LIVING WITH SOLAR / Research, methodology & disclosures
Research standards & disclosures
Understand the evidence behind our guides, who writes them, how review is credited and how Living With Solar is funded.
What a well-supported guide should show
- A defined question and location: identify the homeowner decision, jurisdiction and utility where relevant.
- Traceable evidence: link important technical, pricing and program claims to their sources; show the applicable date and units.
- Clear assumptions: separate quoted prices, modeled examples and measured results. Explain exclusions and uncertainty.
- Honest experience: use first-person installation or testing claims only when the named author actually performed or observed the work.
- Specific review: name a technical reviewer only when that person reviewed the guide, with scope, qualifications and completion date.
- Accountable updates: document material corrections and research updates. A layout change is not a factual review.
These are our publication standards. This policy does not certify that every existing article has completed a new evidence or expert-review audit.
How to understand Living With Solar’s content, commercial relationships, and homepage calculator.
Policy published: September 30, 2026. Updated: October 1, 2026 — added authorship, reviewer-credit, installer-check and correction standards. This date applies to this policy, not every guide on the site.
What Living With Solar does
Living With Solar provides educational resources about residential solar equipment, costs, and questions to ask before an installation. It also offers a quote request route. Installation services, equipment, warranties, and payment terms are provided by the company you choose.
Our guides and calculator are research aids. They do not replace a roof assessment, an itemized proposal, or advice from a qualified tax, electrical, or financial professional.
Who is responsible
Aizaz Shahid — Founding Editor.
Sophia Green — Founder.
Harvey S — Managing Partner.
These are editorial and business roles. They do not establish electrical licensing, engineering credentials, or solar certifications. Meet the team or contact us with a question or correction.
Sophia Green — Founder and writer
Sophia Green is the founder and a writer at Living With Solar. Her byline identifies authorship; it does not by itself certify a system design, verify an installer, or establish that an independent technical review has taken place. See our team.
How we credit technical review
Our standard for a “Reviewed by” credit is that the named person has actually reviewed that specific guide. The credit should link to relevant, verifiable qualifications, identify the scope of the review, and show its completion date. An author, founder or editorial check must not be presented as an independent technical review. Professional advice should be sought for a home-specific design, electrical installation, tax position or financing decision.
Our research standards
Our standards are to:
- Prefer government, utility, program administrator, and manufacturer documents for rules and specifications.
- Identify the source, date, location, and assumptions behind material price or incentive claims.
- Distinguish a research guide from a hands-on test, and publish testing evidence when a test is claimed.
- Avoid unsupported savings guarantees, customer totals, ratings, endorsements, or professional credentials.
- Correct material errors and identify substantive changes, rather than changing dates simply to suggest freshness.
These are the standards we expect content to meet. A guide’s publication date alone does not establish that its prices or program rules remain current; confirm them with the provider or program administrator before acting.
Evidence behind experience claims
A first-hand installation, product test, homeowner interview or quote comparison should state what was examined, when and where, and any commercial relationship. Publish relevant photographs, measurements or redacted proposal details with permission. Research based on public documents must be described as research; it must not be presented as work we personally performed.
Installer checks and recommendations
This is our publication standard, not a claim that every quote recipient has already been checked. Before describing an installer as “verified” or “vetted,” record the exact legal business name, service area, applicable registration and electrical contractor credentials, insurance evidence, recent local references, and the date and scope of the checks. State which authority or evidence supports each claim. A listing, customer star rating or referral relationship alone does not establish these checks.
Our Texas installer guide is a homeowner comparison guide, not a scored installer directory. We do not publish a SolarReviews-style score on that page. Any future ranking should explain its criteria, evidence, weighting, limitations and update dates. Paid placement, sponsorship or compensation that influences inclusion or prominence must be disclosed beside the recommendation.
Editorial quality checks
Before publishing or materially updating a guide, check the jurisdiction, utility, program dates, source links, units, calculations and eligibility exclusions. Calculator examples should be checked separately from the design, and assumptions should remain visible. Check readable headings, mobile layout, keyboard access and form labels. These are required standards for future work, not a declaration that every older article has passed a new audit.
How the homepage calculator works
The monthly planner uses four values: your current bill, the electricity cost offset percentage, fixed utility charges, and your entered monthly solar payment. Selecting a state opens a relevant cost guide; it does not look up your tariff or predict your roof’s production.
Remaining utility bill = fixed charges + (current bill − fixed charges) × (1 − offset / 100).
Total monthly scenario = remaining utility bill + monthly solar payment.
Monthly change = current bill − total monthly scenario.
The default example is a $180 bill, 65% offset, $15 in fixed charges, and no monthly solar payment. It produces a $72.75 utility bill and a $107.25 monthly reduction in that example. Those defaults are illustrative assumptions, not a home-specific forecast.
The planner excludes up-front system cost, maintenance, replacement costs, future rate changes, incentives, and financing details beyond the payment you enter. It does not calculate lifetime savings or payback. The calculator itself does not submit the entered amounts; the separate quote form collects information when you choose to submit it.
How the site earns revenue
Living With Solar can earn revenue from quote referrals. That commercial relationship gives readers a reason to examine recommendations and proposal terms carefully. A quote link is a commercial route, not evidence that a provider is the best fit for your home.
Editorial content should explain its reasoning and sources. Payment alone does not establish expertise, product quality, or installer suitability. Compare proposals and verify the provider’s licensing, insurance, references, and warranties yourself.
Read the privacy policy and terms before submitting personal information.
Quote requests and contact
The Texas quote form asks for ZIP code, property type, bill range, roof type, installation timeline, name, email and address. It requests contact about solar options; it is not an installation agreement, a guaranteed match, or technical approval. A referral may result in compensation to Living With Solar. Ask our team who will receive your request before providing details if you need clarification.
A calculator estimate should be accessible separately from a quote request. Marketing calls, texts or unrelated promotional emails require their own assessment of the applicable consent rules; a quote submission should not be treated as blanket permission for unlimited marketing.
Primary sources to verify
- U.S. Department of Energy: Homeowner’s Guide to Solar — equipment, planning, and installer questions.
- IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit — federal eligibility and timing rules.
- Your utility and the relevant state program administrator — current rate schedules, export rules, and local program terms.
- The manufacturer’s current specifications and warranty documents — the exact equipment in your proposal.
These organizations are information sources. Their inclusion does not mean they endorse or partner with Living With Solar.
Corrections and content assistance
To report a problem, send the page URL, the claim that needs attention, and a supporting primary source through our contact page. We can then assess and correct the issue.
AI assistance was used to develop this homepage’s layout, copy, and calculator presentation. Automated output is not proof of accuracy; the calculator’s sample cases, validation, links, and rendered page have been checked separately.
Reporting a correction
Email info@livingwithsolar.com with the subject “Content correction,” the page URL, the disputed wording and supporting evidence. Our correction standard is to check the evidence, correct confirmed material errors, and add a dated note explaining significant changes. A source check is not a certification of legal compliance.
Need help or have a correction?
Send us the page address and details so our team can review your message.