Updated November 3, 2026
This solar quote template is built for the conversation homeowners are having in 2026: they are comparing two or three quotes side by side, and many still expect a 30% federal credit that no longer applies to a system they buy. Copy the fill-in version, then see a worked 8 kW quote with every number shown.
Quick answer: A solar quote should show the system size in kW, the panel and inverter models and counts, estimated yearly production in kWh, the price before incentives and the price per watt, incentives that actually apply (for a cash or loan purchase installed in 2026, the federal residential credit is no longer one of them), financing terms, estimated savings and payback with the assumptions stated, warranties, the install timeline and what is excluded.
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Homeowners rarely buy the first solar quote they get. They line two or three up and compare price per watt, production and warranties, and the quote that makes those easy to find usually wins. A quote that shows only a monthly payment, or that hides the panel model, looks like it is hiding something even when it is not.
The 2026 change matters too. The residential clean energy credit (Section 25D) ended for homeowner-owned systems after December 31, 2025, under the law signed in July 2025. EnergySage's coverage advised having a system running by that date to claim it, and notes that leases and power purchase agreements can still use a separate business credit (EnergySage, checked November 3, 2026). A 2026 quote that subtracts 30% for a cash or loan purchase sets up a refund argument later. Check the current rules with a tax professional before you send a quote that relies on any credit.
Copy this into your proposal tool or a document. Brackets are what you fill in.
| Section | What to fill in |
|---|---|
| 1. Your company | [Company name], [license number], [phone], [website], [rep name] |
| 2. Customer and site | [Name], [address], [utility], [roof type and age], [shading notes] |
| 3. Usage | [Last 12 months kWh from the utility bills], [average rate per kWh] |
| 4. System | [System size kW DC], [panel model × count], [inverter or microinverter model], [battery model and kWh, if any] |
| 5. Production | [Estimated kWh in year one], [% of usage offset], [modeling tool used] |
| 6. Price | [Price before incentives], [price per watt = price ÷ watts] |
| 7. Incentives | [Only incentives that apply to this customer: state, utility, local], [federal credit: write "not available for a homeowner-owned system installed in 2026" unless your tax advisor says otherwise] |
| 8. Net price and payment | [Net price], [cash, loan or lease], [loan rate, term and monthly payment, if any] |
| 9. Savings and payback | [Year-one savings], [simple payback years], [the rate and degradation assumptions used] |
| 10. Warranties | [Panel product and performance years], [inverter years], [workmanship years], [roof penetration warranty] |
| 11. Timeline | [Site survey], [permit], [install], [inspection], [utility permission to operate] |
| 12. Exclusions and terms | [Main panel upgrade, tree removal, re-roofing], [quote valid until], [deposit], [signature] |
These numbers are assumptions for illustration except where a source is named. EnergySage reports systems averaging about $2.60 per watt before incentives, with a typical 12 kW home system at $31,135 (EnergySage solar panel cost, checked November 3, 2026). Smaller systems usually cost more per watt, so this example uses $2.75. Our solar quote calculator runs the same math from your own costs and margin.
| Line | Working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| System size | 20 panels × 400 W | 8.0 kW |
| Price before incentives | 8,000 W × $2.75 (assumption) | $22,000 |
| Federal residential credit | Homeowner-owned, installed in 2026 | $0 |
| Year-one production | 8 kW × 1,300 kWh per kW (assumption for a sunny, unshaded roof) | 10,400 kWh |
| Usage offset | 10,400 ÷ 11,500 kWh a year of usage (assumption) | 90% |
| Year-one savings | 10,400 kWh × $0.18 per kWh (assumption) | $1,872 |
| Simple payback | $22,000 ÷ $1,872 | 11.8 years |
Two lines are where installers lose the customer's trust. First, the rate: if you assume the utility price rises 5% a year, say so and show the flat-rate payback next to it; a homeowner who finds the assumption on their own stops believing the rest. Second, production: name the tool you modeled it in and the shading you saw on the survey. A neighbour's quote that promises 15% more from the same roof is a question you want the homeowner to ask you, not the other company.
The homeowner who asks for a quote this week is usually collecting two others. Send yours the same day as the site visit, with the panel and inverter spec sheets attached, then follow up two days later with one question: "Is there anything in the quote you want me to explain?" If they went with a lease elsewhere because of the credit, your follow-up can explain the difference between owning and leasing in 2026, which most competing quotes skip.
Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for solar installers that you run by voice. It calls every new lead back, books the site survey, sends quotes and invoices, and follows up so a quote does not go quiet. See Unmanually for solar installers, and solar business software for the design and proposal tools that sit alongside it.
System size, panel and inverter models and counts, estimated production, price before incentives and per watt, only the incentives that apply, financing terms, savings and payback with assumptions stated, warranties, timeline and exclusions.
Not for a homeowner-owned system installed in 2026: the residential credit ended after December 31, 2025. Leases and power purchase agreements may still use a separate business credit through the company that owns the system. Confirm the current rules with a tax professional.
Divide the price before incentives by the system size in watts. In the worked example, $22,000 ÷ 8,000 W = $2.75 per watt.
Divide the net price by the year-one savings (production in kWh times the customer's rate per kWh). In the example, $22,000 ÷ $1,872 is about 11.8 years, before any rate increases.
Home service businesses answer only about half their calls (Invoca, July 2026), and owners spend about 11 to 16 hours/week on admin. Knowing what to do is the easy part; the money leaks out in the calls you can't take, the quotes nobody chases and the invoices that sit unpaid. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for solar installers that you run by voice from your phone:
Sources: Invoca, July 2026 (52% of home-service calls answered by a person, 60M+ calls); admin hours: Time etc / Censuswide 2023 and Amex SME Barometer 2026.
Unmanually is an AI Office Manager that works 24/7 and that you run by voice from your phone. Leave your mobile number and the AI Office Manager calls you right away, the same way it would call back one of your customers. That call is the demo: it answers, books you a 15-minute time with the founder and follows up.
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