The short answer
An AI receptionist for solar installers built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.40 per answered call, or $80 a month for 200 calls averaging 5 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 40 of those calls (20%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Qualify the home
Asks about home ownership, roof age and type, shading and the average electric bill, and records the answers before booking a consultation.
Book consultations
Offers the advisor's open times, books the consultation and texts what to prepare, including a recent utility bill.
Answer incentive questions carefully
Uses only your approved sentence about the federal tax credit and refers every other tax or rebate question to a tax professional.
Handle install status calls
Takes the customer name and address, creates a task for the project coordinator and tells the caller when to expect an update.
What to send to a person
- Savings estimates and system sizing
- Tax, financing and lease terms
- Production problems on installed systems
- Cancellation requests
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical solar installation company: 200 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 5 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 5 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $68.00 | $11.65 | $80 | $0.40 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $88.00 | $11.65 | $100 | $0.50 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $200.00 | $11.65 | $212 | $1.06 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $11.65 | $109 | $0.54 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a solar installation company.
Compared with staff time
Those 200 calls take about 17 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $305, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTHi there. This is the solar team's virtual assistant. Are you interested in a new system, or calling about one we installed?
CALLERA new one. My neighbor just got panels. Is there still the 30 percent tax credit?
AI AGENTThe federal residential clean energy credit isn't available for systems completed after 2025, so we don't include it in our proposals. A tax professional can tell you about anything else you might qualify for. Our advisor can show you costs based on your actual bill. Do you own the home?
CALLERYes. The roof is about eight years old.
AI AGENTThanks. Roughly what's your average monthly electric bill?
CALLERAround $220 in summer.
AI AGENTHelpful. I have consultations Tuesday at 5 p.m. or Thursday at noon. Please have a recent bill handy.
CALLERThursday.
AI AGENTYou're booked for Thursday at noon. I'll text a confirmation and a link to upload your bill.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Write the exact tax credit sentence into the prompt, checked against the IRS page, and tell the agent not to discuss any other incentive.
- Tip 2Forbid savings figures on the call; have the agent ask for the utility bill and book the advisor instead.
- Tip 3List your install milestones in order, so the agent can explain the process to customers waiting on permits or utility approval.
Rules to watch
The federal residential credit has ended. The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit is not allowed for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, and an expenditure counts as made when installation is completed. Make sure your AI prompt, scripts and follow-up texts do not promise the 30 percent credit, and send tax questions to a tax professional.
Honest savings claims. FTC guidance to solar sellers: disclose the total cost, be clear about financing and don't overpromise savings from tax credits, rebates or incentives. The FTC also warns that 'free' solar panel offers are scams. Keep AI answers about savings to 'your advisor will estimate this from your bill.'
Telemarketing consent. The FCC treats AI-generated voices as artificial under the TCPA, so outbound Voice AI calls need prior express consent, and marketing calls need prior express written consent. Don't call purchased lead lists without checking how and for whom consent was collected.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
Can an AI receptionist answer solar tax credit questions?
What does AI answering cost a solar installer?
Can the AI call solar leads back automatically?
Should the AI give savings estimates?
Sources
- HighLevel help center: AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel help center: AI product pricing
- HighLevel help center: Voice AI outbound calling
- HighLevel help center: LC Email pricing
- HighLevel pricing page
- IRS: FAQs on the modification of sections 25C, 25D and others under Public Law 119-21
- FTC business blog: Don't waste your energy on a solar scam
- FCC Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17: TCPA applies to AI technologies that generate human voices
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)