SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Quoting Bird Proofing and Critter Guards With a Solar Panel Cleaning

Pigeons love the space under a solar array. It is sheltered, warm and close to food. Squirrels and other animals like it too. The result is droppings on the glass, nests and debris packed under the panels, and sometimes chewed wiring. A cleaning fixes the glass for now. Bird proofing and critter guards deal with the reason it got that way. Quoting them together is good for the customer and good for your business.

The Natural Add-On

The last article, Quoting Ground Mounts and Carports for Solar Panel Cleaning, covered arrays that are not on a roof. Bird proofing and critter guards mostly come up on rooftop systems, where the gap between panels and shingles makes a perfect shelter. When you are already quoting a cleaning on that roof, it is the natural time to offer them.

Spotting the Need

Customers often tell you without realizing it. Listen for and look for:

• “There are pigeons on the roof all the time.” The clearest signal there is.
• Droppings on the panels in customer photos, especially heavy streaks near the edges.
• Twigs, feathers or debris sticking out from under the array.
• Noise from the roof that the customer mentions in passing.
• Squirrels or other animals running along the roofline.

Ask directly on every residential quote: “Do you get birds or squirrels under the panels?” It takes five seconds and often opens the door to the bigger part of the job.

Pricing Bird Proofing Per Panel

Most solar cleaning companies price bird proofing per panel, the same way they price cleaning. That makes it easy to quote, since you already have the panel count, and easy for the customer to understand. A few practical points:

• Price for the perimeter work. Bird proofing usually means closing off the gap around the edge of the array. Per panel is a simple stand-in for that, and it scales with the size of the array.
• Include nest removal or charge for it. Decide whether clearing existing nests and debris is part of the bird proofing price or its own line. Heavily nested roofs can take a lot longer.
• Mind your materials. Your per-panel price has to cover the mesh, clips and fasteners you use, plus the labor to install them neatly.
• Check the panel maker's guidance. Use fastening methods that do not drill into panels or frames, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations so the customer's warranty is not put at risk.

Critter Guards as Their Own Line

Critter guards are often quoted separately from bird proofing, even when they overlap. Some customers have a squirrel problem and no pigeons. Others want the strongest protection they can get. Keeping them on separate lines lets the customer choose, and lets you price each one for what it really involves.

In SolarCleaningBossPro, bird proofing per panel and critter guards are both lines on your service list. They sit on the same estimate as the cleaning, so the customer reads the whole picture and approves it in one step online.

How to Present It

Do not lead with fear. Lead with what the customer already noticed. Something like:

“Since you've got pigeons under there, I've added bird proofing as a separate line. It closes off the gap around the panels so they can't nest. You can approve the cleaning on its own or with the bird proofing, whatever works for you.”

If the customer asks why they should not just clean the panels more often, be honest: they can, but the nesting and droppings will keep coming back, and debris under the array is harder to clear the longer it sits. Bird proofing is a one-time job that makes every cleaning after it simpler.

Show it as an option, not a requirement. Some customers will add it now. Others will add it after the cleaning, once they see what came out from under the panels. Before-and-after photos from the tech help a lot here.

Doing the Work on the Same Visit

Once the customer approves, the estimate becomes the scheduled job. The office enters the panel details on the job once, including the extras: “24 panels · Roof · 2-story · Low pitch · Bird proofing.” The tech sees it on the phone before leaving the shop, so the mesh and clips go on the truck along with the brushes. Nothing gets forgotten because it lived only in someone's head.

For customers who decide later, you can send a new estimate for the bird proofing alone after the first cleaning. Related: Adding an Inspection to a Solar Panel Cleaning Quote, another extra that fits naturally on the same visit. To see how extras, estimates and online approval work together, visit the solar cleaning estimate software page.