Quotes, contracts and finance

How do I compare solar quotes that look completely different?

The short answer

Convert everything to the same units before comparing anything: cash price divided by direct-current system size to get price per watt, before incentives, with batteries and roof work separated out. Then compare predicted annual production, the equipment by model number, and the warranty terms — which is usually where two similar prices turn out to be different products.

The five columns to build

Cash price before incentives, with batteries, roof work, panel upgrades and trenching listed separately.
System size in direct-current watts, and price per watt from those two numbers.
Predicted annual production, and the shade and orientation assumptions behind it.
Equipment: panel, inverter and racking by model number, and whether substitution is permitted.
Warranties: product, performance and workmanship are three different documents with three different durations and three different obligors.

Where quotes hide their differences

Incentives assumed. One quote applying a credit another does not is not a cheaper system.
Financing. A dealer fee inside a financed amount does not appear on the proposal and can be substantial.
Scope: a main panel upgrade, trenching, a roof replacement or extra structural work included in one and excluded from another.
Monitoring: whether it is included, for how long, and whether there is an ongoing fee.
Substitution clauses permitting different equipment from what was quoted.

Ask every company for the cash price, even if you intend to finance. It is the only number that makes three proposals comparable, and a company that will not give it is telling you something about the financing.

Also asked

Is a higher price per watt always worse?

No. It can reflect difficult electrical work, better roof detailing, a harder roof, a battery, or a genuinely broader scope. The number is a screening tool that tells you where to ask questions, not a verdict.

The long version

How to compare solar quotes

Price per watt, what a quote has to itemise, who actually underwrites the warranty, and where financing costs hide.

General information about solar and about hiring, not advice about your roof or your tax affairs. Incentives, net metering and contractor licensing are set federally, by state, and by your utility, and all of them change. The authority that publishes the rule is the current answer.