A useful solar proposal explains three things separately: what equipment your home needs, what you are agreeing to buy, and which approvals remain outstanding. Start with your electricity use and roof condition, then compare offers on the same assumptions. A national guide can organize those questions; your permitting office and electric utility decide their own project requirements.
Compare Ownership and Payment Terms
Purchasing equipment, leasing it and buying its electricity through a power purchase agreement create different obligations. Ask who owns the system, who maintains it, how payments can change, and what happens when you sell the property. Request the complete agreement before discussing a signature.
Keep the equipment price separate from borrowing costs and projected utility savings. Ask for a version of the calculation without incentives, so you can see whether the proposal still fits your budget.
Check the House Before Choosing Equipment
Bring a year of electricity bills and describe planned changes such as an electric vehicle or heating replacement. Ask the designer to explain shading, roof orientation, usable area and the production assumptions behind the proposed system.
If roof repairs are likely, request a coordinated roofing and solar scope. Identify who would remove and reinstall panels for later roof work. Ask whether the proposal includes any structural assessment, electrical work, storage or monitoring, and have exclusions written down.
Separate Permits From Utility Permission
DOE describes local permitting, inspection and utility interconnection as distinct stages. Ask the permitting office which applications, plans and inspections apply to your installation. Identify who submits each item and who corrects an application that is incomplete.
Ask your utility about its application, equipment requirements, metering, export compensation and permission to operate. A contractor’s installation date does not establish the utility’s approval date. Record the actual rate arrangement instead of assuming every exported kilowatt-hour receives the retail price.
Recheck Incentives and the Final Handoff
As checked October 17, 2026, IRS guidance ends the residential clean energy credit for expenditures after December 31, 2025. Paying early does not preserve section 25D eligibility when installation finishes after that deadline. Ask a tax professional about your own records; do not finance a new project around an obsolete federal-credit estimate.
For any separate state or utility offer, obtain the administering program’s current eligibility and reservation terms. Before closing the project, request the final equipment list, inspection records, utility approval, warranties and maintenance contact.
Questions Homeowners Ask
Will solar eliminate my electric bill?
Do not assume that. Ask which utility charges remain and compare expected production with your actual use, including winter and summer differences. Have the seller explain every savings assumption.
Does a permit authorize operation on the grid?
Treat those as separate questions. Confirm the required inspections with the permitting office and obtain the utility’s own operating authorization for a grid-connected system.
What should I do with a proposal that includes a federal credit?
Ask which tax provision and installation year it relies on. Have the current IRS rule checked independently and request revised figures if the proposal assumes an unavailable benefit.
Sources And Local Resources
Official sources checked October 17, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the authority responsible for your property.
- FTC: Solar Power for Your HomePurchase, lease and power-purchase agreement comparisons; utility bills, roof suitability and contract questions. April 2022 background; incentive statements are not used as current tax eligibility.
- DOE: Permitting and Inspection for Rooftop SolarLocal permitting and inspection vary by jurisdiction; utility interconnection is a separate project stage. No universal permit exemption or completion time adopted.
- IRS: Instructions for Form 5695 (2025)2025 tax-year instructions: termination, completion-based cost timing, qualified property documentation and unused residential clean energy credit carried to 2026. This is not a 2026 tax-year form.
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