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
Where should I start when a solar offer arrives unexpectedly?
Ask for the business’s legal name, the salesperson’s role, the installer and any proposed lender. Independently find official contact details and confirm the claimed relationship. Keep the offer, date and contact channel in a private folder. This is an editorial verification checklist, not a declaration that every unsolicited offer is fraudulent.
What does free solar actually mean in an offer?
The FTC warns about blanket free-panel and no-more-electricity-bill pitches. It also recognizes programs for qualifying households. Ask which specific program pays which costs, who owns the system and which obligations remain; a slogan is not an award notice.
Source: FTC: Solar scams. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What if the salesperson says they represent the government?
The FTC identifies false government-affiliation claims as a solar scam warning. Independently contact the named agency through its official website before relying on a salesperson’s badge, logo or phone number.
Source: FTC: Solar scams. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Should I sign on a tablet just to get the quote?
The FTC advises stopping when a salesperson pressures you to sign without showing the full agreement. Read the entire document, including warranties, cancellation terms, fees and payment schedule. Request your own copy before deciding.
Source: FTC: Solar scams. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What if there is a big deposit and a today-only promise?
The FTC warns about large advance-payment demands tied to exaggerated savings and urgency. Pause the transaction, obtain the complete written scope and compare providers before deciding. Do not treat this warning as a universal rule that every deposit is illegal.
Source: FTC: Solar scams. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How much personal information should I share for a preliminary offer?
DOE warns about personal-data collection disguised as a quote or eligibility check. Confirm the recipient, purpose and secure channel before sharing bills, identification or financial records. Ask what is necessary for the current step; do not give an unknown salesperson account passwords.
Source: DOE: solar shopping warnings; historical tax discussion is superseded by current IRS guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can a new 2026 proposal assume the old homeowner federal credit?
The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit is unavailable for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Older marketing or a salesperson’s calculation does not override that cutoff. An unused credit from an earlier eligible installation is a separate question for a qualified tax adviser.
Source: IRS: Residential clean energy credit. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How do I test a savings or production promise?
Write down the exact claim and ask for its assumptions: system design, shade, estimated production, household usage, utility charges, export treatment, financing and exclusions. Ask what evidence was measured and what was estimated. Separate a forecast from an actual contractual guarantee and identify its remedy. A missing answer is an unresolved issue, not proof of fraud.
What if I have already signed or paid and suspect a problem?
Preserve the agreement, payment records and communications. The CFPB accepts financial-product complaints and asks for key facts and supporting documents; its current guidance also lists scam-reporting routes. Seek appropriate contract or legal assistance promptly to understand deadlines. A complaint does not itself cancel a contract or guarantee recovery.
Source: CFPB: financial-product complaints. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can Solar Survey AI verify every sales claim?
Ask our team about available homeowner assessment scope, qualifications, conflicts and limitations. Accessible site evidence may help test roof, shade or layout assumptions within that scope. We do not decide fraud, grant incentives, cancel contracts, certify lenders or guarantee savings. Disclose who pays for a review and any referral relationship; third-party status alone does not establish independence.
Your decision checklist
- Identify the seller, actual installer and proposed lender.
- Confirm claimed affiliations independently.
- Obtain the whole agreement and keep your own copy.
- Separate gross costs, conditional assistance and remaining payments.
- Verify current program and tax rules from the administering authority.
- Record measured evidence, forecasts and contract guarantees separately.
- Keep private records and use verified channels.
- Get appropriate assistance promptly when something seems wrong.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Turn a pitch into verifiable questions
| Sales statement | Evidence to request | Independent check |
|---|---|---|
| We represent an agency or utility | Legal business identity and claimed authorization | Contact the named organization using independently located details |
| The program pays for everything | Program name, eligibility and actual award terms | Ask the administering organization what is confirmed |
| This is only a quote | The complete document and all attached terms | Read what signing actually authorizes |
| The savings are guaranteed | Written guarantee, assumptions, exclusions and remedy | Compare the promise with the full contract |
| Your roof is ready | Dated assessment scope and supporting observations | Identify inaccessible areas and the professional needed for open questions |
Example: an advertisement promises a free system, but the documents describe monthly payments. List every continuing obligation, identify the owner and ask the seller to reconcile the headline with the contract. Do not assume that zero money due today means no cost over the agreement’s term.
Example: a proposal predicts a particular production level from a roof rendering. Ask which roof and shade information supports the model and which conditions were not observed. An assessment can address defined evidence gaps; it cannot make an unsupported financial or legal promise true.
Keep a simple private record: exact claim, speaker or document, date, evidence requested, response received and unresolved question. Describe facts without publicly posting another person’s private details or labeling an unverified allegation as proven.
Use our quote and financing guide, installer selection checklist, service-dispute records and independence questions. Learn about Solar Survey AI’s evidence methodology; confirm the actual service scope before booking.
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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.
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