How the check works
How the Golden Hour Energy check works
A few questions about your home, an estimate range, and one licensed installer who follows up if you want. Here's every step, and exactly who sees your information.
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By the Golden Hour Energy editorial team. How we research and check our guides
Golden Hour Energy is a free check that tells you whether solar and a battery make sense for your Southern California home, then connects you with one licensed installer if you want to go further. You answer a few questions about your utility, bill and roof, and see an estimate range right away. We're a referral service, not an installer. We don't sell systems or give prices. A licensed installer does that, after looking at your home.
What the check asks
Every question is there because it changes the answer. Nothing is asked just to fill out a form. It takes about two minutes.
- Your utilitySCE, SDG&E or LADWP. The rules are different for each, so this comes first.
- Your homeWhether you own it and are on the title. Renters can't sign for solar, so we'll tell you up front.
- Your billSnap a photo or upload a PDF, or just slide to your typical monthly amount.
- Your roofRoughly how old it is, what it's made of and how much shade it gets.
- Your addressSo we can confirm which utility serves you and the installer knows which roof to review.
- A credit range you pickYou choose a range yourself. No credit pull, no Social Security number.
- Your estimateA general range for system size and savings. An estimate, not a quote. No contact info needed to see it.
- Only if you want a callName, phone and email, with clear consent for one installer to contact you.
What you see at the end
You get an estimate range: a rough system size and how much it might trim from your bill, based on your utility's 2026 rules. On SCE and SDG&E that usually includes a battery, because of NEM 3.0. On LADWP, a solar-only estimate may come out ahead.
Every estimate carries the same label: Estimate, not a quote. Real pricing comes from a licensed installer after a site review. That isn't fine print for its own sake. Under California contractor rules, a referral service like ours can refer you and help set up an appointment, but can't give you a price or proposal for a solar system (CSLB advisory).
When we tell you it isn't a fit
Some answers mean solar probably isn't right yet. If you rent, if your bill is under about $100 a month, if your roof is old enough that it likely needs replacing first, or if your credit range makes financing unlikely, the check says so. We'd rather you hear it from us than from a salesperson three weeks later.
Who sees your information
If you finish the check and agree to be contacted, your answers go to our licensed dealer partner, the one solar dealer we work with. The dealer passes your details to one licensed installer that serves your area. That installer is the only company that contacts you about a system.
- YouHomeownerAnswer the check and agree to be contacted
- UsGolden Hour EnergyShow your estimate and pass your answers along
- DealerOur licensed dealer partnerMatches you with one installer
- InstallerOne licensed installerReviews your home and gives real pricing
Under California privacy law, passing your details to the dealer counts as a “sale” of personal information, even though nothing is being sold to you. You can opt out at any time on our Do Not Sell or Share page, and if your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as an opt-out. The full details are in our privacy policy.
What the installer does next
The installer takes it from here. A good one will:
- Contact you to set up a review of your home, in person or remotely.
- Pull your actual hourly usage from your utility, with your permission, and design around it.
- Give you real pricing for buying, and for a lease or PPA if they have one.
- Give you a Solar Energy System Disclosure Document showing total costs, and the CPUC's Solar Consumer Protection Guide to read and sign if you're on SCE or SDG&E.
- Handle permits and the utility connection if you go ahead.
You're under no obligation at any point. Before you sign anything, read our page on claims to walk away from, which covers getting more than one bid, checking a license and your right to cancel.
How we're paid
The check is free for you. We receive referral compensation from our licensed dealer partner, and it never changes the price you pay. That's how the site stays free. More about us on the about page, and how our guides are researched in our editorial policy.