Why compare solar quotes

The way solar panels are laid out on your roof impacts the amount of solar power you generate, as well as the overall aesthetics of your system. Different installers will take different approaches to the design and configuration of your solar panels, so it’s important to compare the different designs and ask installers why they chose their specific design.

One specific thing to keep in mind is the different production estimates for your solar panels. There are a number of different tools that installers can use to estimate the amount of electricity your solar panels will produce, from the publicly available PV Watts, to the powerful online modeling tools from Aurora and Helioscope. It’s not uncommon–or wrong–to see quotes from different installers include different system sizes (i.e., number of panels) that are each designed to produce 100 percent of the electricity you need. If one installer offers a much smaller or much larger system than other installers, it’s worth asking why. 

There are dozens of different manufacturers of solar equipment–solar panels, inverters, and batteries–each of whom often offers multiple different models of products. It can be very difficult to sift through the differences, pros, and cons of solar equipment on your own. 

When deciding which equipment options are right for you, it’s important to consider both the price and quality of the equipment you’ve been quoted. Differences in pricing between solar quotes can often be explained based on the quality of equipment that’s offered to you: in other words, you’ll pay a premium for the best available equipment on the market, same as you would for any home appliance. Depending upon your specific situation, it may or may not make sense to pay extra for higher-rated equipment. For instance, if you have more than enough space to put enough solar panels to meet your electricity needs, it might not be worth it to pay a premium for the highest rated equipment since you don’t need to eke out every possible kilowatt-hour of production from a limited amount of space.

EnergySage is here to help compare solar equipment! We’ve developed a solar equipment rating system in conjunction with the Department of Energy-funded National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that helps you to compare the performance and quality of different pieces of solar equipment head-to-head. And if you’re excited about diving into the weeds and comparing all of the technical specifications of different pieces of equipment, our Buyer’s Guide for solar panels, solar inverters, and solar batteries allows you to search, sort and filter different equipment options, and select the ones you want to compare, putting all of the details from equipment spec sheets in one, easy-to-use location. 

There are two key questions to ask yourself when considering different solar financing options: do you want to own your system and how much do you want to pay upfront?

When you own your solar panel system, you will be eligible to receive solar incentives and rebates, such as the federal investment tax credit (ITC), but, based on your agreement with your installer, you’ll likely be responsible for monitoring the performance of your system and getting in touch with your installer if anything looks awry. Owning your solar panel system makes sense for people who can take advantage of solar incentives (i.e., who have the tax liability to receive the ITC), and who want to receive the full benefits of what solar can offer, such as increasing your home value. 

While solar is a major investment, you don’t have to pay for it all at once. In fact, if you can afford your monthly electricity bill, you can afford to go solar! Both solar loans and leases/PPAs allow you to go solar for no money down, offering the opportunity to pay monthly for your solar panel system. With a loan, you’ll own the system and be eligible to receive incentives and rebates; with a lease, you won’t own the system and will see bill savings but no incentive payments. Also, it’s important to consider the length of the loan vs. lease: solar leases are typically 25 years long, whereas a solar loan may have a 12 or 15 year term, meaning once you’ve paid the loan off you’ll receive the full benefits of free, solar electricity for the remainder of the system’s lifetime.

Here’s how those decision points translate to the type of solar financing that works for you: 

• Cash purchase: If you want to own your system, want to maximize your savings, and can afford the upfront expense, a cash purchase is the best option for your solar panel system.
• Solar loan: If you want to own your system, but would prefer not to pay for it all upfront, a solar loan allows you to go solar for no upfront cost and often pay less than you currently pay for electricity each month. 
• Solar lease/PPA: If you can’t take advantage of solar incentives, and would prefer to pay monthly for your solar panel system, a solar lease or PPA is a great way to still take advantage of solar.

Not sure which financing option is right for you? Don’t worry about it: EnergySage presents the savings and cost of different payment methods next to each other both in our Solar Calculator and when you’re comparing quotes in our Marketplace.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to consider is the solar installer who will install your system. You’ll want a reputable solar company with experience installing solar panel systems in your area, with all the appropriate certifications, and who you can count on to pick up the phone in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong with your system. 

When you select an installer through EnergySage, you can be sure that the installer is screened and vetted by our team: we work with the best solar companies in your area to help provide confidence in your solar purchase. Beyond that peace of mind, it’s good to know what sort of experience other, real homeowners had with the installers you’re comparing. That’s where installer reviews on EnergySage can help. Major purchases always feel better with a referral from a friend, family member or neighbor; and when you look at installer reviews on EnergySage, it’s like gaining access to a nationwide referral network. Check to see if a review is from a verified EnergySage shopper, whose experience will be very similar to yours.