Panel count alone does not show a proposal’s complete system size, electrical design, backup plan, ownership terms, warranties, or homeowner deliverables . Ask Solar Mike recommends comparing the full written scope, including the service-panel architecture, warranty categories, post-installation records, and gross and adjusted amounts .
Start with the complete solar proposal comparison guide.
Why can two proposals with the same panel count be different?
A panel count does not identify the complete electrical or backup design. Ask Solar Mike designs for 200A and 400A service panels, while the architecture for a particular home is confirmed through site verification and engineering .
Begin with this calculation for each proposal:
Panel count × rated watts per panel = proposed solar-array wattage.
Use the panel rating written in each proposal rather than assuming that two panels have the same rating. Then compare the resulting array wattage with the electrical scope, battery design, warranty categories, and handoff records .
What should replace panel count as the comparison method?
Create one worksheet with a column for each proposal. Copy the written scope into the worksheet and mark an item “not stated” when the proposal does not answer it.
| Comparison field | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Solar-array size | Panel quantity, rated watts per panel, and total proposed watts | This converts the visible panel count into a comparable system measurement. |
| Equipment | Panel, inverter, battery, gateway, and monitoring equipment named in writing | This shows whether the proposals specify the same components. |
| Electrical scope | Main-panel work, service equipment, backup boundaries, and excluded loads | The design may differ between 200A and 400A homes and is confirmed through site verification and engineering . |
| Design basis | Roof areas, layout, assumptions, and site-verification conditions | Ask Solar Mike system designs are produced and reviewed by a licensed engineering firm . |
| Ownership and incentives | Gross amount, each separate incentive, ownership path, and conditions | This keeps an incentive-adjusted figure separate from the gross installed amount . |
| Warranty scope | Equipment, workmanship, roof, labor, monitoring, and exclusions | Ask Solar Mike’s verified warranty categories carry different terms and responsibilities . |
| Delivery records | Commissioning, registration, monitoring handoff, ownership record, escalation path, and change-order control | These are the records Ask Solar Mike customers receive after installation . |
How should you compare the quoted amount?
Compare the gross installed amount first. Then list each incentive or credit separately with its eligibility and contract conditions so that a gross figure is not compared with an incentive-adjusted figure .
For an Ask Solar Mike reference point, standard solar starts at $3.00/W installed; Tesla solar panels add $0.35/W, making Tesla solar $3.35/W installed and $2.35/W after PPA incentives, rounded. A site-specific quote is required .
Apply the stated rate to the proposed system wattage, and then review the equipment, electrical scope, battery design, ownership structure, warranties, and delivery records included in writing .
How should incentives be treated in a current proposal?
The federal Section 25D residential credit is not available for expenditures made after December 31, 2025 . A proposal presenting that homeowner credit as available for a 2026 expenditure needs correction .
Ask Solar Mike’s pre-paid PPA option uses a separate structure: the PPA provider uses the applicable tax benefits and passes a 30% instant rebate into the day-one system amount . Record that adjustment separately from the gross installed amount and review the associated ownership terms .
What Utah-specific details belong on the worksheet?
Utility service in south Utah County varies by address—Payson, Spanish Fork, and Salem run their own city power in parts of town, SESD serves others, and some pockets are served by Rocky Mountain Power. Ask Solar Mike confirms the serving utility as step one .
Ask each company to identify the serving utility used when preparing its proposal. If it is not stated, request address-specific confirmation before comparing the project path .
Main-service architecture also belongs in the comparison. Ask Solar Mike designs for 200A and 400A service panels, but the backup architecture for a particular home is confirmed through site verification and engineering .
For more context, see Tesla solar panels for Utah homes.
Which ownership and service details can change the comparison?
Compare the documents, monitoring access, warranty support, and escalation process provided after the system is operating .
Ask Solar Mike customers receive a commissioning receipt, system-registration proof, monitoring handoff, homeowner ownership record, named service-escalation path, and written change-order control .
The warranty stack includes a 30-year workmanship warranty, 10-year bumper-to-bumper coverage, 10-year roof-penetration coverage, no-cost labor on manufacturer-warranty repairs for the applicable program term, 24/7 monitoring during that term, a 25-year solar-panel manufacturer warranty, and a 10-year Tesla Powerwall 3 manufacturer warranty . Compare each category by its duration, responsibility, and written exclusions .
What should you ask before accepting a proposal?
- What is the total proposed array wattage, and where is it shown?
- Which exact equipment is included in the written scope?
- Which electrical work, backup loads, and service-panel work are included or excluded ?
- Which serving utility and project requirements were used ?
- What is the gross installed amount, and which adjustments were applied afterward ?
- Which warranties cover equipment, workmanship, labor, roof penetrations, and monitoring ?
- Which commissioning, registration, ownership, and service records will be delivered ?
- Which parts of the proposal remain subject to site verification or engineering ?
If a proposal leaves one of these fields blank, keep it marked as “not stated” rather than assuming that it matches another proposal.
What is the practical decision rule?
Use panel count as a starting field, not the final decision. Convert the count into total proposed wattage, then compare the equipment, electrical and backup design, address-specific utility path, ownership terms, warranty categories, delivery records, and gross-to-adjusted amount .
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher panel count mean a more capable solar system?
Not by itself. Multiply the panel quantity by the rated watts per panel, and then compare the electrical design, backup architecture, warranties, and delivery records .
Can I compare two proposals by dividing the quoted amount by panel count?
That shortcut omits differences in panel rating, equipment, electrical work, batteries, warranties, and delivery records. Compare the complete written scope and the gross-to-adjusted amount instead .
What if a proposal does not identify the serving utility?
Request address-specific confirmation before relying on the proposed project path. Ask Solar Mike confirms the serving utility as the first project step .
Who reviews Ask Solar Mike system designs?
Every Ask Solar Mike system design is produced and reviewed by a licensed engineering firm .
Last reviewed: 2026-09-29. Reviewed by Mike Morris, Founder, Ask Solar Mike .
