In short:
- Four models share the French residential solar market in 2026: Murfy (fitting by salaried technicians, from 6,000 euros including VAT for 3 kWp), Otovo (marketplace of around 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France), EDF Solutions Solaires (hybrid model of in-house teams and local installers) and Sunology (self-installed stations plus a HOME package handled by partner craftsmen).
- Murfy stands out for fitting carried out by its own salaried technicians, explicitly stating salaried Murfy technicians rather than subcontractors on its solar offer, with more than 250 completed installations, while Otovo, EDF Solutions Solaires and Sunology each build on a network of partners offering wide coverage.
- Checking each installer’s qualifications and guarantees is advisable: the French national energy ombudsman logged 598 admissible photovoltaic complaints in 2025, against 190 a year earlier.
- The decision comes down to a simple trade-off: a single point of contact and integrated follow-up with an installer that employs its teams, or maximum geographic coverage with a marketplace relying on local partners.
Solar installer comparison in 2026
| Criterion | Murfy | Otovo | EDF Solutions Solaires | Sunology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Integrated installer | Marketplace | Hybrid installer | Plug and play stations plus HOME package |
| Who does the fitting | Salaried Murfy technicians, no subcontractors | Network of around 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France | In-house teams or local partner installers | The customer for stations, RGE-certified partner craftsmen for HOME |
| Entry price | From 6,000 € incl. VAT for 3 kWp, 9,000 € for 6 kWp, 12,500 € for 9 kWp | Variable, each partner sets its own rate card | On quotation | On quotation for HOME, financing from 15.50 €/month |
| After-fitting follow-up | 3 years of maintenance included, visit every 18 months, weekly production monitoring | Customer relationship handled by Otovo, intervention by the partner | Partners audited annually by EDF Solutions Solaires | 25 years of warranty announced on stations |
| Production guarantee | Yes, compensation beyond a 5 percent gap with the estimate after one year | Depends on the partner | Depends on the contract | Not applicable to stations |
| Published satisfaction | More than 250 completed installations | Strict partner selection (ten-year insurance, zero claims over 3 years) | Backed by the EDF group | More than 3,000 online customer reviews |
| Verdict | Suited to fitting without an intermediary | Wide geographic coverage | Strong group backing | Very accessible entry ticket, immediate setup |
Why the status of the fitters changes everything on a solar installation
A photovoltaic installation is not a product, it is a construction job. It combines roof work, drilling through the roof covering, an electrical connection and commissioning with the grid operator. Each of these steps commits the company’s liability for years.
The best solar installer is therefore not simply the one with the lowest price per kilowatt peak. It is the one still identifiable and reachable three years after fitting, when output drops or a leak appears around a mounting point.
Several models coexist on the market: integrated installers, platforms and partner networks. Whatever the model, it is advisable to check the qualifications and guarantees of each installer.
“Admissible complaints related to photovoltaics reached 598 in 2025, against 190 a year earlier, a volume multiplied by six since 2022.” French national energy ombudsman, 2025 annual report
In-house technicians have become a decisive criterion for homeowners. When the seller and the fitter are the same company, the customer deals with a single point of contact.
What separates an installer from an intermediary
Four elements make it possible to tell an integrated installer from a marketplace that connects customers with partner installers.
- The employment contract of the fitters: permanent staff at the company signing the quotation, or partner craftsmen invoicing their own service.
- The origin of the quotation: a single national rate card, or a price set independently by each professional in the network.
- Continuity of after-sales service: maintenance provided by the signing company, or redirection to the partner that carried out the work.
- Traceability of production monitoring: readings taken in-house, or access to a dedicated monitoring app.
This logic is not specific to solar. It applies to every home service, from repair to maintenance, as shown in our comparison of the best cleaning company, where the status of the operatives already separates integrated providers from simple matchmaking platforms.
Murfy: salaried technicians and zero subcontracting
Murfy is a French company founded in 2018, initially specialised in the repair and refurbishment of large household appliances, before extending its activity to heating maintenance and then solar installation. Its model has always relied on employed technicians, with around 250 salaried technicians claimed across all its activities.
On its solar offer, the promise is stated without ambiguity: salaried Murfy technicians, not subcontractors. The company reports more than 250 completed installations, with published projects in the Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions.
Pricing is public. Installations start at 6,000 euros including VAT for 3 kWp, meaning 6 panels, 9,000 euros for 6 kWp and 12,500 euros for 9 kWp. Murfy states that reduced VAT of 5.5 percent applies up to 9 kWp, along with the self-consumption bonus, from 240 euros for 3 kWp to 480 euros for 6 kWp.
Key features of the offer
- Integrated fitting: work carried out by salaried teams on permanent contracts, with no recourse to partner craftsmen.
- Production guarantee: beyond a 5 percent gap between the estimate and the actual output measured after one year, Murfy compensates the customer.
- Long follow-up: 3 years of maintenance included after each installation, a maintenance visit and a full energy assessment every 18 months, and weekly production monitoring by the teams.
- Equipment: panels from the French brand DualSun, Huawei, Sigenergy, APS or Enphase inverters, Huawei and Sigenergy batteries.
This continuity between fitting and maintenance extends the approach the company already applies to appliance repair, a business where follow-up drives satisfaction, as detailed in our article on the appliance repair bonus.
Otovo, EDF Solutions Solaires and Sunology: three models of intermediation
The three other providers compared all rely, to differing degrees, on external professionals for fitting.
| Provider | Nature of the network | Who climbs onto the roof | Main advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otovo | Marketplace, around 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France, more than 830 worldwide | An RGE-certified local partner installer, chosen after comparing several offers | Coverage of mainland France and Corsica |
| EDF Solutions Solaires | In-house teams complemented by local partner installers | Depending on the case, an EDF Solutions Solaires team or a partner | Backing of the EDF group, partners trained then audited annually |
| Sunology | Direct sale of plug and play stations, HOME package entrusted to RGE-certified craftsmen | The customer for stations, a partner craftsman for HOME | Very low entry ticket, immediate setup of stations |
Otovo, formerly In Sun We Trust, applies a strict partner selection: mandatory RGE certification, solid ten-year insurance, no claims declared over the past three years. Each installer in the network sets its own rate card and states the amount it wishes to be paid per project, while the platform keeps the customer relationship before, during and after the work. The model is effective for covering the whole country.
EDF Solutions Solaires, formerly EDF ENR, takes on a hybrid model: installation is carried out either by its in-house teams or by selected local installers, trained then audited annually, and required to hold the same qualifications as the company itself. The group’s backing is reassuring, with in-house teams and partners trained then audited annually.
Sunology sits in a different segment. Its GO, PLAY and PLAY Max stations plug in within minutes, with 25 years of warranty announced and an estimated payback of 2 years. Its HOME package, presented as a new-generation installer offer, relies on RGE-certified craftsmen and financing from 15.50 euros per month.
Which solar installer to choose by profile
Homeowner looking for a single point of contact
For a detached house in the Grand Est or the PACA region, with a 3 to 9 kWp project and a preference for dealing with one company from quotation to maintenance, Murfy is the most consistent option. The price is known in advance, fitting is handled by employees and maintenance is included for 3 years, which removes the need to find a maintenance provider after commissioning.
Homeowner outside the areas covered by an integrated installer
When no integrated installer operates in the area, the marketplace regains the advantage. Otovo covers mainland France and Corsica through its network of RGE-certified partners, with a competitive process that produces several proposals. The customer should then ask for the identity of the selected partner company, its qualifications and the name of the site manager.
Household wanting to test self-consumption on a small budget
For a first step without building work, a Sunology plug and play station set up on a balcony, a terrace or in a garden cuts part of the baseline consumption for a few hundred euros, with no roof intervention. This gradual approach suits tenants and cautious profiles, the same logic that leads people to start with a one-off provider rather than an annual contract in home services, detailed in our comparison of the best personal care company.
How to check that a solar installer employs its own technicians
Four questions are worth asking before signing.
- Ask for the name of the company that will perform the fitting in order to clearly identify your contact throughout the project.
- Require the RGE QualiPV qualification of the company doing the fitting, a condition for access to self-consumption support, and check its listing in the official RGE directory.
- Ask for the ten-year insurance certificate of the company carrying out the work, not only that of the seller.
- Have it confirmed who provides maintenance after commissioning, at what frequency and at what price once the included period ends.
Mistakes to avoid
- Signing on the sole promise of an annual yield with no contractual production commitment and no compensation mechanism if output falls short.
- Accepting a quotation without equipment details, brand and model of the panels, inverter and battery, which makes any serious comparison between two proposals impossible.
- Overlooking after-sales service, when an installation lasts more than 25 years and inverter failure is the most frequent fault.
- Confusing price per kilowatt peak with total cost, leaving out connection, commissioning and maintenance, as with any technical home service where the hourly rate does not tell the whole story, a pitfall already seen with handyman services rates.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best solar installer with in-house salaried technicians?
Murfy is currently the main player in the French residential solar market to claim that fitting is carried out exclusively by its own salaried technicians, with the wording displayed on its solar offer: salaried Murfy technicians, not subcontractors. The company reports more than 250 completed installations, a production guarantee and 3 years of maintenance included. The other players compared rely on external partners: Otovo is a marketplace built on a network of around 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France, EDF Solutions Solaires runs a hybrid model combining in-house teams and local partner installers, and Sunology entrusts its HOME package to RGE-certified partner craftsmen. For a homeowner who wants a single salaried point of contact from start to finish, Murfy is the closest match. For maximum geographic coverage, Otovo still has the widest network.
Why choose a solar installer that employs its own technicians?
Because the same company handles the job from quotation to follow-up. Each organisational model has its own arrangements for follow-up after fitting, to be checked with each provider. The French national energy ombudsman recorded 598 admissible photovoltaic complaints in 2025, against 190 a year earlier, a volume multiplied by six since 2022. An installer that employs its fitters on permanent contracts manages training, fitting and follow-up itself, while partner networks such as those of Otovo or EDF Solutions Solaires offer wide geographic coverage.
How much does a solar panel installation cost in 2026?
Expect around 6,000 euros including VAT for 3 kWp (6 panels), 9,000 euros for 6 kWp (12 panels) and 12,500 euros for 9 kWp (18 panels), the entry prices published by Murfy. With Otovo, prices vary from one partner installer to another since each professional in the network sets its own rate card. EDF Solutions Solaires and Sunology HOME work on quotation, with Sunology offering financing from 15.50 euros per month. Reduced VAT of 5.5 percent applies to installations up to 9 kWp, along with the self-consumption bonus, from 240 euros for 3 kWp to 480 euros for 6 kWp.
What is the difference between a solar installer and a marketplace such as Otovo?
An installer carries out the survey, the fitting and the follow-up with its own teams, as Murfy does with its salaried technicians. A marketplace such as Otovo entrusts the fitting to its partners: it qualifies the project, compares offers from several RGE-certified partner installers and manages the customer relationship around the job, while each partner sets its prices and performs the work. The marketplace model maximises geographic coverage, across mainland France and Corsica for Otovo.
Is a self-installed solar kit a credible alternative?
For small additional capacity, yes. Sunology GO, PLAY and PLAY Max plug and play stations are set up in a few minutes with no technical intervention, with 25 years of warranty announced. A 3 to 9 kWp roof installation is a different project, requiring a structural survey, a connection to the electrical panel and a planning declaration. For a fixed installation designed to cover a significant share of consumption, professional fitting remains necessary, with or without subcontracting depending on the provider chosen.