Who We Serve: readers with a report in hand and a roof question
This site is written for buyers, sellers and homeowners who have an inspection report in front of them and a solar question they have not yet settled. Renters and owners of shaded roofs are part of that group too, because a shared option is often the honest answer for them.
The people behind this site and the work they rest on
Tilt & Silicon Survey is a home inspection practice, and this site is written by the people who do that work. The judgement on these pages rests on walking roofs, panels and wiring for buyers, sellers and homeowners, and on writing up what was found in terms a reader can follow. We do not present that work as a credential or a count, because a reader should judge it on the reasoning in the report. Questions like these usually start in one of a few places: a report with a line about the roof that nobody explained, a proposal that shows a panel layout and says little about the wiring, or a bill that does not match the promise. Those are the readers this site is written for. Each page answers one of those questions in the order a reader meets it. We write in plain words so that a reader can check the reasoning against the report on the kitchen table.
What this site refuses to do
This site does not quote prices, does not rank solar companies against one another and does not publish a review or a rating it cannot show. It does not invent a case study, a customer voice or a figure to make a page look fuller, and where a number is printed it is counted from this site or quoted with its source beside it. A reader who wants a price has to go to whoever will give one in writing, and this site will not stand in for that step. These limits exist because a reader holding a report should be able to tell an honest recommendation from a sales page at a glance. A recommendation here is a reason a reader can check, and where a reason cannot be checked, the page says so plainly.
How the owner judges a recommendation, in the order it happens
Check the roof and the wiring first
Before any company is named, the roof's age, its covering and the state of the panel and wiring are checked against the report in hand. A recommendation that skips this step is not made here. The roof comes first because it decides whether a rooftop array is possible at all, and a roof that fails that test makes the rest of the question moot.
Ask whether the reader can rent or share
If the roof cannot carry panels, or the home is rented, the next question is whether a community solar subscription fits. The terms are read before anything else is said about the subscription, including the length of the contract and every fee. A subscription is recommended only if its terms can be read and checked against the bill the household already pays.
Look for a reason a reader can check
A company is pointed to only when a reader can check the reason for themselves, such as what a public listing says, what the reviews show and what the company will confirm in writing. Where the public record is thin, the page says so and recommends fewer steps, not more.
Say what would change the answer
Every recommendation names the condition that would change it, such as a roof that needs work first or an incentive that has not been confirmed. A reader who sees that condition can decide without asking the owner anything. No recommendation is final until the reader has read the written terms, and the page that carries the recommendation says so.
Why this site is about this subject
A report that mentions a roof can lead to a solar conversation the reader was not prepared for. Each of the four cases below is a point where the next step is easy to take too quickly. The pages are written to slow the reader down at exactly those points, and to give them the checks that come first.
A roof line in a report
Many reports note a roof's age or covering in a line or two, and a reader is left to decide whether solar is worth looking at. This site is written for that moment. It starts from the roof the reader already has.
A layout with no wiring check
A proposal can show panels on a roof and say nothing about the panel or the wiring behind them. The pages here set out the checks that come before a layout is signed off. They are written to be read alongside the layout itself.
A bill that does not match
Subscriptions and rooftop systems both depend on terms a reader rarely reads in full. The site explains which terms to read, and why each one matters to the bill. It does not supply a bill figure of its own.
A reader who wants reasons
A reader holding a report is better served by the reasoning than by a pitch. Each page places its reasons next to its claims so the reader can test them against the report and the terms in front of them.
A roof that passes inspection is not by itself a yes for solar. The meter and the wiring often decide the rest, so both are checked before the roof is discussed as a reason to go ahead.