Solar leads: what installers pay and the rules around them

A homeowner who once typed an address into a savings calculator and a homeowner who has agreed to sit down with a consultant on Thursday evening are both sold as solar leads. Installers pay for how much of the selling has already been done.

The closer to a signed contract, the higher the price and the more the buyer expects the lead to be theirs alone.

Judge suppliers on cost per install

Both sources warn that the per-lead number is the wrong scoreboard. Installers judge a supplier on cost per appointment held and cost per install, so a broker who can show those numbers from a test batch has a far easier sale than one quoting price alone.

• Savings calculators and quiz funnels that ask for roof type, monthly bill and ownership before the phone number.
• Utility-bill upload forms, which give the installer real usage data and screen out renters early.
• Inbound call campaigns on search and social, sold per qualified call.
• Canvassing teams who set appointments on the doorstep, sold per appointment.

What installers filter on

Homeownership is the filter installers care about most, followed by roof suitability and credit for financed systems. A batch that mixes renters into it will be returned or disputed.

1. 1

   In-home sales and the cooling-off period

   The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers until midnight of the third business day to cancel most sales made at their home, covering sales of $25 or more. Door-set appointments lead to exactly this kind of sale, so installers expect the paperwork to be right.

2. 2

   California's solar disclosure

   California requires a Solar Energy System Disclosure Document on the front of every residential solar contract, covering total cost and financing, in the language used in the sales pitch. Check the Contractors State License Board for the current version.

3. 3

   Consent to be called

   Autodialled or prerecorded calls need prior express written consent naming the seller. The FCC's one-to-one consent rule was vacated in January 2025, but sharing one consent across a long list of installers remains a common reason solar leads are rejected.

4. 4

   State calling laws

   Florida's amended Telephone Solicitation Act requires a consumer to reply STOP and allows 15 days before a texting claim can proceed; Oklahoma's 2022 law requires written consent for automated sales calls and allows $500 per violation.

• Ads or forms promising free panels or a government programme, which bring in people who won't buy.
• No proof the person owns the home.
• Consent text listing dozens of companies, or none at all.
• Appointments without a confirmed time and both decision-makers present.

DataBroker does not generate, hold or resell solar leads. It is a paid course plus software for people who source data and lead supply and sell it to buyers such as installers: how to qualify a lead source, read its consent language, set a price per stage and contract with both sides.