SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Yearly or Twice a Year: Presenting Both Options on a Solar Cleaning Quote

Not every homeowner wants the same cleaning schedule, and not every roof needs it. A house next to a dirt road under a big oak tree is a different story from a clean suburban roof with no trees in sight. Offering both a yearly and a twice-a-year option on the quote lets the customer choose what fits, and either choice is better for your business than a one-time job.

Two Good Answers

Turning a One-Time Solar Cleaning Into a Twice-a-Year Plan made the case for plans. This article is about presenting the choice. When customers see two clear options side by side, they tend to pick one of them rather than saying “let me think about it.”

Helping the Customer Choose

Base your recommendation on what you can see, not on a sales script. Some practical guides:

• Twice a year often fits: homes with trees over the array, heavy pollen seasons, dusty roads or farmland nearby, coastal salt, or a history of bird problems.
• Yearly often fits: homes with little nearby dust or trees, steep roofs where rain does some of the rinsing, or customers on a tighter budget.
• Either way: the customer can compare their own production app over time and adjust. You can always move a yearly customer to twice a year later.

If the panels have never been cleaned, the first visit is a separate question from the plan. Quote the first cleaning for the buildup it really has, as in Quoting a First-Time Solar Panel Cleaning on Heavily Soiled Panels, and then present yearly and twice-a-year options for the visits after it. Customers find it easier to commit to a plan when the regular price is clearly separate from the one-time catch-up.

Tell the customer what you would do in their shoes, then let them choose. “With those trees, I'd go twice a year. But yearly is a fine place to start.”

Putting Both Options on the Quote

There are a few clean ways to present the choice:

• Two estimates. Send one estimate marked “Yearly” and one marked “Twice a Year.” The customer approves the one they want online.
• One estimate with a note. Price one visit, and explain in the notes that it can be repeated yearly or twice a year at the same price per visit.
• On the phone, then one estimate. Ask which they prefer during the call, then send a single estimate that matches their choice.

Whatever the format, make the price per visit clear and say plainly how often you will come. A customer should never be surprised by a second visit they did not realize they agreed to.

Pricing the Two Options

Most companies charge the same price per visit for both. Some add a small per-visit saving for twice a year, since more frequent cleanings tend to be lighter work and fill the route predictably. If you do offer a saving, show it as its own line so the customer sees it. Keep it modest and consistent, and put it on your service list so everyone in the office quotes it the same way.

Avoid pricing a yearly plan higher per visit as a penalty. Customers notice, and it feels like a push. A plan of any kind is a win.

Setting It Up Once They Choose

When the customer approves, the estimate becomes the scheduled job. Enter the panel details on the job once (panel count, mount, stories, pitch, extras and access notes), then set the plan by the minimum days between visits:

• Twice a year: 180 days.
• Yearly: 365 days.

After each cleaning, the job comes due on the Waiting List on its own once those days have passed. Pins on the Waiting List map show whether each cleaning is not due yet, due now, or overdue past a 7-day grace, so you can group due cleanings by area. Tagging customers with something like “Twice a Year” also makes it easy to find and report on them later.

Revisiting the Choice

A plan is not locked in forever. A good moment to check in is when the tech completes a visit and the before-and-after photos show heavy buildup on a yearly customer, or barely any on a twice-a-year customer. A quick text from the office, like “Your panels were pretty dirty this time. Want to switch to twice a year?” often gets a yes. Changing the plan is just a matter of updating the minimum days on the job.

Offering two options is a small change to how you quote that turns more one-time inquiries into long-term customers. To see how quoting and recurring plans work together, visit the solar cleaning estimate software page.