Proposal Autopsy: The Phantom Panel Upgrade

The proposal

A 9.2 kW-DC system for a Cheektowaga homeowner in a 1962 ranch. The proposal reads cleanly: a clear price, a financing option, a production estimate, a one-page savings chart. The electrical side of the project is barely mentioned. There is one sentence on page three, in a paragraph labeled “Site conditions,” that ends with “subject to final electrical assessment.” Here is the relevant redacted excerpt.

Proposal D (redacted)

Cheektowaga, NY · 9.2 kW-DC · cash price shown

System summary

• System size: 9.2 kW-DC (23 modules, 400W each)1
• Inverter: SolarEdge HD-Wave single-phase, 10kW2
• Estimated year-one production: 10,800 kWh3
• Roof orientation: south, 24 degree pitch, composite shingle, 18 years old

Investment

• Cash price: $27,6004
• Federal tax credit at 30%: $8,280 (estimated)5
• Net after credit: $19,320
• Financing option: 20-year loan, 5.99% APR, $212/month6

Site conditions

• Roof: acceptable, no immediate concerns noted7
• Utility service: National Grid, meter accessible8
• Electrical panel: reviewed from exterior photos, subject to final electrical assessment9

1. 1

   Specific size, module count, and wattage. Good.

2. 2

   Specific inverter. SolarEdge HD-Wave is a reasonable match for a 9.2 kW system. Standard.

3. 3

   10,800 / 9.2 = 1,174 kWh per kW-DC per year. Within the reasonable WNY range for a south-facing roof, slightly on the optimistic side. Ask for the shading inputs.

4. 4

   This is the solar-only price. Not total cost to get solar installed. The homeowner assumed this was the cash-out-the-door number. It was not.

5. 5

   Thirty percent of the solar price, not of anything else the homeowner will be charged. If the panel upgrade appears as a change order, the credit does not extend to it unless explicitly documented.

6. 6

   Real rate, not a teaser. No dealer fee visible here, which is good. But the financed amount does not include the eventual panel upgrade, so the payment schedule is wrong.

7. 7

   18-year-old composite shingle is at the low end of replacement consideration. Not flagged here. Homeowner should ask before panels go on.

8. 8

   Fine.

9. 9

   This is the phantom line. 'Subject to final electrical assessment' is doing an enormous amount of work in one sentence. The panel is actually 100A and is full. The electrician's on-site report triggered a required 200A upgrade with a new service entrance: $3,800 as a change order. None of that cost, timing, or homeowner decision point is disclosed here.

What actually happened

The proposal was signed, the deposit was paid, and 23 days later the installer's electrician came out for the pre-install site assessment. His report was one page. The relevant line: “100A main service insufficient for proposed PV interconnection. 200A service upgrade required. Estimated cost: $3,800. To be added as change order.”

By the time this reached the homeowner as an email with a PDF attachment, the install was 11 days away, the 30% deposit had cleared, and the financing was locked at the original $27,600 amount. The homeowner had three options: pay the change order in cash, refinance at a higher amount (which now crossed the lender's threshold and triggered a reappraisal), or back out of the install and forfeit the deposit.

None of those options are inherently predatory. What was missing was the warning. The proposal could have said: “Based on your home's age, a panel upgrade is likely. If required, expect $3,000 to $4,500 additional. We will confirm at the site visit.” That sentence would have made the rest of the process transparent. Instead the proposal said nothing, and the homeowner signed assuming $27,600 was the number.

How to catch this in your own proposal

Three asks that defuse the phantom upgrade

• [ ] Ask whether the panel upgrade is in the quote or out.

  In writing. A single sentence: 'Is the main electrical panel included in this price, and if the on-site assessment finds it needs upgrading, what is the change-order range?' Good installers answer this with a number or a bounded range.

• [ ] Ask to see the site assessment clause in the contract.

  Find the sentence with words like 'subject to,' 'final assessment,' or 'electrical contingency.' Read it with the assumption that it will trigger. If there is no stated cost cap, ask for one.

• [ ] Do the panel check yourself before you sign.

  Open your panel cover. The main breaker has a number: 100, 150, or 200. If it is 100 or 150, expect a conversation. If it is 200 with breaker-slot headroom, you are probably fine. The panel upgrade checker tool walks through this in detail.

What to watch for

• The proposal never states your panel amperage or breaker count.
• The proposal references a 'site assessment,' 'electrical review,' or 'final inspection' without a cost range for outcomes.
• The installer says 'we will handle any upgrades' but does not quote them.
• The proposal pre-dates any in-person visit to your electrical panel.
• Your home was built before 1985 and the proposal does not mention a panel upgrade at all.

If this is your proposal

The fix is not cancellation. The fix is clarification. An installer with a clean process will either walk you through the panel-upgrade scenarios on the spot, or schedule a proper site assessment before you pay a deposit. Installers whose process depends on the phantom clause will deflect, say “we almost never need to upgrade,” or point you at the boilerplate. That response is useful information before you sign.

Recommended tool

Walks through your panel's amperage, breaker headroom, and whether a 200A upgrade is likely. Gives you the number to bring to the installer conversation.

Open run the panel upgrade checker

Recommended tool

If you are not sure what your panel is, take a photo of the label. The decoder identifies brand, amperage, and known-recall status in seconds.

Open upload a photo of your panel

Methodology note

This autopsy is drawn from a real 2026 Cheektowaga proposal. The 9.2 kW size, pricing structure, and change-order sequence are preserved. The installer name, street, and identifying product choices are changed or removed. The phantom-upgrade pattern is not unique to one installer; it is the common shape of proposals sold before an in-home electrical panel review in WNY in 2026.

Keep reading

• Autopsy: the dealer fee ate the deal

  A clean $/W and a loan structure that moved thousands to the dealer.

• Autopsy: the proposal with no total paid

  A proposal that barely had numbers to audit.

• What panel upgrades actually cost in WNY

  The full cost breakdown for 100A, 150A, and 200A upgrades, with scope line items.

• How to read a solar quote before you sign

  The five numbers every proposal should answer to.

FAQ

Can the installer really charge me extra after I sign?

If the contract has an 'electrical contingency' or 'subject to site assessment' clause, yes. These clauses are standard in solar contracts, but they should be accompanied by a stated expected cost range, not a blank check. Read the clause before signing and ask for a cap or a revised quote after the site visit.

How do I know if my panel needs upgrading before I get a proposal?

Open your panel cover. The main breaker shows your amperage: commonly 100A, 150A, or 200A. Most WNY homes built before 1985 are 100A or 150A. Solar with modern 400W+ panels typically needs 200A service. If yours is below that, expect an upgrade conversation. Our panel upgrade checker walks through this in detail.

What does a 200A upgrade cost in WNY?

Typically $2,500 to $5,000 installed, depending on whether your service entrance cable also needs replacing, which is common in pre-1970 homes. Pink Energy-style 'free panel upgrade' marketing usually means the cost is hidden in the system price or will reappear as a change order.

Should the panel upgrade always be in the solar quote?

If the installer knows your panel is undersized, yes. If they have not seen your panel yet, the proposal should at minimum state the assumption and what happens if it is wrong. Quotes that pretend the panel does not exist are incomplete.