InstaBids

How many solar installation bids should I compare?

Compare detailed written bids from several solar companies, as FTC solar advice suggests, and judge them on one shared description of your roof, electrical panel and goals, so each bid names its system size, expected output, panels, inverters and roof attachments instead of chasing a set number of replies.

Source: FTC consumer advice, Solar Power for Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 15 October 2026

A single-family home with rows of black solar panels on its roof, seen from across the front yard.

Key facts

Why do bids for one job differ?

Compare solar installation bids on design before anything else, because companies lay out one roof differently: how many panels fit each roof face, which inverter converts their output, how racking fastens through the roof covering, and whether the bid covers photovoltaic power, solar water heating or pool heating, which are different systems.

The FTC's Solar Power for Your Home advice, dated April 2022, says "Bids should have specific details in writing about the system, including" a list that names "its size and how much power it’s expected to deliver" and "what warranties apply to the equipment (like the panels and inverters that convert solar panel output so it can be used with your home’s electrical network) and the installation workmanship". Ask each company to state both in its written scope.

Source: FTC consumer advice, Solar Power for Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

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When is a comparison less useful?

Check your roof's age and the split between trades before you collect more solar installation bids. If the roof covering is near replacement, or the job mixes panels with an electrical service change or reroofing, another estimate cannot settle who does which part, and the bids will describe different work.

Ask each company whether taking panels off and putting them back for a later roof repair sits inside its written scope or is a separate job.

Ask each bidder which parts of your job it performs itself and which it hands to an electrical or roofing company.

How can I ask several companies the same questions?

Use one solar request sheet for every company: the roof faces you would accept panels on and the direction each faces, roof age and covering, shade from trees or nearby buildings, where the main electrical panel and meter sit, a year of usage history, and which system type you want.

  1. Roof: ask where each bid places racking attachments and how it seals every roof penetration.
  2. Electrical: ask whether the bid includes any main panel work, a disconnect or new wiring runs.
  3. Equipment: ask for the panel and inverter brand and model, so warranty terms line up side by side.
  4. Utility paperwork: ask who prepares and submits the interconnection application to your utility.

If your home sits under a deed restriction or association, section 163.04(2) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "A property owner may not be denied permission to install solar collectors or other energy devices by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, declaration, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property with respect to residential dwellings and within the boundaries of a condominium unit. Such entity may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45° east or west of due south if such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors." Give every bidder the same copy of any written location decision you receive.

Source: Florida Statutes section 163.04, read 15 October 2026.

Should I ask whether a quotation has a charge?

Ask each solar company whether its shade study, roof inspection and panel layout come inside the written estimate or as a separately booked job, and note each answer next to your scope. A layout drawing is an assessment of your roof; drilling attachments and mounting panels is performed work.

A structural letter from an engineer and a roof repair are different tasks again. If a bid assumes either one, ask the company to list it as its own line item so you can see which bids include it.

What should my request include?

Describe your solar request with photographs of each roof face from the ground, the attic underside if you can reach it safely, the main electrical panel with its door open, the meter and any pool equipment, plus a written scope naming the system type, roof covering, roof age and shade.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.

What should I do when written bids arrive?

Compare written solar bids against your request sheet first: match system type and size, expected output, panel and inverter models, roof attachment method and warranty terms, then check whether each start date allows for any permit, any local inspection and your utility's interconnection steps. Ask about any blank line before choosing.

For a photovoltaic system tied to the grid, section 366.91(2)(d) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "“Net metering” means a metering and billing methodology whereby customer-owned renewable generation is allowed to offset the customer’s electricity consumption on site."

Source: Florida Statutes section 366.91, read 15 October 2026.

The FTC's solar advice says: "Contact your utility to see what arrangements it makes with homeowners who produce solar power." Ask each bidder which of those steps it handles for your account.

Source: FTC consumer advice, Solar Power for Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

Florida Public Service Commission Rule 25-6.065, as amended 7 April 2008, states: "This rule applies to all investor-owned utilities, except as otherwise stated in subsection (10)." It lists, among the minimum contents of each such utility's Standard Interconnection Agreement, "A requirement that customer-owned renewable generation must be inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation in parallel with the investor-owned utility to ensure compliance with applicable local codes." Ask each company who books that inspection.

Source: Florida Administrative Code Rule 25-6.065, Interconnection and Net Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable Generation, read 15 October 2026.

Treat the panel layout drawing as the deciding page. If one bid puts panels on a roof face you ruled out, leaves out electrical work another bid includes, or states output without a system size, return your request sheet to that company and weigh its bid only once a corrected layout comes back.

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Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.
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Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 15 October 2026.

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