the cost of removal and re-installation if a unit is replaced, because that is often where a dispute begins.

Link the warranty to the bill of materials

A warranty belongs to a specific item, so it should match the make and model on the bill of materials. If the make changes at the supply stage, issue a revision, because the warranty will change with it.

If a module is DCR and a scheme subsidy depends on it, give the customer the supplier's DCR certificate together with the warranty documents.

Keep the terms in one place

Put the warranty wording in the terms and conditions of the quotation, so every quotation carries the same clauses and the customer can read them before accepting.

Step by step

1. 1

   List each item

   Take the items from the bill of materials, with their make and model.

2. 2

   Name who honours each warranty

   Mark whether the maker or the installer stands behind each item.

3. 3

   Copy the period

   Take each period from the maker's document for that exact model.

4. 4

   State exclusions and the claim process

   Say what is not covered and how a claim is made.

5. 5

   Put it in the terms

   Write the warranty wording into the terms and conditions.

Common mistakes

• Stating a period you cannot show

  Periods are set by each manufacturer, so a period without a document behind it can become a dispute.

• Blurring the maker's warranty and the installer's

  The customer needs to know whom to call, so say which party honours each item.

• Leaving exclusions out

  A warranty with no stated exclusions invites arguments about what is covered.

• Letting the make change without a revision

  The warranty belongs to a specific make and model, so a substitution needs a revised quotation.

What to check before you send

• Each warranty item matches a make and model on the bill of materials
• Each period was copied from the maker's own document
• The quotation says who honours each warranty and how to claim
• Exclusions and who bears the removal and re-installation cost are stated
• The wording is in the terms and conditions the customer reads before accepting
• The supplier's DCR certificate is handed over if a subsidy depends on it

Sources

• MNRE office memorandum on the DCR verification portal, read 10 Oct 2026