Editorial Policy

SolarCalcNow publishes planning estimates and educational content for U.S. homeowners. This page explains how content is created, reviewed, and limited so users can judge what the site can and cannot claim.

Estimate-first principle

Calculator results appear before any email, phone, or quote gate. Estimates are ranges with visible assumptions, not installer quotes, engineering designs, tax advice, or utility approval.

Gross cost before incentives

Default payback and cost views use gross system cost. State, local, and federal incentives are excluded from net-cost math unless each program has a source URL, updated date, active status, eligibility scope, and explicit inclusion in the calculator data model.

Source review

Electricity rates, production assumptions, incentive status, and methodology notes should link to reviewable sources or be labeled as planning assumptions. See the sources page and methodology for current update cadence.

Banned marketing language

User-facing copy must not use guaranteed-savings language, zero-bill promises, free-solar claims, government-payment claims, unverified tax-credit eligibility, installer rankings, or similar high-risk phrases. Automated checks in CI scan core user-facing files for the banned phrase list.

Confidence and limitations

Confidence levels are capped when usage is bill-derived, PVWatts ZIP production is unavailable, or shade is not confirmed low. Quote tools compare gross price per watt and planning fit — they do not recommend installers or financing products.

Corrections

If you believe a rate, incentive status, or assumption is outdated, start with the corrections and source updates page. If you already have the page URL and a more current source, use the contact page with those details.