Free Solar Installation Estimate Template & Generator
Nobody has been on the roof yet when this estimate is written, and that fact has to be readable in every line of it. This one starts from 12 months of metered usage pulled off the homeowner's utility account, states the offset target and the modeled yield used to size the array, converts that into a module count and a DC rating, and carries the installed cost as a range rather than a single figure.
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| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| PV equipment allowance | 1 | $13,800.00 | $13,800.00 |
| Installation labor allowance | 1 | $7,200.00 | $7,200.00 |
| Permitting and interconnection allowance | 1 | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 |
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Use-case checklist
What to include in a solar installation estimate
A preliminary solar number written off a satellite image and a single utility bill is the number the homeowner will hold you to. If the site survey then finds a 100 amp service that has to be upgraded, rafters at 24 inches that need blocking, or a roof with only a few years left on it, the price moves by thousands and you are explaining a jump the homeowner reads as a bait and switch, often to a competitor who quoted the same optimistic figure. Writing the assumptions as assumptions changes that conversation completely: here is the usage I worked from, here is the yield I modeled, here is what I have not verified, and here is the survey that resolves it. The production figure needs the same care, because a homeowner who reads a modeled estimate as a promise will treat any shortfall as a broken one.
- property, utility usage, and data source
- estimated system size and equipment class
- roof, shading, and electrical assumptions
- permit, utility, storage, and monitoring allowances
- estimated production, price range, exclusions, and site-survey requirement
Example starting lines
| Description | Qty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| PV equipment allowance | 1 | $13,800 |
| Installation labor allowance | 1 | $7,200 |
| Permitting and interconnection allowance | 1 | $1,250 |
Complete it cleanly
State the data source, assumed system size, equipment class, roof and shading basis, electrical service, permit and utility fees, battery option, incentives assumptions, and the survey needed before a firm proposal.
How to make a solar installation estimate in 6 steps
Open the estimate generator
Start from this page so the estimate opens with fields and sample lines already set up for solar estimators and energy contractors. No account is needed to create or preview.
Enter both parties
Add your business name, address and contact details, then the customer name and address exactly as they should appear on the record.
Add the solar installation lines
Replace each sample line with the real work or goods. Make sure the document shows property, utility usage, and data source, estimated system size and equipment class, roof, shading, and electrical assumptions.
Check the figures
Totals calculate as you type. Confirm quantities, rates, any tax line and the final total against your own records before you send anything.
Set the reference and dates
Give the estimate a unique number and the correct date so it can be traced later and matched to related documents.
Review and download the PDF
State the data source, assumed system size, equipment class, roof and shading basis, electrical service, permit and utility fees, battery option, incentives assumptions, and the survey needed before a firm proposal. Preview is free; a PDF download costs $4.99, or is included with Unlimited.
Worked example
Sizing a 9.84 kW array off 12 billing periods, before the site survey
Meridian Solar Group is preparing a preliminary number for the Castellano residence at 318 Quarry Bend on September 4, 2026, before any site survey. The homeowner downloaded 12 billing periods from their utility account, and the design is modeled off satellite imagery of a south and a west roof plane.
- Usage basis: 12 billing periods, Aug 2025 through Jul 2026, read off the homeowner's utility account rather than a stated average
- 14,280 kWh
- Design target: 90% of annual usage
- 12,852 kWh
- Assumed specific yield for this address, south and west planes, 18% modeled shading from the neighbor's oak, modeled from imagery and not measured on the roof
- 1,320 kWh per kW per year
- Estimated system: 24 modules at 410 W, string inverter with module-level optimizers, flush rail mount on composition shingle across 2 planes
- 9.84 kW DC
- Estimated annual production: 9.84 kW x 1,320, rounded to the nearest 10 kWh, about 91% of the 12-month usage above
- 12,990 kWh
- Installed price basis: $3.05 per watt DC x 9,840 W
- $30,012.00
- Preliminary range carried on this estimate, about -5% to +6% for roof condition, rafter spacing, and conduit routing not yet verified
- $28,500.00 to $31,800.00
- Permit, plan review, and utility interconnection application fees, billed at cost when invoiced and outside the range above
- est. $850.00
- Priced separately, not in the range: 200A main service panel upgrade $3,200.00 (existing service reads 100A from a meter photo); 13.5 kWh battery with backup subpanel $13,900.00
- options
- Incentives carried at zero: no federal, state, or utility credit is applied or promised here, and eligibility is for the homeowner's tax adviser and utility to confirm
- $0.00
The range is the honest part. Quote $30,012 flat off satellite imagery, then discover a 100A service and rafters at 24 in, and the homeowner reads the correction as a bait and switch. Name what the site survey still has to verify.
When this document is the right choice
Use this estimate to set a realistic expected cost before the final scope is known. An estimate is an informed approximation, not a final invoice. State the assumptions that could move the price and replace it with a quote or invoice once scope is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I state the production figure so it is not read as a guarantee?
Label it modeled and name what produced it. The 12,990 kWh in the example is 9.84 kW multiplied by an assumed 1,320 kWh per installed kW per year, rounded to the nearest 10 kWh, and that yield came from a modeling tool using satellite imagery, not from a shade measurement taken on the roof. Say so on the line. Add that actual output varies with weather, shading as trees grow, and equipment performance. If you intend to offer any production commitment, that belongs in a separate written agreement your attorney has reviewed, not in an estimate.
The homeowner only has one month's bill. Can I still size a system?
You can, but say loudly what it rests on. One summer bill in a house with air conditioning overstates annual use, and one shoulder-month bill understates it, and either can move system size by a third. Ask the homeowner to download 12 months from their utility's online account, or to authorize you to pull their interval data if the utility supports it. If you have to size off a partial year, list the months you had and mark the estimate provisional until the full year is in.
Should a main service panel upgrade sit inside the price or outside it?
Outside, with a stated figure, until somebody has opened the panel. In the example the 100 amp service is read off a photo of the meter, which tells you the service rating and nothing about busbar rating, breaker space, or the condition of the conductors. Carry the upgrade as a named option at $3,200 below the total so the homeowner sees the possible number without it inflating the comparison they are making against other bids, then convert it to a firm line or delete it after the survey.
The roof is 18 years old. How should that show up in a solar estimate?
As a written observation and a decision the homeowner has to make now, because removing and reinstalling an array to reroof later costs real money and you want that stated before the sale. Note the covering, the approximate age, and anything visible such as granule loss or patched flashing, and say the estimate assumes the existing roof is serviceable and is not a roof inspection. Then offer a reroof under the array as a separately priced scope, or name it as work by others that must finish before installation.
Can I show the federal or state incentive on the estimate?
Carry incentives at zero and keep the estimate about your price. Credit rules, eligibility, and utility program terms change, they depend on the homeowner's own tax situation, and an installer is not the right party to tell anyone what they will receive. Write that no incentive is applied, and tell the homeowner to confirm eligibility and amounts with their tax adviser and their utility. Quoting a net price after an assumed credit is how an estimate becomes a promise you cannot keep if the homeowner does not qualify.
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