A solar contract is a 25-year relationship disguised as a one-day purchase. These 15 questions reveal which installers deserve it, covering licensing, equipment, pricing, and the warranty fine print most homeowners never read until something breaks.
- Ask about licensing, subcontracting, and who shows up on install day before discussing price.
- Demand exact equipment models in writing. “Tier 1 panels” is a sales phrase, not a specification.
- The production guarantee matters more than the panel warranty. Ask what happens if the system underproduces.
- Get cash and financed prices separately. Dealer fees on solar loans often add 20 to 30 percent.
- A good installer welcomes hard questions. Evasion is your signal to walk away.
Why Questions Beat Quote Shopping
Most homeowners compare installers the way they compare TVs: line up three prices, pick the middle one. That fails for solar because the product is a custom electrical project on your roof, permitted by your city, connected to your utility, and expected to run for three decades. The company matters as much as the equipment.
National lead generators sell your number to five companies at once, and door-to-door reps work on commission. The questions below force every bidder onto the same playing field and expose the gap between a real local installer and a sales operation wearing an installer’s uniform. Ask by phone or in person, because hesitation tells you as much as the answer. For scheduling context, read our guide on how long a residential solar installation actually takes before your first meeting. EnergySage also maintains independent homeowner guides worth skimming before you talk to salespeople.
Questions About the Company and Crew
1. Are you licensed for solar electrical work in my state and city, and can I see the license number? Most states require a specific contractor or electrician license for solar. A legitimate company gives you the number without blinking and tells you where to verify it. If they say their “partner” holds the license, you are talking to a sales company that subcontracts your roof to the cheapest bidder.
2. Will your own employees install my system, or do you subcontract the work? Subcontracting is not automatically bad. What you want is a specific name, how long they have worked together, and who supervises quality on site. “Installation partners nationwide” usually means your project gets auctioned after you sign.
3. How many residential systems have you installed in my utility territory? Your utility’s interconnection rules and inspection quirks are local knowledge. An installer with 200 systems under your utility knows which transformer upgrades trigger delays. One with zero local installs learns on your roof. Also ask how long they have operated under their current name.
Questions About Equipment
4. What exact panel model, inverter model, and racking brand are you quoting? Brand names are not specifications. You want model numbers, for example Qcells Q.TRON BLK M-G2+ 430W with Enphase IQ8M microinverters on IronRidge racking, so you can look up datasheets and verify the quote matches what lands on your roof. Anything less specific is a blank check.
5. Why did you choose this equipment for my roof, specifically? A good answer references your house: shading from that oak tree, the west-facing plane that needs module-level electronics, your panel’s busbar rating. A brochure recitation about efficiency percentages means they designed your system in a call center.
6. What is the expected first-year production in kWh, and how did you calculate it? Every quote should state an annual production estimate with the inputs explained: roof azimuth and tilt, shading analysis, panel wattage, and a weather dataset. Inflated production estimates are among the most common red flags in solar quotes, so ask to see the shading report behind any number that looks generous.
Questions About Pricing and the Contract
7. What is the cash price, and what is the financed price, itemized separately? Solar loans routinely carry dealer fees of 20 to 30 percent baked into the financed price, which is why a $28,000 quote can really be a $21,000 system plus a $7,000 finance charge. Honest installers show both numbers and name the dealer fee.
8. What exactly is included in the price, and what could cost extra later? Get the scope in writing: permits, utility interconnection fees, main panel upgrade if needed, trenching, critter guards, monitoring setup, and sales tax treatment. Then ask about the change-order policy. A reputable company explains which discoveries trigger extra charges and caps them, rather than handing you a surprise invoice mid-install.
9. Is there a production guarantee, and what triggers a payout? This is different from the panel warranty. A production guarantee means the installer promises a stated kWh per year and pays you or fixes the system if it falls short. Ask for it in writing, with the measurement method and the remedy spelled out. Companies confident in their designs offer this. Companies that inflate production estimates avoid it.
10. What is the cancellation policy, and when does my right to cancel expire? Cooling-off rules typically give you three business days after signing, but some contracts start design and permitting immediately and then claim those costs are non-refundable. Know the exact window, get it in writing, and never let anyone rush you past it. Pressure to sign today is itself an answer to all 15 questions.
Questions About the Installation Process
11. Walk me through the timeline from contract to permission to operate. You want week ranges for each phase: site survey, design, permitting, installation, inspection, and utility permission to operate. Then ask what their average actually is, not the best case. An installer who has done hundreds of site surveys in your area will name the bottlenecks without guessing. Compare the answer against our installation timeline guide to spot anything missing.
12. Who handles permits, inspections, and the utility interconnection paperwork? The answer should be “we do, all of it.” Full-service handling of the local authority, the utility application, and net metering enrollment is standard for reputable installers. If any of that is your job, the price should reflect it. Also ask who your single point of contact is. “Our team” is not a contact.
13. What happens to my roof during installation, and who is responsible if something goes wrong? Ask about the mounting method for your roof type, how they waterproof penetrations (flashing, not just sealant), and what the roof leak warranty covers and for how long. Then ask the uncomfortable version: if a leak appears in year three, who do I call? Ten years of workmanship warranty is the mark of a confident installer. One vague year is not.
Questions About Warranties and Service
14. Spell out every warranty: panels, inverters, racking, workmanship, and roof. You will hear four or five warranties with different terms, holders, and claim processes. Panel product warranties run 25 years on most premium brands. Inverter warranties are typically 25 years for microinverters and 10 to 12 for string inverters. The workmanship warranty is the installer’s own promise and the one most likely to matter. Ask who honors each warranty if the installer goes out of business, because manufacturer warranties survive but labor coverage usually does not.
15. After installation, who monitors my system and who do I call when production drops? Most systems include app-based monitoring, but that only helps if someone acts on it. Ask whether the installer proactively watches your system or expects you to notice a dead microinverter yourself. Ask about service call fees and response times. A company with a service department gives crisp answers. A sales company changes the subject.
| # | Question | Good answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | License number? | Given immediately, verifiable online |
| 2 | Own crew or subs? | Named crew or long-term partner |
| 3 | Local track record? | Install count under your utility |
| 4 | Exact equipment models? | Model numbers in the quote |
| 5 | Why this equipment for my roof? | References your shading and roof |
| 6 | Production estimate basis? | kWh figure plus shading report |
| 7 | Cash vs financed price? | Both shown, dealer fee named |
| 8 | What is included? | Written scope, capped change orders |
| 9 | Production guarantee? | Written kWh guarantee with remedy |
| 10 | Cancellation terms? | Clear window, no hostage fees |
| 11 | Realistic timeline? | Phase-by-phase, bottlenecks named |
| 12 | Who handles paperwork? | Them: permits, inspections, utility |
| 13 | Roof protection? | Flashing plus multi-year leak warranty |
| 14 | All warranties spelled out? | Each named with term and holder |
| 15 | Post-install service? | Proactive monitoring, named contact |
How to Use Their Answers
Score each installer on the same sheet. You are not looking for perfection; you are looking for consistency. The company that answers 12 questions well and admits uncertainty on three beats the one that answers all 15 with polished vagueness. Weight questions 2, 7, and 9 heaviest: subcontracting opacity, hidden dealer fees, and missing production guarantees are where homeowners lose the most money.
Then verify: check the license with your state contractor board, search the company name plus “complaint,” and call two references from installs at least a year old. Give yourself a week between the last quote and the signature. The Department of Energy’s homeowner’s guide to going solar is worth a read before you commit.
Should I ask these questions to every installer, or just my top two?
Ask your top two or three. There is no point interrogating five companies when two pull clearly ahead on licensing, equipment specificity, and pricing transparency.
What if an installer will not give model numbers before I sign?
Treat it as disqualifying. “We select equipment at install time” means they buy whatever is cheapest that month. Exact models in the contract is a baseline expectation.
Is a production guarantee standard?
Not universal, but common among established installers, and its absence is informative. At minimum, get a written production estimate and a clear process for addressing underproduction.
How do I verify a contractor license?
Every state has an online contractor license lookup, usually run by the contractors board. Search the company name and license number separately and confirm the license is active and covers electrical or solar work.
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