itel Energy warns solar users against wrong installations

Itel Energy has warned solar users against improper installation and incorrect equipment configuration, saying the mistakes could cause faults and affect the performance of solar power systems.

The company’s Country Technical Support Manager, Emmanuel Kumuyi, gave the warning during the Nigeria Energy Week event in Lagos, where itelEnergy showcased its products and explained common equipment faults, installation requirements and after-sales support services.

Kumuyi identified overloading, protection systems, installation errors and incorrect matching of solar panel capacity with inverter and battery specifications as common causes of equipment problems.

He advised customers to engage certified engineers and ensure that their systems were properly configured before installation, stressing the importance of choosing a reliable brand with adequate technical support.

“The ways to avoid this is to ensure that you get a good brand, get the right configuration for your installation and, at the same time, what is important is to get a brand that has the right after-sales service support that can guide you even before you carry out this installation,” he said.

He explained that the company has a complaint-handling process through which customers can report faults for technical assessment and resolution.

According to him, call-centre agents document complaints and transfer them to online engineers for assessment. Where a problem cannot be resolved remotely, a field engineer is assigned to visit the customer and determine whether repairs or replacement are necessary.

Kumuyi added that the resolution of reported faults depend on the warranty applicable to the product.

The company has also promised to resolve reported faults with its solar energy products within 48 hours, offering repair or replacement services as part of its after-sales support for customers across Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SunFi, a key distributor of itel Energy products, Rotimi Thomas, said reliable after-sales support is important to distributors because customers depend on them not only for equipment but also for repairs and replacements when problems arose.

“The 48-hour resolution commitment from itel Energy is very important for us as a distribution platform because we don’t make the product. When a consumer buys a product through SunFi, they’re actually buying a trusted service. That trust comes from the type of equipment we use and the promise of being able to replace or repair the asset when there’s a problem.

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We rely on itel Energy’s ability to absorb a product back when there’s a reported issue and fix or replace it within 48 hours. It’s a very critical service that enables a distributor like us to provide a trusted service to consumers.

Thomas said the ability to repair or replace faulty equipment quickly helps distributors maintain customer confidence, particularly among households and businesses switching from petrol and diesel generators to solar energy.

“It has influenced customer decisions because they have a guarantee — a guarantee of trusted aftersales services. When there’s an issue, unlike other equipment they might buy in the market, they can get a repair or resolution very fast. That social proof makes them tell other people that this works and you can trust it. If you’re getting rid of your generator, you don’t want to get into another problem; you want a reliable power solution. The 48-hour resolution guarantees that reliable power service; Thomas explained.

He urged consumers to look beyond the duration of a product warranty and examine the manufacturer’s response to complaints, the terms governing repairs and replacements, and the support available during the warranty period.

Thomas also highlighted the cost challenges facing prospective solar users, saying high interest rates and rising prices have made it difficult for some households and businesses to pay the full cost of solar and energy-storage systems upfront.

He said SunFi offered payment plans that allow customers to make an initial payment and spread the balance over periods ranging from three to 24 months or longer.

Thomas estimated that between 30 and 40 per cent of customers still seek payment plans, adding that flexible financing is important to expanding access to clean-energy solutions.

Meanwhile, itel Energy’s National Distributor Manager, Lucky Ovenseri, said the company has distribution coverage across all the 36 states, with showrooms in major cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

He said the company also operates dedicated energy after-sales centres to support customers who encounters problems with their products.

According to Ovenseri, the company operates a replacement policy under which customers could receive another unit while their faulty equipment is being worked on.

At the exhibition, Itel Energy showcased its products, including the newly launched PowerTank 1000 and IP54 11kW Hybrid Inverter for residential and commercial applications.