How to read a residential solar proposal
A solar proposal combines construction, energy modeling, utility assumptions, incentives, and financing. The monthly-payment page is not the whole transaction.
What the official record says
NREL’s PVWatts calculator estimates photovoltaic production from system and location inputs and warns that its predictions contain assumptions and uncertainties and do not capture every site-specific characteristic. The FTC recommends multiple written home-improvement estimates with work, materials, date, and price. Together, those sources support checking the proposal’s inputs and contract structure rather than treating an annual-production number or monthly payment as self-proving.
What to check on the document
Separate the physical system from the payment product. A “net” figure may assume a tax benefit, rebate, or future payment that is not the cash contract price.
- Record module and inverter models, DC size, layout, azimuth, tilt, shading assumption, losses, and annual-production estimate.
- State cash price, financed principal, rate, fees, term, payment changes, lease or PPA escalator, and buyout terms.
- Assign roof work, panel upgrade, permits, interconnection, monitoring, removal and reinstall, maintenance, and warranty responsibility.
How to use the result
Run the disclosed design through a public production model as a reasonableness check, while preserving its limitations. Ask the contractor to explain differences and to identify who owns incentives and renewable-energy credits. The solar decode compares proposal terms and assumptions. It does not inspect shading, give tax advice, or predict utility policy and future energy prices.
A useful comparison holds scope constant. Equipment model, quantity, removal, disposal, permits, labor, finish work, warranty, and payment schedule can move the total even when two proposals describe the same trade. We read the document and name missing comparison fields. We do not inspect the property, size equipment, or decide whether a contractor is honest.
Operated by Reality Contact, LLC. A benchmark, not a verdict. Not legal advice. Not engineering or contracting advice. You ask the questions and you sign or do not sign; we do not contact contractors for you.