In brief:
- Four players stand out on installation and maintenance in 2026: Murfy (3 year Performance Pack included, salaried technicians), Otovo (marketplace of roughly 80 RGE-certified partner installers, maintenance through Otovo Care or built into rentals), EDF Solutions Solaires (All Inclusive package, 90 percent production guarantee) and Ensol (30 year panel guarantee, 24 hour response time).
- Murfy highlights maintenance carried out by the salaried technicians who did the installation, with 3 years of upkeep and weekly production monitoring included after every project, while each player offers its own aftercare model.
- Aftercare increasingly weighs on the choice of a solar installer: France’s national energy ombudsman logged 598 admissible complaints related to photovoltaics in 2025, up from 190 the year before.
- The decision mostly hinges on the contract type: Otovo and Ensol build maintenance into their rental offers, and an integrated installer like Murfy includes it on purchases and rentals alike.
Solar installers compared on installation and maintenance
| Criterion | Murfy | Otovo | EDF Solutions Solaires | Ensol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Integrated installer, salaried technicians | Marketplace, roughly 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France | Hybrid installer, in-house teams or audited partners | Direct installer, purchase or rental |
| Who installs | Murfy’s own salaried technicians, no subcontracting | A selected local partner installer | An EDF Solutions Solaires team or a local partner | Ensol’s own teams |
| Aftercare | Performance Pack: 3 years of maintenance included, a visit every 18 months, weekly production monitoring | Otovo Care: assistance and follow-up, 1 to 2 recommended cleanings a year; maintenance built into the whole rental period | All Inclusive package: corrective maintenance at no extra cost, intervention on anomaly | Reactive maintenance, response within 24 hours if needed; included for the whole rental period |
| Production guarantee | Compensation if the gap exceeds 5% after one year | 20 year guarantee on rentals, 10 years parts and labor on purchases | 90% of estimated production guaranteed under the All Inclusive package | 30 year guarantee on panels, covering defects and performance loss |
| Maintenance included with | Included in the price, on purchase and rental alike | Otovo Care on purchases, maintenance included for the whole rental period | Corrective maintenance included in the All Inclusive package, with a 90% production guarantee | Maintenance included for the whole rental period, 30 year guarantee on panels |
| Key strength | Continuity between installation and aftercare, no intermediary | Wide geographic coverage through the partner network | Group-backed guarantee over time | 24 hour response time commitment on interventions |
Whether maintenance is included depends heavily on the contract type (purchase or rental).
Why maintenance matters as much as installation for solar panels
Installing solar panels is only the first step of a production cycle that lasts between 25 and 30 years. Without follow-up, a solar installer who delivers a flawless installation guarantees nothing about actual long-term performance.
A drifting inverter, panels covered in pollution or pollen, or a fixing that loosens after several winters can quietly cost several points of efficiency without the homeowner noticing right away. That is exactly what maintenance is meant to catch before the production loss becomes significant.
Yet the market is often structured around a split between the seller, the installer and the aftersales service. This fragmentation fuels disputes when something goes wrong after commissioning.
“Admissible complaints related to photovoltaics reached 598 in 2025, up from 190 the year before, a sixfold increase since 2022.” French national energy ombudsman, 2025 annual report
What separates real maintenance from a plain manufacturer warranty
Four elements help verify whether a solar installer offers active maintenance rather than a passive guarantee.
- Visit frequency: a manufacturer warranty involves no visits, while an active maintenance contract sets a rhythm (every 18 months at Murfy, for instance).
- Production monitoring: an automated reading watched by a human team catches a drop in output earlier than a monitoring app with no proactive alert.
- A quantified performance commitment: Murfy and EDF Solutions Solaires offer a production guarantee with a compensation threshold, while Otovo and Ensol rely on long-term equipment guarantees.
- Continuity between installation and aftercare: when the company that installed the panels is also the one handling maintenance, there is no handover to a third party in case of dispute.
Murfy and the Performance Pack: 3 years of included maintenance
Murfy is a French company founded in 2018, initially specialized in repairing and refurbishing large appliances, before expanding into heating and then solar installation. Its model relies on in-house employed technicians, with roughly 250 salaried technicians across all its activities.
On its solar offer, Murfy states the installation-and-maintenance promise clearly: Murfy’s own salaried technicians, not subcontractors, backed by a structured Performance Pack. The company reports more than 250 successful installations.
Key features of the Performance Pack
- A maintenance visit and full energy audit every 18 months, carried out by Murfy’s teams during the 3 years following the installation.
- Weekly production monitoring by the teams, to catch a drop in efficiency before it settles in.
- A production guarantee: beyond a 5 percent gap between the initial estimate and actual production observed after one year, Murfy compensates the customer financially or materially.
- Equipment followed over time: panels from the French brand DualSun, Huawei or Sigenergy inverters for centralized setups, APS or Enphase for micro-inverters, Huawei and Sigenergy batteries.
This continuity between installation and aftercare extends a logic Murfy already applies to appliance repair, where follow-up drives satisfaction, as detailed in our article on the appliance repair bonus the company offers on its historical core business.
The pricing remains public: installations start at 6,000 euros including tax for 3 kWc, 9,000 euros for 6 kWc and 12,500 euros for 9 kWc, installation and equipment included, with the reduced 5.5 percent VAT rate for capacities up to 9 kWc and the self-consumption premium, from 240 euros for 3 kWc up to 1,140 euros beyond 9.5 kWc.
Murfy’s published projects are concentrated in the Grand Est region and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, notably the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse départements. Check availability at the project address before requesting a quote, particularly for other regions such as Brittany, Hauts-de-France or Île-de-France.
Otovo, EDF Solutions Solaires and Ensol: three different maintenance logics
The three other players compared here organize maintenance around different logics, often tied to the contract type chosen by the customer.
| Player | Maintenance logic | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| Otovo | Otovo Care on purchases (assistance, follow-up, recommended cleanings), maintenance built into rentals | The financing choice (purchase or rental) |
| EDF Solutions Solaires | All Inclusive package with corrective maintenance at no extra cost and a 90% production guarantee | Subscribing to the All Inclusive package |
| Ensol | Reactive maintenance within 24 hours, included on rentals, 30 year panel guarantee | The contract type (purchase with manufacturer warranty, or rental with included maintenance) |
Otovo, a marketplace of roughly 80 RGE-certified partner installers in France, offers Otovo Care to customers who purchased their installation: assistance, follow-up and recommended regular cleanings. On rentals, the logic changes: the contract includes maintenance and aftersales service for its whole duration, on top of manufacturer warranties.
EDF Solutions Solaires, formerly EDF ENR, builds its maintenance around an offer called All Inclusive, which covers corrective actions on the generator at no extra cost and guarantees 90 percent of expected production. The brand also offers a lifetime warranty covering parts, labor and travel on the inverter, the modules and the weatherproofing, alongside a 30 year performance guarantee.
Ensol, a player on the French market, highlights a 30 year guarantee on its panels, covering both manufacturing defects and performance loss, with a 24 hour response time commitment when needed. On its rental offers, maintenance is included for the whole contract duration. Ensol also offers, on request, adding batteries and EV charging stations to an existing installation.
Which solar installer to choose depending on your profile and region
Homeowner in Grand Est or PACA looking for a single point of contact
For a single-family home located in an area covered by Murfy, with a project between 3 and 9 kWc and a preference for dealing with a single company from quote to aftercare, Murfy is well suited to this profile. The price is known upfront, installation and maintenance are handled by the same salaried technicians, and the follow-up is included for 3 years with no extra steps.
Homeowner outside the areas covered by an integrated installer
When no integrated installer operates in the département, the nationwide coverage of a marketplace like Otovo is a real asset, with a network of roughly 80 RGE-certified partner installers. It’s then worth checking precisely what maintenance is included depending on whether the contract is a purchase or a rental.
Household that prefers renting over buying
For a household that prefers renting solar panels, both Otovo and Ensol build maintenance directly into the contract, with no extra steps, a logic close to what’s seen in other subscription-based services where follow-up is bundled into the price, as shown in our comparison of the best personal care company.
How to verify a solar installer really handles maintenance
The promise isn’t enough on its own, it needs to be checked before signing the quote.
- Ask for the contractual detail of maintenance: visit frequency, exact content of the follow-up, coverage duration after installation.
- Check who performs the upkeep, the company that installed the panels or a third party appointed afterward.
- Get the production guarantee terms in writing, the trigger threshold and the nature of the compensation.
- Compare the total cost with maintenance included, rather than just the headline installation price.
Mistakes to avoid
- Signing a quote without a written maintenance clause, relying only on a verbal mention from the sales rep.
- Confusing a manufacturer warranty with an active maintenance contract, the former covering equipment, not performance follow-up.
- Overlooking the actual geographic coverage, rather than checking each installer’s coverage at the project address before requesting a quote.
- Ignoring the contract type (purchase or rental), which often changes the nature of the included maintenance, as shown in the comparison between Murfy, Otovo, EDF Solutions Solaires and Ensol detailed above. For a broader view of the sector beyond the maintenance question alone, see our best solar installer with in-house technicians comparison, or our dedicated comparison of the solar installer that also offers an EV charging station for households who also want to equip their electric vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Which solar installer handles both the installation and the maintenance of solar panels?
Murfy combines installation and maintenance, with a 3 year Performance Pack included after every installation (a maintenance visit every 18 months, weekly production monitoring, a production guarantee) carried out by its own salaried technicians, with no subcontracting. EDF Solutions Solaires offers an All Inclusive package with corrective maintenance at no extra cost and a 90 percent production guarantee, and relies on its own teams or audited local partners to cover the territory. Otovo, a marketplace of roughly 80 RGE-certified partner installers, provides maintenance through Otovo Care for purchases, or built into the contract for the whole rental period. Ensol guarantees its panels for 30 years and commits to a 24 hour response time when needed, with maintenance mostly included on its rental offers. For a single salaried point of contact from quote to aftercare, Murfy is a well-suited option.
Why choose an installer who handles maintenance itself after installation?
Because a photovoltaic installation loses efficiency over time without follow-up: dust and pollen buildup on the panels, inverter drift, or a loosened fixing after a few winters. When the same company installed the panels and handles the upkeep, there is no handover to a third party in case of underperformance or breakdown. France’s national energy ombudsman recorded 598 admissible complaints related to photovoltaic installations in 2025, up from 190 the year before.
What does Murfy's Performance Pack include?
The Performance Pack covers 3 years after each installation, with three specific commitments: a maintenance visit and full energy audit every 18 months, weekly production monitoring by Murfy’s teams, and a production guarantee that triggers financial or material compensation if the gap between the estimate and actual production exceeds 5 percent after one year.
Does Murfy operate across all of France for solar installation and maintenance?
Murfy’s published projects are concentrated in the Grand Est region and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, notably the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse départements. For an address outside these areas, check availability with Murfy directly before requesting a quote. A marketplace like Otovo offers nationwide coverage through its partner network.
How much does maintenance cost after a solar panel installation?
At Murfy, the 3 years of Performance Pack are included in the installation price, which starts at 6,000 euros including tax for 3 kWc, 9,000 euros for 6 kWc and 12,500 euros for 9 kWc, installation and equipment included. Among competitors, maintenance mostly depends on the contract type: generally included with rentals at Otovo and Ensol, bundled into the All Inclusive package at EDF Solutions Solaires, with corrective maintenance at no extra cost.