Path-Q Solar

What should I do if a solar proposal assumes electricity use that does not match my bills?

Answer

Ask the installer to reconcile the proposal with your actual billing history before accepting its system size or financial projections. Provide complete bills or interval data, identify unusual past usage, and request a revised design that distinguishes current consumption from planned future loads.

Key points

  • Check whether the proposal used estimated, partial-year, or normalized consumption rather than actual bills.
  • Identify changes such as occupancy, heating, cooling, electric vehicles, or equipment that could alter future use.
  • Ask for the annual and monthly usage values used in the model and the source of each value.

What it depends on

  • Completeness and accuracy of utility bills or interval data
  • Expected changes in occupancy and electrical loads
  • The installer’s sizing objective and assumptions about future consumption

Risks and trade-offs

  • An oversized design can increase cost without proportionate benefit.
  • An undersized design may fail to cover future usage or stated goals.
  • Using unusually high or low consumption from one period can distort the design.

Information you may need

  • At least a full year of bills, preferably more
  • Monthly or interval consumption data if available
  • A written list of expected future loads and timing

Your next step

What to do next

Send the installer your billing records and request a line-by-line usage reconciliation plus a revised proposal using agreed current and future-load scenarios.

Path-Q

Find the right next step

Answer a few questions and we’ll narrow your options.

Loading…

SQ02035