Solar isn’t slowing down in 2026. It’s speeding up. And the numbers aren’t subtle. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says nearly 70 gigawatts of new solar capacity is scheduled for 2026 and 2027—a 49 percent jump from the end of 2025—which you can verify straight from the source at EIA.gov solar capacity outlook. Now here’s the part homeowners actually feel: the residential clean energy tax credit sunsets after December 31, 2025, and suddenly everyone and their cousin “solar consultant” wants to sell you a lease. If you’re trying to rate solar companies right now, you’ve gotta judge more than equipment and workmanship. You’re grading financing behavior and fine print. Listen up, because the exact same pitch can look like a gift and function like a trap once you read page 17.
I was talking to an installer in Edison last week and he told me his solar lease volume is up even as cash deals cool. The driver? Utility bills and outage anxiety. You’ll also hear more about a power purchase agreement, because salespeople love a new label. Your wallet doesn’t care what they call it—it cares about terms, escalators, and who owns what when the party’s over (cue the Wayne’s World “excellent” hand gestures… until you read the contract). If you want a clear-eyed view of what’s happening, start with how slick marketing funnels you into one offer fast, and read up on why solar marketing works so well when incentives shift. Bottom line: leasing is gaining traction in 2026 because the economics got rearranged—not because everyone suddenly became a saint.
Solar leases gain traction in 2026 because incentives moved, not because panels got magical
When the tax credit was alive and generous, buying solar made the math pretty. Once it expires for homeowners, third-party owners can still chase whatever incentives or depreciation benefits are left on the table, then pitch you a lower-looking monthly payment through a solar lease or a power purchase agreement. That’s the whole game. Ownership stays with them, and they price the deal so you feel immediate relief.
Let me break it down: a lease is typically a fixed monthly bill for the equipment. A power purchase agreement charges you per kWh produced. Both can include escalators. Both can be fine if priced right, and both can be ugly if you sign first and read later. (Trust me, I’ve seen this play out a hundred times.)
If you’re a homeowner trying to rate solar companies, ask one blunt question: do they lead with the system design and long-term cost, or do they lead with monthly payment like it’s a used Civic with a “limited time” sticker? For a peek at how demand gets generated—and why you keep seeing the same “Act now” offers—skim solar lead generation and you’ll recognize the playbook in about five minutes.
How to rate solar companies in 2026 when every quote looks “affordable”
Start with ownership and control, not the shiny panel brand
When you rate solar companies, you’re really rating the long-term relationship you’re signing up for. With a solar lease, you are a host, not an owner, and that changes how repairs, monitoring, upgrades, and roof work get handled. With a power purchase agreement, you’re buying energy from a mini power plant on your roof that you don’t own. That can be fine. It’s still a contract with teeth.
Then check the numbers that actually matter
Look for the escalator rate, the end-of-term options, and what happens if the system underproduces. Ask for production assumptions in writing and compare them to your actual usage, not your neighbor’s. If your salesperson gets cagey, congrats—you just got your answer.
Homeowners also get whiplash from competing offers because lead flow drives behavior. A company drowning in junk leads tends to push the highest-commission financing. If you want to understand how serious operators build consistent pipelines without leaning on gimmicks, take a look at solar sales and you’ll see why the best organizations don’t need to rush you.
Solar lease vs power purchase agreement, same trend, different engineering reality
People toss around solar lease and power purchase agreement like they’re the same thing. They’re cousins, not twins. A lease is like renting the hardware. A PPA is like paying per unit of output, which means the performance model and the measurement rules matter more than the salesperson’s smile.
What homeowners miss in the PPA fine print
With a PPA, you want clarity on how production is metered, how billing works when the inverter trips, and what “guaranteed performance” actually guarantees. I’m an electrical engineer, so I’m going to say this plainly: inverters fail, monitoring drops offline, and shading changes over time. If the contract puts the risk on you while ownership stays with them, that’s a bad deal wrapped in a nice font.
With either structure, your best defense is comparison. Get two or three offers, line up assumptions, and don’t let anyone “normalize” your usage with guesses. If you need a reality check on how the industry targets homeowners—and how good vendors separate from the noise—read solar marketing experts and you’ll spot the difference between education and manipulation fast.
Rate solar companies like a Jersey skeptic, contracts, roof risk, and resale pain
Listen up: the roof is the battlefield, not the panel. A third-party owned system can complicate roof replacement, leak responsibility, and mess with home resale—especially if the buyer’s lender hates the lease transfer terms. If you’ve got older shingles, you should be thinking roof-first, solar-second, even if the salesperson acts like you’re killing the vibe.
My quick checklist for lease offers
Ask who pays to remove and reinstall panels for roof work, what happens if you sell, and what happens if you refinance. Also check the UCC filing language, because yes, that can show up and confuse the heck out of a closing attorney. If they won’t explain it in plain English, they don’t deserve your signature.
I’m not anti-lease. I’m anti-bad lease. The problem is the market rewards speed, and speed rewards shortcuts. Companies that invest in quality lead handling tend to spend more time qualifying roof age, electrical service limits, and homeowner goals before anyone talks payment—and that’s why I like seeing structured intake like solar live transfers that get real questions answered early.
Why 2026 is a “weird” year for homeowners, and how smart contractors respond
We’ve got massive utility-scale growth and a residential incentive cliff, so homeowners feel two opposing forces. Solar is everywhere in the news, but the homeowner math feels less obvious without the credit. So installers lean harder into solar lease and power purchase agreement offers to keep the monthly number attractive. That’s not evil. It’s market physics.
Rising electricity rates and outage concerns are still pushing people to act, and pairing solar with storage is getting more common as folks realize grid reliability isn’t a personality trait. If you want federal-level, non-salesy context on residential energy programs and efficiency, browse energy.gov solar resources and you’ll see how policy and tech are moving.
For contractors, 2026 rewards good communication and accurate targeting. The outfits that rely on chaos marketing will keep pumping “free solar” nonsense, and homeowners will keep getting burned. The outfits that tighten process and keep lead quality high can afford to be honest, and that’s where services like services come in—because predictable lead flow lets sales teams stop acting like they’re in Glengarry Glen Ross.
FAQ about how to rate solar companies when leases are everywhere
How do I rate solar companies offering a solar lease versus a cash purchase option
Score them on transparency and long-term cost, not the monthly payment. A solid company will show total paid over the term, escalators, and end-of-term options for a solar lease. They should also model production assumptions and explain what happens if output misses the forecast. If they dodge those questions, drop them from your list.
What is the biggest red flag in a power purchase agreement
The biggest red flag is pricing that rises automatically each year without a clear rationale, while the company keeps ownership control. A power purchase agreement can work if the rate stays meaningfully below your utility and performance obligations are clear. If the contract makes you pay even when monitoring is down, that’s a problem.
When I rate solar companies, what should I ask about roof repairs and removal
Ask who pays for removal and reinstallation if you need roof work, plus who carries liability if flashing fails. With a solar lease, the equipment owner may control scheduling, which can delay roofing projects. A decent provider will put roof-related responsibilities in writing and won’t hand-wave it away as “rare.”
Do solar leases make it harder to sell my house
They can, depending on transfer terms and buyer appetite. Some buyers are fine assuming a solar lease if savings are clear, others don’t want a long contract attached to the home. Ask the company how many transfers they’ve processed in the last year and what failure points were. You want specifics, not vibes.
How can I rate solar companies fairly if quotes use different assumptions
Force standardization. Give each company the same last 12 months of usage, require the same escalation assumption, and request a production estimate with shading notes. Compare apples to apples, then look at warranty, service response, and contract terms for the solar lease or power purchase agreement. If someone refuses to quote under your assumptions, they’re hiding the ball.
Get Solar Leads
If you’re a contractor watching solar leases gain traction in 2026, your sales team needs fewer tire-kickers and more ready-to-talk homeowners who understand the basics. Invention Solar helps you drive qualified demand and keep your reps focused on real projects, not endless voicemails and “just browsing” conversations. If you want to grow without turning into the very kind of company homeowners love to complain about when they rate solar companies, book the time and let’s talk.
