Comparing quotes against each other tells you which is cheapest. It can’t tell you whether any of them is worth signing. We work the other way round: tell us what you’re after, and we’ll tell you the most you can pay and still get there.
Most people find us somewhere in the middle. Start wherever you already are — each step stands on its own.
It depends on your export rate, your retail plan, when you’re home, your roof, and what that money would have earned elsewhere. None of it is on the quote, and the person at your kitchen table isn’t paid to know any of it.
So start from the other end. Two questions, and we’ll tell you the most you can pay and still come out ahead — before anyone shows you a number.
Two questions, thirty seconds.
You’ll be told to get three. Three proposals, three sets of assumptions, and no way to do more than pick the cheapest.
Run them all through the same model instead. Same page, same numbers, same places — so you’re comparing the deals rather than the sales pitches.
One page per quote, as many as you like.
Behind every rosy solar pitch is a spreadsheet with the assumptions dialled in to make the deal look good. We hand you that same spreadsheet. Change any assumption yourself and watch the numbers move.
If a deal only works when every dial is set to best case, that tells you something. Now you can see it for yourself.
Open the live demo → A real sample quote. Nothing to enter, no sign-up.
The whole dashboard, yours to keep.
No subscription, no upsells, and nothing sold to installers. The free solar tools make their money handing your details to salespeople — we only make ours when you pay us, which is the whole reason we can tell you a quote is bad.
| Freeno email | $9.99coming soon | $49.99available now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tells you the most you should pay | ✓ | — | — |
| Works before you have a quote | ✓ | — | — |
| Checks a real quote from an installer | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| How many quotes | — | as many as you like | one |
| Price-per-watt check against your area | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payback and 25-year savings | ceiling only | ✓ | ✓ |
| The things worth questioning, surfaced | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| A link you can come back to | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change any assumption yourself | — | — | ✓ |
| Cautious / expected / optimistic side by side | — | — | ✓ |
| Full six-tab dashboard | — | — | ✓ |
| The exact questions to ask your installer | — | — | ✓ |
Got a setup we don't cover yet — a PPA that converts to a loan, something stranger? Or you're not sure what to put in a field? Tell us what you're looking at and we'll help you get it right.
Or email support@second-opinion-solar.com and tell us the details.
Because someone always pays, and with those it isn’t you — which means you aren’t the customer. They’re lead-generation businesses: you enter your details, they sell the lead to an installer. Their money comes from putting you into a sale, so they have no reason to ever tell you a quote is overpriced.
Ours comes from you. That’s the only arrangement where we can say a deal is bad.
If you're not satisfied with your analysis, we'll refund you in full. No questions asked.
The actual dashboard in action — click through the tabs and watch the numbers move. It works just as well on your phone as on desktop. Run your own quote to unlock the full analysis.
Your analysis opens as a full dashboard. Each tab answers a different question about the deal — in plain language, with numbers you can adjust yourself.
The at-a-glance read: your verdict, the headline numbers, and the flags worth questioning before you sign.
Your first-year bill with and without solar, plus a year-by-year breakdown of grid vs. solar.
When you break even and what it's worth over 25 years — unadjusted and adjusted — plus what you're really paying per kWh.
Every assessment and red flag we surfaced, so you know exactly what to push back on.
The same quote run cautious, expected, and optimistic — so you can see how fragile or solid the deal really is.
The plain-language bottom line, plus the specific questions to ask your installer about this quote.
Behind every rosy solar pitch is a spreadsheet with assumptions dialed in to make the deal look good. We hand you that same spreadsheet. Adjust any assumption yourself and watch the numbers move in real time.
If a deal only works when every dial is set to "best case," that tells you something. Now you can see it for yourself.
System size, total cost, dealer fee, financing type, and your current utility usage. Takes about five minutes.
Estimated payback period, 25-year savings, a price-per-watt check against typical ranges, the things worth questioning, and three risk scenarios.
A clear read on where the numbers land, plus the exact questions to ask your installer — so the decision is yours to make with eyes open.
We check the pitches homeowners actually hear — in the news and on the doorstep — against current public data, and rate each one with our sources shown. All free.
Browse our resourcesOur incentive and utility data is dialed in for Texas today, and we're expanding state by state. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment yours is live.
Start with the free one — two questions and you’ll know the most you should pay. Come back with a quote when you have one.
Start free I have a quote — $49.99No. Your quote data is never shared with installers, solar companies, or any third party. We have no financial relationship with anyone in the solar industry.
Some of it is — the ceiling estimator costs nothing and doesn’t even ask for your email. But someone always pays, and with most “free” solar tools it isn’t you, which means you aren’t the customer. They’re lead-generation businesses: you enter your details, they sell that lead to installers. Their money comes from putting you into a sale, which gives them no reason at all to tell you a quote is overpriced.
We do the opposite. The only person paying us is you, so the only thing we’re working for is an honest read on your quote. We don’t take installer referral fees and we don’t sell your information. Forty-nine dollars is what it costs to keep it that way.
The $9.99 check is for shopping. You’ll collect three or four proposals, and it runs each through the same model so you can see which are even in the running — one page, our numbers, as many quotes as you want. The $49.99 analysis is for the one you’ve settled on: the full dashboard, and every assumption behind the deal in your hands to change. Most people who buy the second one have already used the first to narrow the field.
Cash, loan, PPA, and lease quotes are all supported. Side-by-side comparison of multiple quotes is coming soon — leave your email on the pricing section and we'll let you know when it's ready.
Yes — most homeowners finish in under five minutes. And any installer who won't give you five minutes to check their numbers is telling you something.
Your written quote: system size in kW, total price, any dealer or financing fees, the loan terms, and a recent utility bill. Everything you need is on the proposal your installer already gave you.
Still have a question? Email us at support@second-opinion-solar.com — a real person answers.