What Is a Change Order?
Any signed amendment that alters the scope, price, or schedule of an existing solar contract is a change order. Typical triggers include electrical upgrades found at the site survey, roof repairs, added panels or batteries, and equipment substitutions. It needs the homeowner’s signature before the extra work proceeds.
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Any signed amendment that alters the scope, price, or schedule of an existing solar contract is a change order. Typical triggers include electrical upgrades found at the site survey, roof repairs, added panels or batteries, and equipment substitutions. It needs the homeowner’s signature before the extra work proceeds.
Change Order explained
The change order states what is changing, why, the effect on price, and any shift in timeline, and both parties sign. If financing is involved, the lender or lease provider may need to re-underwrite, and a larger amount can mean a new approval. Rules on updated disclosures for amended terms vary, so the installer’s compliance team owns that step.
Change orders show up most after the site survey, when physical reality overrides the proposal. A main panel that cannot handle the load, trenching that costs more than estimated, or a roof that needs work first will each generate one. Reps dislike them because commission can change; homeowners dislike them because they feel like a bait-and-switch when the issue was foreseeable.
Prevention starts at the appointment: ask about the age of the roof and the main panel, mention that the site survey can change scope, and avoid describing the quote as final. Mistakes include starting work on a verbal okay, burying the change in a long document, or pressuring the homeowner right before a crew date. Unsigned changes become disputes, and disputes become cancellations, reviews, and complaints that outlast the job.
Why it matters when you're buying
Frequent change orders mean proposals were built on assumptions. Gathering roof and panel information at the appointment, and saying plainly that a survey may adjust scope, hands the project team cleaner jobs and the homeowner fewer unpleasant surprises, which keeps more signed deals alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to sign a solar change order?
What causes change orders in solar projects?
Can a solar company raise the price after I sign?
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