You’ve probably heard this advice before:

“Get three quotes and compare.”

Sounds smart until you realise all three are selling different systems, using different assumptions, and manipulating the numbers to make their proposal look best.

That’s not comparison. That’s confusion.

And that’s exactly how most businesses end up overspending or underperforming on their solar investment.

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The 3 Ways Solar Quotes Get “Rigged”

1. Inflated Savings

They’ll show you a chart with Eskom bills plummeting — but look closer.
Those savings assume:

• 100% solar self-consumption (rarely true)
• Uncapped feed-in tariffs (hardly available)
• Unrealistic sunlight hours and zero downtime

📉 Real savings are often 30–50% lower than quoted.

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2. Creative Warranties

“10-year warranty” doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Some warranties cover only catastrophic failure, not degradation.
Others are pro-rated so your “10 years” is really 5 years of full cover and 5 years of small print.

If your warranty isn’t backed by the manufacturer, you’re one liquidation away from being unprotected.

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3. ROI by Guesswork

Many installers reverse-engineer the ROI.
They decide what payback period sounds good, then tweak assumptions until the math works.
That’s why every quote magically shows a 3–5 year ROI no matter your load, usage, or tariffs.

A good ROI model doesn’t start with the answer. It starts with the data.

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How to Read a Solar Quote Like a CFO

• Ask for assumptions. What tariff, escalation rate, sunlight hours, and consumption profile did they use?
• Ask for sensitivity analysis. What happens if Eskom prices rise slower or faster than expected?
• Ask for lifecycle costs. When will you replace batteries or inverters, and what will that cost?
• Ask who warranties what. Is it the installer or the OEM?

If they can’t answer clearly then walk away.

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Comparing solar quotes without understanding the underlying assumptions is like comparing cars by their colour.
The numbers don’t mean anything unless you know what’s behind them.

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Before you sign anything, run your quotes through an independent review.

Download my Free Solar Quote Checklist to see if your proposal passes the CFO test.

Because the cheapest quote today could be the most expensive mistake tomorrow.