What a Lower Solar Quote Usually Leaves Out

This guide shows where the difference usually hides, so you can make two quotes describe the same system before you compare totals. For a full line-by-line BOQ checklist, see how to read and compare solar quotations.

Where the gap between two quotes usually comes from

Not every lower quote cuts every line. But if a quote is noticeably lower and has fewer lines, the missing lines are usually where the difference is.

Diagram

What cheap quotes leave out

Structure

Light steel, no galvanising

Protection

Missing SPDs or wrong breakers

Cables

Undersized or unbranded

The five cuts that cost the most later

1. The structure

The frame is one of the easiest places to save money, because the buyer cannot judge steel thickness by eye. A light frame may look fine until the first strong pre-monsoon storm. A 2023 peer-reviewed study of common 14-gauge rooftop mounting structures in Pakistan recorded damaged frames after a single windstorm and, in computer modelling, found the frames deformed at around 80 km/h and failed at around 110 km/h. The authors concluded that this design did not meet the Building Code of Pakistan. Our article on how we design structures for Punjab wind and heat explains what a designed frame involves.

2. Cables, connectors and protection

Undersized cable runs hotter and wastes energy along its length. Mixed or poorly crimped connectors are a common source of hot joints. AC breakers used on the DC side may not safely break a DC arc, and a system without surge protection has little defence against lightning-induced surges. See our solar cable size guide and earthing and surge protection guide.

3. Panel and battery specifications

Two "615 W panels" can be very different products. Grade, model generation and whether the panels are genuine all matter; see Grade A, Grade B and refurbished panels and how to check genuine solar panels. For batteries, a quote in Ah alone does not tell you how much energy you can use. Our guide to 100Ah, 200Ah and 16 kWh batteries explains how to compare in usable kWh.

4. Design

A system quoted without a survey is usually a standard kit. It may be the wrong size for your load, have strings that do not suit the inverter, or put panels in the shade of a tank. Read why in-house engineering and design matter.

5. Testing, handover and after-sales

Commissioning tests catch reversed strings, insulation faults and wrong inverter settings before they become problems. A quote with no testing and no defined after-sales process may cost less now, but you pay for every fault visit later. See how we test and commission a system. To inspect workmanship yourself, use our installation quality checklist.

What lower quality costs over time: an example

It is easy to compare purchase prices and hard to compare what happens afterwards. Here is a simple way to think about it. The numbers are round, illustrative values only, not a forecast for any system.

For example, if a well-built system on your roof produces 1,000 units a month on average, and a poorly designed or poorly wired version of the same size produced 5% less because of shade, string mismatch and cable losses, you would lose about 50 units a month, or about 600 units a year. Multiply that by the value of a unit to you (the tariff you avoid by using solar yourself) and by the years you expect to keep the system. Then add the cost of any repair visits, replaced connectors or a rebuilt structure. Compare that with the difference between the two quotes.

The real figures depend on your site, so use our solar installation cost guide to understand what each part costs.

Comparing like for like

Ask every company to price the same scope. A simple table helps.

1. Ask both for a site survey and a written BOQ.
2. Make every vague line specific: brand, model, size, quantity, material.
3. Add the cost of anything one quote leaves out to that quote's total.
4. Check who designs, installs and services the system. Our 10-point checklist for choosing a solar company lists the questions.
5. Then compare totals. If one quote is still lower for the same scope and equipment, it may be genuine value.

Buying parts separately from different sellers raises the same issue; see complete package or separate components.

When a lower quote is genuine value

A lower price is not automatically a bad sign. It can reflect a different but suitable equipment choice, a simpler roof, a smaller battery that still meets your needs, or a seller with lower overheads. The test is simple: with the same scope, equipment and warranties in writing, is it still lower? If yes, it may be the better deal. If the gap closes once the missing lines are added, it was never cheaper.

Paperwork and the items quoted "later"

Net-billing documents, DISCO charges, transport, long cable runs, civil work and roof repairs are often left out of the first quote and added later. New connections now come under the net billing rules; see our net billing guide. Ask every company to list exclusions in writing.

Solar Works Pakistan prepares and submits the net billing application and documents to your DISCO as part of the project.

How we quote at Solar Works Pakistan

Our quotations follow a site survey, which is normally free, and in-house engineering design. Where the equipment has been selected, the BOQ names the brand, model, quantity, specification and warranty of each main item. Structures are designed by our engineers and fabricated and assembled by our own teams on site, with a 3-year structure warranty. Manufacturer warranties for panels, inverters and batteries are; see our warranty guide. Our 1-year service warranty applies under the applicable project terms, and our own engineers handle after-sales with a 48-hour target to send personnel after a complaint. Our position is best value without compromise, not the lowest number on paper. See typical solar system prices.

Get today's price or a free site survey

Have a quote you are unsure about? Send us your bills and we will arrange a survey and a detailed BOQ you can put next to it, line by line.

• WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
• Email: info@solarworks.pk
• Head office: Main Boulevard, Sargodha Rd, Block F FDA City, Faisalabad
• Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore
• Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, daily

We serve customers throughout Punjab, and site surveys are normally free. See our Faisalabad and Lahore pages, or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Why is one solar quote so much cheaper than another?

Usually because the scope or equipment is different: a lighter structure, thinner cables, missing protection or earthing, a lower-spec inverter or battery, or no design and testing. Make both quotes list the same items before comparing totals.

Is a cheap solar installation always a bad idea?

No. If the lower quote names the same equipment and covers the same scope, with warranties in writing, it may be genuine value. The risk is a low total with a vague BOQ.

What is most often missing from low solar quotes?

Structure specifications, DC protection, surge protection, earthing, proper conduit and clips, commissioning tests, monitoring and net-billing paperwork are the most common gaps.

How can I tell if the structure in a quote is good enough?

Ask for the material, section sizes or gauge, coating, height and anchoring method in writing, and whether it was designed for your roof. A line that says only "standard structure" tells you nothing.

How do I get a quote I can compare fairly with yours?

Send your bills on WhatsApp 0336 666 4321. After a site survey, which is normally free, we give a detailed BOQ naming brand, model and quantity, so you can compare it line by line with any other quote.

Do cheap systems produce less electricity?

They can. Shade from poor layout, mismatched strings, undersized cables and dirty or damaged connections all reduce output. The panels may be the same, but the system can produce less.

Sources

1. Mubarak, A. and Hyder, M. J., study of 14-gauge rooftop solar mounting structures in Pakistan, Engineering Proceedings (2023), via DOAJ