The payment is not the price.
A low monthly payment can hide a dealer fee of 20% or more. How to find it before you sign.
Most solar pitches lead with a monthly number. It sounds smaller than your power bill, and that is the point. The number that matters is the cash price, and a lot of quotes are built so you never see it.
What a dealer fee is
When a solar loan is advertised with a low interest rate, the lender often charges the installer a fee to "buy down" that rate. The installer adds the fee to your price. The CFPB found these markups can run to 20% or more of the system's cost, and that they are often not disclosed as a separate line.[1]
So the payment looks good, the rate looks good, and the price is quietly a fifth higher than it would be if you paid cash.
How to find it
Ask three questions, in writing:
- What is the cash price for this exact system?
- What is the loan amount?
- What is the price per watt?
If the loan amount is higher than the cash price, the difference is the fee. If they will not give you a cash price at all, that is your answer.
How we handle it
The receipt on this site starts with the cash price: real cost plus 15%, line by line. If financing is ever offered, any loan fee shows up as its own line, and the cash price above it does not move.
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Sources
- [1]CFPB, “CFPB Report Finds Lenders Cramming Markup Fees and Confusing Terms into Solar Energy Loans” Accessed Oct 11, 2026.