After providing your Enphase installer with your recent energy use data (for instance, how much you've used over the last year), your installer will visit your home for a site evaluation. The visit will cover several important aspects:

Roof condition: Prior to installation, they'll evaluate the condition of your roof and determine whether it needs repair or replacement.

Electrical panel: They'll evaluate your electrical system to see if it requires a main panel upgrade, a new service line dropped from the street to your home, or some other type of electrical reconfiguration. This may be necessary if, for instance, you plan on adding more electric appliances to your home and need to upgrade from a 100 A service and main electrical panel to a 200 A panel to accommodate future load increases. To help save you money, Enphase offers Power Control technology so your installer can install a large solar and battery system without having to upgrade the main service panel.

Energy needs: Your Enphase installer will discuss your future energy needs to help determine adequate system production capacity. This will also factor into your need to upgrade the electrical panel.

Solar suitability: Along with checking the condition of your roof, your installer will also check it for solar suitability. For instance, does your roof have sufficient space, with good sun exposure for panel orientation? They’ll also check for potential shading issues from trees or other buildings.

Once your Enphase installer has reviewed your current energy usage, discussed your future energy usage, and completed a thorough site evaluation, they’ll provide you with a custom proposal for your system. 

The solar proposal should include a schematic showing the system design on your roof, including how many panels it has. It should also show all the different components of your system, including Enphase IQ Batteries or an Enphase IQ EV Charger if you included them. It should also show where each component will be located inside your garage, in the basement, or on exterior walls.

You'll also see your system's expected energy production. It should also include the monetary value of system production (accounting for electricity rate increases over time) and an estimated system payback period based on power output and available credits and incentives. Enphase installers can use our advanced Solargraf software to model production and potential savings based on different system configurations and your current and future energy needs.

Once you sign off on the proposal, your installer will file for permits from your city and interconnection permission from your utility. When the permits are approved and any necessary work on the roof is done, they can start on the installation. 

You’ll have to do a few things before work begins. The initial site inspection and assessment will help create a to-do list for you, but here are a few common things you’ll need to do to help your installation crew:

Provide a clear workspace: You’ll most likely have one or more boxes or devices installed on the outside of your home, in the garage, or in the basement. So, you’ll need to make sure anything that might inhibit the crew is removed.

Provide access: This can be to several areas. For instance, if your yard is fenced and the best access point to your roof is from the backyard, you'll need to open a gate for crew access. They’ll also need access to your main electrical panel and where electricity service comes from the street to your home. They'll also need access and clear wall space to install components like IQ Batteries or an IQ Combiner.

Secure your pets: The installation crew will need to be able to work safely while they’re in and on top of your home. Keeping your pets safely out of their way is important, as it'll help protect both the crew and your pets.

Be there to get them started: Someone will need to be at your home when the crew arrives to ensure they have access to everywhere they need to be.

Depending on the size and complexity of your Enphase system, installation can take one to four days or sometimes longer for a more complicated system. Installation is done in steps, some of which can be performed simultaneously.

Once the crew gets going, it’s really up to you if you want to be there when they work. There will be a lot of activity, most likely on your roof and outside your home, and probably with some in your garage. It’s less likely they’ll need to be inside your home, though.

If you don’t mind a little noise from people on the roof and some drilling through the occasional wall (to run wiring from the system into your garage, for instance), there’s no reason you can’t be there during installation. Plus, it’s fun to watch them progress with your system, seeing the panels go up on the roof and any boxes like communicators and batteries going on the wall of your garage or the outside of your home. All that progress is building toward the moment you get to turn on your system and enjoy the sunshine even more.

In general, here’s how the installation process will go:

Mounting the racking system: The first step is to install the racking system for the panels. Racks will be carefully attached to the rafters in your roof to ensure proper alignment while maintaining the integrity of your roof. (Some systems are ground-mounted, but most homeowners lack the land space for those.) The racking system includes mounts with flashing and sealant to help prevent roof leakage, with rails attached to the mounts.

Installing the panels: Solar panels are attached to the rails and checked to ensure they’re secure, aligned, and able to withstand extreme weather and, in some areas, seismic activity. This is also the point when the solar panels will be wired together.

Electrical setup: Before each solar panel is secured to the rail, an Enphase IQ Microinverter will be mounted to the rail behind the panel and connected to the solar panel. This is where DC power will be converted to AC power that your home can use. Each microinverter will then be wired together and connected to a main wire that feeds down to the IQ Combiner. The IQ Combiner houses the IQ Gateway, which will allow you to see, track, and manage your system’s data and output using the Enphase App. From there, wiring runs into your electrical main to distribute electricity throughout your house.

If you opt for IQ Batteries in your system, they'll be wired to the IQ Combiner (for systems without backup—also referred to as grid-tied systems) or to the IQ System Controller (for systems with backup—also referred to as grid-forming systems).

We should note that there will be a period during which your solar system is connected to your electrical main and the grid that the crew will need to shut off your power for their safety. How long that takes depends on the complexity of your system. But ideally, the electricians on the crew can have all the wiring in place and ready to connect when it’s time for power shutoff to help minimize the amount of time it’s off. You can expect it to be off for at least several hours while the work is being completed.

Your installer will also need to know your Wi-Fi network and password to connect your energy system to the internet. (If you're not comfortable sharing it, you can input it for them.) This will give you the ability to see your system’s data in real-time and over time via the Enphase App.

Around this time, your installer will also set up your customer Enphase Account through their installer portal. They’ll input your name and the name you choose for your system, as well as your address, phone number, and email. Once they submit all the system information, you’ll get an email to finish setting up your account, including creating a secure password. This will allow you to log into the Enphase App.

Commissioning: Once your panels, batteries, and wiring are in place, your installer will commission your system. This involves activating it and doing quality checks and system testing to ensure everything is working and communicating properly.  

This step is also when your installer will register your system with Enphase so you can monitor and control it through the Enphase App after permission to operate (PTO) has been granted, which we’ll discuss below. When the testing and registration are done, your installer may have to shut down your system again until it receives official PTO.

Inspections: After commissioning, an inspector from your local government will inspect your system. They'll ensure everything is installed and connected properly, confirm compliance with local building and electrical codes, and check to make sure the system matches the design submitted with the permit application.

Once the local inspection is finished and you have a signed or stamped and approved permit card, your installer will send that to your utility to complete your interconnection request and obtain permission to operate.

Your utility may also need to inspect your system to ensure it meets interconnection standards and is ready for grid synchronization. They may also need to install a new smart meter to track how much excess energy you return to the grid so you can be properly credited.

Permission to operate (PTO): After your system has passed all the inspections and your utility approves the application, they’ll approve the interconnection and issue your PTO, so your installer can officially activate your Enphase Energy System.

The process of commissioning, inspection, and official activation can take as long as several weeks depending on your city and utility processes and workload.