How to choose a solar installer in Houston

Walk away if

• The pitch came to your door, or a text or call claimed a government program is ending soon.
• They will not give you a cash price separate from the financed price.
• The loan has a dealer fee rolled into the principal, and they cannot or will not tell you the amount.
• They promise your electric bill will go to zero, or they quote savings without your actual usage history.
• They cannot name the TDLR-licensed electrical contractor who will do the work and sign the permit.
• The roof is near the end of its life and they do not mention it.

Ask before you hire

1. Which TDLR-licensed electrical contractor will install and sign the permit, and are they your employees or a subcontractor?
2. What is the cash price, what is the financed price, and what is the dealer fee in dollars?
3. What panels, inverters and racking are you proposing, by brand and model, and what are the product and workmanship warranties?
4. What is my current annual usage, what production do you project, and how did you calculate it?
5. Who handles the CenterPoint interconnection and the city permit, and how long does that take right now?

Houston specifics

Houston has sun, high summer bills and a deregulated electricity market, which is why solar sales crews work the neighborhoods hard. Texas has no state net metering rule. What you get for the power you send to the grid depends on the buyback plan your retail electric provider offers, and those plans change. Ask the installer which plans are available at your address today, and run the numbers with a conservative credit, not the best case.

Hurricanes change the engineering. Panels and racking need a wind rating for the coast, and the attachment to the roof needs to be done right. Do not put a 25-year system on a roof with five years left. Have the roof inspected first, and if it needs replacing, do that before the panels go up.

The financing is where most Houston homeowners get hurt. Solar loans commonly carry a dealer fee, sometimes a large share of the loan, that is rolled into the amount you borrow. The sales price is inflated to cover it, which is why the cash price and the financed price should be different numbers. If a company will not quote cash, the dealer fee is why. Leases and power purchase agreements can complicate a future sale of the house. Read the transfer terms.

Tax credits change. Confirm the current status of any federal or local incentive yourself rather than relying on the salesperson’s deadline.

Reading a solar proposal

A complete proposal includes your actual usage from twelve months of bills, the system size in kilowatts, the panel, inverter and racking brands and models, the projected annual production and the method behind it, the roof condition and any roof work included, the electrical contractor’s name and TDLR license number, the permit and CenterPoint interconnection handled by the installer, the cash price and the financed price with the dealer fee stated, the product warranties and the workmanship warranty in years, and what happens if production falls short. A proposal that shows only a monthly payment and a savings graph is a sales document.

Frequently asked