How comparing solar quotes works
Comparing solar quotes here takes three steps: enter your ZIP code, read your market's rules, then read each quote line by line against a checklist. My Solar Brokers is a comparison website that connects homeowners in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with installer partners. We do not install solar.
The three steps, from ZIP code to quotes
Three steps take you from a ZIP code to quotes you can read line by line.
-
Enter your ZIP code
- You
- Type five digits into the ZIP code box and press Check your ZIP.
- The website
- Matches your ZIP code to a market. It does not use your location.
- You get
- Your market's guide, or a plain statement if your ZIP code is in neither market.
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Learn your market's rules
- You
- Read the guide for your market.
- The website
- Sets out net metering (a billing arrangement that reduces the electricity you are billed for by what your system sends to the grid), the steps to connect and how to look up an installer, each with its source and check date.
- You get
- Your market's rules, each tied to a named source.
-
Read quotes line by line
- You
- Enter each quote in the blank table, one column per quote.
- The website
- Provides the checklist, the blank table and a worked example with made-up numbers.
- You get
- The gaps in each quote, to put to the installer in writing.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Glossary, "Net metering" (undated). Checked 9 Oct 2026.
What happens when you check your ZIP code
A ZIP code check gives one of three answers, or a message if the entry is not five digits. The same ZIP code gets the same answer whoever asks.
| If your ZIP code is | You see |
|---|---|
| A Pennsylvania ZIP code | The Pennsylvania page opens. |
| A New Jersey ZIP code | The New Jersey page opens. |
| Any other ZIP code | A plain statement that My Solar Brokers does not compare installers for that ZIP code. It covers Pennsylvania and New Jersey. |
A ZIP code check finds your market, not your electric utility. The Pennsylvania regulator's website, PAPowerSwitch, has you select and confirm your electric distribution company.
Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PAPowerSwitch (undated). Checked 9 Oct 2026.
What to have on hand
Have four things ready before you read a quote: your bill, your roof details, each quote in full and your questions.
- Your recent electric bill. It names the company that bills you and shows how much power your home used, in kilowatt-hours (kWh), the unit electricity is usually charged by.
- What you know about your roof. Its age and material, which way it faces, its slope, shade from trees and any repairs.
- Each quote in full. Keep the original and copy its numbers into one table. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says a bid should state in writing the system's size and expected power, the full installation cost with any permit fees, and the equipment warranties.
- Your questions for each installer. Write them down, and get each answer in writing.
Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PAPowerSwitch, "Understanding Your Bill" (undated); Federal Trade Commission, "Solar Power for Your Home" (). Checked 9 Oct 2026.
What reading quotes line by line can and cannot tell you
Reading quotes line by line shows what each quote says and what it leaves out. It cannot check the installer, the roof or the utility credit for you.
| Your question | Do the quotes answer it? | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Do the quotes list the same things? | Yes. A blank cell in your table is a gap to ask about. | The FTC says a bid should state system size, expected power, full installation cost with any permit fees, and equipment warranties in writing. |
| How much power will the system make? | Partly. A quote gives the installer's estimate, not a measurement. | Ask for the assumptions in writing. The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL) says PVWatts predictions include many assumptions and uncertainties. |
| Which incentives apply? | Partly. Ask which incentives each quote assumes and who claims them. | The Internal Revenue Service says the federal residential clean energy credit is not available for property placed in service after 31 December 2025. |
| Is the installer registered? | No. Look the installer up with your state. | In Pennsylvania, the Attorney General's lookup verifies a contractor's registration; the office says registration is not an endorsement of the contractor's competency or skill. |
| Is the roof ready for panels? | No. Ask a roofer to look first. | The U.S. Department of Energy advises weighing the age of your roof and how long until it needs replacement. |
| What will your utility credit for power you send back? | No. A quote cannot set it. | Your utility or electricity provider, under your market's rules. |
Source: Federal Trade Commission, "Solar Power for Your Home" (); National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL), PVWatts (undated); Internal Revenue Service, "Residential Clean Energy Credit" (page updated ); Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration (undated); U.S. Department of Energy, "Homeowner's Guide to Solar" (undated). Checked 9 Oct 2026.
Which installers a comparison covers
A comparison on My Solar Brokers covers installer partners only, so it does not cover every installer in your area. If another installer gives you a quote, add a column for it and read it the same way. What an installer partner is
We do not install solar, and we are not a utility or a government agency. How facts are sourced, dated and corrected explains where each fact comes from.
Questions about how it works
What is My Solar Brokers?
My Solar Brokers is a comparison website for home solar that connects homeowners in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with installer partners. It does not install solar. The About page has the company details.
What does the ZIP code check ask for?
Five digits and nothing else. The box finds your market and does not send anything to an installer.
How many quotes should you compare?
The Federal Trade Commission advises getting detailed bids from several companies and comparing them, and it names no number. The blank table in the guide has three columns, and you can add more.
Source: Federal Trade Commission, "Solar Power for Your Home" (). Checked 9 Oct 2026.
Sources
Every source was checked on 9 Oct 2026. Pages with no date show “undated”.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Glossary, "Net metering" (undated).
- Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PAPowerSwitch (undated).
- Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PAPowerSwitch, "Understanding Your Bill" (undated).
- Federal Trade Commission, "Solar Power for Your Home" ().
- National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL), PVWatts (undated).
- Internal Revenue Service, "Residential Clean Energy Credit" (page updated ).
- Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration (undated).
- U.S. Department of Energy, "Homeowner's Guide to Solar" (undated).
Start with your ZIP code
