Proposal reviews nationwide · System support in NJ
Your solar questions,
answered.
Proposal reviews, system support, and SREC paperwork help—here’s how to get started.
What areas do you serve?
Remote solar proposal reviews are available to homeowners in all 50 states. Send your documents electronically and discuss the findings in a 30-minute phone Q&A. Monitoring, maintenance, orphaned-system support, and SREC paperwork assistance are available in New Jersey only.
What does the $199 proposal review include?
A review of one solar proposal and supporting utility information, a one-page written assessment, and a 30-minute phone Q&A with Tim. The assessment covers key numbers, main concerns, and questions to take back to the solar company. Additional comparisons or follow-up work are scoped separately.
Can I use the assessment to negotiate with my installer?
Yes. Take your one-page assessment back to your solar installer to discuss the findings, question the quoted price, and negotiate a better price or terms before signing. The assessment gives you specific concerns and questions to support that conversation. The installer decides whether to revise its offer, so a discount is not guaranteed.
What should I send for a proposal review?
Your solar proposal, equipment and system-size details, projected production and savings, any financing or lease documents, and available electricity usage information. Start with the contact form or email your documents to timlakata@solaradvocatesnj.com. You may redact account numbers and unrelated personal information.
Can you review a solar loan, lease, or PPA?
Yes. We review the financial terms and assumptions shown in your proposal, including disclosed fees, payment changes, escalators, commitment length, and stated home-sale requirements. We help identify questions to resolve before signing.
How does the consultation work?
Send your proposal and supporting information first. Tim reviews the material and prepares your one-page assessment. You then have a 30-minute phone Q&A to discuss the findings and your remaining questions. Scheduling is arranged directly.
My installer went out of business. Can you help?
Yes—in New Jersey. Solar Advocates supports homeowners with orphaned solar systems—systems whose installer has closed or is no longer providing support. We can help with monitoring, performance concerns, maintenance needs, equipment records, warranty questions, and repair coordination.
What monitoring plans do you offer?
For eligible New Jersey systems, Essential Monitoring is $19/month or $199/year. Monitoring + Advocacy is $29/month or $299/year. Either plan has a $99 one-time onboarding and remote assessment fee. Essential includes business-day alert review, lost-reporting checks, monthly production review, a written monthly summary, and direct notification of identified concerns.
What does Monitoring + Advocacy add?
Everything in Essential Monitoring, plus quarterly performance analysis, an annual 30-minute consultation, warranty assistance, service coordination and repair-quote review, and New Jersey solar-credit guidance. The plan includes the annual 30-minute consultation plus up to 90 minutes of additional support per year. Extra work is quoted separately.
How does monitoring work?
Getting started is simple: we’ll confirm your system’s eligibility and help you connect authorized monitoring access. Your system needs a working internet connection so we can review available data and alerts on business days. When we identify a concern, we’ll reach out within two business days with clear information and practical next steps.
Your plan covers remote monitoring and the support listed above. If a site visit, electrical testing, repairs, or replacement equipment is needed, we’ll help you understand the next steps. Additional work and third-party costs are quoted separately, so you know what to expect before moving forward.
Can you help with SREC paperwork, reporting, or payment issues?
Yes, for New Jersey homeowners. We can help review registration status and outstanding paperwork, organize generation records, work through reporting questions, and investigate missing certificates or delayed payments using your available records. We can also help identify next steps when your installer left the process unfinished.
What does SREC support cost, and what should I send?
We start by assessing your issue, then agree on the scope and fee before work begins. Tell us what has gone wrong and share relevant registration correspondence, generation reports, or payment notices. Redact account numbers and unrelated personal information; do not send passwords. Approvals, certificate issuance, and payments remain with the relevant administrators and providers, so outcomes and timing are not guaranteed.
Who will I work with?
You will work with Tim Lakata, founder of Solar Advocates, a certified Enphase Installer with a background in energy-sector operations and leadership.