Assess the roof and the demand together
A solar proposal needs both a suitable site and useful demand. Record roof orientation, shading through the year, usable area, roof condition and safe access. Have the appropriate professional assess structure and mounting; a sunny location does not establish that any roof can carry a particular system.
Collect a full year of bills and interval consumption where available. Note whether the property is a permanent home, a seasonal residence or a rental, and when major loads operate. A bill in euros cannot be converted reliably into a system size without understanding tariffs, standing charges and kWh.
For a villa, pool equipment, air conditioning and EV charging can affect the timing of demand. For an apartment, roof ownership and collective arrangements may be decisive. A townhouse can have limited roof area or neighbouring shade. These are design questions, not universal system-size categories.
Read a production forecast critically
Ask the designer to identify the weather dataset, orientation, inclination, shading, system losses and inverter limits used. Tools such as the European Commission's PVGIS can provide an initial resource estimate, but do not replace a detailed roof and electrical survey.
Separate annual generation from direct self-consumption, export and imports. Production is not evenly spread across the day or year. A forecast should consider seasonal occupancy and flexible demand rather than treating every generated kWh as avoiding a retail-priced import.
Request a sensitivity case with lower generation and different energy prices. Do not use a generic number of sunny days or a province-wide output figure as a guarantee for your property.
Compare panels and inverters by exact model
Panel dimensions, electrical characteristics, mounting limits and shading design can matter as much as headline efficiency. Inverter selection depends on the array, supply and operating requirements. Obtain the exact model schedule and check that substitutions need approval.
Read product warranties separately from output-performance conditions and workmanship terms. Check the applicable territory, registration, exclusions and who administers a claim. Country of manufacture does not establish a universal quality or warranty advantage.
Ask for the mounting, protection, cable-route and monitoring specifications as well as the panel brand. A complete installation proposal should explain access, waterproofing and any electrical upgrades rather than reducing the decision to a price per watt.
Decide whether storage solves a real problem
Compare measured or modelled daytime exports with evening imports before adding a battery. Consider scheduling flexible loads first. Storage has conversion losses and may cycle differently across seasons; unused capacity is not a saving.
Ask for usable capacity, charge and discharge power, reserve settings and model compatibility. Backup during an outage requires a specific design and safe isolation, not merely the presence of a battery. Identify the circuits covered and arrange professional commissioning tests.
Evaluate resilience and financial return separately. Include installation, financing, maintenance and replacement assumptions, and compare against a solar-only proposal using the same demand profile.
Confirm permissions for the actual municipality and property
Málaga province does not have one universal municipal approval process. Ask the relevant ayuntamiento which procedure applies to the property's location, building status and proposed works. Confirm any community-of-owners consent before treating a shared roof as available.
Ask the contractor to list the regional electrical documentation, registration and network-related steps that apply, with responsibility for each. Do not assume a standard permit fee, approval period or physical installation duration.
Keep copies of the contract, submissions, final certificates and equipment records. The business carrying out and certifying the work should provide evidence of the applicable credentials; this guide does not certify any named installer.
Understand export compensation before valuing surplus
Spain's simplified compensation framework is not one-for-one energy banking. The import rate, export valuation and compensation limits can differ. Commercial supplier credit products may have extra fees and conditions.
Identify the distributor and supplier roles, confirm the correct registration arrangement, and check when compensation appears on actual bills. Solar monitoring alone does not establish that billing activation has happened.
Standing charges and seasonal imports can remain. An installation that generates as much energy as the home uses over a year is not necessarily off-grid or bill-free.
Build a complete budget without assumed incentives
Compare itemised equipment, labour, access, structural or roof work, electrical upgrades, tax, registration and aftercare. This guide does not publish a verified current installed-price range or a universal payback period.
Treat grants, IRPF deductions and municipal IBI or ICIO relief as separate mechanisms. Check the current authority's conditions, deadlines, eligible costs and compatibility. A historical programme reference does not prove that applications are open or that your expenditure qualifies.
Keep unapproved support out of the base budget. If finance is offered, compare written interest, fees, repayment terms and total cost; approval and positive cash flow are not assured.
Plan handover, maintenance and evaluation
Agree commissioning records, monitoring access, safe operating instructions and a contact for defects before work starts. Maintenance should follow the manufacturer's instructions and site risks; do not climb onto a roof or use cleaning advice that ignores access and electrical hazards.
Review performance over comparable periods and account for weather, downtime, occupancy and tariff changes. A forecast is not measured evidence, and a good summer month does not establish a full-year saving.
LIT is the primary specialist for a solar assessment and proposal. Use Energy Centre's research to prepare questions, then confirm all scope, credentials, equipment and forecast assumptions directly with the responsible contractor.
Documents and verification starting points
- European Commission PVGIS: solar-resource modelling
- IDAE: self-consumption guidance
- BOE: consolidated self-consumption regulation
- Junta de Andalucía: regional procedures
- Agencia Tributaria: current tax guidance
Check the current document, date and applicability to your property or contract. These links do not establish individual eligibility, credentials or approval. This page is educational guidance, not a verified product test or legal opinion.