Are you looking to have a residential solar power system installed on your home and don’t know who to choose to install it? Here is a short list that you can use to find a good contractor.

Identify as many high-quality contractors as possible. Most people will look in the yellow pages, do a Google search, or look in the newspaper. That will give you a list, but it won’t get you very far in sorting out the good from the mediocre. There are better sources of information on the quality of solar energy contractors.

Forums. Go to Google and search for “solar power +forum” without the quotes. That will take you to forums where people discuss your topic. Take a quick look at the forums on page one and find two or three that are the most active, have the most posts and the most replies. The forum must have a search function within it. You can search for keywords like “contractor” or “installer” to see if there are any posts where people talk about installers. You can also find active members and PM (private message) them. You can usually do this by clicking on their name. You will see a dropdown menu listing Private Message.

Angie’s list. Last time I checked, Angie’s List members submit approximately 40,000 contractor reviews each month. Go to “Check List” and click Keyword Search. Then enter “solar energy” or “green energy” and search for contractors in your area. If you do not have an account, you will need to set one up. It will be worth the money.

Scam report. Finally, once you’ve narrowed down your list to three or four, don’t forget to check the Better Business Bureau or Google “vendorname Rip Off Report” where you replace “vendorname” with the name of the vendor you’ve chosen. You’ll quickly find out if people have filed complaints.

The last thing you should do is contact each company and ask them and ask questions. You will find out if you can communicate well with them, if they return your messages, and if they are prompt, polite, and professional.

You have one more check. Consider doing it yourself. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save (up to 80% off cost) and how few supplies and knowledge are required. You are now ready to make an informed decision about who is best suited to install your residential solar energy systems.