You found a home with solar panels and hear that “electricity is almost free.” Before factoring that promise into your purchase, you need specific information: what equipment you are buying, what agreement governs its operation, and how much it has actually produced.
Inspecting an existing system is different from accepting a newly installed one. Here, you need to connect the previous owner’s history with your own future use, and agree who will handle each outstanding matter before and after the sale.
Clarify exactly what is included in the purchase
Ask for a written record of the panels, inverter, any battery, and monitoring equipment that will remain at the property. Ask whether they belong to the seller or whether there is financing, a lease, or another agreement with a third party.
Give the relevant documents to the professionals handling the sale so they can check ownership, any obligations, and how the agreement should be documented. The presence of panels on the roof is not enough to document what you have agreed to acquire.
In an apartment building, also ask for clarification on which installation is assigned to the home, what space it uses, and which documents support that specific use. Do not settle for the general statement “there are solar panels on the roof.”
Read the agreements before calculating the benefit
Ask for copies of the connection and activation documents, and of the agreement governing the energy offset or sale. Record the supply number, the contracting party, dates, and any amendments. Verbal descriptions such as “old net metering” or “it sells the electricity” need to be verified against the actual documents.
With this information, ask ΔΕΔΔΗΕ and the relevant supplier or contracting party for written details about the steps required in your case, who needs to submit them, and what happens to any outstanding balances or settlements. Do not assume that changing details on a bill answers all these questions.
Be wary of generalizations: the ΔΕΔΔΗΕ FAQ for the Special Residential Photovoltaic Program describes a specific framework, with its own terms for a change of owner. It is not a blanket guide for every photovoltaic system. For clarification specific to your situation, you can use the official ΔΕΔΔΗΕ customer service requests.
Ask for production records, not just one good day
A photo from the app on a sunny midday does not tell the whole story for the year. Ask for monthly production figures for a complete recent year, if available, along with a record of outages, faults, and equipment changes. If data is missing, note it as an issue to investigate.
Compare production in kWh and bills separately. The amount the seller paid also depends on their consumption, usage schedule, and agreement. A family moving in with different needs should not use the previous financial results as-is.
For example, if the seller was away for much of the winter while you will live there permanently and use electric heating, you will need a new assessment of consumption. This is a hypothetical example of a change in usage, not the result for a specific customer.
Combine the solar and roof inspections
Gather the installation date, final equipment inventory, plans, available inspection results, and maintenance history. Ask whether any component has been replaced and whether the documents were updated accordingly.
Ask a qualified professional to assess the condition of the system and any work that may be needed. Coordinate the inspection with an assessment of the roof: when it was repaired, whether there are signs of moisture, and what may be needed if further work beneath the panels is planned.
The U.S. Department of Energy guide to buying a home with solar panels recommends checking the age of the system and roof, the history, and the warranties. Here, we draw on these technical questions; U.S. contract and tax rules do not apply in Greece.
Confirm what support will continue
Ask for the warranty terms that apply to the specific models and the original purchase date. Ask the manufacturer or relevant support contact whether the details need to be updated or any other action is required for the new owner. Consider equipment coverage separately from any service agreement with the installer.
You do not need to repeat the full analysis of the different warranties: our related guide explains what each type of coverage means. In a sale, the key additional question is what is documented and what will continue in your case.
Arrange the access transfer without sharing login credentials
Agree on how you will get your own monitoring account and what will happen to the previous access. For example, SolarEdge describes a separate process for transferring access to the new owner, using the installation identifiers. Check the process for the platform used at your property.
Avoid simply handing over the seller’s personal password. Confirm the recovery email and notifications, access to the history and connection to your own network. Access to the app is a separate matter from the photovoltaic system contracts.
Create a shared list of outstanding items
Before finalizing the agreement, record for each open item who is responsible for the action, which document will be provided, and when completion will be checked. Separate the agreed repairs from future upgrades you are simply considering.
At handover, keep a record of the date, available meter readings, and confirmation of access. You can also use the photovoltaic system handover checklist, adapted to the findings for the existing system.
At Solar Home, we work on the design, installation, and support of photovoltaic systems. If you are considering changes to the system at your new home, contact us to discuss the equipment, your needs, and the appropriate scope of assessment.
