How many solar quotes should you get? The $12,000 answer.
Three, at least. Here is why that number is worth real money, and how we line up three competing quotes for you so you do not have to chase them yourself.
The same roof, five different prices
Solar has no sticker price. Hand the exact same roof to five installers and you will get five different numbers, and the spread between them is not small. What one company charges per watt, another beats by a dollar or more for the same panels and the same work. The difference is not better hardware. It is who shopped and who didn’t.
is roughly the gap, on a typical California system, between a well-shopped price and what a first quote tends to run — for identical panels on the identical roof.
Illustrative, California. “Well-shopped” is the EnergySage marketplace average; the higher figure is what PG&E buyers typically paid. Your spread depends on your state and your roof, but the shape holds almost everywhere.
Why it matters more in 2026 than it ever has
Until the end of 2025, a 30% federal tax credit quietly cushioned a bad price. You could overpay and the credit would still pull you back toward a decent return, so a padded quote never hurt as much as it should have. That credit is gone for homeowner-owned systems now. There is nothing left to absorb an inflated price, so every dollar of markup comes straight out of your pocket and straight off your return.
In our own PG&E research, paying a high price instead of a fair one added about two and a half years to payback. The panels were the same. The only thing that changed was the number on the contract.
Why most people still take one quote
Because getting more is miserable. The moment you ask one company, your number gets passed around and the calls start. Lining up three reputable installers, getting them to quote the same system, and then comparing contracts written to confuse you is a part-time job. Most people get one quote, feel unsure, and either sign anyway or give up. Both are expensive.
So we do that part for you.
What we actually do
-
1
First, a deep analysis of your own roof — free
Before anyone gets your address, we model your roof from satellite imagery on your utility’s real filed rates: the right system size, production, payback, with and without a battery, and a market-price benchmark. This sets the baseline — what the best system and the best economics look like for your house, so every quote that follows is judged against a number you already trust.
-
2
Then we bring three competing vetted installers to your inbox
We hand your right-sized design to installers we have screened by hand — active unrestricted license, real insurance, their own crews, a long track record under one name, and no predatory financing. You get competing quotes for the same system, side by side, without fielding a single sales call to get them.
-
3
Then we sit on your side of the table for every quote
We walk you through all three line by line, in plain English: where one is padded, where another cut a corner, what each number should be, and exactly what to push back on. We tell you what to negotiate — and, when it is the right call, we tell you to walk away from all three. We work the sidelines; you make the decision and sign directly with whoever you choose.
The part a lead generator can never say
Sometimes the honest answer is that none of the quotes is good enough, or that solar does not pay at your house at all. We will tell you that plainly, and stop there. A business that sells your phone number can never afford to say it. We can, because our advice is not tied to any one installer winning your business.
How we’re paid, in plain words
You pay us nothing. The analysis and the quotes are free to you. If you decide to go ahead with one of the installers we introduce, that installer pays SIA a flat referral fee — the same amount no matter which of the three you choose, their price, the system size, or the financing. Because the fee never changes with your choice, we have no reason to steer you toward one installer and every reason to want you to get the best deal. You contract directly with the installer, never with us, and nothing is shared with any installer unless you ask for the introductions.
Coverage. We introduce competing installers only where our vetted network reaches your area. Where we do not yet have three that clear our bar, we tell you that up front and bring you the ones we do.
What this is. A preliminary, consumer-side solar analysis and planning model — an estimate, not an engineering design, a quote, or a permit document. Production, savings and prices are modeled and not guaranteed, and your results will vary. Each installer is responsible for the final engineering, structural and electrical design, permitting and construction. Screening is not a guarantee of any installer’s work. This is not legal, tax, or investment advice.
Start with the free baseline
You do not have to decide anything today. Send your address and you get the full analysis first — the honest verdict and the price to beat. If it is worth doing and you want quotes, we line up the three. If it is not, you keep the report and owe nothing.
Get my free analysis + three quotes
Opens your email app to contact@siapolicy.ai. Your bill helps but is optional. We never ask for a phone number.
The model and every data source behind these numbers are published in the full methodology. Price figures are illustrative and vary by state and roof; estimates are informational and are not an installation quote.
Read next
The full hand-held version: one email in, one email out, and we handle the whole thing.
SIA’s white-glove solar service →