Fee-only quote checks and handover inspections for families buying rooftop solar
TL;DR Panelfair works for the household and not the installer. For a fixed fee it reviews rooftop solar quotes before a family signs, then inspects the system at handover against what was promised. It takes no commission from installers, which is the whole point.
Rooftop solar in India has grown faster than the trade that installs it. PM Surya Ghar has supported over 5 million homes since February 2024, and installs reached about 506,000 households in July 2026 alone[1]. Around 29,469 vendors are active under the scheme[1].
Quality hasn't kept up. In early 2025 installers themselves warned of unchecked components, no common installation standard and inexperienced newcomers rushing to hit targets[2]. In March 2026 Uttar Pradesh's agency blacklisted a Prayagraj vendor after quality complaints[3].
So if you're a family comparing three quotes, how do you tell whether the cheaper one cuts corners on the structure, cabling or earthing? You can't.
Panelfair sells two fixed-fee services. Before you sign, an engineer reviews up to three quotes against your bills and roof photos - is the system size right for your use, are the panels and inverter what the scheme requires, is the structure specified for wind, and what does each price actually include. You get a plain comparison and a list of questions to put to each installer.
After installation, a technician visits to check the structure, cable routing, earthing, inverter settings and paperwork against the quote. You get a punch list for the installer to fix before you make the final payment.
The seed pitched personalised green-upgrade roadmaps for every part of the home. I narrowed it to the one upgrade Indian households are buying in big numbers right now, with real money at stake and no independent adviser in sight. Other upgrades can follow once people trust you.
The household pays a flat fee for each service. The price is to be set in validation, because I found no public reference price for independent solar advice. Subsidies of ₹30,000 for 1 kW to ₹78,000 for systems above 3 kW[4] show how big the purchase is. Housing societies putting systems on a common roof are a second buyer.
Installation pace hit a record of about 16,328 a day in July 2026, against 5,038 a day in October 2025, and the scheme is aiming at 10 million homes by March 2027[1]. Third-party inspections exist but number about 23,000 so far[1], which is tiny against millions of installs.
No public figure exists for paid independent solar advice in India. The firmest number is the flow of buyers, about 506,000 households in one month[1]. If even a small share wants a second opinion then that's a usable pipeline. Adjacent - the scheme's allocated subsidy of ₹75,021 crore[1] shows the public money that buyers and installers are both chasing.
Big rooftop installers offer their own warranties, generation guarantees and five-year maintenance[4], but they advise on their own systems. State agencies and scheme inspectors check samples of installs[1][3]. I found no fee-only Indian service that reviews quotes for the buyer and inspects at handover, though my search wasn't exhaustive. Independent home inspectors exist abroad, which shows the model can work.
| Difficulty | Moderate (37/100) |
| Starting capital | ₹30–60 L |
| Time to launch | 3–6 months |
The engineering is known. The hard parts are reaching buyers before they sign, which is a short window, and keeping inspections affordable when every one of them needs a site visit. Installers may also push back on an outsider checking their work, so your reports have to be fair and specific.
No sector licence here. Reviewing quotes and inspecting finished systems is advice, and as long as you never install or repair you stay outside vendor empanelment.
Building this outside India? The categories above usually have a local equivalent, so check with your own regulator.
Don't let AI sign off a structure as safe or pass an installation. That call belongs to the engineer who stood on the roof.
Want to work out the AI layer for Panelfair? Talk to Yash →
This is a good fit for a founder with solar installation experience who wants to build a consumer brand on trust. It's a bad fit for anyone tempted to take referral fees from installers, which would kill the model on day one. First prove that one in ten families who see the offer pays for a quote check.
Plan for roughly ₹30–60 L, mostly for engineers, technicians and the marketing needed to reach families before they sign.
No sector licence, as long as you only advise and inspect. You need the usual company registration, GST once over the threshold, a Shops and Establishments registration and DPDP compliance.
Yes, wherever households buy rooftop solar from many small installers. Learn the local subsidy and grid connection rules first, since your value depends on knowing them better than the installers do.
The free Panelfair validation kit has the line-by-line capital breakdown, the effort scoring, the scheme and data checklist, a 14-day validation sprint with pass/fail targets, a 90-day launch plan, 10 interview questions for solar buyers, and 5 assumptions to test. Download the kit →
Thinking about building Panelfair or something close to it? The make-or-break work is reaching families before they sign and pricing a site visit they will actually pay for, and I'm happy to work through it with you. If you need a hand, you know where to find me. Talk to Yash →
For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.