Text PJ your solar quote before you sign.
The hard part is not "solar good or bad." It is whether this specific quote, roof, battery, bill assumption, financing plan, and installer story actually pencil out for your house.
The quick read
In San Diego, the solar decision changed because export credits, time-of-use rates, and battery timing matter more than they used to. A cheap-looking panel quote can be weak if it exports too much power at low value. A battery can help, but only if the use case and price are sane.
The goal is not to win an argument with the installer. The goal is to know what questions to ask before a multi-year contract turns into your problem.
Send these five things
Panels, inverter, battery, system size, cash price, financed price, warranty, and installer name.
A recent SDG&E bill or annual usage total. Monthly usage matters more than a generic savings chart.
Roof age, roof material, and whether the roof will need work in the next 5-10 years.
Battery model, usable capacity, installed cost, backup loads, and whether the sales pitch depends on it.
Loan term, dealer fee, APR, escalator, lease/PPA terms, and what happens if you sell the house.
Lower bill, outage backup, EV charging, resale, electrification, or just not getting pushed into the wrong thing.
Battery or no battery?
Battery gets more interesting when...
- You use a lot of power in the evening.
- You care about outage backup.
- Your quote shows meaningful exported energy.
- You have or plan to add an EV, heat pump, or electric appliances.
- The installed battery price is not eating the whole savings case.
Battery may be a wait when...
- Your usage is mostly daytime.
- The quote needs rosy savings assumptions to work.
- The roof is near replacement.
- Financing turns a good system into an expensive payment.
- The installer cannot explain the rate plan and export-credit logic clearly.
The San Diego solar quote table
| Quote claim | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| "This offsets 100% of your bill." | Does it mean annual kWh, dollar savings, or a modeled bill after export credits? | Energy offset and bill offset are not the same thing. |
| "Battery pays for itself." | Ask for the hour-by-hour assumption, not just a monthly savings chart. | The battery value depends on when you charge, discharge, and export. |
| "No money down." | Compare cash price to financed price and identify dealer fees. | Payment framing can hide the actual system cost. |
| "Your roof is fine." | Ask who pays to remove and reinstall panels if roof work is needed. | A roof mistake can erase years of solar savings. |
| "Rates only go up." | Model conservative savings too. | The deal should still make sense without heroic assumptions. |
Where AI actually helps
The useful AI layer is not pretending to forecast every future utility rate. It is reading the quote, extracting assumptions, comparing options, spotting missing details, and generating the questions you should ask before signing.
For solar installers, the same layer helps with lead follow-up, quote reminders, financing questions, permit-status updates, and customer education. For homeowners, it helps turn a confusing sales packet into a decision checklist.
That is now packaged as the Energy Tech Decision Audit: a $250 local second read for solar, batteries, EV load, backup power, and local AI compute.
Ground rules from California's net billing system
California's Net Billing Tariff applies to new solar interconnections in the large investor-owned utility territories, including SDG&E. Under that system, onsite generation still offsets onsite usage, but exported energy is credited based on grid value and is often below retail import rates. The CPUC also notes that batteries can help customers use or export stored energy during higher-value hours.
Official source: CPUC Net Energy Metering and Net Billing.
Good quote, bad quote, or wait?
Clear cash price, clear financed price, realistic bill model, battery logic explained, roof risk addressed, installer answers questions without pressure.
The system might be right, but the model is vague, the battery is under-explained, or the financing comparison is muddy.
Pressure deadline, missing cash price, unsupported savings claim, roof hand-wave, unclear equipment, or a contract you cannot explain back.
Want the second read?
Text PJ your solar quote, bill screenshot, battery option, and what the salesperson told you. The $250 Energy Tech Decision Audit gives you a plain-English read on what to ask before signing.
See the $250 Energy Tech AuditNo installer commission. No sales funnel. Just a second set of eyes before you sign.