How to Use the Solar Quote Database

Where the Data Comes From

Our quotes come from two main sources, each with different strengths and limitations.

According to our research, although government portal data has many quality issues, when used carefully it still provides valuable information beyond just pricing — you can check which installers are active in your area, what equipment is used in each installation, how long the application process took, and more. We apply algorithms to flag unreliable records, but no automated process catches everything — use your judgment when looking at individual quotes.

Problems with Government-Sourced Data

Government portal data is filled out by installers during the interconnection application process. It was never designed to be a consumer-facing price database. Here are the specific issues we encounter and how we handle them:

• Pricing is the biggest issue. The price field in interconnection applications is not standardized, and most data quality problems come from it:
  • Prices like $0, $1, $100, or $1,000 for a full system are likely placeholders, not actual reported costs.
  • Extremely low or high prices are usually typos or incorrect reporting.
  • Some installers report gross cost, others report the cost after the federal tax credit (ITC), and others enter numbers that don't clearly correspond to either. There is no reliable way to detect which convention was used.
  • For PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and Lease systems, the homeowner doesn't purchase the system outright, so the “cost” field has no standard meaning — installers may enter total lease payments, a monthly amount, $0, or something else entirely.
  When a price looks reasonable, we use it. When it doesn't, we flag it as unreliable so it won't skew averages or mislead users.
• Mismatched system classifications. The original applications use their own categories (e.g., “Photovoltaic + Storage”). We map these to simpler types like Solar + Battery, but sometimes the classification doesn't match reality — an application labeled as having storage may contain no battery capacity, no battery equipment, or only an inverter power rating mistaken for storage. We flag these records and show a warning on the quote detail page.
• Incomplete or duplicate equipment lists. Equipment fields may be partially filled, list only some components, or for add-on installations, include equipment from the original system rather than just the new addition.

We continuously work on improving our detection and flagging algorithms. The “Hide Pricing Outliers” toggle in the filter bar is the simplest way to avoid most of these issues when browsing.

What We Do About It

We don't just show raw data. Every quote goes through a series of processing steps to catch problems and surface the most useful information:

• Flag pricing outliers. We check the calculated $/W against expected ranges — $1.50–$6.00/W for residential, $0.50–$6.00/W for commercial/industrial. Quotes outside these ranges are flagged, their pricing appears grayed out in the listing, and they are excluded from all statistics (averages, medians, etc.).
• Cross-validate Solar + Battery pricing. When a quote includes both solar and battery, we estimate the cost split using two independent methods and cross-reference against known battery equipment prices. This lets us separate the solar $/W from the battery $/kWh even though the original record only has one combined total.
• Match equipment to known catalogs. We match battery brands and models against a database of known equipment prices. This helps validate pricing and gives us a reference point when estimating cost breakdowns.
• Detect misclassified systems. When an application says “Solar + Storage” but contains no battery capacity or battery equipment, we flag it and show a warning on the quote detail page instead of treating it as a real battery system.
• Use sector-appropriate ranges. Residential and commercial/industrial projects have very different typical pricing. We apply separate validation ranges for each so a legitimate $0.80/W commercial project isn't incorrectly flagged as an outlier.
• Show data quality warnings. Individual quote pages display warnings when something looks off — unreliable pricing, missing battery details, or equipment that may belong to a previous installation.
• Exclude unreliable data from statistics. The averages, medians, and other aggregate numbers shown on the board are calculated only from quotes with reliable pricing. Flagged quotes are never included in these figures.

Why It's Still Useful

Despite the issues above, this data covers tens of thousands of real solar installations and remains one of the most comprehensive sources available. Here's what you can get from it even when pricing is unreliable:

• Which installers are active in your area. See who is actually doing installations nearby, how many projects they've completed, and how their pricing compares across jobs.
• What equipment is being used. Check which panel brands, inverters, and batteries are common in your region. See what specific installers tend to use.
• Realistic system sizes. Understand what size systems are typical for homes in your area, which helps when evaluating your own quote.
• Pricing trends and ranges. Even with some noisy data, patterns emerge. When you filter by location and system type, the majority of quotes cluster around a real market price.
• Battery adoption patterns. See how many installations include battery storage, which battery brands are popular, and what capacities are common.
• Market trends over time. Application dates show how pricing, equipment choices, and system sizes have changed over months and years.
• Geographic solar activity. See which zip codes and cities have the most installations, helping you understand solar adoption in your area.
• Utility territory data. Identify which utility company serves each project, useful for understanding local interconnection programs and incentives.

The quotes with reliable pricing give you direct price comparisons. The rest still tell you a lot about the market — just focus on the non-price details for those.

How We Calculate Pricing

Not every quote comes with a clean price breakdown. Here's how we derive the key metrics:

Pricing Metrics

Searching & Filtering

Tips for Comparing Quotes

• Use the filters. Narrow down by location, system type, price range, and equipment to find the most relevant comparisons. The more specific your filters, the more useful the results.
• Homeowner-submitted quotes are more reliable. Quotes uploaded by homeowners go through our quality checks and tend to have accurate, complete data. Prioritize these when making pricing decisions.
• Compare similar systems. Filter to the same system type and a similar size range. A 4 kW system and a 12 kW system will have different $/W even from the same installer.
• Location matters more than you think. Permitting costs, labor rates, and incentives vary by state and city. A $3.00/W quote in one market may be fair while the same price elsewhere is high.
• Look beyond the price. A lower $/W might mean budget equipment. Click into quotes to check panel brands, inverter types, and system details before drawing conclusions.
• Use multiple data points. Don't base decisions on a single quote. Look at a range of quotes in your area from different installers to understand the local market.
• Battery inflates total $/W. Solar + Battery quotes have a higher combined $/W than Solar Only. Use battery $/kWh to evaluate the storage portion on its own.
• Watch for data quality flags. Quotes with warnings may have unreliable pricing or incomplete information. These can still be useful for equipment and installer data, but take the pricing with a grain of salt.