Sizing calculators that price the proposal
Your own sizing spreadsheet as a block in the proposal: its cells set the price lines' descriptions and unit prices, and the total comes back for your payback estimate.
- 5/5 on G2
- 4.2 on Capterra
- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
In QuoteCloud a solar installer builds their sizing calculator as a Spreadsheet block inside the proposal template, with their own formulas, tabs and rates, or imports it from .xlsx. Any cell connects to a price line's description and unit price, and the price table total comes back into a cell, so payback estimates follow the household's choices.
A sizing spreadsheet inside a proposal from a fictional business, Tallowwood Solar & Storage. The formula bar steps through four cells of the System tab: B7, =ROUNDUP(B6*1000/B5,0), works out 15 panels; D19, =B7*Rates!C2, is connected to the panels line's unit price, $2,580; B19 builds the line's description, 15 × 440 W panels · Norrow N440 (6.6 kW); and the proposal's total, $14,575.00 inc tax, comes back into Payback!B2, where the installer's payback estimate works out 5.3 years.
Every connection, from the cell to the line and back
Row 19 to 24 of Nate's System tab beside the price table they price. Pick a connection, or point at a cell or a line, then choose a different battery and watch the total land in Payback!B2.
Nate Carrow's sheet · the connected cells
=B7*Rates!C2
System
| Row | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Unit | Basis |
| 18 | Price line | Description → price line | Unit price → | |
| 19 | Panels | 15 × 440 W panels · Norrow N440 (6.6 kW) | $2,580 | |
| 20 | Racking | Rail & clamp kit for 15 panels | $540 | |
| 21 | Inverter | Pellam PH-5 · 5 kW hybrid inverter | $2,350 | |
| 22 | Installation | Installation, 15 panels & inverter | $1,470 | |
| 23 | Battery (fits evening use) | Quolla battery, 2 × 5 kWh modules (10 kWh) | $8,130 | |
| 24 | Battery (one more module) | Quolla battery, 3 × 5 kWh modules (15 kWh) | $11,280 | |
← Price table total
Payback
| Row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Basis |
| 2 | Price table total | Price table$14,575.00 | Inc tax · linked from the price table |
| 3 | Solar-only price | $5,632.00 | Inc tax |
| 4 | Battery price | $8,943.00 | Inc tax |
| 5 | Saving used | $2,733 | Estimate |
| 6 | Simple payback | 5.3 years | Estimate |
- Typed in
- Installer's assumption
- Estimate
- Connected to the price table
The price table in the editor · lines and their cells
Choose a connection above, or point at a cell or a line.
Fictional business and figures. In QuoteCloud you connect any cell to a price line's description and unit price, and bring a price table total back into a cell. Quantities, optional items and the battery choice stay on the price table as usual; the sheet runs your formulas and fetches nothing from outside it.
Four tabs, one job each
Usage holds what the consultant types from the bills: kWh for each billing period, the days in it, and the share used in the evening. Billing periods vary, so the tab takes whatever the bills show.
System turns that into a design brief: target size from your peak sun hours and performance factor (both labelled as your assumptions), panels rounded up, an inverter looked up on the Rates tab, and battery modules for the evening use. Payback takes the price table total back and divides it by your saving estimate. Rates is your price list, kept in one place.
- Typed in, assumption and estimate cells, each labelled
- Cross-tab references such as Usage!E6 and Rates!C2
- Click a tab or a cell to see its formula
Spreadsheet block: Essentials and up
Nate's sizing sheet · four tabs
Nate's sizing sheet, built into the proposal as a Spreadsheet block. Figures are Tallowwood's estimates from your bills and our assumptions.
1,880
Usage
| Row | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarter | kWh used | Days | Cost at your rates | kWh / day |
| 2 | Jan–Mar | 1,880 | 90 | $738.20 | 20.9 |
| 3 | Apr–Jun | 1,720 | 91 | $684.90 | 18.9 |
| 4 | Jul–Sep | 2,160 | 92 | $835.60 | 23.5 |
| 5 | Oct–Dec | 2,270 | 92 | $873.00 | 24.7 |
| 6 | Year | 8,030 | 365 | $3,131.70 | 22.0 |
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | Evening & night share | 40% | From the homeowner | ||
| 9 | Evening & night kWh / day | 8.8 | |||
| 10 | Highest quarter, kWh / day | 24.7 | |||
| 11 | Usage rate ($/kWh) | 0.34 | Typed from the bill | ||
| 12 | Feed-in rate ($/kWh) | 0.05 | Typed from the bill | ||
| 13 | Supply charge ($/day) | 1.10 | Typed from the bill | ||
System
| Row | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Unit | Basis |
| 2 | Average daily use | 22.0 | kWh / day | From the bills |
| 3 | Peak sun hours | 4.2 | h / day | Installer's assumption |
| 4 | System performance | 80% | Installer's assumption | |
| 5 | Panel size | 440 | W | Rates tab |
| 6 | Target system size | 6.55 | kW | Estimate |
| 7 | Panels | 15 | panels | Rounded up |
| 8 | Array size | 6.60 | kW | |
| 9 | Hybrid inverter | 5 | kW | Panels up to 133% of inverter |
| 10 | Evening & night use | 8.8 | kWh / day | From Usage |
| 11 | Battery modules | 2 | × 5 kWh | Covers evening use |
| 12 | Battery size | 10 | kWh | |
| 13 | Generation, a year | 8,094 | kWh | Estimate |
| 14 | Used as it's made | 4,818 | kWh / yr | Estimate |
| 15 | Stored, used at night | 3,212 | kWh / yr | Estimate |
| 16 | Saving, solar only | $1,802 | a year | Estimate |
| 17 | Saving, with the battery | $2,733 | a year | Estimate |
| 18 | Price line | Description → price line | Unit price → | |
| 19 | Panels | 15 × 440 W panels · Norrow N440 (6.6 kW) | $2,580 | |
| 20 | Racking | Rail & clamp kit for 15 panels | $540 | |
| 21 | Inverter | Pellam PH-5 · 5 kW hybrid inverter | $2,350 | |
| 22 | Installation | Installation, 15 panels & inverter | $1,470 | |
| 23 | Battery (fits evening use) | Quolla battery, 2 × 5 kWh modules (10 kWh) | $8,130 | |
| 24 | Battery (one more module) | Quolla battery, 3 × 5 kWh modules (15 kWh) | $11,280 | |
Payback
| Row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Basis |
| 2 | Price table total | Price table$14,575.00 | Inc tax · linked from the price table |
| 3 | Solar-only price | $5,632.00 | Inc tax |
| 4 | Battery price | $8,943.00 | Inc tax |
| 5 | Saving used | $2,733 | Estimate |
| 6 | Simple payback | 5.3 years | Estimate |
| 7 | Our estimate, not a guarantee: your savings depend on your usage, the weather and your tariffs. An EV charger, if ticked, is in the total. | ||
Rates
| Row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Size | Unit price, ex tax |
| 2 | Norrow N440 panel | 440 | $172 |
| 3 | Rail & clamp kit, per panel | $36 | |
| 4 | Installation, per panel | $98 | |
| 5 | Pellam PH-5 · 5 kW hybrid inverter | 5 | $2,350 |
| 6 | Pellam PH-8 · 8 kW hybrid inverter | 8 | $3,150 |
| 7 | Pellam PH-10 · 10 kW hybrid inverter | 10 | $3,690 |
| 8 | Quolla QB-5 battery module | 5 | $3,150 |
| 9 | Usable share of each module | 90% | |
| 10 | Quolla backup gateway | $1,150 | |
| 11 | Battery installation & commissioning | $680 | |
| 12 | Isolators, cabling & switchboard work | $640 | |
| 13 | Monitoring kit & app set-up | $180 | |
| 14 | Rebate / incentive (installer's figure) | −$2,640 | |
| 15 | Pellam EVC-7 · 7 kW EV charger, installed | $1,690 |
- Typed in
- Installer's assumption
- Estimate
- Connected to the price table
The functions doing the work in Tallowwood's sheet
Ordinary spreadsheet functions, written by the installer. Each example below is a real cell from the sample sheet.
ROUNDUP for whole panels
System!B7 =ROUNDUP(B6*1000/B5,0) turns 6.55 kW into 15 panels; B11 does the same for battery modules.
XLOOKUP against your rates
System!B9 looks up the smallest inverter that suits the array on the Rates tab; D21 brings back its price for the line.
Text that becomes a description
B19 joins the count, panel size and model with & and TEXT(), so the line reads "15 × 440 W panels · Norrow N440 (6.6 kW)".
IF for the right saving
Payback!B5 uses the battery saving only when a battery is in the total, so the estimate matches what was chosen.
SUM, MIN and MAX
Usage totals the bills, picks the highest period, and System caps what the battery can store with MIN.
The total, back as an input
Payback!B2 isn't typed: it's the price table total, brought back into the sheet, so the payback follows the household's choice.
Bring your sizing spreadsheet into the proposal
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your .xlsx calculator and current proposal and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
A second sheet, for batteries on existing solar
Ruth's sheet is shorter: what her 2016 system exported, her evening use, and the modules that cover it. B11 and D11 write the battery line; the incentive she may be eligible for is a cell the installer types, connected to its own line.
Tick the pool pump circuit in her price table: the total changes, Payback!B2 picks it up, and the simple payback moves with it. Same mechanic, different job.
- Battery!B11 → description, D11 → unit price
- Battery!D12: an incentive figure you type
- Total → Payback!B2, payback recalculates
Your sizing sheet
=ROUNDUP(B4/(5*B5),0)
Battery
| Row | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Unit | Basis |
| 2 | Existing system | 5.0 | kW | Installed 2016 |
| 3 | Exported last year | 4,120 | kWh | Typed from the bills |
| 4 | Evening & night use | 11.5 | kWh / day | Typed from the bills |
| 5 | Usable share per module | 90% | Installer's assumption | |
| 6 | Battery modules | 3 | × 5 kWh | Rounded up |
| 7 | Battery size | 15 | kWh | |
| 8 | Stored, used at night | 4,120 | kWh / yr | Estimate |
| 9 | Saving a year | $1,195 | a year | Estimate |
| 10 | Price line | Description → price line | Unit price → | |
| 11 | Battery | Quolla battery, 3 × 5 kWh modules (15 kWh) | $11,280 | |
| 12 | Incentive line | Installer's figure, typed if eligible | −$3,600 | |
Payback
| Row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Value | Basis |
| 2 | Price table total | Price table$11,583.00 | Inc tax · linked from the price table |
| 3 | Saving a year | $1,195 | Estimate |
| 4 | Simple payback | 9.7 years | Estimate |
- Typed in
- Installer's assumption
- Estimate
- Connected to the price table
Your battery, priced
Battery system
Options · tick to addTick to add
- Subtotal
- $10,530.00
- Tax (10%)
- $1,053.00
- Total
- $11,583.00
- Deposit on signing (15%)
- $1,737.45
From your .xlsx to a calculator that prices the proposal
What a solar business does once, in its proposal template.
Import the .xlsx
Add a Spreadsheet block to your template and import the calculator you already use, tabs and formulas included.
Label the cells
Colour what consultants type, your assumptions and your estimates, so households can read the workings.
Connect cells to lines
Point each price line's description and unit price at the cell that works it out, in your price table.
Bring the total back
Connect the price table total to the payback cell, so the estimate uses the price chosen.
Lock and send
Lock the blocks consultants shouldn't change with content locking (Business), then test on a real bill.
Spreadsheet questions from solar installers
Can a spreadsheet in QuoteCloud set the prices in my solar proposal?
Yes. The Spreadsheet block works like a full spreadsheet inside the proposal, and any cell can be connected to a price line's description and unit price. Your panel count, inverter lookup and battery size become the lines the household sees, priced from your own rates. Quantities, optional items and choices stay on the price table as usual.
Can the proposal total go back into the spreadsheet?
Yes. A price table total can be brought back into a spreadsheet cell, so a payback or return formula uses the price the household actually chose. When they pick a bigger battery or tick an option, the total changes and your formula recalculates. The result is your estimate, and should be labelled that way.
Can I import the sizing spreadsheet I already use?
Yes. You can import an .xlsx file into a Spreadsheet block, then tidy the tabs, label the cells consultants type, and connect the cells that price each line. Most solar businesses do this once in their proposal template, and every proposal sent from it carries the same calculator.
Which plan includes the Spreadsheet block?
The Spreadsheet content block is included from the Essentials plan, along with price tables, templates and payments on signing. Content locking, the approval workflow and Gantt charts are on the Business plan. Essentials and Business both start with a 14-day free trial, with no credit card needed.
Can my website form fill in the spreadsheet?
Yes, through Zapier. A Zap can create the proposal from your template and write values such as the bills and evening share into the sheet's input cells; the sheet recalculates and the connected price lines follow. The household still chooses options themselves, and automations don't choose content blocks.
Does QuoteCloud work out solar output, tariffs or rebates for me?
No. The sheet runs the formulas and assumptions you build, such as peak sun hours and a performance factor. QuoteCloud doesn't design systems, model shading, or fetch tariffs, weather or rebate data, and it doesn't check eligibility for incentives. Every generation, saving and payback figure is your estimate.
Everything a solar business sends
From the sizing sheet to the signed install, for every kind of solar job.
-
Residential solar proposalsBills, sizing, roof photos, panels, inverter and datasheets in one proposal the household reads, signs and pays a deposit on.Explore
-
Battery add-ons & retrofitsA battery sized from exports and evening use, offered as a choice of sizes, added to a new system or an existing one.Explore
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From website enquiry to proposalYour website calculator or enquiry form creates a proposal from your template through the API, Zapier or Make.Explore
- EV charger quotesA charger as an option in the solar proposal or its own quick quote, paid in full or with a deposit on signing.
- Solar, battery & EV packagesSolar only, solar + battery, or the lot: packages the homeowner chooses inside the proposal, with the price following.
- Site assessments & roof photosRoof, switchboard, meter and existing system captured in a Forms block, with marked-up photos, inside the proposal.
- Rebate & incentive linesAny rebate or incentive as a line you enter, worded your way and tagged as your figure: never calculated by QuoteCloud.
- Commercial solar proposalsLarger systems sized from interval data, approvals on big totals, two directors signing and an install programme.
- In-home sales & tablet signingSize it at the kitchen table, change the battery as you talk, and both homeowners sign on your tablet.
- Deposits & installation programmesA deposit on signing through Stripe or PayPal, and the steps to switch-on as a programme in the proposal.
- CRM, accounting & job integrationsHubSpot, Pipedrive, Xero, QuickBooks, simPRO and ServiceM8, connected the way each one really connects.
- Solar templatesReal QuoteCloud solar proposal and quote templates, ready for your sizing sheet and price book.
- QuoteCloud implementation for solar retailersYour sizing spreadsheet rebuilt as a block, your price book loaded, payments connected and consultants trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions solar retailers, battery installers and EV charger installers ask most.
Your calculator, inside every proposal
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.