The decision to use solar panels as a source of power for your home or business can be a major one.  While the use of solar panels has grown enormously it can still be difficult for the average consumer or small business owner to find solar panels for an affordable price.  Often those companies offering solar panels for low rates are selling low quality panels that will not offer the performance necessary to fuel a home or business dependent on solar power.  Before you give up on getting solar panels for your home at affordable prices explore your options with the help of the Internet and even local manufactures.  You will often be surprised with what you discover.

The first thing you should do when looking for affordable solar panels is contact the companies that are actually manufacturing the panels.  Do not start with the resellers.  This will give you the chance to find out the actually cost the resellers are paying for the solar panels and will help you avoid being overcharged or flat out scammed.  While many resellers have to include mark ups in their prices of some kind to cover business expenses resellers should not be attempting to charge double or triple the actual cost of the solar panels.

Once you have managed to talk to various manufactures and get an idea of the average cost of solar panels see if there is a way to purchase directly from them instead of going through a dealer or reseller.  While many manufactures will not agree to this there are some who might be willing to bend the rules in order to make a sale.  This is especially true if you need solar panels for a large project or several large projects.

Lastly, if you do need solar panels for a large project or multiple projects inquire with manufactures about getting a wholesale or even dealer account.  This will often make you eligible to receive and benefit from many different discounts offered to wholesale account holders.  In many cases manufactures will require a minimum purchase amount in order to qualify for a reseller discount but if you are purchasing solar panels for even a single large project you will usually be able to easily meet any minimums established by a manufacture.