Why solar quotes cannot be compared

Aug 29
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Introduction

Three quotations arrive for the same roof. One is a single page with a total. One lists equipment in model numbers the customer cannot interpret. One includes scaffolding and one does not mention it. The savings figures differ by a factor of two.

The customer is not being deceived by anybody. Each installer has quoted in their own format for their own specification, and the result is three documents that cannot be placed side by side. This is the central sales problem in the sector, and the installer who solves it is competing on something other than the bottom line.

1. Why solar quotes cannot be compared starts with different scopes

The largest source of the gap.

One quote includes scaffolding, roof repairs, electrical upgrades and commissioning; another assumes them separately. A difference of several thousand frequently reflects what is in the price rather than any difference in value.

2. Equipment differences are invisible to customers

Model numbers communicate nothing.

Panels, inverters and mounting systems vary in efficiency, warranty and expected life, and a customer cannot rank them. Explaining what your choice means in plain terms, and what a cheaper component typically implies, converts a specification into information.

3. Savings estimates use different assumptions

The number that varies most and is trusted least.

Usage patterns, occupancy, tariff assumptions, shading and orientation all change the figure dramatically. Two honest installers can produce very different estimates, which is why stating your assumptions matters more than the total.

4. Warranty terms are not equivalent

A significant difference that is rarely explained.

Equipment warranties, workmanship warranties and who honours them are three separate things. Customers assume warranty means one thing, and the differences between offers are frequently larger than the price difference.

5. Produce a comparable summary yourself

The step that wins the work.

A one-page summary at the front: total, what is included, what is excluded, equipment in plain terms, timescale, warranties and assumptions. Customers use it to evaluate every other quote, which puts your framing at the centre of the decision.

6. Tell them what to ask the others

Counterintuitive and highly effective.

A short list of questions to put to every installer — is scaffolding included, who honours the workmanship warranty, what usage assumption produced that saving. This demonstrates confidence and usually reveals gaps in the cheaper quotes.

7. Be explicit about exclusions

Protects the customer and you.

Roof repairs discovered during installation, electrical upgrades, additional scaffolding for difficult access. Naming these as possible extras, with indicative costs, prevents the mid-job conversation that turns a good project into a dispute.

8. Do not win by being vague

Short-term gains, long-term cost.

A low quotation achieved by leaving items out wins the job and produces variations, arguments and a poor review. In a sector where customers talk to neighbours, that costs more than the job was worth.

9. Take the customer through it in person

Documents alone rarely convert.

A conversation walking through the quotation, answering questions and explaining trade-offs is what turns a comparable document into a decision. Installers who send a quote and wait convert substantially less than those who talk it through.

Remember that the customer's real question is not which quote is cheapest but which installer they can trust with their roof and their money. Everything about making the quotation comparable is really about demonstrating that you have nothing to hide, which is the actual decision being made.

Conclusion

Solve comparability rather than competing on the total, because the customer cannot evaluate what they are being shown.

Explain that scope differences drive most of the price gap, translate equipment specifications into plain terms, state the assumptions behind any savings figure, distinguish equipment warranties from workmanship warranties, provide a one-page comparable summary, tell the customer what to ask other installers, name possible extras with indicative costs, refuse to win by leaving items out, and walk the customer through the quotation in person.