Software for solar panel installers: from lead to layout plan to handover
Software for solar panel installers covers the whole journey from lead to handover: lead follow-up, site surveys with forms, a panel layout plan with yield calculation, quoting, scheduling installation crews and a photo-documented handover. In practice you combine a specialised solar design tool with a broad record system that keeps customer contact, statuses and documents together.
By the makers of stiptUpdated August 6, 2026
What software does a solar panel installer need?
A solar business runs two processes at once. At the front a sales operation: enquiries arrive through your own site, lead marketplaces and partners, and whoever comes back first with a concrete proposal has the best odds. At the back an execution business: surveying, ordering materials, scheduling installation crews, installing and handing over properly. Software for a solar panel installer has to handle both.
That makes the category broader than a single package. In practice it comes down to a handful of roles: lead follow-up (who asked what, when, through which channel), a record per customer with all communication and documents, forms for the survey, work order and handover, scheduling of installation crews, and the sales-technical part: a panel layout plan with a yield calculation.
Without a system that work ends up in mailboxes, Excel and group chats. A lead that is also on the table at two competitors goes cold, someone hunts for the survey photos on installation day, and the handover documentation for the warranty is never complete in one place.
How a solar project runs, from lead to handover.
- 1Lead
An enquiry arrives through your site, a lead marketplace or a partner. Record where it came from right away; that later tells you what each channel delivers.
- 2Site survey
Roof, meter cupboard and cable route inspected and captured in a form with photos, so the installation crew is not in for surprises.
- 3Layout plan and yield
Panels drawn onto the roof and the expected annual yield calculated; this is the part specialised tools exist for.
- 4Quote
Quantities and materials from the survey and layout plan become a quote. Fast and concrete wins, because the customer usually compares several installers.
- 5Scheduling
An installation crew with the right line-up on a date that works, with materials ordered in time.
- 6Installation and work order
The crew does the job and records the work on a digital work order instead of paper.
- 7Handover
Handover form with photos and the customer's signature, an explanation of the monitoring, and a record that is complete for warranty and service.
What is solar design software?
Solar design software, known in Dutch practice as legplan software, draws the panels onto the roof. You look up the address, see the roof surface and place panels, taking into account orientation, pitch and obstacles such as dormers, chimneys and vent pipes. Many tools work with aerial imagery and height data, so you can make a first plan without anyone climbing the roof.
The second part is the yield calculation: a forecast of annual production in kilowatt hours, based on the position of the roof and the shade cast by trees and buildings around it. For the customer this is the most convincing part of the sales conversation: they see their own roof with panels on it and a number that says what it will produce.
For anyone running serious sales volume such a tool usually pays for itself: faster quoting and fewer surveys that turn out to be unnecessary. Do see clearly what solar design software is not: not a customer record, not scheduling and not communication. It covers one step in the journey, not the journey.
Specialised solar tool next to a broad record system
| Task | Specialised solar tool | Broad record system |
|---|---|---|
| Layout plan and yield forecast | Core feature: draw the roof and run the numbers | Not on board; at most the PDF on the record |
| Lead follow-up per source | Limited, often only its own enquiries | Every lead with origin, status and follow-up |
| Customer communication | Usually not | Email and messages on the record, with history |
| Survey and handover | Sometimes a fixed checklist | Your own forms with photos and a signature |
| Scheduling installation crews | Rarely | Planning board with crews and availability |
| Quotes and follow-up | Calculation attached to a quote made elsewhere | Send the quote, track its status and remind |
The columns do not exclude each other; many businesses use both side by side.
Do you have to choose between a specialised tool and a broad system?
No, and that is the misunderstanding that makes comparing solar software hard. The two kinds of packages do different work. The specialised tool is strong at the sales-technical part: roof, panels, yield. The broad record system is the backbone: it holds every customer, message, document, form and appointment, from the first lead to the service visit years later.
The practical combination: build the layout plan in the specialised tool, attach the result to the record as a PDF and do the rest (quote, scheduling, work order, handover) from the record system. A broad system, whether that is stipt or something else, should make that easy: files on the record, a status per step and forms that work on a phone.
It chafes the other way around too. Anyone trying to do everything in the specialised tool notices it as soon as the sale closes: execution, with crews, materials and handover documents, needs a system that takes records and scheduling seriously.
Comparing solar software: what to check
- Lead sources and partners recorded per lead, so you can see what each channel delivers
- A record per customer: all communication, documents and statuses in one place
- Forms with photos and a signature for survey, work order and handover, also on a phone
- Scheduling on installation crews, not just on individual technicians
- A solar design tool that produces a PDF or export you can attach to the record
- A connection to your accounting package, so invoices are never retyped
- Dutch-language, data hosted in the EU and a data processing agreement for the GDPR
A form on a phone, as in stipt: the installer completes the handover with photos and a signature, and the record is complete on the spot.
Frequently asked questions
What does software for a solar panel installer cost?
For broad packages with records, scheduling and forms, the Dutch SMB market runs roughly from 30 to 250 euros per user per month. Specialised solar design tools usually come on top as a separate subscription. When comparing, check what counts as a user and which integrations are priced separately.
Do I need a separate solar design tool?
With serious sales volume, usually yes: a layout plan with a yield forecast makes quotes more concrete and prevents unnecessary surveys. Broad record systems do not have this part on board. With low volume you get far with an on-site survey and a simple calculation; either way the result belongs in the customer record.
Is a regular CRM enough for a solar company?
A generic sales CRM covers leads and quotes but misses what comes after the signature: survey and handover forms, work orders and the scheduling of installation crews. For a solar business, look for a system that keeps sales and execution in the same record, or accept running two systems side by side.
How do I handle leads from marketplaces and partners?
Record the origin of every lead and respond fast: a purchased lead is often also sitting with competitors, and the first usable response wins. Also measure per source how many leads become a job, so you know which channel is worth its money and which partner arrangements need adjusting.
Does the same software work for heat pumps and air conditioning?
Largely, yes. The journey is very similar: enquiry, survey, quote, installation by a crew and a handover with documentation. Only the layout plan with yield calculation is truly solar-specific. For businesses expanding into heat pumps or air conditioning, a broad record system is the logical backbone.