A solar installer mounts racking and panels on the roofs of homes and small businesses. They run the module wiring while a lead oversees the electrical steps, and help start each system up. The day starts with a plan set and a ladder and ends with sealed mounts, labels and photos for the office.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Solar Panel Install & Service - Installer / Technician
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Lead Installer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Responsible for the efficient installation and service of solar panels contributing to the company’s sustainable energy mission. Drives quality installations under clear guidance while ensuring safety and compliance. Functions as a key technical contributor in the continued growth of the home services team. Enhances customer satisfaction through clear communication and reliable service delivery.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Mount solar panels on roofs and designated surfaces in accordance with engineering plans and safety guidelines.
Connect wiring and install inverters accurately under direct supervision.
Configure system settings to optimize energy production and ensure system integrity.
Adhere to established safety protocols and industry standards during installation and service.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily installation schedules and technical plans at the start of the shift.
Perform pre-installation equipment checks and troubleshoot potential issues.
Interact with customers on-site to explain installation procedures and address service inquiries.
Complete detailed documentation and follow-up reports to support project tracking and quality standards.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation Efficiency: Complete 95% of installations within the scheduled 8-hour work period.
Quality Assurance: Maintain a callback rate of less than 2% on installations.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve an average rating of over 4.8 stars post-service.
Safety Compliance: Report zero on-site safety incidents per quarter.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; technical college credential preferred.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in solar panel installation or a related field.
Strong mechanical aptitude with a basic understanding of electrical systems.
Effective communication and problem-solving skills with an emphasis on customer service.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in solar panel installation and servicing in the renewable energy sector.
Familiarity with inverter configuration, wiring techniques, and electrical troubleshooting.
Proven track record working within safety-regulated environments.
Experience in delivering exceptional customer service and managing project timelines.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs consistently during the workday.
Comfortable working at heights and on rooftops under various weather conditions.
Capability to perform physically demanding tasks such as climbing ladders and maneuvering tools.
Fine motor skills required for precision wiring and secure panel mounting.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with potential for occasional overtime.
On-call duties may be required for emergency service calls.
Work is primarily conducted outdoors at installation sites with some time spent in offices for planning.
Local travel to various job sites within the designated region is part of the role.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate ranges from $25 - $35 per hour based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus structure available to incentivize quality and efficiency.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance offered.
401(k) plan with employer match to support long-term financial growth.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence, placing significant value on each team member’s contributions.
We are passionately committed to sustainable energy solutions and continual personal and professional growth.
Our inclusive environment champions diversity and empowers employees to make a lasting impact.
We celebrate success and encourage a forward-thinking mindset, ensuring every team member can level up and succeed.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A solar installer drills holes in a roof on purpose, carries panels that act like sails in the wind, and works with wiring that can make power whenever the sun is out.
Fall protection on a house roof
Laying out rails and setting panels means hours close to the roof edge. On a house, OSHA's residential construction rule applies from 6 feet up. Each installer needs guardrails, a net, or fall arrest gear: a harness, a lifeline and an anchor. Only if the employer can prove none of those will work, or that they'd add danger, may it use a written fall protection plan for that job. Decide where the roof anchors go before the first rail goes up. Source: OSHA: Duty to have fall protection (29 CFR 1926.501).
Panels go up by hoist, not in your arms
Wind grabs a full-size module. OSHA's ladder rule says a worker may not carry an object or load that could make them lose balance and fall. A ladder used to get onto the roof must extend at least 3 feet beyond the roof edge. If it's too short for that, the top must be tied to something solid, with a grab rail to hold. Raise panels with a ladder hoist or a lift, and keep the crew out from under the load. Source: OSHA: Ladders (29 CFR 1926.1053).
Every attachment is a hole in someone's roof
Each mount goes through the shingles and has to be flashed and sealed, and the shingle warranty can set terms. Owens Corning's Preferred Solar PROtect warranty, for one, covers a new Owens Corning roof put on with solar by one of its credentialed contractors. It requires solar mounts from the list in its solar technical bulletin, and it doesn't cover non-Owens Corning parts such as flashing, fasteners or pipe boots. Installers follow the racking maker's instructions on every attachment. Source: Owens Corning: Preferred Solar PROtect limited lifetime warranty (PDF).
Peak season is the hot season
If your busy season is summer, crews work on dark shingles beside dark panels in the hottest weeks. Federal OSHA has only proposed a heat standard. Hearings ran in 2025, and no final rule is out. California, for one, has its own. It covers all outdoor work and lists construction. Above 80 degrees, shade has to be set up. Anyone new to a high-heat area gets close watching by a supervisor or a stand-in for their first 14 days. Source: California Code of Regulations, Title 8, 3395: Heat illness prevention.
The homeowner will ask about credits
Homeowners ask installers about money. Under the 2025 tax law, the IRS says the federal residential clean energy credit "will not be allowed for any expenditures made after December 31, 2025." An expenditure counts as made when the installation is complete, so a system paid for in 2025 but finished in 2026 doesn't qualify. Installers send tax, rebate and savings questions to the sales rep or project manager and never promise a credit. Source: IRS: FAQs on changes to 25C, 25D and other energy credits under Public Law 119-21.
How much solar installers make
The closest BLS group for solar installers is solar photovoltaic installers. Solar photovoltaic installers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $28.16 an hour ($58,570 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $53,140 median for solar photovoltaic installers in all industries. About 11,950 of the 31,350 solar photovoltaic installers in that survey work for electrical contractors.
The template pays an hourly rate, plus a bonus for quality and efficiency. Say in the ad how the bonus is counted, per job or per quarter, and what a callback does to it.
Electrical contractors
$58,570$58,570 median Middle half $49,710–$72,810 10th–90th $44,820–$87,370
All industries
$53,140$53,140 median Middle half $46,700–$62,870 10th–90th $41,600–$79,970
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Electrical contractors
$44,820
$49,710
$58,570
$72,810
$87,370
All industries
$41,600
$46,700
$53,140
$62,870
$79,970
BLS doesn’t publish pay for solar installers on their own. These figures cover electrical and wiring contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Finds rafters and lays out attachments to the plan set instead of eyeballing them
Flashes and seals each roof attachment the same way, every time
Clips in and rigs the hoist before carrying anything up
Makes module connections with matching connectors and the right crimper
Calms a homeowner who is nervous about holes in the roof
Teach these on the job
Your racking system and its torque chart
Inverter and microinverter setup in the maker's app
Mounting and labeling batteries, once a lead signs them off
Your photo checklist for attachments and the finished array
Service calls: reading monitoring data and swapping a failed part
Solar installers work with a drill and impact driver, a torque wrench, a chalk line, module connector crimpers and a multimeter, and they tie off to roof anchors the company supplies. Most crews set up monitoring in the inverter maker's app and log each attachment in a photo app. Tell candidates which racking and inverter brands you install and which hand tools they bring.
Solar installer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Working on energized arrays
On a sunny service call, you need to unplug module connectors. Walk me through what you do first.
A strong answer: Shuts the system down per the manufacturer (rapid shutdown, inverter and disconnects off), confirms zero current with a DC clamp meter, and wears the right gear, because modules stay energized in sunlight and connectors can't safely break load.
Behavioral · Resisting shortcuts
Tell me about a time you stopped yourself from taking a shortcut on a roof, such as skipping a tie-off or a flashing step.
A strong answer: Gives a specific example and clear reasoning about the risk to themselves, the crew or the homeowner's roof.
The template sets these targets. After a season of install logs and callback records, set your own.
Installation Efficiency
Installs finished inside the scheduled day, out of all the installer's jobs that month. Log start and finish times, and mark delays they didn't cause, like a late delivery or a roof the survey missed.
Quality Assurance
Callbacks for leaks, loose wiring, failed inspection items or low production traced to jobs this installer worked, out of all their installs. Tag every callback with the names of the crew on the original job.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-install survey stars for the installer's jobs, read monthly. Watch for comments on conduit runs down the walls, scraps left in the yard, and whether anyone showed the homeowner the monitoring app.
Safety Compliance
Each quarter, add up the installer's recordable injuries and the lead's safety write-ups, sorted by type: tie-off, ladder and hoist, live wiring, heat. Reported near misses go in a separate column and never count against the person who spoke up.
Does a solar installer need an electrician's license?
It depends on your state. Some states count the wiring on a solar job as licensed electrical work, and others license solar contractors separately. The template has installers connect wiring and inverters under direct supervision. Before you write the ad, find out from your state licensing board what an unlicensed installer may do and who must hold the license.
How much does a solar installer make?
Solar photovoltaic installers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $28.16 an hour ($58,570 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $49,710 and $72,810 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What is the NABCEP PV Associate credential?
It's the entry credential from NABCEP, the solar industry's certification board. You earn it by passing an exam. NABCEP says passing qualifies a person to design, sell, install or maintain systems in a supervised capacity. It's most often the first step toward a NABCEP board certification. NABCEP is a private body, so this is no license. It's a fair way for someone without roof time to show they've learned the basics.
Can I hire a solar installer with no solar experience?
The template asks for two years in solar or a related field, so decide what counts as related. Roofers already know flashing and tie-off. Electrician helpers know wire and meters. Framers know rafters. Any of them can learn racking and module work on a crew, while someone from outside the trades usually fits the apprentice role first.
What safety training does a new solar installer need?
OSHA names arc flash, electric shock, falls and thermal burns among the serious hazards in solar work. It also says those hazards aren't unique to solar and that many existing OSHA standards cover them. Before the first roof, train new installers on your fall protection, ladders, lockout steps and heat plan, and keep signed records of each session.
How do I test a solar installer before hiring?
Set up a short section of decking and shingles in the shop. Ask the candidate to find a rafter, then drill, flash and seal one attachment. Hand them two module connectors and a crimper and watch whether they check the maker's instructions. Finish by asking what they would do if a homeowner wanted the array moved to another side of the roof.
