Editorial Policy

Research and primary sources

The free-solarpanels.com editorial team starts with primary government and research sources. We use them to check eligibility rules, effective dates, program limits, market assumptions, and state-specific requirements before summarizing information for homeowners.

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
• Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
• State public utility commissions and official state energy-office or program-administrator websites, linked from relevant state guides where available.

Review process

Tax and incentive claims are reviewed by the free-solarpanels.com editorial team when a relevant law, IRS release, agency rule, utility filing, or program notice changes, and during periodic content audits. A page shows a “Last reviewed” date only when a documented review occurred; publication and modification dates come from the page source history and do not update automatically on deployment.

Corrections and error reports

When we confirm an error, we correct the affected page and update its source history. Material corrections are checked across related templates so the same error is not repeated elsewhere. To report an error, email [email protected] with the page URL, the statement in question, and a supporting primary source when possible.

How the site is funded

We partner with solar installers and may be compensated when a homeowner is matched with one. Compensation supports the site but does not change the primary sources used for editorial guidance. Homeowners are not charged for using our matching service and are not required to accept a quote.