Which is the best solar installer with in-house salaried technicians?

In short:

1. 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).
2. Murfy is the only one of the four to claim fitting without subcontracting, explicitly stating salaried Murfy technicians rather than subcontractors on its solar offer, with more than 250 completed installations and a 4.9 out of 5 customer rating.
3. The status of the fitters matters in a context of sharply rising disputes: the French national energy ombudsman logged 598 admissible photovoltaic complaints in 2025, against 190 a year earlier.
4. 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

This comparison uses three objective criteria: the employment status of whoever actually performs the fitting, pricing transparency and the scope of follow-up after commissioning. The data comes from each provider’s published offer in July 2026. The status of the fitters comes first because it determines who the customer turns to when something goes wrong.

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.

The market, however, has been built around numerous intermediaries. Commercial platforms sell the installation, independent craftsmen carry it out, and a third party sometimes handles the buy-back of surplus power. That fragmentation fuels disputes.

“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

That figure explains why in-house technicians have become a decisive criterion for homeowners. When the seller and the fitter are the same company, responsibility is not diluted.

What separates an installer from an intermediary

Four elements make it possible to tell an integrated installer from a lead generator.

• 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 simple access to a monitoring app with no performance commitment.

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, rated 4.9 out of 5 by its customers, with published projects in the Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions.

Pricing is public, which remains rare in this market. 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.

The main point to check is geographic coverage. Published solar projects are concentrated in the Grand Est and the South East, with no detailed national map on the solar page. Checking availability at the property address before requesting a quotation is therefore necessary.

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.

Otovo, formerly In Sun We Trust, claims 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, but the customer does not choose the company that will fit the panels.

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, but at signature the homeowner does not know whether the job will be handled in-house or passed to a partner.

Sunology sits in a different segment. Its GO, PLAY and PLAY Max stations plug in within minutes, with 25 years of warranty announced, an estimated payback of 2 years and a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot from more than 3,000 reviews. 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

The claim is not enough, it is verified through four questions asked before signing.

1. Ask for the name of the company that will perform the fitting and compare it with the name on the quotation. A difference signals subcontracting.
2. 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.
3. Ask for the ten-year insurance certificate of the company carrying out the work, not only that of the seller.
4. Have it confirmed who provides maintenance after commissioning, at what frequency and at what price once the included period ends.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Signing on the sole promise of an annual yield with no contractual production commitment and no compensation mechanism if output falls short.
2. Accepting a quotation without equipment details, brand and model of the panels, inverter and battery, which makes any serious comparison between two proposals impossible.
3. Overlooking after-sales service, when an installation lasts more than 25 years and inverter failure is the most frequent fault.
4. 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