What installation involves
Installation is four separate trades stacked into one project: a structural job on the roof, an electrical job at the panel, a permitting job with the city, and a utility interconnection job.
Different companies split those differently. Some self-perform all four. Many subcontract the roof work, the electrical, or both.
This matters because your warranty, your liability and your point of contact when something leaks all depend on which entity did which part.
What can stop a project before it starts
Three things disqualify or delay more projects than anything else.
- Roof condition. A roof with under ten years left should be replaced first. Removing and reinstalling an array later costs far more than doing the roof now.
- Shade. Trees and neighbouring structures change the design, the equipment choice and the output. A good assessment measures it rather than eyeballing it.
- Electrical panel capacity. An older service panel may not accept a solar backfeed without an upgrade, which is its own permit and its own cost.
Who is actually on your roof
Residential solar has a sales layer that is often separate from the installation layer. A salesperson may represent a dealer, who assigns the job to an installer, who subcontracts the roof penetrations.
None of that is inherently bad. It is only bad when you do not know it, because the entity that owes you a workmanship warranty is the entity that did the work.
Ask directly: who holds the licence the permit is pulled under, and who employs the people on the roof.
How the work runs
- Site assessmentSomeone measures the roof, the shade, the electrical panel and your usage. A proposal produced without this is a sales estimate, not a design.
- System designArray layout, panel and inverter selection, string or module-level electronics, and how it ties into your service panel.
- Contract and financingWhere most of the money decisions are locked in. Read what the price is before and after incentives, and read the escalator if it is a lease or PPA.
- PermittingThe installer submits plans to your jurisdiction. Timelines vary enormously by city. This is the most common source of quiet delay.
- Interconnection applicationFiled with your utility in parallel. Some utilities approve in days, some in months, some require a study first.
- InstallationOne to three days for a typical residential array. Racking, panels, conduit, inverter, and the tie-in at the service panel.
- InspectionThe jurisdiction inspects the electrical and structural work. A failed inspection is normal and usually means a correction, not a redesign.
- Permission to operateThe utility signs off and you may legally energise the system. Not before. Switching on without it can void the interconnection agreement.
- Monitoring and handoverThe monitoring portal is set up and you are shown how to read it. Check it in the first month, not the first year.
What moves the price
We do not publish a national average and present it as your price. These are the variables that separate two quotes for the same job — run your own numbers with the cost guides and calculators, and check what incentives you actually qualify for.
| Factor | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|
| System size | The single largest factor, and it is set by your consumption and your roof, not by what you would like to spend. |
| Equipment choice | Panel efficiency and inverter architecture. Microinverters and optimisers cost more than a string inverter and are worth it on a shaded or complex roof. |
| Roof complexity | Steep pitch, multiple planes, tile, or anything requiring extra safety equipment adds labour. |
| Electrical work | A service panel upgrade or a long conduit run from roof to panel is a meaningful line item. |
| Permitting and interconnection fees | Set by your jurisdiction and utility, not by the installer. |
| Financing structure | A dealer fee on a financed system can be a large fraction of the price and is often not shown separately. |
What to ask before you commit
Take this list to the conversation. A professional who answers these directly is telling you a lot; one who deflects is telling you more.
- Who holds the licence this permit will be pulled under, and who employs the installation crew?
- What is the cash price, before any incentive and before any financing fee?
- Which panel and which inverter, by model number?
- What does the workmanship warranty cover, for how long, and who honours it if you stop trading?
- What happens to the array if I need to re-roof in eight years?
- What is your estimate for permitting and interconnection in my specific jurisdiction?
Common questions
How long does solar installation take?
The crew is typically on site one to three days for a residential array. The whole project, from signed contract to permission to operate, commonly runs one to six months, and most of that is permitting and utility interconnection rather than construction.
Can I use the system as soon as the panels are up?
No. You need permission to operate from your utility, which comes after the jurisdiction has inspected the work. Energising a grid-tied system before that can breach your interconnection agreement.
Do I need to replace my roof first?
If the roof has under about ten years of life left, doing it first is almost always cheaper than removing and reinstalling the array later. If it is newer, no.
Does solar work during a power outage?
A standard grid-tied system shuts down in an outage for the safety of line workers. Keeping power during an outage requires a battery and the right inverter configuration.