Who this is for: residential solar installers and EPC firms doing 5-50 deals/month.
The pitch in one line: upload your existing solar sizing/pricing model → get a homeowner-facing calculator that runs in the browser. Same math you trust, now self-serve.
What your "quote tool" looks like today
Most installers we've talked to use one of these:
- A SunPower-style proposal PDF — slick, but takes 24-48 hours because someone in the back office plugs your inputs into Aurora or HelioScope, then hand-edits a PDF template
- An Excel sheet named Solar_Calc_2024_FINAL.xlsx with tabs for system sizing, utility rate lookup, federal ITC, state rebate, financing, 25-year savings
- A landing-page calculator from a vendor like EnergySage or Solo — but you're paying $200-500/mo and they own the lead
A typical homeowner-input → quote conversion is 3-7 days for option 1, 1-3 days for option 2, and option 3 ships them off to your competitor.
What a homeowner-facing CalcForms solar quote looks like
Easiest path: drop your existing sizing spreadsheet into Claude
If you already have Solar_Calc_2024_FINAL.xlsx (and you do), drag it into a Claude chat with the CalcForms connector. Tell Claude:
Convert this into a homeowner-facing CalcForms calculator. Hide the internal pricing inputs (cost-per-watt, dealer markup, installer overhead) — the homeowner should only enter address, monthly bill, roof orientation, shading, battery preference, and roof type. Everything else is calculated.
Claude reads your workbook, identifies which cells are user-facing inputs vs. internal cost assumptions vs. computed values, translates your VLOOKUP rate tables into CalcForms lookup_tables, and your =IF(orientation="South",1.0,IF(orientation="SE",0.94,...)) chains into clean SWITCH expressions. The builder UI appears. You test with a real address you've quoted before — compare the system size and payback to what you originally proposed. If anything's off, you say "the shade penalty for partial shade should be 0.85 not 0.92." Deploy. Total time: ~25 minutes, most of it sanity-checking against past deals.
From-scratch alternative
If you'd rather start clean:
Build me a residential solar quote calculator called "homeowner solar estimate" with:
- Address / ZIP (text)
- Monthly electric bill ($) (number, required)
- Roof orientation (dropdown: South, SE/SW, E/W, North)
- Roof shading (dropdown: None, Partial, Heavy)
- Battery storage? (checkbox)
- Roof type (dropdown: Asphalt shingle, Tile, Metal, Flat membrane)
Lookup tables:
- State electricity rate ($/kWh): TX=0.14, CA=0.32, NY=0.22, AZ=0.13, FL=0.15
- Orientation factor: South=1.0, SE/SW=0.94, E/W=0.85, North=0.65
- Shade factor: None=1.0, Partial=0.85, Heavy=0.55
- Roof mount premium: Asphalt=1.0, Tile=1.18, Metal=1.05, Flat=1.12
Calculations:
- Annual kWh usage: monthly_bill * 12 / state_rate
- System size kW DC: annual_kWh / (1450 * orientation_factor * shade_factor)
- Battery kWh (if checked): system_kW * 1.3
- Install cost: system_kW * 1000 * 2.65 * roof_mount_premium + (battery_kWh * 950 if battery)
- Federal ITC (30%): install_cost * 0.30
- Net cost after ITC: install_cost - ITC
- Annual savings: annual_kWh * state_rate * 0.92
- Simple payback (years): round(net_cost / annual_savings, 1)
- 25-year net savings: round(annual_savings * 25 - net_cost, 0)
3 minutes later, your form is live. You embed the URL on your homepage, or send it to a lead from a Facebook ad.
The homeowner types their info. Within seconds they see:
Recommended system: 8.2 kW Install cost: $25,360 Federal tax credit: $7,608 Your net cost: $17,752 Annual savings: $2,944 Payback in 6.0 years 25-year savings: $55,848
Then they submit (they don't see the math, just hit "Submit" with their contact info). You see the full quote in your dashboard, with every input, every assumption, and the final numbers. Your sales rep calls them back the same hour with a real proposal.
The outcome
| Aurora + PDF workflow | CalcForms instant quote | |
|---|---|---|
| Time from lead → first numbers | 24-72 hours | Under 60 seconds |
| Lead capture rate (homepage form) | ~3% (boring contact form) | ~12-18% (interactive calculator) |
| Sales rep's first call | "Let me run some numbers and get back to you" | "I see you're looking at an 8 kW system, payback 6 years — want to lock in the federal credit before it changes?" |
| Cost per lead (vs. EnergySage/Solo) | $20-60 per shared lead | $0 (you own it) |
The shift is from "lead → 3 days → numbers" to "numbers → call". Same close rate, faster cycle, more leads at the top.
What it costs to stand up
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Write the calculator schema in Claude | 5-10 min |
| Tweak rates / state factors to your service area | 10-20 min |
| Embed on your homepage (just an iframe or link) | 5 min |
| First lead through it | Same day |
Compared to: 2-month implementation of Aurora Sales Mode at $250/seat/month + per-proposal cost.
Try it
The reference Acme underwriting example is at forms.badabingapp.cc/f/commercial-underwriting — different industry but same engine. Same calc engine works for solar; just different inputs, calcs, and lookup tables.
Want this exact solar calculator deployed for your service area? Connect the CalcForms MCP to Claude and paste the prompt above. Or DM us your state's electricity rates and we'll ship you a working copy.