A low price is neither a warning signal nor proof of quality – it is information about where savings are being made. Lean structures, standard components and efficient processes are legitimate; it becomes risky when it comes to the depth of planning, subcontractor chains, missing items and the service organisation for the next 25 years. The right question is not «Who is the cheapest?», but «What does the system cost over its lifetime?». (As of: July 2026)
Key points in brief
- Price differences of 15–25 percent between quotes are normal – the decisive factor is whether they arise from efficiency or from omission.
- Legitimate savings levers: simple roofs, standard components, lean sales, bundled installations in the region.
- Risky savings levers: planning without a site visit, changing subcontractors, excluded items, no accessible service organisation.
- The system runs for 25–30 years – the purchase price is only one part of the calculation; yield quality, downtimes and warranty processing are the other.
- A fair comparison requires the same scope of services: first standardise quotes, then compare prices.
What does the price of a solar system actually consist of?
Anyone who wants to understand where a provider saves money must know where the money goes. Roughly speaking, the price of a typical roof system breaks down into four blocks: the hardware (modules, inverters, mounting system – purchased similarly by all providers thanks to the global market), the installation and electrical work, the planning and administration (site visit, design, statics, registrations) and the structure of the provider (sales, margin, service organisation). The details: What does a solar system cost?
The point is: with the hardware, the differences between the providers are small – purchases are made on the same global market. The large price differences arise in the other three blocks. And that is exactly where legitimate saving differs from risky saving.
Where cheap providers legitimately save money
Honesty demands saying it clearly: Cheap can be clean. Typical, completely legitimate efficiency levers:
- Standardisation: Anyone who concentrates on simple pitched roofs with standard components plans and installs faster – they reject special cases instead of doing them badly.
- Lean sales: No field staff, no commissions, digital processes – this genuinely saves costs without affecting the system.
- Regional density: Several installations in the same village in the same week reduce travel and setup time.
- Modest margin in highly competitive segments.
If a provider explains their price in this way – concretely, comprehensibly, without evasion –, the low price is an argument, not a risk.
Where it gets risky: the four expensive shortcuts
| Shortcut | Immediate effect | Delayed effect |
|---|---|---|
| Planning light – quote without a site visit, statics unchecked | Quote arrives faster and cheaper | Additional charges on the construction site; in the worst case, damage to the roof |
| Subcontractor chain – sales here, installation by changing crews | lower installation price | nobody knows your system; in the event of defects, the responsibility ping-pong begins |
| Leaving out items – scaffolding «provided by the client», registrations «support» | Quote appears 10–15 % cheaper | You pay for the items anyway – only later and self-organised (the checklist against this) |
| No service organisation – no reachable specialist contact after installation | saves the provider fixed costs | Inverter defect in year 6: who comes, when, at what price? |
None of these points are on the price tag – all four are in the quote, if you know what to look for.
The calculation that counts: full costs over 25 years
A solar system is not a purchase, but a quarter of a century of operation. Three items determine the lifetime calculation more than a few percent of the purchase price:
1. Yield quality: A neatly designed system (string planning, shading management, correct design) delivers a few percent more year after year – over 25 years, this adds up to a multiple of the original price difference. 2. Downtimes: Every week that a defective inverter waits for repair is lost yield. The difference lies not in the device, but in the organisation behind it. 3. Warranty processing: A manufacturer's warranty is only useful if someone manages the case – removing the device, sending it in, installing the replacement. Without a reachable company, this becomes your project.
Anyone who includes these three items in the calculation evaluates quotes differently: the specialist company then no longer «costs» more – it just distributes the costs more honestly over the lifetime.
The fair decision-making aid
This is how you proceed without falling into black-and-white thinking:
1. Standardise the scope of services – bring all quotes to the 12 minimum information requirements; ask about and factor in missing items. 2. Have the price difference explained – the question «Where are you saving this?» separates efficiency from omission in a minute. 3. Run through the service case – «Inverter fails in six years: what happens concretely, who comes, what does it cost?» The answer says more than any brochure. 4. Ask for references in the region – and if in doubt, visit one.
We occasionally lose orders to significantly cheaper quotes – that is part of the market, and sometimes the decision is even right for the customer: simple roof, standard solar system, solid lean provider. The cases that concern us are the others: calls two, three years later because the installation company no longer exists, the yield was never right, or the warranty case circulates between seller, importer and installer. Our sober conclusion after many such conversations: the price difference at purchase was almost always smaller than the damage during operation. Not because cheap is bad – but because where things went wrong, savings were made in the wrong place: on planning and responsibility instead of on structure.
Frequently asked questions
Are the components from cheap providers worse?
Mostly not – modules and inverters often come from the same manufacturers. The differences lie in planning, installation quality and service organisation, not in the box.
Is the specialist company also worthwhile for a small standard system?
The simpler the project, the smaller the advantage of profound planning quality – and the more legitimate the lean provider. The more complex (shading, statics, ZEV, combination with heat pump), the more expensive saved planning becomes.
How do I recognise whether a cheap provider is «cleanly lean»?
He explains his price concretely, carries out a site visit before the quote, names components with type, links payments to progress and answers the service case question without evasions. That is checked in ten minutes.
What about foreign providers who install in Switzerland?
No knockout criterion – but check warranty responsibility, knowledge of Swiss standards (connection requests, notification procedures) and accessibility in the event of a service case particularly carefully.
Can I cheaply combine planning from the specialist company and installation?
Theoretically yes, practically exactly the interface is created where later no one is responsible. If you must separate, then with clear contractual responsibility for the overall work.
Free initial consultation
Feel free to ask us where our price comes from.
We disclose the items – site visit, planning, installation by our own people, registrations and service included. Compare fairly.
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Swissolar-certified specialist company · ESTI installation authorisation (Art. 14 NIV) · in Zurich since 2017 · over 150 systems completed · a personal answer from the specialist company, no call centre
Sources: Empirical values from installation practice; market observation in the Zurich region.
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
