Utility assumptions in a Georgia solar contract deserve their own audit. A well-defined equipment list does not make a savings estimate valid if the proposal uses the wrong provider, an unavailable export arrangement or an unverified operating date. Ask for the source behind each utility input before treating a projected bill reduction as a reason to sign.
This is a proposal-evidence guide. It does not quote utility rates, promise approval or determine cancellation rights. Its purpose is to connect the account, design and financial model to a written process for handling unresolved conditions. General contract and creditor questions remain separate.
Verify the account before checking the solar numbers
Use a complete current electric bill to identify the legal provider, service address, meter or account, tariff and billing period. A city name is not enough. Georgia Power, electric membership cooperatives and municipal utilities have different programs, and provider boundaries can vary within a local market.
Ask the bidder to show which account the proposed array will serve. A detached building or second meter may have a separate agreement. Do not assume production behind one meter can offset charges on another just because both are on the same property or owned by the same person.
The Georgia Attorney General’s solar guide recommends asking the utility about arrangements for customer generation and reviewing the contract. Turn that advice into a specific account record. If the proposal was prepared before the bill was supplied, ask the bidder to confirm or revise its inputs.
| Account fact | Evidence | Proposal check |
|---|---|---|
| Legal provider | Complete electric statement | Matches named utility |
| Service location | Statement and property record as needed | Matches installation address |
| Meter/account boundary | Bill and site information | Identifies which load is served |
| Tariff | Current bill and official schedule | Matches model rate plan |
| Existing solar enrollment | Utility agreement, if any | Not guessed from monitoring |
| Applicant authority | Owner/account-holder documentation | Establishes who can apply |
Keep private account details out of public article examples. Share the necessary documents through an understood assessment process and ask how the recipient handles them. Reviewing energy data is different from authorizing a credit application.
Require an assumption ledger with dates and sources
A proposal should make its financial inputs inspectable. Create a ledger with the input, value or rule, official source, effective date, date checked and confirmation status. Unknown is a legitimate status; silently replacing it with a marketplace number is not.
Record the purchase tariff and export treatment separately. Include fixed charges, any added program charges, settlement method and relevant time periods. A sales slide saying net metering is not an adequate source when it does not identify the current account-specific arrangement.
Distinguish a tariff effective date from the day someone opened a webpage. The proposal may use a future approved schedule or a current one, but it should say which. Do not treat a quoted annual escalation percentage as an approved tariff. Future prices can be scenario inputs without being factual promises.
| Ledger field | Example of useful evidence |
|---|---|
| Input name | Avoided import value or export settlement rule |
| Source | Official tariff, program or utility response |
| Effective date | Date printed in controlling document |
| Date checked | When bidder verified the source |
| Account applicability | Reason this customer can use the rule |
| Status | Verified, conditional or unresolved |
| Model location | Worksheet line affected by the input |
| Change consequence | What must be recalculated if input changes |
Keep the ledger with the signed proposal version. If the spreadsheet cannot be supplied, request a clear written summary showing how each input affects the calculation. A large twenty-five-year savings total is less useful than a transparent model you can question.
Separate immediate use, exports and later grid purchases
The financial model should show three energy flows: generation consumed immediately in the home, generation exported, and electricity imported when solar does not meet the load. These flows need not have the same value. Annual production is therefore not the same as annual bill savings.
Ask for the load record and method used to estimate self-consumption. Twelve months of kWh helps establish the annual demand; interval data, where available, helps compare timing. If the bidder lacks interval data, the model should acknowledge that its matching assumption is provisional.
The Georgia utility billing guide helps organize import and export questions. For this contract audit, ask where each flow appears in the proposal and whether the quoted utility expense includes charges that remain. Do not infer that a system meeting annual consumption eliminates every monthly purchase.
A battery changes flows but adds its own equipment and operating assumptions. Request its charging source, discharge schedule, losses, reserve and intended backup duties. Do not accept a battery merely as a device that makes every exported kWh worth retail value. Utility and equipment rules must support the actual operating mode.
Distinguish program eligibility from permission to operate
An eligible design is not an approved application, and an approved application is not necessarily final operating authorization. Keep the utility steps visible in the construction and financial schedule. Ask which event allows equipment to be energized or export, and obtain the actual written authorization when required.
Georgia Power’s current installation and interconnection page recommends application before construction or equipment purchase. It distinguishes routes including Energy Offset Only, where exports are not compensated, and residential RNR with a 10 kW AC limit. These are account/program examples, not universal Georgia conditions. Confirm the selected route with the utility.
A sales representative cannot reserve program eligibility merely by naming it. Ask whether the application has been submitted, which design was submitted and whether the assumed export arrangement is still available to a new applicant. If the bidder cites an existing customer’s treatment, request proof that it applies to your application.
Create a stage record: intended program, application identifier, submitted design, utility response, remaining requirements and operating authorization. Include dates and responsible parties. This makes a delay or requested revision understandable instead of reducing the entire process to installed or not installed.
Check capacity definitions and modified designs
A utility program can define capacity differently from a panel specification. DC module watts and AC inverter capacity are distinct. Ask the designer to identify both and explain which definition the utility uses for eligibility. A system marketed by panel size alone may not reveal the relevant limit.
Batteries, inverter substitutions or additional panels can affect the application. Do not assume a power setting or an advertised export cap automatically resolves every utility capacity question. Request the accepted design and written utility confirmation where the operating configuration matters.
| Design input | What the proposal should show |
|---|---|
| Module capacity | Total watts or kW DC and equipment count |
| Inverter capacity | Relevant kW AC and model |
| Battery equipment | Configuration and operating purpose |
| Export control | Accepted equipment/settings where applicable |
| Submitted design | Version tied to application |
| Later revision | Approval and financial impact before installation |
If the final equipment differs from the submitted design, ask who revises the application and financial model. A substitute may affect output, warranty, capacity or utility conditions even when it appears similar in a sales description. Use a documented approval process rather than assuming interchangeability.
Make utility-driven changes a controlled contract decision
A utility may require additional review, design changes or work. The proposal should identify who handles the application and what is included in the cash price. Ask which possible expenses remain conditional, who receives the utility’s response and how an owner authorizes a change.
Do not require a bidder to invent an exact fee or timeline before the utility evaluates the project. Require an honest uncertainty and approval process instead. A statement such as subject to utility approval should not be the only explanation of how added costs or a reduced array will be handled.
A usable change-order procedure names the triggering requirement, revised scope, cash-price change, financing effect, production revision and schedule consequence. Keep these connected. Reducing the array while retaining the original bill forecast can materially misrepresent the revised project.
Ask what options remain if the intended program cannot be obtained: redesign, different operating route, delayed commitment or another action permitted by the agreement. Legal termination rights require their own review. This article does not determine them; it helps ensure the factual condition and contract response are visible.
Audit the projected operating date and payment trigger
The savings model may begin producing value on a date that differs from installation, funding or the first loan payment. Identify each date and the evidence behind it. A projected utility response is not an approved operating date, and loan payments may depend on separate contract milestones.
Build a transition-period budget using no solar savings until authorized operation in the scenario. Show any loan installment, normal utility expense and other obligations during that period. Ask the creditor about its actual payment trigger; an installer’s schedule does not modify the loan.
| Date or event | Responsible source | Model consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment installation | Contractor schedule | Physical milestone only |
| Inspection completion | Authority record | May be needed before authorization |
| Utility operating permission | Written utility record | Defines approved operating stage |
| Loan disbursement | Creditor terms | Funding obligation |
| First payment | Creditor schedule | Household cash outflow |
| Savings model start | Bidder assumption | Must be consistent with operating scenario |
Do not treat a generic installation timeline as an enforceable guarantee. Ask which milestones are commitments, which are estimates and which are outside the contractor’s direct control. Keep documentation for any actual delay without assuming that it automatically cancels the project or debt.
Normalize competing bids to the same utility assumptions
Two proposals can show different savings because they model different tariffs, exports, production, loads or escalation. Before choosing the larger total, ask both bidders to use the same documented utility baseline and household data. Then compare design differences separately.
Require a baseline using the current account and no assumed annual rate growth. A rate-growth scenario can be shown separately, labeled as a sensitivity test. It should not silently compensate for an expensive financed price or weak self-consumption.
Use quote comparison for the equipment and scope review, and payback for the financial model. The contract audit asks whether each bid’s inputs are traceable and whether conditions will be handled consistently. It does not declare that one statewide rate will fit every customer.
Document any unresolved input before signing. If both bidders lack export confirmation, compare a conservative unresolved case rather than pretending that agreement between two salespeople verifies the tariff. Agreement is not a source.
Avoid importing legacy arrangements into a new application
A neighbor may have an older utility agreement, a different tariff or a separate meter. Their actual bill is useful evidence about their account, not an offer available to yours. Ask when their system entered the program and whether the utility confirms the same terms for a new applicant.
This also matters when buying a home with solar, transferring an account or expanding an existing system. Equipment ownership, finance transfer and utility treatment are separate questions. Request the current agreement and ask the utility what the change requires. Do not assume treatment follows the panels indefinitely.
If the proposal promises to preserve existing benefits through an expansion, have the utility verify the plan before changing equipment. Identify which version of the agreement applies and which design must be approved. A modification may need a new or amended review process; the actual utility instructions control.
Preserve the evidence at project closeout
At completion, retain the final equipment list, approved design, inspections, utility agreement, operating authorization, tariff/program documentation and commissioning records. Compare them with the signed proposal and ledger. If an input changed, request a revised model showing the effect rather than continuing to rely on the old estimate.
Include monitoring access and who can interpret the energy flows. An inverter production total is not necessarily the same as utility exports or household consumption. Ask which meter measures each quantity and whether the monitoring configuration supports the promised comparison.
A first post-solar bill should be checked for service days, operating start, imports, exports, fixed charges and adjustments. A partial-month bill should not be compared directly with a full month’s model. Request correction of a billing question from the utility and a technical question from the installer, preserving the records for both.
The file should be usable by a future owner or service provider. Clear documentation of account treatment and design is more helpful than a screenshot of a sales savings total. Keep sensitive account information private while retaining complete copies.
Test the proposal if an assumption turns out wrong
A utility-assumption audit should identify which error would change the recommendation. Test an uncompensated-export case where the intended program is not confirmed, a lower daytime-use case where matching is uncertain, and a later operating-date case where schedule is unresolved. Label each as a scenario, not a prediction.
Change one input at a time first. This shows whether the project depends on export value, future rates or immediate operation. Then consider a reasonable combined downside scenario relevant to the property. Do not generate dozens of arbitrary numbers that make the worksheet look precise while leaving the actual source unknown.
Ask what evidence would resolve each uncertainty. The answer may be a utility response, interval data, a revised design or contract clarification. If the investment only works after an unverified favorable assumption, collect that evidence before treating the project as ready.
Assign an owner to every unresolved utility question
A ledger is useful only if someone is responsible for closing its gaps. For each conditional input, identify the person or organization that can answer it, the document expected and the point at which the answer is needed. An installer can prepare an application, while the utility decides account and program questions. A lender decides credit changes. Do not leave all three under a vague note saying approval pending.
Use a short open-issues register. For example, an export-program question should identify the utility contact or application channel, the submitted design version and the written response required. A potential electrical change should identify the designer, utility requirement and revised cash scope. A savings-model revision should identify who updates the worksheet and how the owner receives it.
| Open issue | Decision owner | Evidence that closes it |
|---|---|---|
| Account tariff unclear | Utility/account holder | Correct official schedule |
| Program route conditional | Utility application process | Written response for submitted design |
| Design altered | Designer and applicable reviewer | Accepted revised configuration |
| Additional work required | Contractor and owner | Approved cash change order |
| Credit balance changes | Creditor and borrower | Revised credit documents |
| Financial forecast affected | Proposal author | Revised model using documented inputs |
Choose a review point before equipment purchase or another irreversible project milestone where practical and consistent with the agreement. This does not create a legal right to pause; it is a way to ask for a clear decision process before committing. If the seller cannot say how unresolved inputs affect your choice, the proposal needs more work.
Keep the evidence and explanation together. A utility response can be technically accurate yet leave its financial effect unclear to the owner. Ask the bidder to explain whether the response changes capacity, cost, expected output, export value or schedule. The purpose is to make the change understandable before approval, not merely to collect another PDF.
Request a proposal review with the right documents
Prepare the utility bill, load history, existing utility agreement if any, equipment/design exhibit, cash scope, financing schedule and assumption ledger. Add ownership and roof information so the reviewer can connect the account to the site. Include the project goal: lower energy expense, backup, EV charging or another defined purpose.
Review residential solar installation, solar permits and solar installation stages for the next practical steps. Bring your address, verified utility, ownership status and complete proposal to an address-qualified solar assessment, asking Sunburst to confirm Georgia service coverage and scope. Utility approvals, lender obligations and legal interpretations stay with their respective decision-makers.
Frequently asked questions
Does net metering in a proposal establish my export rate?
No. Require the actual utility program, tariff source and account eligibility. A generic label may conceal different settlement or export treatment. Ask for written utility confirmation when the proposed arrangement is not established.
Can I use my neighbor’s tariff in my model?
Only if the utility confirms it applies to your account and application. Older agreements, different providers or meters can produce different treatment. A neighbor’s bill does not reserve your eligibility.
Are panel kW and utility program kW always identical?
No. Modules commonly have DC ratings, while a program may use AC capacity or another definition. Have the designer show the relevant values and verify how the utility treats the proposed configuration.
Does installed mean authorized to operate?
Not automatically. Required inspection and utility permission may follow physical installation. Ask for the written operating authorization and distinguish it from the contractor’s completion date or creditor’s payment trigger.
What if the utility requires a smaller system?
Request a revised design, cash price, production model and financing treatment before authorizing the change. Legal options depend on the agreement and applicable rights; do not assume the original savings total remains valid.
Should future rate growth appear in the baseline?
Show a current-rate, no-growth baseline and separate sensitivity scenarios. Future growth is an assumption, not a utility-approved promise. Keep export rates and fixed charges distinct from import price changes.
Can monitoring production prove the utility bill is correct?
Not by itself. Production, consumption, imports and exports can be different measured quantities. Identify the measurement behind each display and reconcile the billing period before deciding whether there is an error.
What should survive in the final project file?
Retain the final approved design, equipment, inspection, utility agreement, operating permission and updated model. Keep the source ledger and any change orders so later reviews can identify what was promised and what actually changed.
Sources and methodology
Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Official sources checked September 30, 2026. This is a utility-input audit, distinct from a general contract/cancellation guide and tariff economics resource. No rate, fee, settlement amount, approval timeline or program eligibility is invented. Forum questions informed objections only.
- Georgia Power installation and interconnection: current account and program distinctions; accessed September 30, 2026.
- Georgia Attorney General solar consumer guide: utility, ownership and agreement diligence; accessed September 30, 2026.