For the free quote check
What's on my solar quote?
Proposals are built to make the monthly payment the biggest number on the page and the total the smallest. The quote check needs five figures. Here is where each one hides, what it is usually called, and the mistakes that produce a wrong verdict.
System
28 × 400 W panels11.20 kW DC 1
Estimated year-one production17,860 kWh 4
Investment
Total system cost$31,400 2
Federal tax credit (30%)−$9,420 5
Net cost$21,980
Financing
Amount financed$34,540 3
APR / term5.99% / 25 yr
Monthly payment$222
| Number | What it is called | Where it sits | The usual mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. System size | "System size," "array size," "DC capacity," or just panel count × wattage | Top of the system page, under the panel model | Typing watts (11,200) instead of kilowatts (11.2). Using the AC or inverter rating, which is smaller. If only panel count and watts are shown, multiply them and divide by 1,000. |
| 2. Total price | "Total system cost," "gross cost," "purchase price," "investment" | Investment or pricing page, the line before any credit is subtracted | Using the net cost after the tax credit, or the monthly payment. The check wants the gross figure. For leases and PPAs there may be no price at all; leave it blank and the price check is skipped. |
| 3. Amount financed | "Amount financed," "loan amount," "principal" | Loan disclosure or the lender's separate document, often the last pages | Assuming it equals the price. When it is higher, the difference is a dealer fee the installer pays the lender for the low rate, and you pay it back with interest. |
| 4. Year-one production | "Estimated annual production," "year 1 kWh," "first-year generation" | System page, near a graph of monthly bars | Reading the 25-year total (hundreds of thousands) instead of year one (thousands). If only offset percent is shown, multiply your annual usage by it. |
| 5. Tax credit | "Federal ITC," "30% tax credit," "residential clean energy credit" | Investment page, as a subtraction; sometimes only inside the savings chart | Missing it because it is buried in the savings assumptions. If the proposal is for a system you would own and install in 2026 or later, any federal credit on it is out of date; the check explains why. |
Two more things worth finding while the proposal is open
- The escalator, on leases and PPAs: a line like "annual increase 2.9%." Over 25 years it roughly doubles the payment.
- The installer's legal name, on the last page or the contract, which is often different from the brand on the cover. That is the name to search at your Secretary of State and your state license board.