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Solar and battery leads should identify what the homeowner wants to add. A new solar array with storage and a battery added to an existing solar home are different projects. Confirm which requests your installation team accepts before buying a broadly labeled solar lead package.
The first conversation can establish interest and current equipment at a basic level. It cannot establish system compatibility, backup performance, utility permission or the final project cost.
Disclosure: theBuildd supplies exclusive residential solar leads. Battery-specific coverage needs a scope and territory check; the general solar offer does not guarantee battery-only requests.
Separate new installations from storage additions
Start by asking whether solar is already installed. Then ask what the homeowner is trying to accomplish. Keep their stated objective separate from the design your company will eventually recommend.
| Homeowner situation | Useful intake question | What the installer must establish later |
|---|---|---|
| No existing solar; interested in panels and battery | Is the request for one combined proposal? | Site suitability and system design |
| Existing solar; wants storage | What equipment is already installed, if known? | Compatibility, condition and integration requirements |
| Existing battery; wants more capacity | What problem is the current setup not solving? | Expansion options and supported configuration |
| Mainly concerned about outages | Which loads or activities matter during an outage? | Feasible backup design and operating limits |
| Mainly concerned about bills | What bill or usage concern prompted the request? | Applicable tariff, usage analysis and economics |
These are recommended questions, not a promise of a theBuildd data field or technical prequalification. Record unknown equipment details as unknown and ask for documentation through your normal assessment process.
The solar lead service covers the broad territory offer. Keep its general buying intent separate from this project’s storage-specific intake.
Keep homeowner expectations attached to the record
“Whole-home backup” can mean different things to different homeowners. Ask what they expect to keep operating and let your technical team assess the request. Do not turn the phrase into a guarantee that a particular battery can support every load for an unspecified duration.
Likewise, interest in lower bills does not establish savings. Your proposal needs the customer’s usage, tariff and design assumptions. Avoid quoting an incentive, payback period or financing eligibility from a generic lead description.
A useful first call is: “Are you adding storage to solar you already have, or considering a new system? What do you most want the battery to do? Our installer will need to review the property and equipment before recommending a design.”
That conversation helps route the inquiry without pretending a caller has completed an engineering assessment.
Agree the installations your team supports
Name the equipment families, project types and service area your company accepts during the buying discussion. If you do not take work on systems installed by other companies, say so before purchasing retrofit inquiries.
Ask whether a provider collects that distinction before delivery or leaves it for your sales team. Do not assume a solar category includes a reliable way to select a specific inverter or battery brand. Your order should reflect the filters that are actually available.
Roof work is a separate issue to discuss. If the homeowner wants a new roof alongside solar, the solar-plus-roof guide addresses that combined project. It should not be blended into battery-only performance without a reason.
Compare cost per assessed and signed project
Record the request type, reached homeowner, technical assessment, proposal, contract and completed installation. The count of appointments alone does not show whether your team received work it could design and deliver.
Keep new solar-plus-storage and storage additions in separate groups. Include the time needed to review existing equipment and site information. Do not assign a standard job value to an inquiry just because the word “battery” appears in it.
For a simple worksheet, use these columns: source spend; calling cost; assessment cost; proposals issued; signed projects; completed projects; and collected contribution after direct costs. Your solar lead cost comparison should use the same definitions across providers.
If technical incompatibility repeatedly ends the assessment, record it separately from price rejection or failure to reach the homeowner. Those causes call for different changes to the buying agreement or sales process.
Choose the qualification handoff
The current theBuildd plans, checked 23 September 2026, start with a $300 trial for 4–7 opt-ins, an $800 weekly option and monthly plans from $3,000. Your team qualifies base-plan inquiries. Optional monthly dispatching starts at an additional $500 on the base tier and hands over by live transfer or booked appointment. Trial and weekly plans exclude it.
Those are general lead-plan prices. Confirm storage scope and available territory before using them to budget for battery work. A qualifying call can confirm reported interest; it does not replace the installer’s technical assessment or promise that every requested system can be built.
Each lead is sold to one contractor through us, but the homeowner may independently request another quote. Bad leads are replaced rather than refunded under the agreed terms. Discuss how the service definition treats an inquiry that meets the agreed scope but proves technically unsuitable after assessment; do not assume the outcome automatically creates replacement eligibility.
Bring your install criteria to the fit check
Prepare a clear list of new systems, storage additions and existing equipment your company supports. Add service ZIPs, consultation capacity and who will own technical follow-up.
Check solar and storage project fit with theBuildd. Agree the available scope and qualification arrangement before choosing a plan, then evaluate the source against the projects your team can actually install.
What has to be true before you call it qualified
Two different things get called a lead, and the gap between them is where the money sits. A solar battery enquiry is an opt-in: a homeowner who raised a hand. A qualified lead is that same homeowner after a person confirmed the work is real, in scope and worth your estimator time.
For this work, a reached homeowner has to confirm:
- whether an array already exists and its approximate age
- the motivation, whether backup, outage protection or bill reduction
- ownership and utility account responsibility
- awareness that sizing and interconnection are decided after assessment
Who makes that call is a purchasing decision, not a detail. Base plans leave it with your team. Optional monthly dispatching puts our callers on it, qualifying reached homeowners against your agreed criteria before handing over by live transfer or booked appointment. The opt-in goes to one buyer either way, and neither option guarantees contact, qualification or a job. See what counts as a qualified lead for the stage-by-stage version.