The Honest Answer: Is It Safe to Go With the Cheapest Quote for Solar Panels or a Heat Pump?
Like most things in life, you pay your money and take your chance. Expensive installers deliver genuinely poor work. Well-priced companies do excellent jobs. Both outcomes exist. The price is not the signal. What sits behind the price is, and there are specific, verifiable things you can check before you commit to anyone.
The pattern when AES gets called out to fix a poorly performing installation: it was the cheapest quote. Not always. But the majority of the time.
Why the cheapest quote is often a risk
The cheapest quote is usually cheapest for a reason. That reason is almost always one of:
- no heat loss calculation was done
- the equipment is a lower specification
- the installation was rushed
- the company has lower overheads because it employs less experienced engineers
Any of those compromises can result in a system that does not perform as it should, or one that fails within five years. At that point, the savings made at quotation stage are typically dwarfed by the cost of remediation or replacement.
Why an expensive quote is not automatically better
This is the honest part. I have also seen homeowners pay significantly more than they needed to for a heat pump or solar installation that was no better in practice than a well-priced alternative would have been.
Price alone, in either direction, is not a reliable indicator of quality. Due diligence is required. A high quote from a company that cannot show you a heat loss calculation is just an expensive guess.
What actually separates a good quote from a poor one?
A heat loss calculation
For heat pumps, this is non-negotiable. Any installer who cannot produce a room-by-room heat loss calculation before quoting is not designing the system correctly. The calculation takes around half a day to complete properly. If an installer is quoting without one, they are cutting corners before the job has even started.
Specific system specification
A good quote itemises the equipment, the exact heat pump model, cylinder specification, radiator upgrades, controls, and commissioning scope. A vague quote that simply says “heat pump installation” with a price is not a real specification.
MCS certification, verified
Check the MCS database directly at mcscertified.com. A non-certified installer disqualifies you from the BUS grant and the Smart Export Guarantee.
Trading history
How long has the company been established? AES has been installing since 1988. That history means there are hundreds of installations that have been running for five, ten, and fifteen years that you can ask about.
References from real customers. Not testimonials on a website, direct contact with homeowners whose systems were installed by that company at least two years ago. Ask whether the system performs as quoted and how the company handled any issues.
The AES approach to pricing
At AES, we charge the same price for a heat pump installation regardless of whether a BUS grant is available. The grant does not increase our margin. Our pricing reflects the work involved, a proper survey, a heat loss calculation, the right equipment, and correct commissioning.
We are not the cheapest quote in Hampshire. We are also not the most expensive. We are a company that has been doing this properly for over thirty-five years and will be here when you need us in year ten.
Do not choose solely on price, in either direction.
- Ask for the heat loss calculation
- Verify MCS certification
- Speak to previous customers
- Ask how long the company has been trading
That due diligence takes an hour and is worth far more than the difference between quotes.
Call AES Limited on 01794 830 404 or click below to book your free survey.
FAQs
What is the most common reason heat pump installations fail to perform?
In my experience, the most common cause is the absence of a proper heat loss calculation before installation. Systems sized incorrectly cannot meet the heating demand. Systems running at the wrong flow temperature cost more to run than they should. Both are avoidable with a correct survey.
Can I ask to see a heat loss calculation before committing to an installer?
Yes, and you should. Any competent heat pump installer will show you the heat loss figure and explain how it determines the system specification. If an installer cannot or will not produce one, that is the answer you need.
Does a higher price guarantee a better installation?
No. Price is not a reliable proxy for quality. What indicates a better installation is a thorough survey, a correct specification, experienced engineers, and a company with a track record in Hampshire you can verify independently.
How do I find references for a heat pump or solar installer?
Ask the installer directly for contact details of customers whose systems were installed at least two years ago. A company confident in its work will provide these without hesitation.
Is AES the cheapest installer in Hampshire?
No. Nor is being the cheapest something we aim for. Our pricing reflects the quality of the survey, specification, equipment, and installation. We can explain every line of a quote and show you the work behind it.
