Tool: quote comparison
Solar quote comparison tool
You have two or three installer quotes and they are not written the same way, so they cannot be compared at a glance. Enter each quote's price and system size, pick your state, and this tool does the lining up: price per watt for every quote, estimated first-year production from the recorded planning range for your state, simple payback at your electricity price, and the recorded state programs each quote should be checked against. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
- Price per watt = total price divided by (system size in kW x 1,000)
- Production from the recorded state planning ranges on this site
- Benchmark line: DOE $2.95 per watt DC (Q1 2025, 2024 dollars)
- Only incentives you confirm are subtracted
Short answer
The cheapest quote is not always the cheapest per watt, and the cheapest per watt is the fairest first comparison because it removes system size from the price. This tool computes it for each of your quotes, then adds the two things a raw price hides: how much power each system should make in your state, and how long each takes to pay back at your electricity price. Quotes are ranked by price per watt in plain language, with any quote sitting well above the DOE benchmark flagged for a written explanation.
No quotes yet? Start with the national installers directory to see which companies to ask, and your state incentives directory page to see what to verify before anyone visits.
Worked example loaded, replace it with your quotes
Two example quotes in Arizona are filled in so you can see how the comparison reads: an 8 kW system at $27,200 and a 7.6 kW system at $23,560. Production is estimated from the recorded Arizona planning range of 1,550 to 1,750 kWh per kW per year, and the rate starts at the EIA 2025 Arizona average of 15.55 cents per kWh. Type over any value with your own quotes, your state, and the rate on your bill.
Saved on this device only. Your entries are kept in this browser so you can return to them, and they are not sent anywhere by this tool.
1. Your state and your electricity price
Planning range for Arizona: 1,550 to 1,750 kWh per kW per year. Roughly 1,550 to 1,750 kWh per kW per year in the desert metros. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly (average price by state) (2025), as recorded on this site, verified 2026-10-26.
2. The quotes you received
Use the total price before incentives, exactly as written on each quote, so every quote is compared on the same basis. The recorded state programs below are listed so you can check what a quote claims; this tool subtracts only an amount you enter yourself, after you have confirmed it. No federal residential solar tax credit is assumed: it ended for systems placed in service after 2025.
3. The comparison
Cheapest per watt: Example Installer B at $3.10 per watt before incentives, for a 7.6 kW system at $23,560. The most expensive per watt is Example Installer A at $3.40 per watt.
Example Installer A is at $3.40 per watt before incentives, well above the DOE Q1 2025 residential benchmark of $2.95 per watt. Ask that installer, in writing, what equipment, roof work, or warranty explains the difference, and read the quote red flags guide before signing.
Price per watt is the cleanest like-for-like line, not the whole decision. Warranties, equipment, roof work, and the installer record sit outside this arithmetic; the quote comparison worksheet lines those up from the same quotes.
| Characteristic | Example Installer A | Example Installer B | Quote 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| System size (kW DC) | 8 kW | 7.6 kW | Not entered yet |
| Total price before incentives | $27,200 | $23,560 | Not entered yet |
| Confirmed incentives you entered | None entered | None entered | Not entered yet |
| Net price after those incentives | $27,200 | $23,560 | Not entered yet |
| Price per watt before incentives | $3.40 per watt | $3.10 per watt | Not entered yet |
| Price per watt after incentives entered | $3.40 per watt | $3.10 per watt | Not entered yet |
| Against the DOE benchmark of $2.95 per watt | $0.45 above | $0.15 above | Not entered yet |
| Estimated first-year production (planning range) | 12,400 to 14,000 kWh | 11,780 to 13,300 kWh | Not entered yet |
| Estimated first-year bill savings (middle of the range) | $2,053 | $1,950 | Not entered yet |
| Simple payback on the net price | About 13.3 years (12.5 to 14.1 across the production range) | About 12.1 years (11.4 to 12.9 across the production range) | Not entered yet |
How the estimates are built: production is the system size multiplied by the recorded Arizona planning range of 1,550 to 1,750 kWh per kW per year. Savings are production multiplied by the electricity price above. Simple payback is the net price divided by first-year savings, with flat prices and no degradation, so treat it as a comparison line between quotes, not a promise. Your roof, shade, and export tariff will move the real figures; model your roof in NREL PVWatts before deciding.
Recorded Arizona programs to check against your quotes
Arizona export compensation is set through utility rate cases and differs by utility and vintage. Grandfathering rules have mattered here before; confirm what applies to a new system today in DSIRE and the utility tariff.
Arizona utility export compensation (Net billing / export rate)
Export compensation is set utility by utility; for APS, TEP and UniSource it is set through Arizona Corporation Commission rate cases, while SRP sets its own rates through its elected Board. New rooftop customers are generally on export or net billing tariffs rather than legacy one-for-one net metering, per the DSIRE summary for Arizona.
No dollar amount is recorded here. Each utility publishes its own export rate in its tariff.
Source: Tucson Electric Power, Resource Comparison Proxy Export Rate, verified 2026-10-29. Amounts are subtracted in this tool only when you enter them yourself above, after confirming them.
Build the full verification list for your state with the incentives checklist, and see which companies to ask in the national installers directory.
My quote comparison, summary
- State:
- Arizona (planning range 1,550 to 1,750 kWh per kW per year)
- Electricity price used:
- 15.55 cents per kWh
- Example Installer A:
- 8 kW at $27,200 before incentives, $3.40 per watt, estimated first-year production 12,400 to 14,000 kWh, estimated first-year savings $2,053, simple payback about 13.3 years.
- Example Installer B:
- 7.6 kW at $23,560 before incentives, $3.10 per watt, estimated first-year production 11,780 to 13,300 kWh, estimated first-year savings $1,950, simple payback about 12.1 years.
- Cheapest per watt:
- Example Installer B at $3.10 per watt before incentives. Benchmark line: DOE Q1 2025 residential benchmark of $2.95 per watt DC (8 kW system, 2024 dollars), checked October 30, 2026.
Planning estimates only, from the inputs above and the recorded state planning factors on this site. Production depends on roof angle, shade, and weather; savings depend on your tariff and export rules. No federal residential solar tax credit is assumed. Saved on this device only.
How this tool differs from the quote worksheet
The quote comparison worksheet lines up everything printed on your quotes, including each installer's own production estimate and both warranties. This tool does the earlier, quicker job: it estimates production for you from the recorded planning range for your state, so quotes can be compared even when one installer prints a production figure and another does not, and it adds simple payback and the recorded state programs. Use this tool to find the front-runner, then run the finalists through the worksheet and the red flags guide.
How the numbers are built
- Price per watt divides the total price by the system size in watts. It is computed twice: before incentives, and after only the confirmed incentive amounts you enter yourself.
- Estimated production multiplies the system size by the recorded planning range for the state you pick, stated in kWh per kW per year on each state page. These are planning factors, not a model of your roof; your tilt, direction, and shade will move the real figure.
- Estimated savings multiply production by the electricity price you enter. The starting price is the EIA average residential price for your state recorded on this site; the price on your own bill is the better input. If you enter your annual usage, savings are capped at that usage, because exported surplus is often paid below the retail price.
- Simple payback divides the net price by first-year savings, with flat prices and no panel degradation. It is a comparison line between quotes, not a forecast. The payback estimator shows the longer 25-year view for a single quote, and how payback is calculated prints the full method.
Limits, stated plainly
- No federal residential solar tax credit is in any figure. It ended for systems placed in service after 2025. If a quote subtracts one anyway, ask the installer to document it in an official source.
- State and utility programs are listed from the recorded directory entries so you can check a quote's claims. The tool never subtracts a program amount on its own, because eligibility and current status are yours to confirm in the linked official source.
- Thirteen states have recorded planning factors on this site. If yours is not one of them, the tool says so, compares price per watt only, and points you to the worksheet, which works from the production estimates printed on your quotes.
- Price per watt does not grade equipment, warranties, roof work, or the installer. A cheap quote from a company that will not exist in five years is not cheap.
Common questions
Why rank by price per watt instead of total price?
Because quotes rarely propose the same system size. A $24,000 quote for 7 kW and a $26,000 quote for 8.5 kW cannot be ranked by total price; the bigger system costs more and makes more. Price per watt removes size from the price so the efficiency of each offer can be compared, and the production and payback rows then put the size difference back into the picture.
Why does the tool not subtract my state's incentives automatically?
Because the recorded directory entries describe programs, their status, and their terms; they are not a promise that your home qualifies for a specific dollar amount. Eligibility, budgets, and deadlines change. The tool lists the recorded programs for your state with their official sources, and subtracts an amount only when you enter it yourself after confirming it, which is the same rule the worksheet and the estimator follow.
An installer quote shows much higher production than this tool estimates. Who is right?
The tool uses a state planning range, which is deliberately plain. A quote should be based on a roof-specific model. Ask the installer to name the tool behind their figure and reproduce it in a public model such as NREL PVWatts with your tilt, direction, and shade. If their figure only works with no shade and a perfect south roof you do not have, the payback built on it will not survive contact with your roof. The red flags guide covers this in detail.
My state is not listed. What should I do?
Use the price per watt comparison here, then take the production estimates printed on your quotes to the quote comparison worksheet, which computes price per first-year kilowatt-hour from those figures. Check incentives for your state in DSIRE, the source this site's directory is built from.
Sources and verification
Cost basis: U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmarks, Q1 2025, Table 2 (residential 8 kW system, modeled market price $2.95 per watt DC in 2024 dollars; checked October 30, 2026). Production: recorded state planning ranges on this site, per state, with the source named beside the tool. Electricity prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly (average price by state, 2025), as recorded on this site, verified October 4, 2026. Incentive programs: the recorded directory entries on this site, each with its official source and verification date shown in the tool. Full detail on the methodology page. This tool provides educational planning estimates, not a quote.
Next steps in the same task
- Quote comparison worksheet: line up the finalists across warranties and the production figures printed on the quotes themselves.
- Reading a solar quote: the red flags and the benchmark: the checklist to run on the front-runner before signing.
- National installers directory: compare up to three companies across every recorded characteristic, and get more quotes if one is well above the benchmark.
- Payback estimator: the 25-year view for the quote you are leaning toward.