Getting a good quote for your home

Most solar quotes arrive as one number. One number cannot be compared with another number, and the difference between two quotes is usually in what they leave out.

Ask for it itemised

A quote you can act on prices each part separately: panels, inverter, mounting, electrical work, permitting, inspection, and anything about your roof or panel that has to change first.

A single figure hides which of those are included. Two quotes £3,000 apart are often the same system, with one of them excluding the service panel upgrade.

Ask who gets the permit

Your installer normally handles it. It is worth hearing them say so, and hearing which authority they are applying to — your city or county building department, decided by your address.

Ask what happens at inspection

The job is signed off by an inspector from that authority. Ask what happens if it does not pass first time, and who pays for the return visit.

Ask about the labels

A solar installation carries safety labels and placards required by the electrical code — on the disconnects, at the service equipment, and on the outside of the building for the fire service. Your installer supplies them. It is reasonable to ask whether they are included, because a missing placard is a failed inspection.

Ask what is not included

The most useful question in the set, and the one that most often changes the comparison.