Editorial
Sources and editorial policy
SolarLists would rather leave a blank than invent a figure. This page is the rule set for every other URL on the site — the articles, the chat, and the consult form.
If you are a homeowner, that is the whole thesis: a missing number is not a gap we forgot to fill. It is a number we refused to guess about your roof.
Last reviewed September 5, 2026
How we handle numbers
Open a rule. There is no score. These are the same checks we use before a sentence goes on the homepage or into Ask about solar.
1Cite or omit
If we cannot point to a published source, we leave the number out. That includes savings claims, dollar-per-watt figures, splits, commissions, incentive dollar amounts, warranty lengths we did not read, install timelines, and traffic stats. A blank on the page is more honest than a confident guess about your roof.
2What that means if you are reading this as a homeowner
If you see a figure here, we can show you where it was published. If you do not see a figure — a city price, a guaranteed savings line, a “before winter” install clock — it is because we would have to invent it. The only local price that matters is a written number from a walk of your own roof. Until then, this site would rather help you name the bill, the roof, and the claim you do not trust yet.
3How we date-stamp a page
Education pages show a last-reviewed date in plain language. The date on this site is September 5, 2026. That is when we last checked the visible copy against these rules — not a promise that the page is “updated daily,” and not a countdown. If a page is wrong, we correct it and move the stamp. We do not invent a freshness score or a traffic stat to dress the date up.
4National education, listed consult markets
Anyone can read the education. A consult is optional and limited to the served markets named on the Consult page. We check ZIP when you submit. We do not invent a broader ZIP list, a manufacturer service map, or states beyond that list. If you live elsewhere, the articles and the chat stay available.
5No urgency theater
We do not invent scarcity, countdown clocks, “spots left,” or award-style headlines. Those lines are a pitch, not a source. If a page needs a date, it gets a last-reviewed stamp. If a next step might help, we link quietly to a consult — after you have had room to think.
6Chat and consult inherit the same rules
Ask about solar is a scripted education chat, not a closer. When it does not have a sourced answer — especially a number — it sends you here instead of inventing one. A consult is a conversation about your situation. Neither surface gets to publish a savings claim, a city price, a warranty length, or an install timeline that this page would omit.
What we will never claim
A short red-flag list — not a scare page. If you see one of these somewhere else, treat it as a pitch until someone can show the source.
Urgency theater
No countdown clocks, invented scarcity, or “act this week” statistics.
Fake awards and rankings
No “best of” headlines, trophy badges, or star ratings we did not earn as a review site.
Invented local prices
No city dollar-per-watt, no neighborhood average, no commission or split dressed up as education.
Invented savings or warranties
No guaranteed bill cut, incentive dollar amount, or warranty length we did not read in a contract.
Fake directories and testimonials
No installer marketplace, no invented reviews, and no claim that this site is a utility or a manufacturer storefront.
Named source bookmarks
These are bookmarks for later articles — not numbers on this page. We name the source and what we will not quote from it yet.
- EnergySage, home energy market highlights, H2 2025
A published market-report bookmark for later education articles. We do not repeat a dollar-per-watt figure, splits, or commissions on any page today.
- IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit
The federal credit the education chat may point to. We cite the IRS page without quoting a percentage, a dollar amount, or whether a household qualifies.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Homeowner's Guide to Solar
A federal overview of roof fit, ownership paths, and consumer cautions. We will not quote a savings figure, an incentive percentage, or a typical system size from this page.
- FTC, Solar Power for Your Home
A consumer-protection briefing on buying, leasing, or buying power from a system. We will not invent a scam-rate statistic or treat this page as a quote.
- EIA, Solar explained
A national primer on how photovoltaic electricity works. We will not invent production, a city yield, or a bill change for your house.
How the chat uses Sources
Ask about solar — the chat on every education page — uses this page as the brake. It is there to help you name the bill, the roof, or a claim you already heard. It is not there to invent a figure the rest of the site would refuse to print.
If you ask for a savings number, a city price, a warranty length, or an install clock, the chat points here instead of guessing. Soft-close to a consult only appears after a couple of understanding turns, and only as an optional conversation — never as three bids. Eligibility still lives on the consult form, not in the chat.
Open Ask about solar on this page, or start with the problem-finding questions on the home page.
Consult markets
Consults are limited to California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Education stays available if you live elsewhere. ZIP is checked on the consult form— not by a wizard that invents a price.
Corrections
If a page is wrong, email Anthony.Leonard.brs@sunpower.com or use the consult form. We would rather correct a sentence than defend a figure we cannot source.
Frequently asked questions
What does “cite or omit” mean if I am a homeowner?
It means a blank is better than an invented figure. If we cannot point to a published source, we leave savings, city prices, commissions, warranty lengths, and timelines off the page. A written number from a walk of your own roof is the only local price that matters.
How do you know when a page was last checked?
Each education page shows a last-reviewed date. The current stamp is September 5, 2026. That is when we last read the copy against these rules — not a daily-update claim and not a countdown.
Why don’t you publish a price for my city?
A city average we invented would be a pitch, not a source. Roof life, shade, ownership, and the utility on your bill change a real number. We bookmark published national material; we do not mint a local price list.
Does Ask about solar follow these rules?
Yes. The chat is scripted education. When it does not have a sourced answer, it sends you to this page. It will not invent savings, a city price, a warranty, or an install timeline, and it does not decide consult eligibility.
Who is a consult for?
Homeowners in served markets who want a conversation — not three bids and not a ZIP wizard. Education stays available if you live elsewhere. The consult form checks ZIP when you submit.