Home Assessment Checklist

A Home Assessment Checklist is a structured evaluation used by solar designers, installers, and energy consultants to assess whether a home is suitable for solar installation. It serves as a standardized guide for collecting site details, roof measurements, shading conditions, electrical panel information, structural conditions, and customer needs.

This checklist ensures that solar proposals are accurate, code-compliant, and tailored to the home’s specific characteristics. When paired with modern digital tools like Solar Designing or remote site surveys, it drastically improves design speed, reduces errors, and prevents scope-of-work surprises during installation.

A Home Assessment Checklist is essential for all residential solar workflows, particularly in markets where AHJ rules, utility requirements, and roof complexity vary widely.

Key Takeaways

A Home Assessment Checklist ensures accurate, safe, and code-compliant solar designs.
It standardizes how teams collect roof, shading, electrical, and customer information.
Essential for reducing redesigns, minimizing installation issues, and improving proposal accuracy.
Works hand-in-hand with digital design tools and remote assessment workflows.
A complete checklist improves performance modeling, customer satisfaction, and project success.

What Is a Home Assessment Checklist?

A Home Assessment Checklist is a documented set of criteria used to gather essential technical information about a property before creating a solar design or proposal. It ensures that the designer and installer have accurate data about:

Roof structure and material
Orientation, pitch, and usable roof area
Obstructions such as chimneys, vents, skylights
Shading conditions throughout the year
Electrical service panel and breaker capacity
Customer energy usage and future plans (EV, heat pumps, battery)
Structural and safety considerations

This checklist aligns all teams—sales, design, engineering, permitting, and installation—by providing consistent, high-quality data from the start.

Related concepts include Site Survey App, Roof Pitch Measurement, and Shading Analysis.

How It Works

Although formats vary, the Home Assessment Checklist typically includes the following steps:

1. Document Basic Property Information

Address, square footage, number of stories, roof access, and local AHJ requirements.

2. Inspect the Roof Surface

Roof age & condition (cracking, curling, soft spots)
Roof material (asphalt, tile, metal, flat membrane)
Structural integrity and load-bearing capability
Available roof planes for solar

For roof measurements, see Roof Pitch Calculator.

3. Identify Obstructions and Setbacks

Record chimneys, skylights, satellite dishes, parapets, and fire code setbacks to define the Array Boundary.

4. Evaluate Shading Conditions

Shading from trees, neighboring buildings, or dormers is measured using tools or software like Shadow Analysis.

5. Review Electrical Service

Assess:

Main panel size (100A, 125A, 200A)
Busbar rating
Breaker availability
Service entrance
Need for upgrades or line-side tap

For sizing and loads, see Load Analysis.

6. Analyze Energy Usage

Collect 12 months of utility data to understand consumption patterns and seasonal variations.

7. Understand Customer Goals

Examples:

Lower energy bills
Backup power
EV charging
Future electrification plans

8. Capture Photos & Measurements

Used by designers when generating the solar layout inside tools like Solar Designing.

9. Upload Checklist to Design Team

Ensures design accuracy and reduces change orders.

Types / Variants of Home Assessment Checklists

1. Standard Residential Checklist

Used for pitched-roof homes with basic electrical setups.

2. Advanced Structural Assessment Checklist

Includes rafter spacing, decking material, attic access, and detailed load evaluation.

3. Electrical Assessment Checklist

Used when battery systems, EV chargers, or heavy loads are expected.

4. Remote Site Assessment Checklist

Paired with virtual site-survey tools, drone imagery, or LiDAR (see LIDAR Roof Model).

5. AHJ-Specific Checklists

Customized to meet regional fire code, permitting, or inspection requirements.

How It’s Measured

A Home Assessment Checklist is evaluated on:

Completeness of Data

A checklist is effective only if all fields are filled accurately.

Accuracy of Roof Measurements

Tilt, azimuth, and usable area must match real-world conditions.

Shading Precision

Requires accurate solar access percentage, shadow paths, and POA impact.

Electrical Load Capacity

Breaker size, busbar limits, and interconnection options must match design requirements.

Customer Fit

Ensures the system size aligns with usage and future needs.

Typical Values / Ranges

Roof Pitch:

Low slope: 2/12–4/12
Standard residential: 5/12–9/12
Steep: 10/12+

Electrical Panels:

Common: 125A or 200A
Older homes: 60A–100A

Solar Access:

Ideal: 85–95%+
Acceptable: 75–85%
Poor: <75%

Roof Condition:

Roofs older than 20–25 years may require replacement before installation.

Practical Guidance for Solar Designers & Installers

1. Always collect accurate roof geometry

Use digital tools and verify slopes and azimuth with the Sun Angle Calculator.

2. Prioritize safety and structural integrity

Identify weak decking, aging shingles, or load limitations early.

3. Document shading thoroughly

Use digital shading tools to measure annual impact rather than relying on estimates.

4. Capture detailed electrical panel information

Photographs + breaker ratings = smoother interconnection design.

5. Review customer energy habits

Helps determine system size, battery requirements, and ROI.

6. Sync checklist data directly into design tools

SurgePV lets designers instantly use checklist data in Solar Designing to create accurate layouts.

7. Use checklists to reduce change orders

A complete assessment prevents unexpected roof replacements, electrical upgrades, or redesigns.

Real-World Examples

1. Standard Residential Evaluation

A consultant completes the checklist, capturing roof pitch, shingles, and shading from a single tree. The design team uses this to create a 6.2 kW proposal within minutes.

2. Aging Roof Scenario

Checklist reveals brittle shingles and a 22-year-old roof. The solar team recommends reroofing before installation to avoid future leaks.

3. Electrical Upgrade Need

A home with a 100A panel and no breaker space requires a panel upgrade.

The checklist helps include this cost in the proposal upfront.