SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Billing & Payments

Invoicing Bird Proofing and Critter Guards Alongside a Solar Panel Cleaning

Pigeons love solar arrays. The gap under the panels is dry, shaded and protected, and once birds move in the mess on the roof and panels keeps coming back. That makes bird proofing one of the most natural extras a solar cleaning company can sell. It also makes it one of the easiest to invoice badly.

An Extra, Not a Cleaning

Story and pitch add-ons, covered in Story and Steep-Pitch Add-Ons: Billing the Hard Roofs Fairly on a Solar Cleaning Invoice, change the price of the cleaning. Bird proofing and critter guards are different. They are separate work, often a one-time install, and they belong on their own lines.

Keeping them separate does two things. The customer sees exactly what they paid for, and your cleaning price stays the same number every visit instead of jumping when an install is bundled in.

Pricing Bird Proofing Per Panel

Most operators price bird proofing per panel, since the mesh or guard runs around the outside edge of the array and the amount of material and time tracks with system size. In SolarCleaningBossPro, bird proofing per panel is an item on your service list, so an estimate for a 24-panel roof can price the cleaning and the bird proofing from the same panel count.

A few points to settle before the first quote:

• Per panel or per edge? Per panel is simple to explain. Some arrays have odd layouts, so decide how you handle a long skinny array versus a compact one.
• Minimum for small installs. Like cleaning, a tiny install still takes setup time.
• Clean first. Most operators clean under and around the array before the mesh goes on, since sealing in a nest and droppings is the opposite of the point. Make that cleaning its own line too.

Critter Guards as Their Own Line

Critter guards cover the same general problem from a different angle: squirrels and other animals chewing wiring or nesting under the array. Whether you price them per job, per run or per panel, give them their own line on the service list and on the invoice. “Critter guards” with a clear price is easier to approve than a lump labeled “protection package.”

On the Job and on the Tech's Phone

When a customer approves bird proofing, it goes on the job as an extra. The tech's card then reads something like “24 panels · Roof · 2-story · Low pitch · Bird proofing,” so the crew knows to load the mesh and clips before they leave the shop, not after they climb the ladder.

After the install, the tech takes before-and-after photos. Those photos are what back up the bird-proofing line when the invoice goes out. A customer who never goes on their roof will never see the mesh in person. The photo is how they know it is there.

Bill It Once

The classic mistake is billing bird proofing again on the next routine cleaning. The crew needs to know the array is proofed, but the install should not be on the next invoice. Two habits prevent that:

• After the install, take the bird-proofing extra off the recurring job and record it in the access notes instead (“Bird mesh installed, check clips each visit”).
• Glance at the invoice for any recurring customer whose total changed from last time. A change should always have a reason.

If you sell an annual check of the mesh, or repairs when clips come loose, price those as their own small items rather than reusing the install price.

Deposits for Bigger Installs

A bird-proofing install on a large roof means buying materials and blocking out a long day. Many operators take a deposit when the estimate is approved, using a separate invoice, and bill the balance when the install is complete. That is a policy decision rather than a software setting, and it is covered in detail in Deposits for Bird-Proofing Installs: Using a Deposit Invoice Before the Mesh Goes On.

Selling Extras Without Pushing

The best bird-proofing customers find you because they already have pigeons. The second best are the ones your tech spots while cleaning: droppings, nesting material, feathers under the array. A photo and a short note on the job (“Pigeons nesting under north side, recommend bird proofing”) lets the office send an estimate the customer can approve online. No hard sell needed when the photo makes the case.

For how extras fit with the rest of your invoicing, see the solar cleaning billing software overview.