Solar Installation: what to ask, what it costs, and one number to call
Updated June 2026 · By the Mobile Phonebook editorial team · How we research pricing
Residential solar means panels on your roof turning sunlight into electricity you'd otherwise buy from the utility, often paired with a battery these days. The technology is mature and the panels themselves are commodities. What varies wildly is how systems are sold and financed, and that's where homeowners win or lose. The same hardware can be a solid 25-year investment or a contract you regret by year three, depending entirely on the deal structure.
One thing to know before any sales call in 2026: the federal residential solar tax credit (the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Purchased home systems installed in 2026 generally don't get it. Leases and power purchase agreements can still capture a separate commercial credit, but for the company, not you, which is exactly why lease and PPA pitches have gotten louder. That asymmetry shapes every sales conversation you'll have, so read the lease section below before you sign anything.
What should you have ready before you call?
- Pull your last 12 months of electric bills (or your utility's usage download). Annual kilowatt-hours is the number every honest quote starts from.
- Know your roof's age and material; if it needs replacing within ~10 years, plan to reroof first.
- Note your roof's main directions and shading. South-facing and unshaded is ideal, and heavy tree cover changes the math.
- Check your utility's current net-metering or solar export policy, since it drives savings more than panel brand does.
- Decide your financing lane before the pitch: cash, loan, or open to lease/PPA. Know that lease math needs total-term comparison.
- If you're in an HOA or historic district, check their solar rules and approval process.
- Set your skepticism level: any 'free solar' or 'the government pays for it' opener in 2026 is misleading on its face.
What should you ask before hiring? The 9-question script
This is your script. Nobody expects you to be an expert. Sound like someone who asks the right questions, and anyone good will answer all of these without flinching.
The single most important question in solar. Lease/PPA contracts run 20–25 years and must be assumed by your buyer or bought out at sale. Make the rep state the ownership structure plainly before anything else.
Per-watt pricing (commonly around $2.40–$3.40/W before incentives in 2026) lets you compare quotes. For leases, the monthly number is bait; the 25-year total with escalators is the real price. Make them print it.
The lease gotcha. A 2.9% annual escalator compounds to roughly double the payment by year 25. If utility rates rise slower than your escalator, your 'savings' invert mid-contract.
You want the modeled annual kWh, the shading analysis behind it, and ideally a written production guarantee with compensation if the system underperforms. Savings projections without visible assumptions are sales art.
Tests honesty directly. The 30% federal credit is gone for purchased systems placed in service after 2025; anyone claiming otherwise is misinformed or lying. State, local, and utility incentives may still apply. Verify each one yourself before it shapes your decision.
Solar sales orgs frequently subcontract installation. You want to know which company holds the workmanship warranty and whether it has a service department and a local history, because the industry has seen plenty of installers disappear mid-warranty.
Panels commonly carry 25-year product/performance warranties; inverters 10–25. Workmanship varies most and matters most. Roof-penetration leak coverage in writing is the one homeowners wish they'd asked about.
R&R typically costs thousands. An installer who quotes panels onto a 17-year-old roof without raising this is optimizing for their commission, not your decade.
Solar's in-home pitches use the same 'today-only' pressure as windows and baths. Real quotes survive a week and a competing bid. Treat countdown pricing as disqualifying.
How much does solar installation cost in 2026?
Purchased systems are priced per watt installed; 2026 residential pricing mostly runs $2.40–$3.40 per watt before any incentives. Note that the 30% federal residential credit no longer applies to systems placed in service after 2025, so compare quotes on gross price.
| Typical job | National range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Purchased system, per watt installed | $2.40 – $3.40 per W | Equipment tier, roof complexity, and the seller's sales-channel overhead drive the spread |
| Typical 7 kW system, purchased | $17,000 – $24,000 | Suits many average-usage homes; no federal credit for 2026 installs |
| Larger 10–12 kW system, purchased | $24,000 – $40,000 | High-usage homes, EVs, heat pumps push system size |
| Home battery, installed (one unit) | $9,000 – $18,000 | Capacity and brand; more valuable where outages are common or export rates are poor |
| Lease / PPA | $0 down; ~$80 – $250+/mo | Read the escalator and term; total 25-year payments often rival or exceed purchase price |
| Panel removal + reinstall for reroofing | $3,000 – $10,000 | Why roof age comes before panels, always |
| Main panel upgrade (if required) | $1,500 – $4,500 | Older 100A panels sometimes need upgrading for solar or batteries |
| System inspection / health check (existing system) | $150 – $400 | Worth it when buying a home with panels or diagnosing low production |
These are typical 2026 U.S. ranges for planning purposes; your market, season and job specifics can land outside them. Always get the price for your job confirmed on the call and in writing. Ranges compiled June 2026 from national cost data and industry sources (methodology).
When you don't need to call anyone
We get paid when you call, so take this section as seriously as we do. Sometimes the honest answer is that you can handle it yourself or fix it cheaper first:
- Low electric bill (roughly under $75 a month)? The payback math rarely works. Insulation, air sealing, LED lighting, and a heat pump beat panels dollar-for-dollar.
- Roof shaded most of the day, or due for replacement within about five years? Fix those facts first. Panels on a dying roof have to come off and go back on at your expense.
- Renting, or moving within a few years? Skip rooftop ownership. Community solar programs, where available, get you cheaper power without installing anything.
- The door-to-door 'free solar' pitch is a lease or PPA that usually saves less than buying and can complicate a home sale. Never sign at the door; competing quotes cost nothing.
How the solar business works
There are three ways to get panels on your roof. Cash or loan purchase: you own the system, all the savings, and the maintenance. Lease: a company owns the system on your roof and you pay a fixed (often annually escalating) monthly fee. Power purchase agreement (PPA): the company owns the system and sells you its output per kilowatt-hour, usually below utility rates at signing, also often with an annual escalator. Ownership generally builds the most value. Leases and PPAs trade long-term value for zero money down, and they're where most of the horror stories live: 20–25 year terms, payment escalators of around 1–3% a year that can outrun utility-rate growth, and real friction when you sell the house, since the buyer must qualify for and assume the contract or you must buy it out.
The sales economics explain the pressure. Much of residential solar is sold by commissioned reps and third-party dealer networks, where the rep's pay is built into your price, sometimes thousands of dollars per deal. That's why door-knockers and 'your neighborhood was selected' pitches exist, and why quotes for identical systems vary so much. Since the residential tax credit ended, third-party ownership (lease/PPA) lets the installer's financing partner claim a commercial tax credit on the system instead, so many companies now steer hard toward leases. The steer may or may not suit you. Run the math on total payments over the full term versus buying.
Savings claims deserve permanent skepticism. Real savings depend on your actual usage, your utility's rates and its net-metering or export-credit policy (which varies enormously by state and keeps changing), your roof's orientation and shading, and the system's production over time. A trustworthy proposal shows the assumptions: production estimate from standard modeling, your last 12 months of usage, the utility's current export rates, and a conservative rate-escalation assumption. A glossy chart showing you 'saving $80,000 over 25 years' with no visible assumptions is marketing, not math.
Practical sequencing matters: your roof comes first. Panels last 25+ years. If your roof has less than 10 years left, reroof before installing, because removing and reinstalling a system later costs thousands. A good installer evaluates the roof honestly and walks away from bad ones. Also expect permits, utility interconnection paperwork, and an inspection. Competent installers handle all of it, and the wait for utility permission-to-operate can add weeks after install.
Red flags & good signs
Red flags
- 'Free solar,' 'no-cost program,' or 'the government pays for your panels.' In 2026 there is no federal residential credit for new purchased installs, and 'free' always means a lease or PPA with a 20–25 year contract.
- Won't show the lease escalator, the full-term payment total, or the buyout schedule
- Savings projections with no visible assumptions about your usage, your utility's export rates, or rate growth
- Today-only pricing, or 'your neighborhood was selected for a special program.' That's manufactured urgency on a 25-year decision.
- Quoting panels onto an old roof without assessing remaining roof life or disclosing removal/reinstall costs
- Sales company won't say who actually installs or who handles warranty service in future years
- Pushes you to sign a digital contract on a tablet during the first visit before you've seen the full document
Good signs
- Starts from your actual 12-month usage and shows the production model's assumptions, shading analysis included
- Quotes in dollars per watt, itemizes equipment by brand and model, and the price holds for weeks
- Gives you straight answers on ownership structure, escalators, and home-sale implications without dancing
- Assesses your roof honestly, including telling you to reroof first, or that solar doesn't pencil for your house
- Established local installation and service operation, not just a sales office, with workmanship and roof-penetration warranties in writing
Frequently asked questions
How much do solar panels cost in 2026?
Is the solar tax credit still available in 2026?
Is leasing solar panels a good idea?
Do solar panels really save money?
Should I replace my roof before going solar?
How long do solar panels last?
What happens to solar panels when I sell my house?
How long does solar installation take?
Related services
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