Solar & battery
Solar Material Cost Calculator
Works material cost, where current pricing matters more than any formula.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Modules, inverters or module-level electronics, racking and attachments, conductors and conduit, disconnects and overcurrent devices, and monitoring, each at quantity times current unit price. The quantities follow the design and the prices have to be current rather than carried forward.
What moves the number
- Module and inverter pricing, which moves.
- Racking and attachment quantities from the layout.
- Conductor sizing, which depends on run length.
- Code-required devices for the adopted edition.
Where this one goes wrong
Conductor and conduit cost scales with run length, and a long run from a detached garage or a distant service entrance can add a meaningful amount that a per-watt estimate does not capture. Measure the actual routes. Code-required equipment also changes with the adopted edition, particularly around rapid shutdown and disconnects, so a material list built for one jurisdiction may be incomplete in another.
Before you quote
- Use current pricing, not carried-forward figures.
- Measure actual conductor routes rather than estimating.
- Check code-required devices for the adopted edition.
Questions
About this calculator
What material cost gets underestimated?
Conductors and conduit on long runs. A detached garage or a distant service entrance adds a meaningful amount that a per-watt estimate does not capture, and the route has to be measured rather than assumed.
Does jurisdiction affect the material list?
Yes, because code-required equipment changes with the adopted edition, particularly around rapid shutdown and disconnecting means. A list built for one jurisdiction can be incomplete in another, which stalls an inspection.
Why use current pricing?
Because module and inverter prices move enough that a figure carried from a previous job misprices the current one. In a falling market that is a lost sale; in a rising one it is a lost margin, and neither is necessary.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 32 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $105.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $12,500.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 32 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $105 |
| Parts and materials | $12,500 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $15,955 |
| Labour | $3,360 |
| Before tax | $15,955 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $15,955: $3,360 of labour, $12,500 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $53 | $14,291 |
| $79 | $15,123 |
| $105 example above | $15,955 |
| $158 | $17,651 |
| $210 | $19,315 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 32 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $105.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $12,500.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
A design still needs a site visit
Output and sizing figures use the assumptions you enter, not measured irradiance, shading or roof orientation at your address. Real production depends on all three, plus inverter behaviour and local interconnection rules.
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.