Find the best Solar Software

Overview
ON THIS PAGE

Compare Products

Showing 1 - 20 of 46 products

Jonas Enterprise

Jonas Construction Software offers an intuitive, integrated solution for contractors that has been present in construction and service management for over 30 years. The application offers service, accounting, and operations projec...Read more about Jonas Enterprise

4.1 (144 reviews)

6 recommendations

Learn More

GiddyUp

CutterCroix’s GiddyUp platform is an all-inclusive cloud-based solution including a canvassing app, CRM, workflow and estimating system and a customer portal. The platform is designed for commercial and residential roofing and sid...Read more about GiddyUp

4.0 (3 reviews)

IFS Cloud

IFS Cloud is a composable enterprise software application that orchestrates customers, people, and assets to reduce complexity, cost and risk as you plan, manage and optimize critical asset availability, strive for operational exc...Read more about IFS Cloud

3.8 (28 reviews)

1 recommendations

Learn More

Dataforma

Dataforma Roofing Software was originally designed for roofing contractors, but it is now utilized by other construction trades, including electrical, plumbing and HVAC. It is a web-based business management system that helps cont...Read more about Dataforma

Learn More

B2W Track

B2W Track software for heavy civil construction field tracking and analysis enables contractors to manage projects and costs based on accurate, immediate information from the field on productivity, labor, materials, and equipment ...Read more about B2W Track

4.3 (42 reviews)

4 recommendations

Learn More

Builder Information System

Builder Information System is a construction accounting and job costing for general contractors, specialty contractor, residential home builders, electrical and mechanical contractors as well as accountants. The solution provides ...Read more about Builder Information System

JobNimbus

JobNimbus is a CRM and project management software wrapped up in one application. The platform is an end-to-end solution designed to help contractors (roofing and construction professionals) streamline their communication and bett...Read more about JobNimbus

4.6 (475 reviews)

20 recommendations

Learn More

Knowify

Knowify helps contractors Budget, manage, and invoice every construction project and service job with precision, and get insights to grow their business along the way. All work happens in one intuitive platform that integrates sea...Read more about Knowify

4.5 (90 reviews)

156 recommendations

Learn More

Traqspera

Traqspera is an easy to use, cloud-based solution that connects field crews and office staff. All relevant information is captured and stored in Traqspera, so you can ensure everyone is on the same page. Increase efficiency, and s...Read more about Traqspera

Assignar

Assignar is a cloud-based construction management solution designed for self-performing general contractors and subcontractors. Key features include scheduling, asset management, timesheets, custom forms, compliance management, in...Read more about Assignar

Learn More

B2W Schedule

B2W Schedule software for heavy civil construction scheduling and dispatching is a centralized, online solution for managing employees, crews, equipment, materials, and trucking across job locations and over time. Employees throug...Read more about B2W Schedule

4.3 (9 reviews)

7 recommendations

Envisioneer

Envisioneer by Cadsoft is a 3D building information modelling platform that assists users in designing, developing and constructing residential projects. The product is offered in four tiers based on the types of professionals and...Read more about Envisioneer

3.3 (3 reviews)

ProjectStream 365

ProjectStream 365 is a cloud-based integrated project management and job costing solution that caters to businesses across various industries such as construction, project manufacturing and professional services. Key features incl...Read more about ProjectStream 365

No reviews yet

Solargraf

Solargraf is a web-based design solution for solar installers that helps businesses of all sizes create quotes, manage projects, design templates, and draw professional estimates. The platform allows users to measure surfaces, cre...Read more about Solargraf

3.0 (8 reviews)

Horizon Site Pro

Horizon Site Pro is a project management software designed for small to medium-sized construction businesses. It is suitable for contractors in renovation, landscaping, and other trades. Horizon Site Pro is designed to help busine...Read more about Horizon Site Pro

No reviews yet

Merlin Project

Merlin Project is a project management (PM) solution natively written for macOS and iOS. It caters to businesses of all sizes across various industries. The key features include work breakdown (gantt chart, netplan and more), kanb...Read more about Merlin Project

plexxis

Plexxis offers comprehensive solutions created specifically for the most demanding specialty sub-contractors. With on premise, subscription, cloud-based and mobile options, Plexxis delivers office and field efficiencies for accoun...Read more about plexxis

4.4 (79 reviews)

1 recommendations

Learn More

Onshape

Onshape is a CAD system that enhances the productivity of designers. It allows multiple designers to access and work on the same design simultaneously via cloud services with any phone, tablet, or computer. It prevents data loss,...Read more about Onshape

Learn More

Realtraker

Efficiently manage construction projects, personnel, processes, performance, paperwork, and profit - from the cloud with unlimited users per account. Are You Ready To Complete ALL Of Your Projects On Time And On Budget? With unl...Read more about Realtraker

TriBuild

TriBuild Construction Management is a cloud-based project management solution that helps businesses of all sizes mange RFIs, budgets, delays, billings, issues, change orders and submittals. Primary features of TriBuild Constr...Read more about TriBuild

4.5 (8 reviews)

Buyers Guide

Last Updated: March 16, 2023

Designing the layout for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is a complicated process that many energy construction contractors need to manage while overseeing material costs and customer requirements.

Not only do contractors need to calculate the exact cost of raw materials required to install the solar panels, inverters, or power optimizers, they often also need to provide detailed return on investment (ROI) reports calculating annual energy savings for both commercial and residential customers.

All these administrative tasks can result in contractors having less time to spend on designing solar panel layouts. Enter solar design tools, which reduce administrative clutter by automating the design process and manage costs and customer requirements in a centralized dashboard.

In this buyers guide, we'll take a look at how solar design software helps automate key processes.

Here's what we'll cover:

What is Solar Software?

Common features of solar software

What type of buyer are you?

Benefits of solar software

Key considerations when purchasing solar software

What is Solar Software?

Solar software (aka solar design software) helps residential and commercial solar construction businesses plan and design layouts for installing PV panels on rooftops or other locations to optimize energy efficiency. These systems also help business manage solar sales proposals by showing customers PV panel design layouts, track material costs for PV system installations, manage energy storage, and generate energy usage reports and estimates.

HelioScope-solar-software

View of photovoltaic solar system design in HelioScope (Source)

Common features of solar software

Solar software often comes loaded with features, many of which may not be specific to your business needs.

When making your software purchase, focus on the core or common features offered by your shortlisted solutions to ensure you invest in the right tool. Here are the common features you should look for when evaluating solar software:

2D and 3D drawing

Create 2D and 3D drawings of area layouts for PV panel installation.

Animation

Create 3D animations of PV panel layouts to gain a holistic view of PV electrical fittings.

Electrical schematic design

Create blueprints of the electrical schematics required to connect PV panels to main electrical units.

Bill of materials

Create a list of every part or component that makes up a product, including product numbers and quantities.

Data import/export

Users can import/export images, files, and PDFs as needed.

Reporting dashboard

View information related to solar power consumption, financial analysis, and energy savings in a single dashboard.

What type of buyer are you?

Choosing the right solar software depends on the size and requirements of your solar industry business.

Here are three common types of solar software buyers and their unique considerations:

  • Small and midsize businesses. In this segment, buyers have a limited software budget, and their primary concern is often tool pricing. As small and midsize energy construction contractors typically offer solar energy solutions to residential units or smaller businesses, they can use cloud-based solar software instead of on-premise tools to stay within their budget.

  • Large enterprises. Businesses in this segment require software with advanced functionalities, and often have a larger budget to work with. Larger energy construction contractors cater to a wider audience, often installing solar panels on a bigger scale (e.g., warehouse rooftops, industrial buildings). Cloud-based solar software allows larger construction enterprises to choose from a suite of features such as 2D PV layout design, proposal generation, and sales management.

  • Best-of-breed buyers. This segment of buyers has mixed business requirements, similar to those listed above. Since they offer solar energy solutions to residences as well as bigger industrial units, these contractors often need solar software with a complete suite of features.

Benefits of solar software

No matter which of the above three buyer segments you belong in, solar software can help your business. Let's take a look at three key benefits:

  • Reduces raw materials waste. By creating the exact layout for each panel's installation, solar software helps business gauge the amount of raw materials required for electrical fittings to avoid waste.

  • Aids proposal and sales management. For customers who aren't sure how much they'll save by using solar power, solar software helps business generate proposals to highlight overall ROI post-installation.

  • Estimates total energy consumption for prospective systems. Once a PV layout is created, solar software reporting dashboards can estimate overall annual energy savings and assess the cost benefits of solar panel installation.

Key considerations when purchasing solar software

Your final step when purchasing solar software is evaluating these key areas to ensure your business makes the ideal purchase:

  • Integration with third-party software. Are you already using imaging software such as AutoCAD to design solar panel layouts in 2D and 3D? Ensure that the solar software you purchase integrates with this and any other design software you use.

  • Customer support. Does the solar software vendor offer 24/7 customer support? Are there any training modules or FAQs that can help you troubleshoot encountered issues? Make sure the vendor offers any and all support your business needs before purchasing.

  • Mobile application. Determine whether the solar software vendor you're considering offers a mobile app so employees can use the solution while working off-site.

Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.