Going solar
What questions should I ask before signing a solar contract?
8 min read
Solar contracts are 20-page documents that look the same at a glance and differ enormously in the fine print. Below are the 12 questions every homeowner should get a written answer to before signing — regardless of which installer they go with.
12 questions before you sign
- What is the all-in price per watt installed? (Lets you compare apples to apples.)
- Who owns the system? (You? The installer? A third-party lessor on a PPA?)
- What's the workmanship warranty length? (5 years is bad, 10 is OK, 25 is excellent.)
- Is there a production guarantee? If so, who pays the difference if it underproduces, and at what rate?
- What are the manufacturer warranties on the panels, inverter, and battery (if applicable)?
- Who handles permits and utility interconnection? (You shouldn't have to.)
- What rate plan will I be on after the system is installed? (Net metering? Buy-back? Time-of-use?)
- Is monitoring included for life, or do I pay a subscription?
- What happens if I sell the house mid-term? (Especially important on PPAs.)
- What's the cancellation window and any early-termination fee?
- Who is the installer crew — direct employees of the company, subcontractors, or a partner-installer network?
- Can I see at least three Texas references for installs that are 2+ years old?
Red flags that should kill the deal
- Pressure to sign today with a 'discount expires tonight' offer.
- Workmanship warranty under 10 years.
- No production guarantee, or one capped at less than 10 years.
- Vague language about 'partner installers' without naming who actually shows up.
- Per-watt price meaningfully above $4 with no clear explanation (premium hardware, complex roof, battery).
- Salesperson who can't explain the difference between a string inverter and microinverters.
What we put in writing
Every Kaizen design proposal includes the full per-watt price, the production estimate, the warranty stack (workmanship, production, manufacturer, service contract), and the rate plan you'll be on post-install. We send it as a Sun Kaizen branded packet that runs through the whole picture before you sign anything.
Common questions
Frequently asked
- How long should I take to decide on a solar contract?
- There is no time pressure. Federal credits aren't disappearing this week. Utility rates aren't doubling next month. Any installer pressuring you to sign today is selling commission, not solar. A reasonable decision window is 7-30 days after your design.
- Should I get multiple quotes?
- Yes — at least three. The biggest variables across quotes are panel tier, inverter architecture, dealer markup, and warranty length. Ask each installer to send their proposal in writing and compare per-watt cost line by line.
- What's the most common mistake homeowners make?
- Signing with whoever showed up first instead of getting comparable quotes. Solar lasts 25 years on your roof — spending an extra 10 days on diligence is worth it.