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Solar · Services

Solar services

Solar companies handle site assessment and system design, permitting with your local building department, physical installation, the utility interconnection application, commissioning, and ongoing monitoring. Separate specialists handle repairs, inverter replacement, and panel removal-and-reinstall when a roof needs work.

  • 8Solar servicesCovered on this site
  • CheckedLicence & insuranceVerified against the issuing body
  • 1-to-1MatchingOne pro, not five callbacks
  • FreeTo homeownersContractors pay us, you never do
In short

What solar services actually cover

A normal residential job runs in this order: site assessment and roof evaluation, system design and proposal, permit application to your authority having jurisdiction, installation, local inspection, then the utility's interconnection approval and permission to operate. You do not generate credited power until that last step clears, and it is often the longest part of the schedule.

The US Department of Energy's homeowner guidance is the most neutral overview of this process and is worth reading before you take a single sales appointment - it is written by people with nothing to sell you.

Two services people forget to ask about at signing: removal and reinstall (what it costs to take panels off and put them back when you reroof) and service after the sale (who physically shows up in year eight). Get both answered in writing. If your roof has fewer than ten years left, reroof first - paying twice to move an array is a common, avoidable expense.

8 services

All solar services

Each one covers what the job involves, what moves the price, and when it is the wrong call.

How to choose

Picking the right solar job

The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.

  1. Confirm who does the actual install

    Many national brands subcontract. Ask for the name of the installing company and check its license and reviews, not just the brand's.

  2. Ask about roof age up front

    If your roof is near end of life, replace it before installing. Removal and reinstall later costs real money and creates a warranty finger-pointing risk.

  3. Get the interconnection responsibility in writing

    The installer should file with the utility and handle inspection corrections. Confirm that is included, not billed hourly.

  4. Ask what monitoring costs after year one

    Monitoring is often free for a period and then becomes a subscription, or dies if the installer goes out of business.

  5. Verify licensing and insurance yourself

    Contractor licensing is state-specific. Look up the license number with your state board directly rather than trusting a PDF from the sales rep.

Two people working through home paperwork at a kitchen table
Illustration, for reference.
Before you call anyone

The wrong service call is the expensive one

Most people booking solar work are buying a diagnosis, not a job - and the trade you pick decides what diagnosis you get. Book the wrong specialist and you pay a call-out fee to be told it is somebody else's problem.

  • Describe the symptom What you can observe, and when it started. Not what you think it is.
  • Ask what the visit includes Whether the diagnostic fee is credited against the work is a question with a real answer.
  • Get the scope in writing A number with no line items cannot be compared to a second number.
FAQ

Solar services - common questions

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

The physical install on a typical home is usually a matter of days. The full timeline from contract to switched on is driven by permitting and utility interconnection, both of which vary enormously by jurisdiction and utility.
Yes, and a good installer will insist on one. Panels are designed to last decades; putting them on a roof with a few years left means paying to remove and reinstall them.
Manufacturer warranties on panels and inverters follow the equipment, but the workmanship warranty is only as good as the company that wrote it. Independent solar repair firms exist in most metros and will service orphaned systems for a fee.
Some jurisdictions allow owner-builder permits, but you still need utility interconnection approval, code-compliant electrical work, and inspection sign-off. Mistakes affect your homeowners insurance and your roof. For most people this is not a good DIY project.
Sources

Where these figures come from

Sources last checked

How this works

We don't do solar work. We match you with pros who do.

HomeMatchup is a matching service, not a solar contractor. Your job goes to a few local pros who take this work - not a cold-call list.

  1. You tell us the job

    ZIP plus a short description. About a minute.

  2. We match, you don't chase

    Routed to licensed local pros who take work like yours.

  3. You compare and decide

    Compare quotes and hire, or walk away. No fee either way.

Get matched free or call (866) 582-8523

Free to you · No obligation to hire · Only your matched pros get your details · How we vet pros

You know more than the last homeowner they quoted.

That is worth something only while you are still choosing. Tell us what is going on and we will match you with a few solar pros whose licence and insurance we have already checked - free, no obligation.

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Who wrote and checked this

Written by

The HomeMatchup Content Team

Editorial
Reviewed by

Michael Thompson

Senior Home Improvement Reviewer · 20 years

Senior technical reviewer.

Team-written. Second-person reviewed. Sources dated. Report a correction.

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