I am having a company design and install this system. So I had to hand it off to them and hope they do a good job.
Uh, yes and no
You hand off requirements, and get back a design. And then check/compare if design truly meets your requirements, or at least in a sufficient manner. The challenge is when your requirements evolve as part of the education process. Contractor design time isn't 'free'
And for warranty purposes, sometimes close enough is just that (ie Contractor certified on Product #1, and you Prefer Product #2... you may reasonably go with Product #1 to stick with the contractor)
- some warranties / certified installers aren't worth much, with contractor basically pointing you back to mfg for all future issues. is labor of service call covered, and for how long, etc. Same (or especially) up on the roof? I specifically chose an installer/warranty such that well into retirement I wasn't expected to go onto 2nd story Spanish concrete S-tile roof, lift panel and photo micro-inverter to get warranty support. Chance of being up for that at in post-retirement age is exactly zero (not worth risk).
- Roof or ground mount panels? if roof mount, how old is roof/when last significant maintenance performed? I did full lift 'n lay a couple of years prior to solar install, and my roofer maintained the whole roof warranty of I used certain solar install companies (which I did)... as solar install roof warranties are near worthless/pointless [understandable installer does NOT want to assume responsibility for old/problem roof, but careless worker's can cause damage outside of penetration points... no good answer that I'm aware of]
I'm guessing/Presuming a grid-tied, permitted/inspected setup, right?
Personally, I've liked the more educational, less sales-y approach Julian of Julian Solar Consulting takes. He has recently reviewed whole house battery systems. He explicitly mentions he does not cover the DIY market/offerings
https://www.youtube.com/@Superiorsolarconsulting
See Will's video on why his house's grid-tied inverter is the Canadian Solar EP Cube (granted, much of his loads are off-grid ;^) so I'm guessing he doesn't need large Inverter output when grid-down (again, presuming his A/C units that he'd be running in a grid0wn situation would NOT be powered via main/critical load panels, but to other off-grid power systems ... or he may have covered all that in a video I didn't watch...
Thinking of the location, where is your meter/main load center? any sub-panels? and need for service or main panel upgrades with this system install?
Is you main load center outside your bedroom? seems an odd install location to pick... presuming north side of house, always shaded and easy wiring location? Any reason to not put inside garage?
Battery longevity improved with moderate temps. But I'm guessing your temps are similar to mine (presuming you location up-to-date and you aren't up in mtns and even then, that close to coast... ) outdoor temps are moderate enough to not really be an issue. Even with never getting below freezing, and very rare to get above 90F, I'm still planning an in-garage battery install (other side of wall from my meter/main load center)
