Three warranties, three different layers of protection.

1. Panel performance warranty — 25 years

A Tier-1 monocrystalline solar panel from Q Cells, REC, SunPower, LG, or Panasonic comes with a 25-year power-output warranty: the manufacturer guarantees the panel will produce at least 85–92% of its rated wattage at year 25.

Translation: a 400 W panel covered at 92% will produce at least 368 W at year 25. In real world Long Island sunlight, panels typically over-perform their warranty curves — most installs see 90%+ retention at year 25 in practice.

On top of the performance warranty, Tier-1 brands also include a 12–25 year product warranty against defects (delamination, hotspots, junction-box failure). Budget brands often skip the product warranty.

2. Inverter warranty — 12 years (extendable)

Inverters work harder than panels — they handle every kWh the system produces, day in and day out. Standard warranties: Enphase microinverters ship with a 25-year warranty, SolarEdge and other string inverters with 12 years (extendable to 20–25 for an added fee).

The most likely failure mode in any solar system over 15 years is an inverter — Long Island humidity + summer heat stresses electronics. The warranty includes a free replacement; you typically pay for the labor to swap it. We do flat-rate inverter replacements across Suffolk County (typical out-of-pocket: $400–$700 in labor; the inverter itself comes free from the manufacturer).

3. Workmanship warranty — 10 years

The workmanship warranty covers our labor: roof penetrations + flashing, panel mounting, electrical conduit, conduit-to-junction-box terminations, monitoring setup. Standard across the Long Island residential solar industry is 10 years.

The most common workmanship claim is a roof leak. Properly flashed and sealed solar mounts almost never leak — but if one does, the workmanship warranty covers full repair, including any drywall or insulation damage caused by the leak.

What happens if your installer goes out of business?

Solar installers go under more than you'd think — especially residential-only shops that ride the federal tax credit cycle. When that happens:

- Panel and inverter warranties are unaffected. The manufacturer honors them directly — Q Cells, Enphase, Tesla, SolarEdge, etc. all have direct warranty claim paths. You file with the manufacturer; they ship a replacement.

- Workmanship warranty lapses. If your installer is gone, the workmanship warranty has no one to honor it. This is the real risk of going with a shop that may not be around in 10 years.

We recover stranded installs from defunct installers across Suffolk County. The manufacturer warranties still pay for the equipment; we charge labor at flat-rate ($400–$700 inverter swap, $250 per panel re-seat). If you bought from a long-gone shop, we can still help.

How we structure Huntington Solar Co warranties

- Panels: 25-year power-output + 25-year product warranty (Tier-1 only — Q Cells, REC, SunPower).
- Inverters: 25 years on Enphase microinverters, 12 years on SolarEdge (extendable to 25).
- Battery (if installed): 10 years Tesla Powerwall 3 / 15 years Enphase IQ Battery 5P.
- Workmanship: 10 years on our labor including roof leaks, electrical, monitoring setup.
- Monitoring: lifetime included via Enphase Enlighten or SolarEdge Monitoring (per-panel data, alerts, performance reports).

All of this is spelled out in the contract — no fine print, no exclusions buried in appendix B. Ask for the warranty letter before you sign; if any installer cannot produce it, walk away.