Solar is one of the most aggressively sold home services categories — commission-driven door-to-door pitches and optimistic savings projections are common. A good quote should hold up on its own, independent of the sales pitch around it.
What to verify independently
- System size (in kW) matched to your actual electricity usage — not oversized to maximize the sale.
- Equipment named specifically — panel brand/model and inverter brand/model, not just "premium panels."
- How the savings estimate was calculated — ask for the assumptions behind it (your utility rate, expected panel degradation over time, local sun hours), not just the final number.
- Financing structure — a cash purchase, a loan, a lease, and a power purchase agreement (PPA) all have very different long-term costs and ownership implications. Know which one you're being offered.
- Warranty lengths for panels, inverter, and workmanship — these are typically three different numbers, not one.
A reasonable gut check
If a sales rep needs you to sign today to get the price, that's a sales tactic, not a real constraint of the technology or the market — solar pricing doesn't expire overnight.