What to ask before signing a solar contract
The best protection against a bad solar deal isn't a lawyer, it's a good list of questions asked before you sign. The Department of Energy publishes plain guidance on exactly what to ask, and a confident installer answers all of it without flinching. Here's that list, organized and adapted for Connecticut and New York.
Questions about the company
Start with who you're dealing with. The Department of Energy's advice is direct: make sure the installer is licensed, bonded, and insured to do residential solar in your area, ask whether they certify their work through a reputable body like the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), and ask whether subcontractors will do the install and what their credentials are.[1]
In Connecticut you can verify a contractor's Home Improvement Contractor license yourself through the state's eLicense system before you sign.[2] In New York, confirm the appropriate contractor licensing for your city or county. Two minutes of verification beats a lot of regret.
Questions about the system and the numbers
The DOE recommends getting at least three bids and making sure they're based on the same characteristics so you can actually compare them.[3] For each bid, ask for the estimated annual production in kilowatt-hours, the exact panel and inverter make and model, and the three warranties that matter: the panel warranty, the inverter warranty, and the installer's own workmanship warranty. Ask whether there's a production guarantee and how you'd claim it.
If a savings number is quoted, ask how it was calculated, what rate and usage assumptions it used, and what happens if production falls short. A number without assumptions behind it isn't a number you can trust.
Questions about the contract and the grid
Before you sign, the DOE guide on understanding a rooftop solar contract suggests asking your electric company whether there's a fee to connect to the grid, since interconnection terms vary.[4] Then nail down the contract basics: is this a cash purchase, a loan, a lease, or a PPA, and do you own the system? If there's an escalator, what does the payment look like in year 20? If there's a buyout, how is it priced in the early years?
What to do right now
If it needs to go further
If an installer dodges these questions, gets cagey about the license, or pressures you to sign before you've compared bids, that's your answer about whether to work with them. And if you've already signed and later find you were misled, file with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection or the New York Attorney General and keep written records.
You shouldn't have to become a solar expert to buy solar safely. That's the job we do. Send us a proposal or tell us where you are in the process, and we'll help you ask the right questions and read the answers honestly, with no panels to sell you.
This is a starting guide, not legal advice. For contract disputes, confirm your specific terms and consider the consumer-protection resources in your state.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Energy, "Decisions, Decisions: Choosing a Solar Installer" (licensed, bonded, and insured; NABCEP certification; subcontractor credentials). energy.gov
- Connecticut eLicense system (verify a Home Improvement Contractor license before signing). elicense.ct.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy, "Planning a Home Solar Electric System" (obtain at least three bids based on the same characteristics, and questions to ask installers). energy.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy, "Where Do I Sign? Understanding Your Rooftop Solar Energy Contract" (contract terms and asking your utility about a grid-connection fee). energy.gov