Use this guide
Choose the questions relevant to your situation. Expand each answer, save the checklist and request written clarification where evidence is missing.
Questions homeowners ask
What should I verify before considering an installer?
Confirm the legal business name and applicable contractor license with your state or local authority. Ask for proof of insurance. The FTC recommends checking licensing and insurance rather than relying only on a salesperson’s claims. Verify the company that will do the work, not just the marketing brand.
Source: FTC: Choosing a home-improvement contractor. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How do I check a license in California?
California’s CSLB Solar Smart page links to the official license and salesperson-registration checks. Compare the record with the named provider and installer. This is a California example: elsewhere, use the responsible state or local authority and ask which license scope applies to the work.
Source: California CSLB: Solar Smart. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Is a certification badge the same as a contractor license?
Do not treat a badge as a substitute for official verification. Ask who issued it, what it covers and whether it is current. Separately establish the licensing requirements for the work and confirm the performing contractor’s status through the responsible authority.
Source: California CSLB: Solar Smart. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Who will actually work on my home?
Ask whether the seller, installer, roofer, electrician and service provider are the same company or subcontractors. Request each responsible business and the main project contact. Make the chain of responsibility explicit so you know who answers for a missing document, site concern or installation change.
What should a written estimate include?
Request the scope, materials, price and expected completion information. The FTC recommends multiple written estimates and an explanation of major differences. For solar, use the quote-comparison guide to identify equipment, included upgrades and exclusions before comparing prices.
Source: FTC: Choosing a home-improvement contractor. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What can reviews and references actually tell me?
They can identify questions worth investigating, but a high rating is not a project-specific technical assessment. Ask references about communication, changes, approvals and service after installation. Compare their project with yours and verify important claims directly instead of treating one review as proof of every capability.
How do I evaluate the installer’s technical process?
Ask when the site is surveyed, who reviews structural and electrical questions, what input sources support the design, and how missing evidence is resolved. Request the process for explaining post-survey changes in writing. A polished rendering does not answer those questions by itself.
What should I ask about service after installation?
Identify who handles equipment claims, workmanship concerns, roof issues and monitoring support. Request contact details, coverage documents and applicable exclusions. Ask how service is arranged if the original installer is unavailable. Do not assume a salesperson’s promise is the same as a written service obligation.
What if I feel rushed to sign?
Pause and request the complete documents. The FTC identifies pressure for an immediate decision as a warning sign. Do not sign unread or incomplete papers. Check any cancellation rights and deadlines against your specific transaction and local rules rather than assuming every contract has the same window.
Source: FTC: Choosing a home-improvement contractor. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Where can California homeowners find official solar buying guidance?
The CPUC publishes a California Solar Consumer Protection Guide with provider and installer verification steps. Use it alongside the applicable documents for your transaction. It is a California resource, not a national promise about consumer rights or a certification of a particular company.
Source: California CPUC: Solar consumer protection guide. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Your decision checklist
- Verify the legal entity, performing contractor and applicable license.
- Request proof of insurance and official verification links.
- Identify subcontractors and the accountable project contact.
- Get comparable written scope, equipment, exclusions and pricing.
- Ask how roof, electrical and shade inputs are verified.
- Obtain approval responsibilities and service documents.
- Resolve open questions before signing.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Make the evidence actionable
Example: the sales brand on a proposal differs from the company named as the installer. Ask both parties to explain their roles and show where responsibilities appear in the contract. Record the legal entity and contact for each stage before proceeding.
Example: one bidder has a lower price but excludes an electrical upgrade that another includes. Request matching scopes before deciding which is less expensive. Do not award points simply because a quote has fewer unresolved items hidden in its fine print.
A separately scoped assessment can help identify missing site evidence. Learn about Solar Survey AI site surveys and our evidence methodology, then confirm the actual homeowner scope and commercial relationships before booking. We do not certify or rank installers in this guide.
Continue your research
About these guides
Published by Solar Survey AI, a commercial survey-services company. Our original decision checklists are recommendations; linked authorities support the referenced facts. We may benefit if you purchase our services. This is not independent certification of our company, a project-specific engineering decision or personal tax/legal advice. Local rules, contracts and site evidence control individual decisions. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
For available survey or inspection services, confirm your project scope and availability with our team. Our planned free homeowner remote diagnosis remains coming soon.
Survey services · Inspection services · Monitoring early access