Free solar quote · Southern California · in writing
A solar quote you can actually check.
One 15-minute call. Then a written quote with production from your real usage, equipment named by model, financing with the dealer fee written down, payback in years, and your NEM 3.0 true-up shown before you sign. No door-knocking, no ten-company call blitz, and an honest answer if solar doesn't pencil for your house.
- Quote in 3–5 business days, in writing
- No hidden dealer fees or financing markups
- Own-it and prepaid lease shown side by side
- Owner reviews every design
CSLB License #982201 (C-10 Electrical) · Tesla Certified Installer · BBB Accredited, A+ · 4.9-star Google rating · 1,000+ installations
Get your quote started
About 2 minutes. Goes to Helios only — never sold, never shared.
What a fair solar quote looks like in 2026
Most Southern California homeowners get three or four quotes for the same roof and see them land $10,000 apart. The spread is rarely the panels. It is the financing fee buried in the loan, the production number a rep typed in, and whether the annual NEM 3.0 settlement was modeled or skipped. A fair quote makes all three visible.
As a sanity check, owned residential systems in SoCal are installing at roughly $2.50–$3.50 per watt gross in 2026, before any incentive or lease discount. Where a quote lands inside that range depends on roof complexity, system size, equipment tier, battery storage, and whether your electrical panel needs work. Our solar panel cost guide walks through each factor with current figures; this page is about what the quote itself should show you.
What is in a Helios quote
Four things every quote states in writing, so you can compare it to anyone else's.
Production from your real usage, not a rep's guess
We pull 12 months of interval data from SCE, SDG&E, PG&E or LADWP (Green Button) and size the system to it. The quote states expected kWh per year, the offset percentage, and the assumptions behind both.
Equipment named by make and model
Panel wattage and manufacturer, inverter or microinverter model, racking, and — if included — the battery model and count. No "Tier 1 panels" placeholders. What is on the paper is what goes on the roof.
Gross, incentives, net — and the financing shown honestly
The gross installed figure, any incentives you qualify for, and the net. If you finance, the dealer fee is written down and the effective APR is stated. If you prepay a lease, the discount is shown next to the cash option.
Payback in years and the year-one true-up
Estimated monthly savings, the payback year, and a modeled first-year NEM 3.0 true-up so the annual settlement bill is not a surprise. The $24.15 monthly fixed charge is in the math, not hidden below it.
The NEM 3.0 true-up, shown before you sign
Under NEM 3.0 your monthly statement is not the real bill. Solar exports during the day are credited at roughly 5–8¢ per kWh, while the power you buy back between 4 and 9pm runs 48–58¢ on SCE and higher on SDG&E. The difference accumulates all year and arrives as a single true-up. Homeowners who were shown a “$16 monthly bill” and then opened a four-figure settlement did not get a bad system; they got an incomplete quote.
Every Helios quote models the first-year true-up from your interval data and your utility's current export schedule, then shows the same house with and without a battery. That is usually the moment the battery decision makes itself: storing midday production and using it at 4–9pm is what turns a NEM 3.0 system from “barely worth it” into the $300-to-$16 stories you read about.
Own it, or prepay a lease: both on the same page
The federal residential credit ended December 31, 2025. A prepaid lease still takes about 30% off through the commercial credit. Your quote shows both so the choice is yours, with the numbers.
| Own it (cash or loan) | Prepaid lease | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | Cash or loan for the full system | One prepaid amount, about 30% below the cash figure |
| Why the discount exists | The 25D residential credit expired Dec 31, 2025 — no federal credit on a homeowner purchase | The system is owned by a commercial partner that still qualifies for the 48E credit and passes it through |
| Who owns the system | You, from day one | The lease partner during the term; transfer at the end of term or at sale per the agreement |
| Maintenance and monitoring | Manufacturer warranties plus Helios workmanship guarantee | Covered by the lease partner for the term, serviced by Helios |
| Selling the house | System conveys with the home | Lease transfers to the buyer; we show you the transfer terms before you sign |
| Best fit | You want the asset and the resale simplicity | You want the lowest number on the page without a loan |
Details on the lease credit and its timeline are in our prepaid lease tax credit guide.
Three questions to ask any installer, including us
- 1
Is there a dealer fee inside the loan, and what is the effective APR?
"1.9%" loans are usually bought down with a 15–30% fee added to the system price. Ask for the fee in dollars and the cash price side by side.
- 2
What is my modeled year-one true-up under NEM 3.0?
Exports are credited at roughly 5–8¢ per kWh while 4–9pm power runs 48–58¢ on SCE. A quote that only shows a "$16 monthly bill" is hiding the annual settlement.
- 3
Who services this if you close, and what is your CSLB number?
SunPower, Titan, Lumio, Sunnova and Freedom Forever all left customers with no one to call. Verify the license, the years in business, and whether the crews are the company's own.
Our answers: no dealer fee unless you choose a bought-down loan, and then it is written on the quote; the true-up is modeled on every quote; CSLB License #982201 (C-10 Electrical), founded 2018, installed by our own crews on nearly every project, Santa Monica owned.
Solar quote questions
- Is the solar quote really free, and do you need to come to my house?
- Yes, and usually no. The quote starts with a 15-minute call and your utility usage; we design from satellite imagery and your interval data. A site visit is optional and only needed for complex roofs or when you want eyes on it before the design. There is no charge for either.
- How fast do I get the quote?
- A written design and quote within 3–5 business days of the call. If your utility login takes longer to authorize, we tell you where it stands rather than guessing at your usage.
- Will I get calls from ten companies?
- No. This form goes to Helios only. We are not a lead-aggregator site and we never sell or share your information. One company, one owner-reviewed quote.
- Can you still quote a lease now that the tax credit expired?
- Yes. The 25D residential credit ended December 31, 2025, but prepaid leases through our partners still capture the 30% commercial credit and pass it through as a lower prepaid amount. Every quote shows the own-it and prepaid options side by side so you can choose with the real numbers.
- Will you tell me if solar does not make sense for my house?
- Yes, in writing. Heavy shade, a roof that needs replacing first, a very low bill, or a short time horizon in the home can all make the payback too long. We say so and, where it applies, quote the roof or the battery-only option instead.
- What areas do you quote?
- Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, with installs across California. Helios is based in Santa Monica and has completed over 1,000 installations.
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15 minutes, real numbers for your address.
Pick a time and we'll have your utility data request ready when we talk. Free, no pressure, no door-to-door. Ever.