National solar companies often inflate energy production estimates and undersize systems to make their quotes more appealing. They rely on generic, one-size-fits-all calculations, ignoring site-specific factors like shading, roof orientation, and local weather. This results in a system that produces far less than promised, leaving homeowners with higher utility bills than expected.
They can also underestimate your home’s usage to give the appearance of a better offset and ignore fire setback requirements to make it appear that you can get more solar on your roof.
At A&R Solar, our 110% production guarantee keeps us accountable. We accurately size every system based on real-world conditions, so you get the performance you’re paying for—no exaggerated numbers, no surprises.
Imagine this: you’re ready to take your dream vacation to Hawaii this year, and you start scouring the web for the best deals on flights. You find a ticket for under $300, and it feels almost too good to be true! And that’s because maybe it is.
By the time you’ve selected a seat not made of cardboard that actually reclines and isn’t basically on the toilet in the back of the plane, that $300 has doubled. And that’s before you paid for your bag, a printed boarding pass, your in-flight snacks, WiFi, and a return ticket home, leaving you feeling drained and duped.
In the same way, national solar companies love to squeeze your expectations on solar panels, inflating product estimates and undersizing your PV system to make their quotes sleeker and sexier than the honest one we’ll give you.
Shady Solar Quotes
When you partner with a national company, they’ve got a formula they use on every homeowner: a generic, one-size-fits-all calculation that doesn’t account for shading, roof orientation, or local weather.
These differences mean your solar system isn’t tailored to your home or region, so it will produce less energy than expected and leave you with a higher bill.
A personalized solar design is particularly important in the Pacific Northwest, where we do not have the luxury of year-round sunshine. To make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, your solar installer needs to account for year-round conditions and how your energy production and usage will fluctuate.
A&R's Solar Quotes
We will design a system that meets your budget and your goals. The first thing we’ll want to know is why you are interested in going solar.
To eliminate your electricity bill? Save money? Get rid of your dependence on your electrical utility? Increase the value of your home? Leave a legacy of clean energy for your kids?
Each person has different goals, and every home is different. That’s why we design a custom solar solution for your home.
What To Look For In A Solar Quote
When you request a quote watch out for some of these red flags in their estimates including:
National installers use generic, one-size-fits-all calculations, will fail to factor in site-specific conditions like shading, roof orientation, and local weather. As a result, systems produce far less energy than promised, leading to higher-than-expected utility bills.
Sometimes bad actors will make systems appear more affordable but leave homeowners with energy gaps.Homeowners end up relying more on the grid, negating expected savings and
Manipulate calculations to make it seem like solar offsets a higher percentage of usage. Later, homeowners realize their system isn’t covering as much as expected, leaving them off budget and underwhelmed.
Sometimes, nefarious installers present unrealistic designs that don’t comply with local codes or ake it seem like a homeowner can fit more solar than regulations allow. During installation, adjustments reduce panel count, leading to lower production than promised.