Pros
Cons
Quick answer
Solar Design Tool is now sold as Lyra, a web tool that makes home solar permit packages for the US and Puerto Rico. The vendor lists concept designs as free and permit packages from $49, with a minimum of 20 packages a year. It suits installers who file many home permits. Prices checked October 2026.
Filing home permits and still need proposals and yield?
Book a guided demo and see SurgePV’s design, shading, financial modeling and proposal tools on one of your own projects.
Book a Free DemoChecking cost first? See the SurgePV pricing page.
SurgePV publishes this page and is a vendor in this category. This page covers Solar Design Tool (now Lyra), which SurgePV competes with. The facts here come from the vendors’ public pages, checked October 2026.
What Solar Design Tool does
The vendor describes Lyra as “a fast and powerful residential PV solar design tool and permit package generation platform” (Lyra design page). PV means photovoltaic, or solar panels. The old name still matters, because many people search for it. The vendor explains the change on its page SolarDesignTool is now Lyra.
The vendor says you can make a system design and a permit package in as little as 15 minutes (Lyra permit packages). That is the vendor’s claim. We have not timed it.
Here is what the vendor documents, with the page for each fact.
| Area | What the vendor says | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Roof setup | Trace roof faces over aerial imagery, or import a 3D roof plan from EagleView or RoofOrders for an additional fee. | Design |
| Site plan | Add site equipment, streets and more to the site plan. | Design |
| Panel layout | A default layout built to maximize coverage. You can move and rotate modules. The tool makes fire code setbacks and access paths. | Design |
| Stringing | Supports string inverters, microinverters and inverters that need optimizers. Checks strings against electrical codes and maker rules. | Design |
| Energy estimate | Uses “the latest version of PV Watts”, a solar output estimate tool. You can adjust loss settings. | Design |
| Storage | Add an energy storage system to the design. | Design |
| Design papers | Concept plan set, system datasheets, design validation report and bill of materials. | Design |
| Codes | Electrical codes: NEC 2011 to 2023 and CEC 2019 and 2022. NEC is the US National Electrical Code. CEC is the California Electrical Code. The vendor also lists fire and structural codes. | Design |
| Access | A web app, or an API that “fits any workflow”. | Pricing |
| Region | US and Puerto Rico, focused on residential systems. | Pricing |
What is in a permit package
The vendor says a permit package includes these pages (Permit packages):
- Project summary
- Site plan
- Single-line and/or three-line diagram. A single line diagram (SLD) is a simple drawing of how the system is wired.
- PV safety labels and placards
- Attachment plans, and attachment details for supported mounting systems
- Fire safety plan
- Equipment datasheets
- Certifications
You can add your own images and PDFs. The vendor says one click makes the package “if your design uses supported equipment”. It says its diagrams “are routinely accepted by AHJs without modification”. An AHJ is the authority having jurisdiction, the local office that approves your permit. Each office has its own rules, so ask yours.
Price and plans
The vendor shows a dollar sign and does not name the currency. We copy its words and do not convert anything. Checked October 2026.
| Item | Vendor wording | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Concept designs | “It’s free to create solar concept designs using Google Maps” | SolarDesignTool is now Lyra |
| Permit packages | “Permit packages for as low as $49” | Lyra home |
| How price changes | “The more permit packages you generate over a 30 day period - the lower your overall cost.” | Pricing |
| Minimum | “Minimum commitment of 20 packages per year” | Pricing |
| Plans | “Flexible subscription tiers based on active volume” and “Per permit prices are reduced as volume tier increases” | Pricing |
| Revisions | “Make unlimited permit package revisions for free” | Pricing |
| Guarantee | “100% money-back AHJ acceptance guarantee” | Pricing |
| 3D roof plans | Bought from EagleView or RoofOrders “for an additional fee” | Design |
The pricing text has no table of tier prices. It has a cost estimator that asks how many permit packages you plan to make each month. We did not read a price from it. Ask the vendor for the tier prices.
An older version of this page quoted a $50 per user per month plan. We cannot find that plan on the vendor’s site, so we removed it.
The vendor says “If you do 20 or more permit packages a year, then book a demo”. The pages we read do not state a free trial.
Facts from the Lyra home, pricing and permit pages, checked October 2026. Lyra shows no tier price table, so no chart is drawn.
Permit plan sets are one step of the job
SurgePV covers roof modeling, layout, yield and proposals in one product. Bring a real site to the demo.
Book a Free DemoWho it suits, and who should look elsewhere
It suits you if:
- You file home solar permits in the US or Puerto Rico and want a plan set from one design.
- You make 20 or more permit packages per year, the vendor’s stated minimum.
- You want a diagram, fire safety plan and datasheets in one export.
Look elsewhere if:
- You work outside the US and Puerto Rico. The vendor names only those two.
- You make fewer than 20 permit packages a year. That is below the vendor’s minimum.
- You need commercial or utility-scale design. The vendor describes Lyra as “residential PV system focused”.
- You need proposals, shading simulation or financial models. These are not stated on the Lyra pages we read (home, design, permit packages, pricing, compare, about and the Solar Design Tool page, October 2026). The vendor’s blog and developer pages were not searched, so ask the vendor.
The Lyra page for old customers links to a SolarDesignTool login. That link goes to solardesigntool.com, and that web address did not load when we checked in October 2026. If you use the old tool, ask the vendor how your account moves to Lyra.
Compared with SurgePV
SurgePV sells competing software. The SurgePV column uses only SurgePV’s own product facts and pricing page.
| Topic | Solar Design Tool (Lyra) | SurgePV |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Home permit packages from a design | 3D roof modeling, solar array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation |
| Price | Permit packages from $49, volume tiers, 20-package yearly minimum | USD per user per year: $1,899 (1 user), $1,499 per user (3 seats), $1,299 per user (5 seats) |
| Try it first | Free concept designs; demo offered | Guided demo; no self-serve trial |
| Limits | US and Puerto Rico; supported equipment only for one-click packages | Results depend on source data, assumptions, equipment models, configuration and review. Outputs support design work but do not replace approval by the responsible engineer, authority, lender, insurer or utility. |
The two prices use different units, per package and per user per year, so do not compare them directly. To see SurgePV on your own project, Book a Free Demo.
Bottom line
Choose Lyra if home permit packages for the US or Puerto Rico are your main bottleneck and you file at least 20 a year. Look at other tools if you also need proposals, shading simulation or financial models, which the Lyra pages read in October 2026 do not list. To see how SurgePV handles design through proposals, book a demo or read the SurgePV pricing page.
Other options
- Permit design software and services: tools that make permit plan sets, side by side.
- Solar permitting software: tools and routes for getting permits approved.
- Residential solar tools: design tools for home installers.
Frequently asked questions
What is Solar Design Tool?
Solar Design Tool is a web tool for home solar permit packages. The vendor now sells it under the name Lyra and says SolarDesignTool is now Lyra. You trace the roof, design the system and download a permit package. Checked October 2026.
How much does Solar Design Tool cost?
The vendor says it is free to create concept designs. It lists permit packages from $49, with lower prices as your volume grows. It sets a minimum of 20 permit packages per year. The page shows $ and does not name the currency. Checked October 2026.
Is there a Solar Design Tool free trial?
The vendor does not state a free trial on the pages we read. It does say concept designs are free, and it offers a demo. You pay only for permit packages.
What is in a Solar Design Tool permit package?
The vendor lists a project summary, site plan, single-line or three-line diagram, safety labels, attachment plans, fire safety plan, equipment datasheets and certifications. One click makes it if the design uses supported equipment.
Solar Design Tool vs SurgePV: what is the difference?
Solar Design Tool, now Lyra, focuses on home permit packages in the US and Puerto Rico. SurgePV covers 3D roof modeling, layout, shading, yield, finance, electrical workflow support, a bill of materials and proposals. SurgePV competes with it. Book a demo to see SurgePV on your project.
Sources
All pages were read in October 2026. Prices and limits are as the vendor shows them on those pages.
About the Contributors
Solar-industry contributor
Nimesh Katariya contributes to SurgePV content concerning solar project workflows. This profile intentionally does not assert certifications, project totals, seminar counts, or technical-review authority without retained verification evidence.
Editorial contributor · SurgePV
Rainer Neumann is credited as an editorial contributor on SurgePV content. This profile does not assert engineering credentials, project totals, software-testing experience, education, speaking engagements, or media citations because independent verification evidence is not retained in the publication record.
