A rooftop solar quote looks simple: panels, an inverter, a structure and installation. The quotes that lose money are rarely wrong on those. They are wrong on the twenty smaller lines that make the system safe and complete, and those lines are exactly the ones a busy rep forgets.
Why items go missing
Most installers quote from a spreadsheet that someone copies from the last similar job. That works until the next job is different:
- The system size changes. A 3 kW and a 10 kW system need different cable sizes, different distribution boxes and a different number of earthing points.
- The roof changes. A flat concrete roof, a sheet roof and a ground mount need different structure parts, different fixings and different civil work.
- The panel count changes. Connectors, clamps and rails scale with the number of panels, not with kilowatts.
- The rep changes. Two people quoting the same roof produce two different lists.
When the list is copied, the small items are either left over from the last job or left out. Either way, the margin you planned is not the margin you get.
The lines to check on every quote
Use this as a checklist before any quote goes out.
| Group | Lines that are often missed |
|---|---|
| Structure | Mounting kit for the roof type, rails, rafters, purlins, pillars, extra length for setbacks, wastage |
| DC side | DC cable run, connectors, DC distribution box, string protection |
| AC side | AC cable run, AC distribution box, isolator |
| Protection | Earthing kits and earth cable, lightning protection where required |
| Routing | Cable tray or conduit |
| Services | Civil work, transport, crane or lifting, manpower |
| Paperwork | Net-metering application, inspection certificates, any utility fees |
If a line is genuinely not needed, it should be a decision someone made, not something nobody thought of.
Make the list come from rules, not memory
The reliable way to get a complete quote is to stop building the list by hand:
- Start from the roof. Lay out the panels on the actual roof dimensions, with setbacks and obstacles. The panel count and the structure layout then come from the layout, not from a guess.
- Let the size drive the small items. Write rules once: for example, a given distribution box for systems up to a certain size, cable quantity per panel or per kilowatt, a set number of earthing kits by system size.
- Mark what is required. Some lines should never leave the quote. Removing them should need permission and a reason.
- Show where each line came from. A reviewer should be able to see which lines came from a rule and which were added or changed by hand.
- Price from today’s list. Panel and inverter prices move. A quote that is a few weeks old should be refreshed before it is accepted.
How AIMS IQ handles it
In AIMS IQ the panel layout fills the roof and adds the panels and every structure line to the quote in one step. Component rules you set once then add the distribution boxes, cables, connectors, earthing, cable tray, civil work, manpower and documents by system size, panel count or layout.
Required lines cannot be dismissed without the right permission and a reason, and each line shows whether it came from a rule or was changed by hand. Prices come from your solar master, and an older quote can be refreshed to current prices as a new version. The finished solar quotation then goes through your discount approvals before it is sent.