You called for a solar quote on Monday. By Thursday, the system on the proposal had grown from 8 kW to 12 kW. The price went from $24,000 to $36,000. Why? Here are ten specific tactics solar salespeople use to upsell California homeowners — and the counter-questions that make them stop.

We're writing this because the solar industry has a documented trust crisis. In 2023, the FTC fined Solar Xchange $13.8M for unsubstantiated cost and savings claims. In 2024, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong publicly accused publicly-traded Sunrun of "forged signatures, impersonations of consumers, non-permitted work, and non-functioning systems."In May 2025, Arizona's AG settled a consent agreement against Sunrun and Vivint under the state Consumer Fraud Act.

Most solar IS legitimate. Most salespeople aren't criminals. But the standard sales playbook contains a dozen well-documented tactics designed to inflate the system size, the financing fees, and the projected savings. If you know the tactics, you can stop them with one well-aimed question.

1. The future-proofing buffer

What they say:"You'll want a 10-20% buffer for future EVs or a heat pump."

The math: Pushes your 8 kW system to 10-12 kW. Extra $7,000-14,000 in cost, $15,000-30,000 in lifetime loan payments if financed at 8% APR — for capacity you may never use.

Counter-question:"Show me both quotes side-by-side: with and without the buffer. I'll add capacity if and when I actually buy the EV."

2. The 6% utility rate escalator

What they say:"Utility rates go up about 6% per year, so your savings will be enormous."

The math:Actual California utility rate inflation over the last decade is closer to 3-3.5%/year. SolarReviews and EIA both publish the data. A $200/month bill today projected at 3% compounds to about $418/month in 25 years. At the fictional 6%, it's $858/month — inflating "lifetime savings" claims by roughly $50,000 on a typical quote.

Counter-question:"Re-run the savings projection using EIA's actual 10-year average rate for my utility. What does the number look like at 3%?"

3. The 2.99% APR loan (dealer-fee bait-and-switch)

What they say:"We have a special 2.99% APR loan."

The math:The CFPB issued a formal Issue Spotlight on this in 2024. A $26,000 cash-price system becomes a $32,500 loan principal — the lender pays the installer a 22% "dealer fee" that gets silently baked into the loan amount, not the disclosed APR. Your effective all-in cost works out to roughly 8-10% APR, not 2.99%.

Counter-question:"What's the cash price vs the loan principal? Write both numbers down. What's the dealer fee percentage?"

4. The inflated electric-usage estimate

What they say:"Based on your bills you're using around 13,000 kWh per year, so you need a 9 kW system."

The math: Often the salesperson took your highest single month (typically August or September) and multiplied by 12. Real households use 60-70% of peak consumption on average. A 9,000 kWh/year home gets sized as a 13,000 kWh/year home, justifying a 40% larger system.

Counter-question:"Pull my actual 12-month kWh from my utility account. Don't estimate. Use my real annual total."

5. The "free panels from the government" door-knock

What they say:"The government has a free solar program — you qualify because of your zip code."

The math:This conflates the (now-changed) federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) with a fictional "free solar" giveaway. What they're actually selling is usually a lease or PPA where you don't own the panels and don't personally get any tax credit — the leasing company captures whatever credit applies. The FTC, Treasury, and multiple state AGs have flagged this tactic repeatedly.

Counter-question:"Is this a purchase, loan, lease, or PPA? Who owns the panels in year 1? Who claims any tax credit? Get it in writing."

6. Production estimates 20-30% above PVWatts

What they say:"Your 9 kW system will generate 16,000 kWh per year."

The math: NREL's PVWatts Calculator is the federal reference for solar production estimates. It accounts for your zip code's actual sun hours, panel orientation, and shade. Quotes that come in 20-30% above PVWatts are either using cherry-picked assumptions or overstating savings by $15,000-25,000 over 25 years.

Counter-question:"Run my address through PVWatts at NREL.gov. Why is your production number higher?"

7. Ignoring panel degradation

What they say:"You'll generate 16,000 kWh per year for the next 25 years."

The math:Solar panels degrade 0.5-1% per year. By year 25, you're generating 80-87.5% of year-1 production. Honest savings models account for this. Deceptive ones quote year-1 production for all 25 years — overstating lifetime savings by another ~10%.

Counter-question:"Show me year-25 production, not year-1. Is the degradation rate in the production guarantee?"

8. The PPA escalator framed as "lock-in"

What they say:"Lock in your rate at $0.15/kWh with our PPA."

The math: The PPA contract has a 2.9%/year escalator (industry standard). $0.15/kWh in year 1 becomes about $0.30/kWh by year 25 — potentially higherthan your utility's rate by then. The New York Attorney General has specifically warned about this framing.

Counter-question:"What's the escalator rate? Show me year-25 PPA price vs. projected utility rate at 3% inflation."

9. "Today only" pressure close

What they say:"This pricing expires today. If you don't sign, we can't honor it."

The math:The U.S. Treasury and FTC have literally written: "A multi-thousand-dollar project will not have a price that evaporates in a few hours." Reputable solar quotes hold for 7-30 days. Same-day signing pressure is the single most reliable indicator of a sales scam.

Counter-question:"Send the quote with a 30-day expiration. If you can't do 30 days, I'll get three other quotes this week."

10. Bundling unnecessary battery or monitoring

What they say:"You really need the battery for backup protection."

The math:A Tesla Powerwall 3 adds $14,000-16,000 installed. Whether it's worth it depends entirely on (a) your utility — under NEM 3.0 with PG&E / SCE / SDG&E batteries are often essential; under LADWP / SMUD they're often not — and (b) your PSPS outage risk. Salespeople earn extra commission on add-ons, creating a structural conflict.

Counter-question:"Quote no battery, no add-ons. Then add each as a separate line item with its own payback period. What does the system look like without it?"

Bonus: The guilt close

What they say:"If you don't sign tonight, it costs me $750." (Documented in real r/solar cases.)

What to do: Walk away. This is a manipulation tactic — and it should end your relationship with that company permanently.

The five-question quote audit

If you remember nothing else, ask any solar quoter these five questions before signing:

What's the cash price vs. the loan principal? (Dealer-fee disclosure.)
What's your savings projection at the EIA's actual 10-year utility rate inflation for my utility?
What does PVWatts at NREL.gov say my system will produce? Why is your number different?
Show me year-25 production with degradation factored in.
Quote no battery, no add-ons first. Then add each as a separate line item with its own payback period.

If they answer all five clearly and the numbers hold up, you're likely working with a real installer. If they push back, dodge, or pressure you to sign before answering, you've learned something important about who they are.

Why we wrote this

We get paid when a homeowner connects with the one installer we match them with. We don't earn more if you buy a 12 kW system instead of an 8 kW. We don't earn more if you finance vs pay cash. We earn the same per qualified handoff regardless of what you ultimately buy — which is why we'd rather you buy the right thing, once, than the wrong thing under pressure.

If you want a quote where these tactics aren't in play, get our 60-second quote. We send you to one installer, with a quote that survives all five questions above. No swarm. No today-only pressure. Just real math.

Sources cited: FTC v. Solar Xchange (2023, $13.8M settlement) — FTC press release; Connecticut Attorney General William Tong v. Sunrun (2024) — CT AG statement; Arizona Attorney General Consent Agreement v. Sunrun and Vivint (May 2025) — AZ AG announcement; CFPB Issue Spotlight on Solar Loan Hidden Dealer Fees (2024) — CFPB publication; Connecticut AG $5M judgment against Vision Solar (Nov 2024) — CT AG. Rate inflation data: EIA + SolarReviews. Production reference: NREL PVWatts. Counter-question framework synthesized from multiple state AG consumer guidance documents.