How to Read a Solar Quotation Without Getting Overcharged

Start by converting every quotation to a single honest unit: rupees per watt (total price ÷ system watts). A quote that looks cheaper in absolute terms is often a smaller system or a lower-grade balance-of-system. Price-per-watt lets you compare a 5 kW quote against a 5.5 kW one without being misled by the headline number.

Then read the line items that actually decide quality: the module make, model, wattage and DCR status; the inverter make, model and rating; the mounting structure (GI versus aluminium, height, and whether it is wind-load certified); cabling and other balance-of-system; net-metering and liaisoning; and the warranty terms, split clearly into product warranty and performance warranty. A quote that names none of these in writing is not a quote — it is a placeholder.

The common tricks are predictable: “high-efficiency panels” with no model number, structure and net-metering quietly moved to “extra,” subsidy amounts inflated beyond what the scheme actually pays, and a long performance warranty presented as if it were the product warranty. Each one makes a quote look better than the system behind it.

A fair quotation states every model in writing, separates the subsidy transparently, and is willing to put subsidy eligibility on the vendor in the contract. Before you accept any vendor’s payback claim, run the numbers yourself with our ROI estimator and see whether their promise survives your own inputs.