77 min · 30 video lectures · quizzes · assignments · workbook
If you are a licensed electrician or NABCEP-certified solar installer doing residential jobs, you already know the technical side. What kills margin and reputation is everything around the install — sloppy sizing calcs, permits tracked in text threads, utility interconnection delays that leave a finished system sitting dark for two months, and job P&L you reconstruct from memory. This course fixes all of that.
Every lecture is built around the Residential Solar Installation Toolkit — six spreadsheet tabs that replace the napkin math, the missed follow-up, and the gut-feel quote. You will learn to use the System Calculator to size any 5–20 kW residential job in under two minutes, understand DC/AC ratio targets and NEC 690 wire gauge logic, and know exactly when your numbers are off before the panels go on the roof.
From there, the course walks you through pricing that holds margin — how to build a real cost-per-watt model, mark up materials correctly, and stop letting labor overruns eat your profit. You will learn how to close residential clients, handle the site assessment, and collect a deposit structure that keeps the job funded without chasing customers.
The field operations section covers the full permit and interconnection lifecycle: which permits go to which authority, how to track every milestone in the Permit Tracker, and why Permission to Operate is the one step you never skip. The compliance lecture goes deep on anti-islanding, PTO sequence, and what happens when you energize before the utility signs off.
The money section teaches you to read your own Income and Expenses tab, catch margin leaks by category, and bill correctly so final-draw payments arrive fast. The final section covers recurring revenue from service agreements, battery add-ons, and what your first hire looks like when volume justifies it.
This is operator-to-operator instruction. No filler, no theory. Buy it once, use it on every job.
What you'll learn
You'll be able to size any residential solar system using the System Calculator tab in under two minutes
You'll be able to build an accurate cost-per-watt quote that protects margin on every job
You'll be able to track every permit, AHJ submission, and utility application with zero missed deadlines
You'll be able to execute the full interconnection checklist so you never energize before PTO
You'll be able to close residential clients using a site-assessment-to-deposit workflow
You'll be able to read your Income and Expenses tab to find and fix margin leaks by category
You'll be able to structure a battery storage or service-agreement upsell to add recurring revenue
You'll be able to identify when your job volume justifies a first hire and how to structure it
Course curriculum
Section 1: Welcome & Toolkit Setup
Welcome: What This Course Delivers and How to Use It
Toolkit Orientation: Six Tabs, One System
Licensing, Insurance, and Business Structure Before Job One
Site Assessment: What to Look For Before You Quote
Client Intake: Setting the Right Expectations Before Signing
Section 2: System Sizing, Pricing & Estimating
System Calculator Deep Dive: Inputs, Outputs, and Sizing Logic
Building a Cost-Per-Watt Model That Holds Margin
Writing a Quote That Wins Jobs Without Leaving Money Behind
ITC, State Rebates, and Financing: What You Need to Know
Pricing Edge Cases: Battery Add-Ons, Panel Upgrades, and Change Orders
Section 3: Winning & Onboarding Clients
Lead Generation: Where Residential Solar Clients Actually Come From
The Sales Conversation: From Site Visit to Signed Contract
Contracts, Deposits, and Protecting Yourself on Every Job
Client Onboarding After Signature: Setting Up the Job Right
Turning Every Completed Job Into the Next Two Leads
Section 4: Field Operations & Compliance
Permit Types, AHJ Relationships, and Pulling Permits Correctly
Interconnection Checklist: Ten Steps Between Install and Energization
Install Day: Crew Coordination, Safety, and Getting It Done Right
Commissioning, Final Inspection, and Client Handoff
When PTO Takes Too Long: Escalation and Managing the Client
Section 5: Money, Bookkeeping & Profit
Income & Expenses Tab: Your Real-Time P&L in Five Minutes a Week
Reading the Job Tracker for Margin Trends Across Jobs
Billing Correctly and Collecting Without Awkward Conversations
Overhead, Break-Even, and What It Actually Costs to Run This Business
Tax Basics for Solar Installation Businesses
Section 6: Recurring Revenue & Scaling
Solar Service Agreements: Turning Completed Jobs Into Recurring Revenue
Battery Storage Add-On: When, How, and What It's Worth
Hiring Your First Employee or Subcontractor: What Volume Requires It
Building a Referral Partner Network That Sends You Jobs Consistently
Scaling to Ten Jobs Per Month: Systems, Capacity, and What Changes