Solar's dirty secret is that the product is usually fine, panels work, warranties hold, physics cooperates, while the deals wrapped around it range from fair to predatory, and the difference is almost always visible in the quote before signing. This is the 10-point inspection we run, published in full because informed buyers are the only market discipline this industry reliably responds to. Run every proposal through it, including anything connected to us.
Use this on everyone. An installer comfortable with scrutiny is telling you something; one who bristles at it just did too.
The 10 red flags
1. Expired federal credit in the math. The 30% credit died with 2025; a 2026 quote showing it overstates savings by thousands, our federal explainer covers the full story. 2. Hidden dealer fees. Loan price far above cash price for identical hardware = financing markup in costume; demand both prices. 3. Deadline pressure. Today-only pricing exists to prevent comparison; comparison is the answer. 4. Vague equipment. "Tier 1 panels" is marketing; model numbers are specification, no models, no signature. 5. Unexplained per-watt outliers. Know your market's honest range (our MA, NH and VT cost guides publish them) and make deviations explain themselves. 6. Savings without assumptions. A savings number is only as honest as its stated rate, escalator, and production assumptions, missing assumptions mean manufactured savings. 7. Escalators soft-pedaled. Lease/PPA annual increases compound for 25 years; the full-term table belongs on page one, per our financing comparison. 8. Oversizing without usage analysis. Systems sized to your roof instead of your bills sell watts, not value, especially where export rates trail retail. 9. Utility policy hand-waving. A quote that cannot name your netting or export regime has skipped your state's actual math. 10. Licensing and permit dodges. Unverifiable licenses and skip-the-permit offers convert your roof into their liability shelter.
What honest looks like
| Red flag | The honest version |
|---|---|
| Deadline pricing | Quotes valid for weeks, in writing |
| Vague equipment | Panel and inverter models, warranty terms, itemized |
| Hidden fees | Cash and financed prices side by side |
| Manufactured savings | Assumptions stated: rate, escalator, production, policy |
The inspection habit
Three quotes, this checklist against each, every mystery made to explain itself, an hour's discipline governing a 25-year asset. Our process is built to pass this list because we wrote it; hold everyone to it equally, and the bad deals filter themselves out before they reach your kitchen table.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest solar quote red flag in 2026?
A federal tax credit line. The 30% residential credit expired at the end of 2025; any 2026 quote still showing it is running outdated software or testing whether you check, and either way is overstating your savings by thousands.
What are dealer fees on solar loans?
Financing markups, often 20-30% of system cost, baked into the price to buy down the advertised APR. The tell: the loan-price and cash-price for the same system sit far apart. Honest quotes disclose the fee; most quotes hope you never ask.
Are today-only solar prices ever real?
No. Equipment and installation costs do not expire at midnight; deadline pressure exists to prevent comparison shopping, which is precisely why comparison shopping defeats it. Any legitimate price survives a week of thought.
How many solar quotes should I get?
Three is the working standard: enough to see the market's real per-watt range, expose outliers in both directions, and give every pressure tactic the comparison it fears. Identical hardware routinely varies thousands by sales channel alone.
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