A day in the life · Solar
We followed a solar installer for one full day. Every moment a tool got used. Every moment a tool was missing. Here's what we're building, in the order it happens.
06:15
ACT 01
Shade analysis before the sun is high enough to obscure it. Installer pulls roof pitch, azimuth, and structural load data on-site, and the Enphase IQ8M microinverter layout generates from the survey before leaving the driveway. Permit package starts building itself.
10:30
ACT 02
18 REC Alpha panels on a 9-in-12 pitch — lag bolt torque spec logged per attachment point, conduit run documented against the NEC 690 inspection checklist. Inspector wants the single-line diagram on-site. It's already printed and in the job folder.
14:00
ACT 03
Utility interconnection paperwork is where installs stall for six weeks if nobody tracks it. Tech submits the net metering application, logs the utility account number, and sets a follow-up task for the 30-day response window. The 30% ITC documentation attaches automatically.
17:30
ACT 04
Owner sees installations in progress, permits pending, and interconnection queue — because a solar job has five finish lines, not one. The jobs sitting at "utility approval" for 40 days get flagged. Three of them needed a call that nobody made.
Site survey, permit approval, installation, inspection, utility interconnection. Every stage has a different gatekeeper and a different wait time. Most job management software thinks a job has one finish line.
The ITC dropped, then came back at 30% under IRA. NEM 2.0 ended in California and installers repriced overnight. Your pipeline value changes when policy changes — you need to see it before the customer calls to ask.
NEC 690, IBC load calculations, rafter span tables — a residential solar install touches two permit streams and two inspection types. Your techs need certifications in both. We track them.
Most homeowners don't write a $28,000 check. Mosaic, Sungage, GoodLeap — loan status affects installation scheduling. A job management system that doesn't know if financing is approved is missing a variable.
After the day ends
Browse the products that show up across this day, or talk to a solar specialist who knows what a stalled utility approval costs a growing installer.
