Best solar answering service (2026 honest comparison)
A solar answering service has to cover two phones at once: the sales line, where a homeowner who clicked your ad wants a quote today, and the service line, where a customer from three years ago says the app shows zero production. Local Call AI is $297 a month with 250 call minutes and $0.35 a minute after. For an installer with 200 systems in the field taking 176 calls a month, that is $408.30, about $2.32 per answered call.
In short
Solar sales calls come in bursts after every ad push or door-knocking weekend, and a lead that hits voicemail calls the next installer on the list. Service calls grow quietly with every system you install and keep coming for the life of the warranty. As of 2026, Local Call AI ($297/mo with 250 call minutes included, $0.35/min after) is the best fit for a residential solar installer that misses calls while the team is on roofs or in consultations, because it answers every call in English or Spanish, qualifies the homeowner (owns the home, roof age and shading, rough electric bill, utility), books the consultation, and sorts service calls by whether the system is producing. It never quotes a system price, savings or tax credit. On minutes alone our Standard plan is the cheapest of our three plans at every volume. A small installer with a short customer list fits Goodcall ($66–$79/mo) or Rosie ($49–$299/mo). A company that wants a person on every sales call fits Smith.ai or AnswerForce, billed by the minute. One honest limitation: our two real integrations are Jobber and JobNimbus, so solar CRMs and monitoring platforms are not connected.
Quick solar installer comparison
| Service | Price | Pricing model | Best for which solar company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Call AI | $297/mo | 250 call minutes included, $0.35/min after | Residential installers losing ad leads and service calls |
| Goodcall | $66–$79/mo | Per agent, capped unique customers | Small installer, low ad spend |
| Rosie | $49–$299/mo | Usage-tiered | Owner-operator doing a few installs a month |
| Smith.ai | $293+/mo (per-minute) | Hybrid AI + human | Sales teams that want a person on every lead |
| AnswerForce | $279+/mo (per-minute) | Human-first, per-minute | Established installers wanting all-human answering |
Local Call AI pricing from our pricing page as of October 2026. Competitor prices are the figures used across our per-trade comparisons, taken from each provider's public pricing page. Confirm current tiers with any provider before you sign.
Two phones in one: the sales line and the service line
Most trades have one kind of caller. A solar company has two, and they want opposite things from the phone.
The sales line is a lead line. It spikes the week an ad campaign starts, after a door-knocking weekend, or when a neighbor's install goes up and the street starts asking. These callers are comparing three installers and they are going to book with whoever picks up and gets them on a calendar. The phone's job is to qualify and book: do they own the home, how old is the roof, is it shaded, roughly what is the electric bill, which utility, and when can they sit down for a consultation.
The service line is a customer line, and it behaves nothing like a lead line. It grows by a few callers with every system you install and it does not shrink, because a panel warranty runs for decades. These callers are not shopping. They want to know why the app shows zero, why the inverter light is red, when the utility will let them turn the system on, why the bill went up, or who will pull the panels off when they reroof. A service caller who reaches voicemail does not call a competitor. They leave a review.
How solar calls sort
| The call | Line | What the phone should capture |
|---|---|---|
| "I saw your ad, how much would solar cost for my house?" | Sales: book today | Owns or rents, roof age and material, shading, rough monthly bill, utility, best time for a consultation |
| "We signed last month, when is install day?" | Project | Name and address to match the job; route to whoever owns permits and scheduling |
| "The panels are up, why can't we turn it on?" | Project | Install date, whether the final inspection happened, any letter from the utility. The answer is usually the utility's permission to operate, and that is yours to explain |
| "The app shows zero production" or "the inverter light is red" | Service: next business day | Since when, what the light or app says, any recent outage, storm or work on the house; photo if the plan allows |
| Water dripping inside near where the racking is mounted | Service: same day | Where the water shows, whether it is raining now, install year so the workmanship warranty can be checked |
| "My electric bill went up after solar" | Service: callback | Utility, the bill month, whether production looks normal in the app. Net-metering and rate questions go to a person |
| "We're replacing the roof, can you take the panels off?" | Service: estimate | Roofer's schedule, panel count if known, install year; book the removal-and-reinstall estimate |
The leak call is the one to get right. A roof penetration leak after an install is a workmanship call, it is time-sensitive, and the homeowner is already worried you damaged the house. If you also do roofing, the roofing answering service comparison covers the storm-week intake from that side.
What the AI should never say on a solar call
Solar is the trade where a guessed answer on the phone does the most damage, because the numbers are financial promises. On our plans the AI does not quote a system price, a monthly savings figure, a payback period, whether a caller qualifies for a tax credit or rebate, or how your utility's net-metering terms work. Each of those depends on the home, the roof, the utility tariff and the homeowner's tax situation, and a number said on the phone can become the number a customer holds you to. The AI captures what the consultant needs (bill, utility, roof, shading, ownership) and books the consultation. When a caller asks "do I still get the tax credit?", it says the consultant will go through incentives on the call and books the time.
What each plan costs a solar installer, worked out
Here is a residential installer doing about five installs a month. The sales line takes 120 calls a month at 3.5 minutes (qualifying questions run longer than a service call). About 20 jobs are somewhere between signed and switched on, producing 40 project-status calls at 2.5 minutes. The service line is modeled at 0.08 calls per installed system per month at 3 minutes. That last number is a planning assumption, not measured data; use your own call log if you have one. The point is what happens to the bill as the installed base grows.
| Month | Standard ($297, 250 min) | Connected ($497, 500 min) | Concierge (from $750, 1,000 min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 systems in the field: 120 sales + 40 project + 16 service = 176 calls, 568 min | $297 + 318 × $0.35 = $408.30 ($2.32/call) | $497 + 68 × $0.35 = $520.80 ($2.96/call) | from $750 ($4.26/call) |
| 600 systems in the field, same sales: 120 + 40 + 48 = 208 calls, 664 min | $297 + 414 × $0.35 = $441.90 ($2.12/call) | $497 + 164 × $0.35 = $554.40 ($2.67/call) | from $750 ($3.61/call) |
| Ad-push month at 200 systems: 250 sales + 40 + 16 = 306 calls, 1,023 min | $297 + 773 × $0.35 = $567.55 ($1.85/call) | $497 + 523 × $0.35 = $680.05 ($2.22/call) | from $750 + 23 × $0.35 = $758.05 ($2.48/call) |
Three things come out of the table. First, tripling the installed base from 200 to 600 systems adds only $33.60 a month on Standard, because service calls are short and few per system. The service line is cheap to answer; it is expensive to ignore. Second, an ad push is where answering pays off most: 130 extra sales calls add $159.25 on Standard, and one consultation booked from those calls is worth far more than that. Third, on minutes alone Standard is the cheapest plan at every volume. Below 500 minutes Connected is a flat $497 against Standard's lower bill, and above 500 minutes every plan pays the same $0.35, so Connected stays exactly $112.50 a month more however busy the month gets. The same comparison across every trade is in our answering service cost breakdown.
Which plan, then?
Not by minutes. By what happens to the call after it ends.
- Standard emails you the moment a call ends, with a transcript and callback number in your portal. Right for a small installer where the owner or one coordinator works the lead list and the service list from email.
- Connected files every call into Jobber or JobNimbus as a client and job request, and texts your on-call person. Right if you already run jobs in Jobber or JobNimbus. JobNimbus is common with installers who also do roofing. If your sales team lives in a solar-specific CRM, Connected's filing does not reach it, and Standard is the honest answer unless you want the text alerts.
- Concierge recognizes returning customers mid-call, lets callers text a photo, and live-transfers urgent calls. Solar is the trade where this matters most, because every service caller is a returning customer. At 600 systems, a caller who hears "you're on Maple Street, installed in 2024" instead of being asked for their address again is a better review. It costs $308.10 a month more than Standard at that size.
1. Local Call AI: best for installers losing leads during consultations
Best for: Residential solar installers whose phone rings while the team is on a roof, in a consultation, or at a site survey.
Standard is $297 a month with 250 call minutes and $0.35 a minute after; service does not shut off when you go over. It answers in English or Spanish on every plan from a script trained on your business, books consultations and site surveys on your calendar, logs every call with a transcript and callback number in your portal, and emails you when the call ends. Connected is $497 with 500 call minutes and adds Jobber or JobNimbus filing and text alerts. Concierge starts at $750 with 1,000 call minutes and adds returning-customer recognition, live transfer and photo texting. Month-to-month, no setup fee, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Where we win for solar: every ad lead gets the same qualifying questions before a consultant spends an hour on a renter or a shaded roof; service calls are sorted by whether the system is producing and whether there is water inside; and five people calling the week a campaign launches all get answered.
Where we lose: we integrate with Jobber and JobNimbus and nothing else, so we do not read your monitoring platform and cannot see whether a system is actually down. We do not design systems, quote prices, or explain incentives. And a commercial solar company whose calls are a handful of developers and facility managers a week does not need an answering service built for homeowner volume.
2. Goodcall and Rosie: budget AI for a small installer
Goodcall is $79 a month per agent ($66 billed annually) with a cap on unique customers; Rosie runs $49–$299 by usage. For an owner-operator doing two or three installs a month, either can take a message and book a call. Where they lose: Goodcall's customer cap counts exactly the callers solar keeps adding, new ad leads and a growing service list, and neither will ask about roof age, shading or the utility unless you build that intake yourself.
3. Smith.ai and AnswerForce: a person on every lead
Smith.ai ($293+/mo) is hybrid AI and human; AnswerForce ($279+/mo) is human-first. Both bill per minute on top of a base plan. Where they win: a person is better with a homeowner who is nervous about a 25-year decision and wants to talk it through before booking. Where they lose: per-minute billing is highest in your ad-push months, and a receptionist is no more able than an AI to say what the system will save, so the call still ends in a booking.
What it does on the Monday after a campaign launch
At 8:05 AM a homeowner who clicked a Saturday ad asks what solar would cost; the AI confirms she owns the home, the roof is eight years old, there is one big oak on the south side, the bill runs about $240 in summer, and books a consultation Thursday at 5:30. At 8:30 a customer signed in August asks when install day is; the call is matched by address and routed to the coordinator. At 9:10 a customer installed two years ago says the inverter light is red since the weekend storm; it is flagged next-day with the light color and the storm on the ticket. At 9:45 a caller asks in Spanish whether panels make sense on a rental he owns, and is answered and booked in Spanish. At 10:20 someone asks whether they still get the tax credit; the AI books the consultation instead of answering. By noon your consultants have a full calendar with the qualifying answers on every ticket, and one service call to dispatch.
If you run electrical service alongside solar, the electrician answering service comparison covers the panel-upgrade and outage calls. For the decision across every trade we answer for, start with our best AI answering service for contractors guide.
How to test any of these for your solar company
- Call as an ad lead and ask what solar costs. A good service asks about the home, roof, shading, bill and utility, then books. A bad one invents a number or takes your name and hangs up.
- Ask if you qualify for the tax credit. The right answer is a booked consultation, not a yes.
- Say the app shows zero production. Does it ask since when and what the inverter shows, or just take a message?
- Say there is water on the ceiling under the panels. Does that get treated differently from a billing question?
- Call as a customer from two years ago. Does the call land somewhere you can match to the original job?
- Ask which software it writes to. Make the provider name the system. We integrate with Jobber and JobNimbus and nothing else.
- Ask what an ad-push month costs. Get the number at your peak call count and compare it with our pricing.
Every ad lead qualified and booked, every service call sorted.
Local Call AI is $297/mo with 250 call minutes included and $0.35/min after. English and Spanish on every plan. Ownership, roof, shading, bill and utility captured on every sales call; production and leak calls flagged on the service line; no price or incentive ever guessed on the phone.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best answering service for a solar company?
- As of 2026, Local Call AI ($297 a month with 250 call minutes included, $0.35 a minute after) is the best fit for a residential solar installer that misses calls during consultations and installs, because it answers every call in English or Spanish, qualifies ad leads on ownership, roof age, shading, bill and utility, books the consultation, and sorts service calls by whether the system is producing or leaking. It never quotes price, savings or incentives. A small installer fits Goodcall ($66 to $79) or Rosie ($49 to $299). A sales team that wants a person on every lead fits Smith.ai or AnswerForce, which bill per minute.
- How much does an answering service cost for a solar installer?
- Budget AI tiers run $49 to $299 a month (Rosie) and $66 to $79 (Goodcall). Local Call AI is $297 a month with 250 call minutes, $497 with 500 (Connected), or from $750 with 1,000 (Concierge), with $0.35 a minute past the plan. An installer with 200 systems in the field taking 176 calls (568 minutes) pays $408.30 on Standard, $520.80 on Connected, or from $750 on Concierge. At 600 systems (208 calls, 664 minutes) Standard is $441.90. Smith.ai ($293+) and AnswerForce ($279+) bill per minute.
- Does a growing installed base make the answering bill grow?
- Slowly. Service calls are short and infrequent per system, so on the planning numbers in this guide, going from 200 to 600 systems in the field adds about $33.60 a month on the Standard plan. The bigger swing is sales volume: an ad-push month with 130 extra lead calls adds $159.25. On every plan the extra minutes bill at the same $0.35, so Standard stays the cheapest plan at every volume.
- Will the AI tell callers what solar will save them or whether they get a tax credit?
- No. System price, savings, payback, tax credit and rebate eligibility, and net-metering terms depend on the home, the utility tariff and the homeowner's tax situation, and a number said on the phone can become a promise. The AI captures the bill, utility, roof, shading and ownership details your consultant needs and books the consultation, where those questions get a real answer.
- How does it handle a system that stopped producing or a leak after install?
- It asks since when, what the app or inverter light shows, and whether there was an outage, storm or other work on the house, and flags the call next business day. Water inside near the racking is flagged same day with the install year so the workmanship warranty can be checked. On Standard you get an email the moment the call ends; Connected adds a text to your on-call person; Concierge adds photo texting and live transfer.
- Does it integrate with solar CRMs or monitoring platforms, and does it answer in Spanish?
- Integrations are Jobber and JobNimbus only, on the Connected plan, where every call is filed as a client and job request. Solar-specific CRMs and inverter monitoring platforms are not connected; with those, calls arrive as a transcript and callback number in your portal plus an email, and someone enters them. Spanish is included on every plan, starting with the $297 Standard plan.
Sources
- Local Call AI pricing page, read October 7, 2026 (250 / 500 / 1,000 call minutes, $0.35/min past the plan, English and Spanish on every plan, month-to-month, no setup fee, 30-day money-back guarantee); monthly and per-call costs computed from those numbers on a planning call volume (call counts, minutes per call and 0.08 service calls per system per month are assumptions, not measured customer data)
- Rosie, Goodcall, Smith.ai and AnswerForce public pricing pages, as used across our per-trade comparisons (Goodcall re-read October 1, 2026)
The same comparison for other trades
I write one of these for every trade we answer calls for, and the closest trades to this one are first in the list. If you run more than one crew, or a neighboring trade is closer to how your phone actually rings, start there.