What a real survey looks at
Signs the design came from a photo
Red flag
Nobody has been on the roof
Aerial imagery cannot see a soft deck, a failing flashing, or how much shade that tree throws in February.
Red flag
The array fills the roof
Sizing should follow your usage across a year. The biggest system that fits sells well and pays back badly.
Red flag
No mention of the service panel
The panel is the constraint hiding behind most quotes that quietly exclude a heat pump or a charger later.
Red flag
Roof age never comes up
If the roof has under about fifteen years left, you will pay twice to take the array off and put it back.
Two ways to size a system
Sized to your bill
What we do
- Starts from twelve months of your actual usage.
- Accounts for shading losses on your roof, not a regional average.
- Leaves headroom if a heat pump or an EV is coming.
- Sometimes concludes a smaller array, or none.
Sized to the roof
What a package quote does
- Starts from how many panels fit.
- Uses a regional production figure.
- Overbuilds, which looks better on a savings slide.
- In an export-tariff state, can pay back worse than a smaller array.