By the Templateez Team · Licensed Attorney · June 2026

Solar Panel Installation Intake Forms: What Every Contractor Needs to Capture

A solar installer who shows up to a site visit without knowing the roof type, the client's utility rate structure, or whether the main panel is 100-amp is going to waste the homeowner's time and their own. The site visit is supposed to demonstrate expertise — it falls apart when a sales rep is asking questions about monthly electric bills that should have been collected two days earlier. Worse, a design proposal built on incomplete intake data leads to change orders, permit delays, and system underperformance that erodes the client's trust in the installer and the technology.

Most solar companies collect a name, address, and a rough estimate of the electric bill. That is lead qualification, not intake. A real solar panel installation intake form captures everything your design team needs to size the system, everything your operations team needs to schedule the install, and everything your finance team needs to present accurate pricing — before a single panel reaches the roof. Here is what that form should include.

Property and roof details: the foundation of system design

Solar is a rooftop product. Every design decision — panel count, layout, expected production, mounting hardware — flows from the physical characteristics of the roof. Satellite imagery from Google Project Sunroof or Aurora Solar gives you a starting point, but it does not tell you the roof's age, its condition, or whether the attic has adequate structural support. Your intake form should capture:

• Roof material — asphalt shingle, clay or concrete tile, standing seam metal, flat membrane (TPO/EPDM), wood shake, or slate. Each material requires different mounting hardware. Tile roofs need tile hooks and replacement tiles. Metal roofs use clamps that attach to standing seams without penetrations. Asphalt shingle is the simplest and most common, but age matters.
• Roof age and condition — a roof with five years of life left should probably be replaced before panels go on. Removing and reinstalling a solar array to re-roof costs $2,000 to $5,000 and voids the workmanship warranty. Your intake needs the roof's approximate age, last inspection date, and any known issues — leaks, missing shingles, sagging decking.
• Roof orientation — south-facing is ideal in the northern hemisphere. West-facing produces well during afternoon peak demand. East-facing produces in the morning. North-facing is generally unsuitable. Most homes have multiple roof planes, and your design team needs to know which faces are candidates.
• Pitch and slope — expressed as a ratio (e.g., 6:12) or degrees. Steeper pitches require different racking and affect production angles. Low-slope roofs may need tilt mounts to optimize panel angle. Flat roofs use ballasted systems that add structural load considerations.
• Shading — trees, neighboring buildings, chimneys, dormers, vent pipes, satellite dishes. Shade on even one panel in a string affects the output of the entire string unless microinverters or power optimizers are used. Your intake should ask about shade sources and their approximate height and direction relative to the roof plane.
• Available roof area — how much unobstructed space exists after fire setbacks, vents, skylights, and HVAC equipment are excluded? A rough square footage estimate at intake saves the design team from proposing a 30-panel system on a roof that can only fit 18.

Electrical system: what the grid side looks like

Solar connects to the home's existing electrical system. If that system is undersized, outdated, or incompatible, the install scope — and the cost — changes significantly. These are the electrical details your intake form needs:

• Current utility provider — this determines the interconnection application process, the net metering policy, and whether the customer is eligible for utility-specific incentives. Some utilities have caps on net metering enrollment. Some require specific inverter or meter configurations.
• Average monthly electric bill — not just the dollar amount, but ideally the kilowatt-hour consumption. A $200 bill in a state with $0.12/kWh rates means different consumption than a $200 bill in a state with $0.28/kWh rates. Ask for both the bill amount and the average monthly kWh if available.
• Rate structure — time-of-use (TOU), tiered, or flat rate. TOU rates affect the economic value of solar production at different times of day and are a factor in whether battery storage makes financial sense. Tiered rates mean the highest-cost kilowatt-hours are the first ones offset by solar.
• Main panel amperage — 100A, 150A, or 200A. A 100-amp panel almost always requires an upgrade to accommodate a solar interconnection, especially if the homeowner also plans to add EV charging. A panel upgrade adds $1,500 to $3,000 to the project cost and must be in the initial proposal, not discovered during electrical inspection.
• Meter type — analog, digital, or smart meter. Net metering typically requires a bi-directional meter. If the client has an old analog meter, the utility will need to swap it out, which can add lead time.
• Net metering availability — is the client in a utility territory that offers net metering, net billing, or a buy-all/sell-all arrangement? The compensation structure directly affects the financial model your sales team presents.

The electrical assessment at solar intake overlaps with what a general electrician intake form captures — panel amperage, meter type, service entrance condition. The difference is that solar adds the utility interconnection layer on top of the residential electrical profile.

Energy goals: what the client actually wants

Not every solar customer wants the same thing. Some want to eliminate their electric bill entirely. Others want to offset 60% and keep the payback period short. Some are primarily motivated by battery backup for outages. Your intake needs to surface these goals early because they drive system sizing, equipment selection, and pricing:

• Offset percentage — full offset (100%) versus partial. A client who wants partial offset may be cost-constrained or may have limited roof space. A client who wants full offset may need a larger system than their roof can accommodate, which opens the conversation about ground-mount options.
• Battery storage interest — does the client want backup power for outages? Is time-of-use arbitrage a goal? Battery adds $10,000 to $15,000 to the project and changes the electrical design, the inverter selection, and the permitting requirements. Capture this interest at intake, not after the system is designed without it.
• EV charging — does the client own or plan to purchase an electric vehicle? EV charging increases electricity consumption by 3,000 to 4,500 kWh per year. A system sized for today's consumption without accounting for an EV purchase six months from now will underperform against the client's expectations.
• Grid independence — some clients want to minimize or eliminate grid dependence entirely. This is a fundamentally different system design — it requires battery storage, a transfer switch, possibly a backup generator, and a much larger solar array. If the client's goal is off-grid or near-off-grid, that must be surfaced at intake.

Consumption data: the numbers that size the system

System design is a math problem, and the inputs are the client's actual energy consumption patterns. Your intake should request:

• 12-month usage history — ideally from the utility's online portal or a recent annual summary. Monthly kWh numbers for a full year show seasonal variation that a single month's bill cannot capture. A home that uses 800 kWh in April and 2,200 kWh in August (because of air conditioning) needs a system sized to annual totals, not to the month the client happened to call.
• Peak demand — the highest single-month consumption over the past year. This number helps size battery backup systems and identifies whether the electrical panel can handle peak load plus solar production.
• Seasonal patterns — air conditioning load in summer, electric heating in winter, pool pump schedules. Understanding when consumption peaks helps determine whether TOU-optimized panel orientation (west-facing for afternoon peak) is more valuable than maximum annual production (south-facing).

Site assessment logistics: what the crew needs on install day

Beyond the roof itself, the physical site presents logistical questions that affect installation planning:

• Attic access — is the attic accessible for conduit runs and structural verification? A finished attic or cathedral ceiling means conduit may need to run externally, which affects aesthetics and routing.
• Conduit run path — the route from the array to the inverter to the main panel. Shorter runs are cheaper and lose less energy. Your design team needs to know where the main panel is relative to the best roof plane.
• Main panel location — exterior or interior? Which side of the house? Distance from the array affects conduit costs and voltage drop calculations.
• Ground-mount option — if the roof is unsuitable (wrong orientation, too much shade, structural concerns, planned re-roofing), does the property have open land for a ground-mounted system? Ground-mounts cost more per watt but can be optimally oriented and angled.
• HOA restrictions — does the property fall under a homeowners association? While most states have solar access laws that prevent HOAs from outright banning solar, many HOAs still require architectural review, restrict panel visibility from the street, or mandate specific mounting aesthetics. Knowing this at intake avoids a design that gets rejected by the HOA committee after the contract is signed.

Permitting and utility interconnection

Solar installations require permits from the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and an interconnection agreement with the utility. These are not optional, and the requirements vary by municipality. Your intake should establish:

• Local AHJ permit requirements — some jurisdictions require structural engineering stamps, site plans, single-line electrical diagrams, and plan sets. Others have streamlined solar permitting (SolarAPP+). Knowing the local requirements at intake lets your permitting team prepare the correct package on the first submission.
• Utility interconnection application — timeline and requirements for the utility to approve the solar connection. Some utilities approve in days; others take 60 to 90 days. The interconnection timeline often determines the project's overall schedule.
• Fire setback codes — IRC 2018+ requires pathways on the roof for firefighter access. These setbacks — typically 3 feet from ridges, hips, and valleys, and 18 inches from edges — reduce the usable roof area. Your design team needs to know which fire code the local AHJ enforces.
• Rapid shutdown compliance — NEC 2017 and later require module-level rapid shutdown (within 30 seconds, voltage drops to 80V within the array boundary within 30 seconds of shutdown initiation). This affects inverter and optimizer selection. Microinverters inherently comply; string inverters require additional rapid shutdown equipment.

Roofing condition and structural integrity are factors that a roofing contractor's intake form captures in detail — roof age, decking condition, truss spacing, and load capacity. For solar installers, the roof assessment is a subset of a broader system design intake, but the structural questions overlap almost entirely.

Financing: how the client plans to pay

Solar is a $15,000 to $40,000 purchase. How it is financed affects the contract structure, the timeline, and which incentives the client can claim. Your intake form should capture the client's financing preference and eligibility:

• Cash purchase — simplest from a contract perspective. The client owns the system outright, claims the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) directly, and receives the full economic benefit of net metering.
• Solar loan — the client borrows to purchase the system, owns it, and still claims the ITC. Loan terms, interest rates, and dealer fees affect the true cost. Some solar loans have a "re-amortization" structure tied to the ITC — the client is expected to apply the tax credit to the loan balance after year one.
• Lease or PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) — the client does not own the system. A third party owns and maintains it; the client pays a monthly lease payment or a per-kWh rate. The client does not receive the ITC. Leases and PPAs affect home sale and appraisal differently than owned systems.
• PACE financing — Property Assessed Clean Energy. The loan is attached to the property tax bill, not the homeowner. PACE programs are available in some states and have specific lien position implications that matter if the client refinances or sells. Some mortgage lenders will not close on a home with a PACE lien.
• Federal ITC eligibility — the current federal Investment Tax Credit (30% through 2032, stepping down thereafter). The client must have sufficient tax liability to use it. Confirm at intake that the client understands this is a tax credit, not a rebate, and that their tax situation allows them to capture it.
• State and local incentives — SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates), state rebates, property tax exemptions, sales tax exemptions. These vary widely by state and can materially change the project economics. Document which incentives apply to the client's location and whether they have already researched them.

Project timeline: from design to permission to operate

Solar installations have a multi-phase timeline that clients rarely understand at the outset. Setting expectations at intake prevents the "why is this taking so long" call six weeks in:

• Design phase — typically 1 to 2 weeks after intake. Includes site survey, shade analysis, structural assessment, and system design proposal.
• Permitting phase — 1 to 6 weeks depending on the AHJ. Some jurisdictions approve in days; others have multi-week backlogs.
• Installation — 1 to 3 days for a standard residential rooftop system. Larger systems, battery installations, or panel upgrades extend this.
• Inspection — the AHJ inspects the completed installation. If corrections are required, this adds time. Most jurisdictions require both an electrical inspection and a building inspection.
• PTO (Permission to Operate) — the utility inspects the meter and interconnection, installs or swaps the meter if needed, and grants permission to energize the system. This is the final step before the system is producing credits. PTO timelines range from a few days to several months depending on the utility.

Documenting expected timelines at intake — even as ranges — gives the client a realistic picture and gives your project management team a baseline to track against.

Warranty coverage: what is protected and for how long

Solar is a 25-to-30-year product, and clients need to understand which warranties apply to which components. Your intake form should outline:

• Panel manufacturer warranty — typically 25 years for product defects and a production guarantee (panels will produce at least 80% to 85% of rated output at year 25). Different manufacturers offer different warranty terms, and some have better claims processes than others.
• Inverter warranty — string inverters typically carry 10- to 15-year warranties (extendable to 25 years for a fee). Microinverters and power optimizers usually carry 25-year warranties standard. The inverter is the component most likely to fail during the system's life.
• Workmanship warranty — this is the installer's warranty on the installation itself — roof penetrations, wiring, racking, conduit, and labor. Industry standard ranges from 5 to 25 years. This is the warranty that covers a roof leak caused by a failed flashing around a lag bolt.
• Production guarantee — some installers guarantee a minimum annual kWh production. If the system underperforms the guarantee, the installer compensates the client for the shortfall. This is separate from the panel manufacturer's degradation warranty and is based on the installer's specific design and production modeling for the site.

Tree trimming: protecting production after installation

This is the intake field that separates experienced solar contractors from those who have not yet dealt with the production loss that comes from a tree that was not an issue in March but casts a shadow across four panels from June through September. Your intake should capture:

• Trees requiring trimming before installation — branches that currently shade the target roof area, limbs overhanging the work zone that pose a safety risk during installation, and trees whose root systems could interfere with ground-mount foundations.
• Trees requiring ongoing maintenance — fast-growing species that will shade the array within two to five years, deciduous trees that drop leaves on panels seasonally, and conifers that grow upward into the sun path. Document the species if known, the approximate height and growth rate, and who is responsible for ongoing trimming — the homeowner, a tree service, or the installer as part of a maintenance contract.
• Neighbor's trees — trees on adjacent properties that shade or will shade the array. Solar access laws in some states (California, Wisconsin, New Mexico, among others) provide legal remedies, but the practical reality is that these conversations are easier before the system is installed. Document the shading source at intake so the client can address it proactively.

Building a solar business on complete intake

A thorough intake form is not just a data collection exercise — it is a signal to the client that your company has installed enough systems to know which details matter. When a homeowner fills out a form that asks about their panel amperage, their rate structure, and whether they have an HOA, they understand that this contractor has seen the problems that come from skipping those questions. That professionalism is what separates a company that closes at 30% from one that closes at 50%.

If you are building documentation across a multi-trade operation, the Trade Services Bundle includes solar panel installation alongside 51 other service categories, each with trade-specific intake fields.