Site survey

What a site survey is

The first proposal you receive is almost always made with software and satellite imagery: the salesperson draws panels over a photo of the roof. That is good for estimating, not for building. The site survey is a visit by a technician (not the salesperson) who gets on the roof or inspects it by drone, measures the slopes, checks the condition of the tiles or shingles, photographs the electrical panel and its capacity, goes into the attic to check the framing, and verifies real shading at different hours.

With that information the engineer adjusts the design: number of panels, azimuth and tilt of each array, inverter type, whether the electrical panel needs upgrading, and whether the roof needs repair before installation.

Why it matters in Florida

Roofs here have two frequent problems: age (a roof with few years left forces a replacement first, or paying later to remove and reinstall the panels) and structure (wind codes require specific anchoring). The electrical panel is the other issue: many homes from the 70s-90s have panels that cannot accept a solar connection without an upgrade, and that cost shows up after the survey if nobody planned for it.

It is also when the shade the satellite does not show gets caught: the neighbor’s palm that grew, the chimney, the tree that blocks the afternoon in summer.

Common mistake

Signing the contract before the site survey with a “final” price. If the technician later finds the electrical panel must be replaced or the roof reinforced, a change order arrives with extra cost, and you are already committed. Ask for the contract to state that the price is subject to the site survey and that any extra requires your approval. The correct order of steps is in solar installation process step by step.