Chapter 14 · DIY Solar
14.2 The seven-step DIY workflow
- First, confirm your city allows homeowner self-permitting and self-installation. Many cities require a licensed electrician or contractor to pull the permit — homeowners cannot do it themselves.
- Find out what equipment qualifications your city / utility requires. UL certification is the baseline; California also requires CEC list membership.
- Design the system per city requirements and prepare the permit application. If it doesn't pass first review, iterate. Strongly recommend hiring a professional to prepare the permit package — it's the highest-leverage step.
- Permit in hand, then buy the equipment, accessories, and all required warning labels. Everything must match exactly what's on the permit.
- For the installation itself, I recommend either hiring a licensed electrician for the entire install or at minimum paying one to do the final inspection before you call the city. The extra money buys you and your family's safety. Eliminate every visible hazard.
- After installation, schedule the city inspection. Remember: a project that never passed inspection becomes a code violation when the permit expires. This is the hardest hurdle for inexperienced DIYers — most fail the first inspection or two. If you have a patient inspector, ask plenty of questions.
- After passing inspection, submit the utility interconnection application. For larger projects, the utility may also send out an inspector, who may require further changes.
Next Step
Questions after reading this section? Send us your utility bill — we will come back within one business day with a recommendation specific to your situation.