We read Tigo’s warranty so you don’t have to

Let’s face it – warranties aren’t the easiest (or most gripping) documents to read. There are often a lot of details and fine print included that can be hard to digest, leaving many to wonder: what does the warranty actually cover? Am I vulnerable? Anything I might be missing?

To make it as easy as possible, we’ve read warranty documents for the top inverter equipment manufacturers–and talked to them to confirm what is and isn’t included–and plan to point out the most important aspects of each in a series of articles. Tigo makes reliable, flexible and durable products, with features like module-level monitoring, optimization, and rapid shutdown to help you feel confident in your system.

Quick overview: Tigo’s history and warranty

Based in Silicon Valley, Tigo entered the solar market in 2007 and has been producing quality products since inception. Today, Tigo systems operate on seven continents and produce gigawatt-hours (GWh) of reliable, clean, affordable and safe solar energy daily for tens of thousands of customers. Their devices allow you to get the most out of your solar installation by letting you select the functionality you want to add to your solar panels including optimization, monitoring, and rapid shutdown. Their string inverters work with the largest network in the world, eliminating single points of failure and Tigo module level power electronics (MLPEs), which can be added to any installation, have some of the lowest failure rates in the industry. 

Tigo warranty at a glance

Category	Tigo coverage	Industry standard
Product (inverter)	12.8 years (152 months)	10 years for string inverters, 25 years for microinverters
Product (power optimizer equipment – for string inverters only)	25 years*	25 years
Product (communication equipment)	5 years	5 years
Labor costs	No	No
Workmanship	No	No
Shipping of parts	Yes	Yes
Transferability	yes, no transfer fee	Transfer fee
Extended warranty offering	No	No

*Provided that the product warranty on your solar panels is 25 years. Check out this article to compare solar panel warranties. 

Product warranty

Also known as a materials warranty, an inverter product warranty covers the integrity of the equipment itself. If your solar inverter has a defect, mechanical issue, or experiences unreasonable wear and tear, that’s where your product warranty comes into play.

Tigo offers three separate product warranties for its inverter technologies: one for the inverter itself, another for the module level power electronics (MLPEs) – AKA its power optimizers – and one for the communications equipment (which provide wireless communication between the inverter and your monitoring platform). The power optimizers have a product warranty of 25 years, similar to the level of coverage for the panels that lie on top of them. However, it’s important to note that if your solar panel product warranty is less than 25 years, Tigo will only cover the power optimizers for one year beyond your solar panel product warranty term. 

The inverter, on the other hand, comes with a fairly standard 12.8-year warranty and the communications equipment is covered for five years. The transmitter is covered for 10 years, but something to note: you must register with the Tigo Monitoring service (when you use TS4-A-O, TS4-A-S, or TS4-A-M models) within 90 days from the warranty start date for the warranty to be valid and to ensure prompt service. They also require all system components to maintain a connection to the Internet. 

Does Tigo offer extended warranties?

Need more protection for peace of mind? Many solar inverter companies offer extended warranties for their products. Depending on the company and the product, an extended warranty may come at an extra cost, or only be available for certain installers who have been certified and endorsed by the manufacturer.

Unfortunately, Tigo does not offer extended warranties at this time. 

Workmanship 

More often than not, solar installers are the sole party responsible for providing workmanship–or labor–warranties for your solar installation – they’re performing the actual installation work, after all! However, it’s becoming increasingly common for manufacturers to offer an extra safeguard by tacking on their own workmanship warranty coverage. When applicable, it’s typically only an option if you work with specific installers in a manufacturer’s certified network.

Tigo does not currently offer a workmanship warranty to their customers.

How to make a warranty claim with Tigo: shipping & labor costs

If you experience any defects or performance issues with your equipment, Tigo will be there to help.

To start, if you notice an issue with your inverter, your first phone call should be to your original installer: having designed and installed your system, they are the most equipped to diagnose (and fix!) any potential issue. If you can’t get in touch with your installer, or they’ve gone out of business, you can work with Tigo to find another installer to help out with the problem.

Once the installer has identified any issue eligible for a warranty claim, they can begin the return merchandise authorization (RMA) process with Tigo directly. Depending on the problem at hand, your installer may be able to diagnose the issue remotely and initiate the fix straight from their cell phone! Tigo makes it possible for installers of a certain training to submit an RMA without placing a single call to them. However, in many circumstances, the installer will have to make a site visit in order to either identify or confirm what’s going on with your system.

When it comes time for any repairs or replacements, there are two additional warranty considerations you’ll want to keep in mind: labor and shipping costs.

Labor costs for diagnostics, repairs or replacements

Many manufacturers cover replacement parts at no extra cost, but don’t pay for the labor costs necessary to re-install that equipment. Unfortunately, Tigo does not currently cover labor or material costs related to un-installing the defective Equipment or re-installing the repaired device or replacement equipment. 

Shipping of parts

Similarly, not all equipment manufacturers will pay the costs to get equipment to you – but Tigo isn’t one of them! Tigo covers the costs of shipping repaired or replacement equipment both ways, including related customs costs. However, keep in mind that you will have to pay value added tax, if applicable.  

Limitations and exceptions

Every warranty comes with limitations and exceptions, including Tigo’s. These limitations aren’t meant to make it difficult for you or other customers to take advantage of their offering; at the end of the day, they simply need to protect themselves from unreasonable claims. 

Here are a few things that aren’t covered in your Tigo warranty:

• Damage as a result of misuse, abuse, accident, negligence or failure to maintain their products
• Any damage from power surges, lightning, fire, flood, pest damage, accident, action of third parties, acts of God, or other events beyond Tigo’s reasonable control or not arising from normal operating conditions
• Superficial defects, such as dents, marks or scratches
• Any products that are separate from which are separate from their products, including cables, fuses, wires and connectors, regardless of whether they come from Tigo or others.

Other warranty considerations, and how Tigo stacks up

• Transferability: As long as your equipment remains in place, you can transfer your Tigo warranties to new owners of your system for no cost provided the system is not moved outside its original location of installation and any reinstallation is done in accordance with the installation instructions and use guidelines. 
• Bankability: While Tigo Energy is a privately held company, it is bankable, has been in business since 2007, and has 84 patents and monitors over one GWh of daily energy production.
• Escrows/insurance policies: Tigo does not currently carry an insurance policy or an escrow account to backup their warranty.
• Eligibility: Some manufacturers require customers to permanently connect to their monitoring system in order for their warranty to be valid. Tigo’s warranty hinges on you registering with the Tigo Monitoring service within 90 days from the warranty start date for the warranty to be valid and to ensure prompt service. They also require all system components to be connected to the Internet and to maintain that connection. 
• Customer reviews: Another critical aspect of understanding a manufacturer’s warranty offering is investigating how their customers feel about their equipment and the services that they provide. Any warranty can look promising on paper, but how the installer or manufacturer performs when honoring their warranty is also critically important. If you are interested in reading Tigo’s reviews, you can do so here.

The best way to compare solar inverter options – warranties and all!

The key to finding the right solar panel system for your home is comparing multiple quotes from solar installers. Using the EnergySage Marketplace, you can find local solar installers near you, and make easy side-by-side comparisons of all your solar options, including equipment. By shopping around first, you can find the right option at the right price. If you have a preference for one type of equipment over another–Tigo or otherwise–simply note it in your account when you sign up so installers can quote you accordingly.

More reading on EnergySage

Are My Home and Roof Suitable for Solar Panels?
What Is A Solar Inverter? Types, Pros And Cons
Types of Solar Panels: What You Need to Know
String Inverters vs. Power Optimizers vs. Microinverters
Calculate Your Solar Panel Payback Period