First: are you buying equipment or paying a provider?
The CPUC’s California solar guide distinguishes a purchase from a lease and a power purchase agreement (PPA). With a lease you pay to use a provider’s system; with a PPA you pay for the electricity it produces. Review any payment increases, maintenance responsibilities and transfer conditions. This is California guidance, not a promise that every consumer protection applies to a new-home sale.
- Is the system owned, separately financed, leased or under a PPA?
- Do payments increase, and what is the total contractual cost?
- What happens when you sell, refinance or want to end the agreement?
A missed choice can become a long-term commitment.
One published example: KB Home’s September 2025 solar addendum can default an undecided buyer to a lease without written notification to the seller within three business days of the buyer’s offer (§10c). It puts purchase pricing in a separate options list (§4) and excludes the system from the builder warranty (§6.1.2). These are terms in one builder form, not universal rules.
- What is your selection deadline, and how must you respond?
- Where is the price, equipment schedule and provider agreement?
- Who covers the system, and when will it actually be operational?
A low interest rate can hide a higher starting price.
In its 2024 solar-financing report, the CFPB found that some solar-specific lenders added fees that increased loan principal by 30% or more above cash price. That finding concerns certain solar loans; it does not establish a markup on your builder’s system.
Ask for a cash price and financed price for the same installed system. Wholesale panels alone are not a fair comparison: DOE identifies permitting, installation and other non-hardware costs as part of a solar project.
- Compare system size, equipment, battery storage and installation scope.
- Separate equipment and installation from financing charges.
- Compare warranty and service terms alongside the total price.
Do not budget around an outdated tax-credit pitch.
As checked September 5, 2026, the IRS says the homeowner Residential Clean Energy Credit is unavailable for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Do not assume a 30% federal homeowner credit in a 2026 proposal. Verify your facts and any separate programs with a qualified tax professional.
- Does the quote rely on a credit, rebate or future payment you may not receive?
- What happens to payments if an expected lump-sum prepayment is not made?
- Which current utility rates and production assumptions support projected savings?
Review your documents in Settle.
Sol helps explain the solar paperwork and can normalize a supported cash quote using your supplied system details. Settle cannot establish the builder’s wholesale cost, verify local bids or guarantee energy savings or tax eligibility.
- Solar addendum and provider agreement
- Cash and financed quotes
- Equipment and warranty schedules
- Payment schedule and savings assumptions
Help me understand who owns this solar system, all payments and deadlines, warranty responsibility, and the assumptions behind the quote. List what is missing before comparing the price.Get started
Sources checked September 6, 2026. Your contract, location and circumstances determine what applies. Builder examples are illustrations, not terms of your purchase. About these guides