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Last updated on 30 April 2025
Choosing an installer is an essential part of making your solar energy project a success. Indeed, it's not simply a matter of installing panels on a roof. There are various technical and regulatory steps.
Choosing a competent installer ensures that your solar panels are correctly positioned to maximise their energy efficiency. What's more, a good installer will know how to navigate the various local regulations to ensure your installation is compliant.
Investing in a qualified professional is therefore essential not only to optimise the energy yield of your installation, but also to ensure compliance with safety standards.
Before signing a contract with an installer, compare the quotes offered by at least 2 other installers. Comparing the quotes shouldn't just be limited to the initial costs, but should also include after-sales services and warranties offered on the solar installation.
To guide you, take a look at our checklist.
There are certifications issued to installers. Among others, the certifications issued by RESCERT. This association covers the three Regions. It has put in place a harmonised system for training and certifying reliable, reputable installers. Some installers have also taken the initiative to be awarded a label. A label such as the Solar PV Label is your guarantee of reliability.
The solar panel installer has various tasks. The following is an overview of their tasks.
The installer starts by calculating the yield of your future photovoltaic installation. They make this calculation on the basis of your annual consumption. They then check the feasibility of the project. They need to take the following into account in their study: the orientation of your roof and the available space on it, depending on the number of panels needed for your consumption.
In Brussels, the installation pays for itself after around 7 years, thanks to the green certificates. Free tools are available to allow you to estimate the yield of a photovoltaic installation yourself, such as Brussels Environment's solar map oth the PVcalc tool.
Most installations already have a system for monitoring the total generation of your panels. Besides generation, monitoring your electricity consumption and injection is essential to better control your energy costs. Various solutions allow you to track your daily consumption, your consumption for each device separatly or even your household's standby consumption.
Installation includes the fitting of the panels and an inverter, and takes between 1 and 4 days on average. The function of the inverter is to transform the direct current captured by your panels into alternating current, the same type of current supplied by the grid. The installer will also connect your generation system to the distribution grid.
In Brussels, part of the installer's job is also to install a green meter. This meter records all the energy generated by your panels. It displays a 'green meter reading'. This reading has to be recorded every quarter on Sibelga's Green Meter platform to benefit from green certificates.
In the Brussels Region, you have to:
Your installer can guide you through all these administrative steps.
Your installer must be able to guarantee that your panels and the inverter will function properly for 20 to 25 years. They also have to explain how you maintain your system and what to do if there are any issues. Solar panels generally have a lifespan of 30 years.
Would you like to start generating your own electricity simply and inexpensively? Plug & Play solar panels can be an alternative for limited generation. As they can be plugged directly into a simple electrical socket, they don't require any major work and already help reduce your carbon footprint.
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