A solar consultation is a conversation about your electricity use, your roof and what you want from a system. The site survey that follows checks the property details a designer needs. Before you agree to either, find out what the provider has confirmed, what still needs a specialist, and which assumptions could change the proposal.1
You can prepare with records you already own. Nothing in the preparation requires measuring the roof or looking inside electrical equipment.
What happens at a consultation, and what does the survey check?
A consultation covers your electricity use, your roof and what you want from a system. The site survey that follows checks the roof, the sunlight and the electrical connection a designer needs. Before you book, find out whether that happens in one visit or two, and what each includes.2,3,4
- Your electricity use. Share your bills and mention planned changes, such as electric heating or a car charger. The U.S. Department of Energy tells homeowners to weigh current use and future changes together.3
- Your roof. Which roof areas is the provider considering, and does the roof’s condition or structure need a closer look? DOE names installers, roofing experts and structural engineers as the people who can judge whether a roof suits solar.2
- The electrical review. Someone has to assess your existing electrical service and what the connection will require. The pre-work guidance from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL) includes checking the electrical panel and service line.4
- The open questions. Which facts has the provider confirmed, which has it assumed, and who will settle the rest? Get those answers in writing with the proposal.
The provider should tell you what access it needs and who will do the work.
Soleil Energy’s residential solar page shows one company’s version. It describes a four-stage process (assess, design, build, support). The consultation is a 30-minute call about what you pay for electricity and how much you use, and a recent bill is helpful but not required. The assessment is a visit that looks at your roof’s layout, age, condition and shading, plus your electrical panel and your actual electric bill. The page calls the consultation free and no-obligation.1 Whichever provider you talk to, find out which assessments are part of the consultation and which come later. If you’re still deciding whether to go solar at all, read is solar worth it in Maryland. For the steps after the survey, see how the Maryland solar installation process works.
What should you gather before you call?
Pull together your electricity history, any roof installation or repair records, and notes on changes coming to your household. If something is missing, say so. A photo of the closed electrical panel’s exterior is fine to offer, and the panel itself stays closed.
Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) January 2018 consumer guide suggests reviewing your last 12 months of electric bills. A full year shows the seasons, and DOE also points to annual and seasonal needs.5,3 That’s preparation advice, not a requirement for booking.
| What you already have | What to share | What it leaves open |
|---|---|---|
| Electric bills or downloaded usage history | Energy used, billing periods and your utility’s name | How future changes could alter your demand |
| Roof invoice, home inspection report or permit record | Installation date, repairs and known leaks | The roof’s present condition and structural suitability |
| A photo of the closed panel’s exterior | Offer it and see if it helps | Electrical capacity, condition and connection design |
| Notes about changes to the home | Planned heating changes, a vehicle charger or added living space | Which future loads the design assumes |
DOE’s advice to find out when the roof was installed or replaced is behind the roof-records row.2 A panel photo is just a shared document. It doesn’t show that your electrical service is suitable.4
Just moved in? Bring the bills you have and explain they cover part of a year, then have the provider label any usage figure it assumes for the rest. No roof records? A permit record or a professional evaluation can fill the gap, and neither needs you in the attic or on the roof.2
Is your roof sunny enough?
Start with an address-based solar map for a rough read, then ask how the provider judged shade at the proposed panel locations. Sunlight depends on roof direction and nearby obstructions, and a sound assessment looks at shade across the whole year.6,7
Online mapping tools let you look up solar exposure by address. DOE points out that they rely on remote data such as satellite imagery, and it recommends an installer for a detailed evaluation.7 A map can’t tell you the condition of your roof or what electrical work your home needs.
Trees, chimneys and neighboring buildings all affect a layout. A Pacific Northwest National Laboratory guide (last updated in 2014, but the point is timeless) describes an assessor’s job as predicting how chimneys, dormers, trees, antennas and other obstructions shade solar equipment through the year.6 So it’s fair to ask whether your proposal rests on a shade assessment of your site or on an assumption someone still has to check.
PVWatts is the free calculator that estimates solar electricity production. DOE calls tools like it “great for getting started” and recommends a custom estimate from an installer.7 A production estimate isn’t a structural assessment, an electrical assessment or a promise of output.
A sunny-looking roof isn’t a finished answer. Shade, roof condition and the electrical panel each get their own review, and if a provider changes the layout because of shade, ask to see how that changes the production estimate.
What should a written proposal spell out?
Ask for the proposed equipment and layout, the system size, the estimated annual production and the assumptions behind it. Get the installation price with its scope and exclusions. Find out which roof or electrical work is undecided, who handles it, and what could change the design or the price.8,9
The table works as a checklist for any provider. It isn’t a description of what a particular company hands over.
| Proposal item | Put this in writing |
|---|---|
| Equipment and layout | The proposed panels, inverter equipment and roof areas, and which selections are still provisional |
| System size and output | Capacity in kilowatts, annual production in kilowatt-hours, and the calculations behind the estimate |
| Installation price | What it includes (equipment, labor, permits), what it excludes, and any work priced separately |
| Roof work | Proposed repairs, and whether a roof question needs another professional’s review |
| Electrical work | Whether a service or panel change is included, excluded or still being assessed |
| Responsibilities | Who handles unresolved assessments and paperwork, and which timing depends on other parties |
| Warranties | Any equipment or workmanship warranty documents and who provides each. Check that the agreed terms appear in the contract |
MEA’s consumer guide lists installation cost, equipment specifications and estimated annual output among the details a bid should contain, and it recommends getting the calculations behind the output estimate.8 DOE recommends asking the installer whether the roof needs repair first and putting any needed repairs in the proposal.9
Provisional items belong in the document too. Say a provider worked from incomplete bills and hasn’t resolved a roof-condition question: the proposal should list both as assumptions, name who will get the missing information, and say whether the numbers will change afterward. A verbal “the house looks fine” covers none of that. To compare documents from several providers, see how to spot solar scams and red flags, and if the roof is a question mark, should you replace your roof before solar.
What should you do before you sign?
Read the whole contract before you sign, and make sure anything agreed verbally is written into it. MEA’s consumer guide gives that advice. It’s worth checking the contract against the provisional items above, such as any roof repair or panel change.10
For broader questions, see Soleil Energy’s frequently asked questions. Bring your bills and roof records to the conversation. Book a free consultation or call (301) 953-4140.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Sources (10)
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Soleil Energy, “Residential solar” (consultation, assessment and process sections), current page (undated), read October 25, 2026. https://soleilenergycorp.com/renewable-energy/residential-solar/ ↩ ↩2
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U.S. Department of Energy, “Walk Me Through It: A Step-By-Step Guide for Consumers Going Solar,” published August 4, 2021, last modified May 15, 2026 (roof suitability step); page read October 25, 2026. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/articles/walk-me-through-it-step-step-guide-consumers-going-solar ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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U.S. Department of Energy, “Walk Me Through It: A Step-By-Step Guide for Consumers Going Solar,” published August 4, 2021, last modified May 15, 2026 (electricity needs and future changes); page read October 25, 2026. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/articles/walk-me-through-it-step-step-guide-consumers-going-solar ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Standard Work Specifications, Photovoltaics, “Pre-work verification,” current page (undated), read October 25, 2026. Describes professional pre-work considerations, not a local code requirement. https://sws.nlr.gov/spec/005011 ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Maryland Energy Administration and Clean Energy States Alliance, “A Maryland Consumer’s Guide to Solar,” January 2018, p. 47 (questions to ask, including reviewing the last 12 months of bills); PDF read October 25, 2026. https://energy.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/Lists/Solar/NewForm/A%20Maryland%20Consumers%20Guide%20to%20Solar.pdf ↩
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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center, “Solar Orientation For Solar Arrays and Panels,” last updated May 9, 2014, Shading section; page read October 25, 2026. https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/solar-orientation-solar-arrays-and-panels ↩ ↩2
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U.S. Department of Energy, “Walk Me Through It” (published August 4, 2021, last modified May 15, 2026; solar-potential step) and “Homeowner’s Guide to Solar” (published June 16, 2016, last modified May 15, 2026; PVWatts); pages read October 25, 2026. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/articles/walk-me-through-it-step-step-guide-consumers-going-solar and https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/homeowners-guide-solar ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Maryland Energy Administration and Clean Energy States Alliance, “A Maryland Consumer’s Guide to Solar,” January 2018, pp. 32 to 35 (bid specifications and itemized budget; calculations for estimated output); PDF read October 25, 2026. https://energy.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/Lists/Solar/NewForm/A%20Maryland%20Consumers%20Guide%20to%20Solar.pdf ↩ ↩2
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U.S. Department of Energy, “Decisions, Decisions: Choosing a Solar Installer,” published August 31, 2021, last modified May 14, 2026 (Roof Conditions); page read October 25, 2026. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/articles/decisions-decisions-choosing-solar-installer ↩ ↩2
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Maryland Energy Administration and Clean Energy States Alliance, “A Maryland Consumer’s Guide to Solar,” January 2018, pp. 33 to 34 (reading the contract and putting verbal agreements in writing); PDF read October 25, 2026. General preparation advice, not an explanation of legal rights. https://energy.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/Lists/Solar/NewForm/A%20Maryland%20Consumers%20Guide%20to%20Solar.pdf ↩
