A Guide to Help You Properly Compare Solar Quotes
Power up your quote game here
Highlights
Review every portion of your solar quote in-depth to understand it better.
Do your research to see if your installer is reputable.
Weigh the pros and cons of your options to see if they align with your needs.
If you’re fed up with your monthly electricity bill, or simply want to power your house in a more energy-efficient way, you may want to switch to solar energy. Maybe you’ve already received multiple quotes from local solar companies, but you’re not sure what you’re looking at; don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Learn how to compare solar quotes properly in this guide.
Hiring the Right Solar Panel Installers
You can pay for the highest-quality equipment, but it serves no purpose if your pro doesn’t install it correctly. Your first step when comparing solar quotes is making sure you have a licensed, insured, and bonded solar panel installation professional. We know: Sometimes, it’s tempting to get the least expensive services available. But if you don’t hire a certified solar installer, it can cost you money in the long run if your panels don’t function properly.
But hiring a reputable installer can help you avoid problems down the road. Here are some things to look for in your solar pro:
Licensed, insured, and bonded: Ask your contractor for their license number and check your state’s license board to verify it. You can also ask for their insurance and bond certification and contact the company to confirm that it’s up to date and it’ll cover your project. This protects you and them if anything goes array.
Good communicator: You want to hire a pro who can explain the project in detail and answer any questions you may have.
Promising reviews: See if you can find any reviews on previous work online or locally. Looking for reviews is also a good time to ask for recommendations if you know someone who has installed solar panels before.
You don’t want to rely on online solar quotes without having a pro come check out your home in person. While online quote tools can give you a starting point, you’ll need companies to evaluate your home’s specific needs.
Plus, on-site visits let you spot any red flags, like:
Pushy sales tactics
Rushing you to sign a contract and start the project
Refusing to discuss or show necessary paperwork like license and insurance information
Get to Know Top Solar Brands
See what brand is being used for your project. There are three tiers of solar panels: one, two, and three. Tier one offers high-quality units created by well-known solar industry brands, like LG. While tiers two and three have one (or more) of these criteria:
Been in business for less than five years
Small to medium-sized businesses
Businesses that only create solar panels
While it’s more budget-friendly to use tier two or three solar panels initially, other factors you should keep in mind are:
What is its quality?
What type of warranty do they offer?
Will they be around long enough for them to honor that warranty?
Price per Watt
If your price per watt isn’t listed on your quote, you can calculate it by dividing the price by the system size in watts. Most of them will have different system sizes, so you’ll get different prices per watt. You don’t want the lowest cost per watt because there’s a fine line between a good and bad deal. Pro tip: It probably is if it looks too good to be true.
Solar Equipment
While your solar panels are the most noticeable portion of your solar system, it’s not the only part of it. Other components of your system are inverters, batteries, and racking systems. Your panels don’t differ much from each other, apart from their efficiency rating. But, your inverter, which is what converts sunlight into power, is worth reading more into since there are three different types:
String inverter: These units are mostly used when your roof has sufficient southern sun exposure and only needs one plane of panels. You can control all of your panels at once and are typically the most inexpensive option, which means they’ll most likely need to be replaced and would need decent warranty coverage.
Microinverter: Microinverters are best for roofs that experience any shading. These consist of multiple planes and typically offer panel-by-panel operation, so you don’t feel the effects of shading.
Optimizers: These inverters work well with partial shading and multiple sun orientations, similar to microinverter but at a more budget-friendly cost.
When comparing your solar quotes, look over each one and see what equipment they’re using for your home. The best way to remain knowledgeable is to learn more about the pros and cons of solar equipment and discuss any concerns or questions you may have with them.
Financing
The most inexpensive method to pay for solar panels is by paying them out in full with cash, with solar panel installation costs averaging $18,000 to $34,000. Now, if you don’t have the necessary dough to pay for your solar panels all at once (or prefer not to), we understand, and so do solar panel pros. So, when you’re comparing solar quotes, make sure to compare the financial options that are available to you and the terms they offer.
Other financing options include:
Loans: There are various types of loans that you can take out for your solar panels, such as installer financing, bank, and home equity. Look at your financing quotes and compare the term length, payment plan, and APR.
Leasing: You likely won't need to put down a deposit when you lease your solar panels, but it’ll cost you more overall.
When comparing your options, you’ll always want to consider your budget and goals. If you're going to benefit from your state and local incentives and don’t mind placing a down payment on your panels, quotes with loans might be better. Or, if you’re not interested in paying for repairs, some leasing options might be right up your alley. You’ll want to look at the fine print since leasing solar panels can sometimes cause repairs to take longer to fix.
Also, talk with your pro to see what other financing options they offer to help you decide.
Warranties
When going over your solar quotes, a vital component you’re looking for is a warranty of at least 10 to 25 years for equipment. You should also have a warranty that covers any labor you’ll need in the future if you experience problems with your system. And if your installer offers a warranty for mishaps that caused damage to your home or system.
Power Production Estimate
To ensure you’re getting the best solar quote for you and your home:
Analyze your production estimate.
Look over all your quotes and see what estimates they’re giving you.
If you see one that’s glaringly low or high, talk with your pro to find out how they calculated your estimates.
Your estimates include situations such as weather fluctuations, type of panels, amount of shade your system experiences throughout the year, and system hiccups. So, while a high estimate is what most homeowners would love to see, realistically, they might not be able to keep their guarantee. You’re looking for an estimate that’s more conservative and considers various factors that can impact your system’s power output.
System Design
You should get a diagram with your quotes showing how your solar panels will look on your roof and how they will route any wiring. See how they plan to wire your panels and if you approve of their process. If not, discuss your concerns, preferences, and needs with them. Plus, by analyzing this data, you can see if they plan on doing a thorough job or if they’re trying to cut corners with your installation.
Panel Efficiency
The efficiency of your solar panel refers to the sunlight that hits your solar panel’s surface and is converted into electricity, which is 14% to 22% for most units. It’s important to mention that the physical size isn’t always directly related to its efficiency. You can have a smaller panel with a 22% efficiency rating and is more efficient than a larger panel with an 18% efficiency rating.
The more efficient your panels are, meaning the more watts you’ll get per square meter will cost more, like most home upgrades with efficiency ratings. Study your quotes and see how efficient your panels are, and decide if you want the most efficient units available—which come at a cost—or if the panels on your current quote are perfect for your needs. Also worth noting is higher efficiency and higher wattage might not be necessary if you have a large roof since smaller roofs are the ones that need to maximize their efficiency per panel.