How to Compare Solar Bids in Minnesota (Apples to Apples)

One quote shows gross price, one nets out incentives that may not apply to you, and one buries a dealer fee inside the loan. Before you can choose, you have to make the proposals describe the same thing. Five moves do that.

1. Normalize to cost per watt

Divide the total contract price by the system’s watts (kW × 1,000). A $26,000 system at 8 kW is $3.25/watt; a $30,000 system at 11 kW is $2.73/watt. That single number turns wildly different proposals into a fair comparison — and it instantly exposes an overpriced bid hiding behind a big-sounding panel count.

2. Compare production, not panel count

A 16-panel array facing south can out-produce a 20-panel array facing east. What matters is estimated kWh per year, not how many modules are on the roof. Ask every installer for an annual production estimate and ask what shading model produced it. If a bid won’t put a kWh number in writing, that’s your answer.

3. Read the whole warranty stack

There are at least four warranties in play: panel product vs. panel performance, inverter, and workmanship — plus who reseals your roof penetrations in year 12. Many installers stop at a 10-year workmanship promise that’s worthless if they close. We put a 30-year Solar Insure parts-and-labor warranty behind every system precisely because it survives even if the installer doesn’t.

4. Find out who actually does the work

Subcontracted crews and out-of-state sales orgs are where most solar horror stories begin. Ask: is there a licensed master electrician on staff? A local office you can drive to? Who pulls the permit and who stands behind the install in five years? iSolar’s founder is a master electrician, and our crews are our own.

5. Confirm the scope matches

One bid includes a battery, another doesn’t. One includes a main-panel upgrade, another marks it “TBD.” Strip the extras out, compare the solar cores apples-to-apples, then add the extras back knowingly. A “cheaper” bid is often just a smaller scope.