Solar sales FAQ: appointment setting, closing, financing and the rules

Setting is the first half of a solar sale. The setter knocks, checks that the home qualifies (ownership, roof, electric bill) and books a time for a closer to present a proposal. Setters are usually paid for each appointment that actually takes place, with a bonus when the system is installed.

More: Setter · Sit

The setter creates the appointment. The closer designs the offer, explains the financing and gets the agreement signed. Closers earn more per deal and wait longer for it, and most start as setters. A rep who does both on their own deals is called self-gen.

More: Setter vs. closer · Self-gen

Usually by setting first, or by bringing a strong record from another door-to-door industry. Companies start new people as setters because a closer has to explain financing, utility rules and contracts accurately. Ask what results move a setter into closing and how long it has taken others.

A door conversation, qualification, an appointment where the homeowner sees a system design and price, a signed agreement, a site survey, engineering and permits, installation, inspection, and the utility's permission to operate. The rep's job continues through those steps, because a deal can stall at any of them.

More: PTO · M1 and M2 payments

The homeowner owns the house, the roof is in good condition with enough unshaded area, and the electric bill is high enough for solar to make sense under the local utility's rules. For financed, leased or power-purchase deals, credit matters too. Checking these at the door saves a wasted appointment.

The wait is long and several things can go wrong: financing is declined, the survey finds a roof or electrical problem, permits or the utility take months, or the homeowner has second thoughts. Clear expectations at signing and regular updates afterward prevent most avoidable cancellations.

More: Cancellation rate

Net metering is a utility billing rule that credits a home for the power its panels send to the grid. How generous the credit is decides how much solar saves, and it differs by state and utility. California, for example, has put new customers of its three large utilities on a lower-credit net billing tariff since April 15, 2023. Know your utility's current rule before you talk about savings.

More: Net metering

Source: California Public Utilities Commission: net energy metering and net billing

They change who owns the system and what the homeowner pays. With cash or a loan, the homeowner owns it. With a lease, they make fixed monthly payments for equipment a company owns. With a power purchase agreement, they buy the power it produces at a set price per kilowatt-hour. Each has its own terms for price increases, maintenance and selling the house, and the rep must explain the one on offer accurately.

More: Solar PPA

Source: U.S. Department of Energy: Homeowner's Guide to Going Solar

Not for homeowners who buy a system now. The federal residential clean energy credit does not apply to expenditures made after December 31, 2025. Systems owned by a leasing or power-purchase company fall under separate business credits with their own deadlines. Do not give tax advice at the door: point homeowners to the IRS guidance and their own tax professional.

Source: Internal Revenue Service: FAQs on energy credits changed by Public Law 119-21

No. A rep can show an estimate with its assumptions, not a promise. Savings depend on the home's usage, the utility's rates and credit rules, and the financing terms, all of which can change. Use the company's written proposal, and never say the system is free or that the electric bill will disappear.

Many pay plans start from a base price per watt, often called the redline, and the closer earns on the amount the system sells for above it. That creates a temptation to price high, which hurts the customer and raises cancellations. Ask how the company keeps pricing fair.

More: Redline · Price per watt

At project milestones, not at signing. Common triggers are permit approval and completed installation, sometimes split into two payments. Ask which milestones your company uses, how long each has taken recently, and what happens to a deal still in progress if you leave.

More: M1 and M2 payments · Draw

In some states, yes. California requires anyone who solicits or sells home improvement contracts for a licensed contractor to register as a Home Improvement Salesperson. Texas requires residential solar salespersons to be registered with its Department of Licensing and Regulation beginning September 1, 2026. Other states have their own rules, so ask the company what applies where you will sell.

Source: California Contractors State License Board: Home Improvement Salesperson registration · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: residential solar retailers

Do not say you are from the utility or a government program, that solar is free, that a tax credit will pay for the system, or that the price is only good today. Do not let anyone sign for an absent owner. Misstatements in solar lead to cancellations, clawed-back commission and regulatory complaints.

It depends on the state and the company. The end of the homeowner tax credit and changes to utility credit rules have changed how many companies sell, with more emphasis on leases, power purchase agreements and batteries. Ask a company how its installs this year compare with last year and how it sells now.

More: Fiber vs. solar · Solar vs. roofing