Questions, answered plainly.

A free quote-comparison service for home solar. You enter your address, we estimate your roof from imagery and solar data, and licensed local installers send written quotes for your project. You compare them side by side, and your contact details go only to the installer you choose, when you choose.

Yes. Installers pay us a fee when you connect with one. You never pay SunBid anything, and you never have to choose an installer. How we make money

No. SunBid is run by 5207418 LLC, a private company. We aren't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any government agency or utility. Be wary of anyone who says the government or your utility will give you panels at no cost: the Federal Trade Commission says offers of free or no-cost panels are scams.

No. We don't install, sell or finance solar systems, and we don't negotiate on your behalf. Every quote is the installer's own offer. If you go ahead, you sign directly with the installer, who is responsible for the contract and the work. We never take deposits or contract signatures.

We use aerial and satellite imagery and solar data for your address (for example, Google's Solar API where it's available) to estimate your roof's area, pitch, direction and shade, and how many panels fit. If we can't see your roof clearly, you can enter your home's size instead and we'll estimate from that.

You can adjust the result before installers see it. It's an estimate, not a quote or offer: the installer you choose confirms everything on a site visit.

Installers get a set window to respond, usually about two days. We email you when your quotes are ready, and your private dashboard shows where things stand. We only text or call you if you checked the optional box asking us to.

Up to 4 licensed installers who serve your area. In some places fewer installers are available, and some may decline to quote. Your dashboard shows each response as it comes in.

No. You can compare the quotes and walk away. Nobody gets your name, phone number or email unless you pick an installer and agree to share them with that installer.

The service is for homeowners, because only the owner can sign a solar contract. If you rent, the owner would need to request quotes. Condos and townhomes can work too, but HOA rules and shared roofs matter, so we ask about them.

Only the installer you choose, and only if you pick "phone and email" when you connect with them. You can share just your email instead.

Before you choose, installers see a de-identified project profile: your city and ZIP code, rounded roof measurements, your rounded electricity use and bill range, your timeline, your battery and financing preferences, and your self-reported credit range (as a broad band). They never see your name, phone number, email, street address or any photo of your home, and they agree by contract not to try to figure out who you are.

Not from us. Apart from the one-time code that confirms your number, we call or text you about your quotes only if you check the optional box, and you can reply STOP or tell us any other way to stop. Installers you don't choose never get your number. The one you choose can contact you only in the way you agreed to.

We don't sell your contact information. When you choose an installer, we send your details to that installer because you asked us to, and the installer pays us a fee for the introduction. On our public pages we may use analytics and advertising tools unless you opt out or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal; we never load them on your quote request or dashboard. See our Privacy Policy and Your Privacy Choices.

Use the request form on Your Privacy Choices or email support@sunbid.energy. We'll confirm it's you and respond within 45 days. We keep consent records (the wording you agreed to, and the phone number and email it covered) for five years because the law requires it, even after we delete everything else.

Mostly on lifetime cost: everything you'd pay over 25 years divided by the electricity you can actually use, so cash, loan, lease and PPA offers compare fairly. Installer reputation, equipment, warranties, how believable the production claim is, and the timeline make up the rest of the score.

A quote can't be ranked best if it subtracts the expired homeowner tax credit from a system you'd own, hides a loan fee, or comes from an installer without an active license. See the full method

Installers pay us a fee when you connect with one. That never changes the order. We don't take money from lenders, and homeowners never pay us. More detail

No. Our ranking code never reads what an installer pays, and we don't sell featured spots. Fees can differ by market, which is exactly why they're kept out of the ranking.

We can't promise that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We compare the quotes from installers in our network who choose to bid on your project, show you exactly how they differ, and flag prices that look far above typical for your area.

Not for a system you buy with cash or a loan, if it's installed now. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) doesn't apply to systems whose installation is completed after December 31, 2025. Paying a deposit in 2025 doesn't help if the system was finished in 2026.

If you have unused credit from a system installed in 2025 or earlier, you can generally keep carrying it forward. We're not tax advisors, so talk to a tax professional about your situation.

With a lease or PPA, a company owns the system and may claim a federal business credit (Section 48E). It can pass some of that value to you through a lower monthly payment or price per kWh.

For projects that began construction after July 4, 2026, the system generally must be placed in service by December 31, 2027 to qualify. We ask installers to say whether their price assumes this credit and what happens to your price if the system isn't running by then.

No. We never check credit. The credit range question is optional and self-reported, and "Prefer not to say" is always an option. Installers see it only as a broad band. If you later apply for financing through an installer or lender, they may check your credit, with your permission.

It depends on your budget and whether you want to own the system. Cash usually has the lowest lifetime cost. Loans let you own it over time, but watch for dealer fees. Leases and PPAs mean little or no upfront cost, but you don't own the system, and yearly price increases (escalators) add up. That's why we compare every option by what it really costs per useful kWh over 25 years. This is general information, not financial advice.

A charge some solar lenders build into the loan amount, often without it showing up in the advertised rate. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found these fees often run 10% to 30% of the cash price. When a quote includes a loan, we compare the loan amount with the cash price and show the effective rate once the fee is counted.

Your installer must give you California's Solar Energy System Disclosure Document and the CPUC Solar Consumer Protection Guide (opens in a new tab). Read both. You can cancel a home solar contract within 3 business days, or 5 if you're 65 or older.

In California, use the CSLB license lookup (opens in a new tab). Each quote on SunBid shows the installer's license number and the date we last verified it, but check it yourself before you sign. Contractors with C-46 (solar), C-10 (electrical), A or B licenses can install solar.

We're adding installers state by state. Enter your address and we'll tell you right away whether installers in our network serve your area. See installers in our network