Solar Glossary
30 min to read, then use as reference
track progress
For every Narqix VA on a solar campaign. After this page you will understand the words homeowners, consultants and clients use, so you sound credible without overstepping. Keep it open during your first weeks.
Track: Solar · Role: All solar roles · Time to complete: 30 min to read, then use as reference
How to use this glossary
Each term has a plain meaning and a note on how it shows up in your work. Knowing a word is not permission to explain it to homeowners. Money, savings, incentives, technical design and contract terms always go to the consultant.
1. People and roles
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Installer | The solar company that sells, designs and installs systems | Usually your client. You say its name on every call |
| Energy consultant | The US sales representative who meets the homeowner and presents a proposal. Also called closer or sales rep | You book their calendar |
| Closer | Another word for the energy consultant | Common inside sales teams. Say "consultant" to homeowners |
| Setter | The person who qualifies homeowners and books consultations | Usually you |
| Confirmer | The person who protects each appointment until it is held | You or a teammate |
| Live transfer agent | Qualifies and connects the homeowner to a consultant on the same call | A Narqix seat |
| Lead manager | Works follow-up cadences, callbacks and nurture leads | A Narqix seat |
| QA reviewer | Scores calls for quality and compliance | Usually a team lead |
| Canvasser | A person who knocks on doors to find interested homeowners | Their leads often show up best |
| Lead generator | A company that collects homeowner interest and sells it to installers | Their consent records protect or endanger your client |
| Decision maker | Anyone who must agree before the household signs. Usually everyone on the title | Every one must attend the consultation |
| Homeowner of record | The person whose name is on the property title | Ask "Is the home in your name?" |
2. Leads and pipeline
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | A homeowner who showed interest or who is on a list to contact | Every record you work |
| Fresh lead | A lead from the last few minutes, hours or days | Call within 5 minutes |
| Aged lead | A lead usually 30 days old or more | Lower contact rates. Check consent carefully |
| Shared lead | A lead sold to several companies | Speed matters most here |
| Exclusive lead | A lead sold to one company only | Costs more, deserves extra care |
| Inbound lead | A homeowner who contacts the company first | Highest intent among normal leads |
| Self-generated lead (self-gen) | A lead the installer found itself, for example by door knocking | Usually high show rates |
| Referral | A lead introduced by an existing customer or contact | Highest show rates |
| Speed to lead | Time between the inquiry and the first call | Target under 5 minutes |
| Contact rate | Conversations divided by leads worked | A core setter KPI |
| Cadence | A planned sequence of calls and texts over days | Standard is 8 touches over 14 days |
| Touch | Any single contact attempt: call, voicemail, text, email | Count them in your tracker |
| Callback | A specific time the homeowner asked you to call again | Always with a time zone |
| Nurture | Keeping in touch with a possible future fit | Use NUR codes |
| Disposition | The outcome code you set after every contact | Before the next dial |
| Pipeline | All open leads and appointments | Keep it clean every shift |
3. Appointments
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Set | An appointment booked on a consultant's calendar | Code SET |
| Sit | An appointment that actually took place with all decision makers | The real goal |
| Show | The homeowner was there at the appointment time | Show rate equals sits divided by sets |
| No-show | The homeowner was not there or did not join | Code NS, same-day recovery |
| Ghost | Slang for a no-show who stopped answering | Do not use with homeowners |
| Qualified sit | A sit where the home met every client criterion | Narqix measures you on these |
| In-home appointment | The consultant visits the house | Confirm the address |
| Virtual appointment | The consultation happens on a video call with screen sharing | Confirm device and link |
| Warm transfer | You introduce the homeowner to the consultant on a three-way call | The Narqix standard |
| Cold transfer | The call is passed over without an introduction | Avoid unless the client requires it |
| Rebook | A new appointment after a cancel or no-show | Within 48 to 72 hours |
| Booking window | Time between booking and the appointment | Shorter is better |
4. Compliance
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| TCPA | The main US federal law on telemarketing calls and texts | The reason consent and DNC rules exist |
| TSR (Telemarketing Sales Rule) | Federal rules on honest telemarketing: identity, no misrepresentation, accurate caller ID, record keeping | Say who you are and why you call |
| Prior express written consent (PEWC) | Written agreement, usually on a web form, to receive marketing calls or texts from a named seller | Required for autodialed or AI-voice marketing calls and texts to cell phones. Prerecorded voicemail drops and first-touch cold texts follow the client's approved process |
| Consent certificate | A record proving the homeowner submitted the web form and agreed | Purchased leads must have one |
| National Do Not Call Registry | The US government list of numbers that do not want telemarketing | Never dial a flagged number without valid consent |
| Internal DNC list | The client's own list of people who asked to stop | Add every stop request instantly |
| Revocation | A homeowner taking back consent | Any reasonable way counts |
| Opt-out | A request to stop contact, for example replying STOP | Code DNC immediately |
| STOP and HELP | Standard text replies for opting out and asking for information | Handle the moment they arrive |
| Mini-TCPA | A state telemarketing law with its own rules (for example Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland, Texas) | Stricter hours and attempt limits |
| Calling window | The hours you may call or text a homeowner | Narqix: 9 AM to 8 PM local, Monday to Saturday |
| Attempt cap | Maximum call attempts per lead in a period | Narqix: 3 per 24 hours |
| All-party consent state | A state where everyone on a call must agree to recording | Narqix gives the notice on every call anyway |
| Recording notice | The short statement that the call may be recorded | At the start, before questions |
| Caller ID | The number and name shown on the homeowner's phone | Must be accurate |
| Spoofing | Faking the caller ID | Never allowed |
| A2P 10DLC | The US carrier registration system for business texting from normal ten-digit numbers | Only text from registered numbers |
| Vicarious liability | A company being legally responsible for calls made on its behalf | Why your calls are the client's risk |
| Predictive dialer | A dialer that calls several numbers at once and connects answered calls | Covered by autodialer consent rules |
| Abandoned call | An answered call with no agent available to talk | Limited by law on predictive dialers |
| Artificial voice | Prerecorded or AI-generated voice | Prerecorded voicemail drops are allowed with the client's approved recording. AI voices need written consent and client legal approval |
5. The home and the roof
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family home | A house standing on its own lot | The preferred property type |
| Townhome | A house joined to neighbors by shared walls | Check client rules |
| Manufactured or mobile home | A factory-built home, often on a chassis | Often hard to finance |
| HOA (homeowners association) | A neighborhood organization with rules for homes | Record yes, no or not sure |
| Roof age | How many years since the roof was installed or replaced | Under about 15 is ideal |
| Asphalt shingle | The most common US roof material | Usually fine for solar |
| Tile roof | Clay or concrete tiles | Possible, install is more complex |
| Metal roof | Sheets or panels of metal | Usually good for solar |
| Wood shake | Roof made of split wood pieces | Often needs special review |
| Flat roof | A roof with little or no slope | Needs special mounting. Flag it |
| Orientation | The direction a roof surface faces | South best, east and west workable |
| Azimuth | The exact compass direction of a roof surface | Consultant's term |
| Pitch | How steep the roof is | Consultant's term |
| Shading | Trees, buildings or chimneys blocking sunlight on the roof | Record as the homeowner describes |
| Main service panel | The home's main electrical box | Some homes need a panel upgrade. The consultant decides |
| Site survey | A visit after signing to measure the roof and electrical system | Part of operations, not your job |
6. Solar equipment and energy
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panel (module) | The flat unit that turns sunlight into electricity | Never promise brands or models |
| Solar array | All the panels on a home together | Consultant's term |
| Inverter | Equipment that converts panel power into the kind of power a home uses | Consultant's term |
| String inverter | One central inverter for many panels | Consultant's term |
| Microinverter | A small inverter on each panel | Consultant's term |
| Battery storage | A home battery that stores solar power for later or for outages | Ask only if the client sells it |
| Kilowatt (kW) | A measure of power. System size is in kW | Do not quote sizes |
| Kilowatt-hour (kWh) | A measure of energy used over time. Bills charge per kWh | Shows on the electric bill |
| System size | How much power the system can produce, in kW | Consultant designs it |
| Production estimate | The expected yearly solar energy for a specific home | Only the consultant gives this |
| Offset | How much of a home's usage the system is designed to cover | Never state a number |
| Monitoring | An app or portal showing how the system performs | Operations topic |
| Warranty | The installer's or manufacturer's promise to repair or replace | Consultant explains it |
| EV (electric vehicle) | An electric car. It raises home electricity use | A strong reason a bill is rising |
7. The utility and the grid
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | The power company that supplies the home | Record the exact name. Never claim to be them |
| Electric bill | The monthly utility charge | Ask for the year-round average |
| Utility rate | The price per kWh the utility charges | Never predict changes |
| Time-of-use rates | Prices that change by time of day | Consultant's topic |
| Net metering | A system where the utility credits the homeowner for extra solar power sent to the grid | Rules vary by state. Consultant explains |
| Net billing | A version of net metering where exported power earns a lower credit | Common in some states |
| NEM 3.0 | California's current net billing system, paying much less for exported power | Batteries matter more there |
| Interconnection | The approval to connect a solar system to the utility grid | Operations topic |
| PTO (Permission to Operate) | The utility's final approval to switch the system on | The last step of an install |
| Grid | The utility's network of power lines | Background word |
8. Money and financing
| Term | Plain meaning | In your work |
|---|---|---|
| Cash purchase | Paying the full price up front. The homeowner owns the system | Consultant explains |
| Solar loan | Borrowing to buy the system and paying monthly. The homeowner owns it | Lenders check credit |
| Lease | Paying a fixed monthly fee to use a system someone else owns | Consultant explains |
| PPA (power purchase agreement) | Paying for the solar power produced, per kWh, from a system someone else owns | Never quote rates |
| TPO (third-party owned) | Leases and PPAs together | The owner is a company, not the homeowner |
| Escalator | A yearly increase written into some leases and PPAs | Consultant explains |
| Down payment | Money paid at signing | Never discuss amounts |
| Credit band | A broad description of credit: excellent, good, fair, building | Ask only if the client allows |
| Soft credit check | A credit look that does not affect the score | Done by lenders, never by you |
| Proposal | The consultant's written offer: system, price, financing | Shown at the consultation |
| Cancellation window | A short legal period after signing when the homeowner can cancel | Consultant explains |
9. Incentives (background knowledge only)
Never do this: mention any of these terms on a call or in a text. They are here so you understand what homeowners may have heard. Your only line is: "The consultant will go through the real options for your home today."
| Term | Plain meaning | Status for your work |
|---|---|---|
| Section 25D (Residential Clean Energy Credit) | The former homeowner federal solar tax credit | Ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. Never mention it |
| Section 48E | A federal credit that companies owning leased or PPA systems may use | The owner claims it, not the homeowner. Never mention it |
| FEOC rules | Federal rules about where equipment parts come from | Background only |
| SREC | A state-level certificate some solar owners can sell | Consultant's topic only |
| Incentive | Any credit, rebate or payment linked to solar | Consultant's topic only |
Coach's note: When a homeowner uses a technical word you do not know, do not guess. Say: "Good question. I will put it in the notes so the consultant covers it with you." Then write it down exactly. Consultants love walking in knowing the homeowner's real questions.
Check yourself
- What is the difference between a set, a sit and a qualified sit?
- Explain lease and PPA in one sentence each, in words a homeowner would understand.
- What is A2P 10DLC and why does it matter for your texts?
- A homeowner asks about net metering. What do you say?
- Which section of this glossary must never appear in your calls or texts?
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