Residential Solar Site Survey App

A residential solar site survey typically takes place once a solar sales team has signed a new customer. It involves a site surveyor inspecting the property and location of where solar panels, inverters and other related equipment are going to be installed. The goal of a site survey is to ensure that the preliminary design, often created using online property information and satellite or aerial photos, is feasible in order to create a permit-ready plan.

Residential solar site surveys include many steps but the good news is, they can easily be standardized (see next FAQ). Here is what needs to be done:

1. Gather basic client information
2. Examine the state of the roof
3. Take measurements for the design
4. Perform a shading analysis
5. Assess the attic and structural components
6. Inspect the service panel(s) and electrical systems
7. Store and document all information & site photos

While not a step in itself, it is crucial to take as many pictures and videos as possible. This will help provide richer context for the design and engineering teams back at the office.

Using a checklist during a residential solar site survey is crucial for ensuring a systematic, standardized and comprehensive assessment. It promotes consistency across surveys, helps identify potential challenges early in the process, and simplifies the lives of your technicians as well as designers and permitting staff, allowing for timely and accurate evaluations. 

The checklist serves as a documented record within the project team, contributes to a positive customer experience by addressing homeowner expectations, and guides decisions for optimizing the solar system’s design and placement of components, ultimately ensuring a successful and tailored residential solar installation.

Don’t have a checklist? No worries, we’ve made a template, just for you. Download our free residential solar site survey checklist by filling out the form above.

While it goes without saying that you’ll need tools such as a measuring tape, roof angle and irradiance meter, a ladder and your phone, the most important one of all is: a powerful app. Here are some key benefits of using powerful technology such as Scoop:

• Documentation and data accuracy: Data and pictures captured by surveyors are automatically tagged, saved and documented on the app reducing the chances of errors and making survey information easy to retrieve. 
• Standardization: Create custom residential site survey checklists with mandatory fields ensuring all the required information is captured every single time—say goodbye to unnecessary repeat visits.
• Enhanced customer communication: Facilitate communication between your team and homeowners. Set-up automatic customer communication to keep them in the loop with all the information captured during the site survey.

For more information on how technology can help make your residential solar site surveys a walk in the park, book a demo with one of our experts!