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How to Choose a Solar Installer
Choosing the company is a separate decision from choosing the system, and it is the one more likely to go wrong.
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The equipment is largely commoditised. The company is not. Two installers can fit identical panels to the same roof and leave you with very different outcomes, because what differs is the flashing workmanship, who holds the warranty, whether they answer the phone in year six, and whether they still exist. Check the company at least as carefully as you check the hardware.
Six things to verify before you sign
All six are checkable in an afternoon, and a company that hesitates on any of them has told you something useful.
| Check | What it means |
|---|---|
| Licence | That the contracting entity holds the licence your state or locality requires, current today, in the name on the contract. Solar licensing is inconsistent: some states license it as a speciality, some fold it into electrical, some do not license it at all. |
| Insurance | General liability, and workers’ compensation where crews are employed. Ask for a certificate naming the contracting entity, not a screenshot. |
| Who actually does the work | The company that sells you the system is frequently not the one on your roof. Ask who employs the crew and whose licence the permit is pulled under. |
| Operating history | How long the business has traded under its current legal entity. A company that dissolved and re-registered is a different risk from one with fifteen unbroken years. |
| The three warranties | Product, inverter and workmanship are separate, carry different terms, and are usually held by different parties. The workmanship warranty is the one that depends on the installer still existing. |
| What happens if they fail | A twenty-five year workmanship warranty from a company with a three-year history is not a twenty-five year warranty. Ask what is backed by a third party. |
What a complete proposal contains
Ask every company for the same seven items. A quote missing any of them is unfinished, and the gaps are rarely accidental.
- System size in DC wattsSo you can compare quotes at all. Confirm every quote uses the same basis.
- Panel and inverter by model numberNot "premium tier" or "Grade A". The actual models, so you can look up the warranties yourself.
- Production estimate and its basisAnnual kWh, and what shade analysis it is built on. An estimate with no measured shade is a guess.
- Gross price before any incentiveAnd separately, which incentives they believe apply and why.
- Financing terms in fullRate, term, and the dealer fee as a number if the price is financed.
- Each warranty separatelyProduct, inverter, workmanship — with years and who honours each.
- What is excludedRoof repair, service panel upgrade, tree removal, trenching. The exclusions are where surprise costs live.
Our proposal analyzer takes a real quote and shows what each line is doing, and the contract red flags checker reads the terms.
The three warranties are not one warranty
A solar quote carries three separate warranties, and confusing them catches more people than anything else on this page, because "25-year warranty" is said as though it covers the whole system.
- Product warranty — the panel manufacturer, on the panels. Long, and it survives your installer failing.
- Inverter warranty — the inverter manufacturer. Typically much shorter than the panel warranty, which is why inverter replacement is a normal mid-life event.
- Workmanship warranty — the installer, on their own labour: the mounting, the flashing, the wiring. This is the one that covers a roof leak, and the one worth nothing if the company is gone.
Ask for all three in writing, with the years and the holder of each stated separately. Workmanship warranties covers what they typically include and exclude.
Tactics worth walking away from
None of these prove bad work. All of them are designed to stop you comparing, and a company confident in its price does not need any of them.
Door-to-door solar sales covers your cooling-off rights, which apply even when you booked the appointment yourself. Solar sales regulation by state sets out where extra protections exist.
What this page is, and what /how-we-vet/ is
Two different questions, kept deliberately apart.
- This page is what you should check before signing a contract with anyone.
- How we vet is what HyreSolar checks about a solar professional before routing an enquiry, and — more importantly — what we do not check. Verification is not endorsement.
Common questions
How do I check if a solar installer is licensed?
Search your state licensing board register for the exact legal entity name on the contract, and confirm the licence is current and covers the work. Not every state names solar in a licence class — many cover it under electrical, and a few do not license it at all, so a search returning nothing often means you searched the wrong register.
How many quotes should I get?
Three is the usual advice and the number matters less than making them comparable. Three quotes for different system sizes on different production assumptions tell you nothing. Specify the same system size basis and ask each for the same line items.
Should I choose the cheapest quote?
Only after you understand why it is cheapest. A lower price can mean a string inverter on a shaded roof, a shorter workmanship warranty, subcontracted labour, or exclusions that reappear as change orders. Ask what is different rather than assuming it is a better deal.
What if the installer goes out of business?
Manufacturer product warranties on panels and inverters are usually held by the manufacturer and survive. The workmanship warranty generally does not, unless it is backed by a third party. Independent service companies will work on systems they did not install.
Does HyreSolar recommend a particular installer?
No. We publish no ranking, score or badge, because we have no objective documented methodology that would support one. How we vet sets out exactly what we check and what we deliberately do not.
HyreSolar is an independent solar information and homeowner-connection platform. We do not install, finance, maintain or service solar systems, and we are not a party to any contract between you and a solar professional.