Protect your solar investment with Solar Insure

Installing solar is a decision that pays off over decades, not years. But the components that make up your system, panels, inverters, mounting hardware, and increasingly batteries, come from different manufacturers with different warranty terms, exclusions, and coverage windows. At Independent Energy Hawaii, we partner with Solar Insure to close those gaps with a single, comprehensive protection plan built for the long haul.

What Solar Insure covers

Solar Insure offers 30 years of system-wide coverage backed by an A-rated insurer, Zurich Insurance. Instead of juggling separate manufacturer warranties for panels, inverters, and racking, each with its own terms and expiration date, Solar Insure consolidates protection into one plan that includes:

• Parts replacement for all major system components
• Labor coverage for repairs and replacements
• Protection for roof penetrations
• Comprehensive inverter coverage
• Monitoring and proactive service alerts
• Transferable protection if you sell your home

This matters because most manufacturer warranties only cover the part itself, not the labor to remove and reinstall it. A failed inverter under a standard warranty can still cost you hundreds of dollars in labor. Under Solar Insure, both the part and the labor are covered.

The SI-30 Battery Warranty

As more Hawaii homeowners add solar batteries to offset the loss of full retail net metering, battery protection has become just as important as panel protection. Most battery manufacturers offer warranties of only about 10 years, which leaves a real gap given that a well-designed solar-plus-storage system is meant to run for decades.

The SI-30 Battery Warranty extends the same 30-year philosophy to your storage system:

• 30 years of comprehensive coverage for battery storage
• Both parts and labor included
• Coverage for capacity degradation beyond manufacturer specifications
• Service performed by certified technicians
• Transferable to a new homeowner if you sell

If your battery’s capacity falls below 50% after year 11 of the 30-year term, Solar Insure covers the full cost of replacement. That single provision addresses the scenario homeowners worry about most: a battery that quietly loses capacity years after the manufacturer’s own warranty has expired.

Why standard warranties fall short

Manufacturer warranties are written to protect the manufacturer, not necessarily the homeowner. Coverage is often split across multiple companies (one warranty for panels, another for inverters, another for racking), each with different terms, different claim processes, and different exclusions. Some of the most common gaps:

Roof penetrations deserve special mention. These are the points where mounting hardware attaches to your roof, and they are a common source of anxiety for homeowners considering solar. Standard warranties frequently exclude them entirely, which means a leak years after installation can become a homeowner’s problem alone. Solar Insure covers roof penetrations and the surrounding area for the full 30-year term.

Proactive monitoring, not just reactive repairs

Solar Insure works alongside system monitoring to flag underperformance before it becomes a bigger issue. Rather than waiting for a homeowner to notice a spike in their Hawaiian Electric bill, the goal is to catch a failing component early, when it is a smaller repair rather than a full replacement.

Coverage that follows the house

If you sell your home during the 30-year term, Solar Insure protection transfers to the new owner. That is a meaningful selling point in a market where buyers are increasingly asking about solar warranty status, and it means your investment continues to add value even after you move.

How enrollment works

Enrolling in Solar Insure with a new installation is straightforward and handled as part of your project:

1. System qualification assessment
2. Professional inspection, if required
3. Documentation and registration
4. Activation of your 30-year protection

Our team handles the paperwork so the coverage is active from day one, alongside your solar panel installation or battery addition.

The bottom line

A solar system is one of the largest home investments most Hawaii homeowners make, and it is meant to keep producing for 25 to 30 years. Relying on a patchwork of manufacturer warranties, each with its own fine print and expiration date, leaves real exposure. Solar Insure closes that gap with one transparent, transferable plan.

Contact Independent Energy Hawaii to add Solar Insure protection to a new system, or to ask whether it can be added to an existing installation.