Solar Financing Guide
How Solar Financing Works for Sales Organizations
A plain-English breakdown of TPO, solar loans, and sell-on-our-paper — and how to offer all three without managing multiple lender relationships yourself.
How solar financing works: the short version
Residential solar financing falls into three categories: third-party ownership (TPO) — leases and PPAs where a company owns the panels and the homeowner pays monthly; solar loans — where the homeowner finances the purchase, owns the system, and claims the 30% federal tax credit; and sell-on-our-paper options — where a platform like Seamless Home finances the deal through its own funding vehicle.
For sales organizations, the challenge isn't understanding these products — it's offering all of them efficiently. Most deals are won or lost based on whether you can match the right financing to the right homeowner. Seamless Home connects sales orgs, installers, and EPCs to a multi-lender network — including GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, Sunnova, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite — so you never have to turn a deal away because your single lender didn't fit.
The three types of solar financing
1. Third-Party Ownership (TPO): Leases & PPAs
In a TPO arrangement, a financing company — not the homeowner — owns the solar panels installed on the home. The homeowner pays a fixed monthly lease payment (lease) or a per-kWh rate for the electricity the panels produce (power purchase agreement / PPA).
- $0 down for the homeowner. No purchase price, no loan payment.
- No federal tax credit for the homeowner. The TPO company claims the 30% ITC, not the homeowner.
- Monthly savings, not total ownership. The homeowner saves on their utility bill but doesn't build equity in the system.
- Typical term: 20–25 years with escalator clauses on the payment.
Best for: Homeowners who want immediate savings with $0 upfront and aren't concerned about ownership or the tax credit. TPO products from providers like LightReach and Sunnova are accessible to a broad credit band.
2. Solar Loans
A solar loan functions like a home improvement loan: the homeowner finances the purchase of the solar system, owns the panels outright, and makes monthly loan payments to the lender. Common terms range from 10 to 25 years.
- Homeowner owns the system. Panels increase property value and the homeowner can claim the 30% federal ITC.
- Dealer fee instead of lease residual. Lenders charge the sales org a dealer fee; loan rates and terms vary by lender.
- Broad product range. GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite each offer different terms, rates, and credit tiers.
- Dealer fee & advance timing matter. Different lenders fund at different project milestones — this affects your cash flow and how quickly you can pay installers and suppliers.
Best for: Homeowners who want to own their system, claim the tax credit, and maximize long-term savings — and who have the credit profile to qualify.
3. Sell-on-Our-Paper
Some platforms — including Seamless Home — offer the ability to finance qualifying deals on the platform's own paper rather than through a third-party lender. This gives sales orgs a fallback path for deals that don't fit standard TPO or loan products.
- Third financing path. Closes deals that slip through TPO and loan qualification.
- No separate lender setup. The platform manages the paper; you don't negotiate terms with an outside lender.
- Deal-specific suitability. Not the right fit for every deal — works best when a deal qualifies under the platform's criteria.
Best for: Sales orgs who want a catch-all financing path and want to run it through the same platform as their fulfillment workflow, rather than maintaining a separate relationship.
TPO vs. solar loans vs. sell-on-our-paper: at a glance
Each product fits a different homeowner situation. The orgs that close the most deals offer all three.
| Factor | TPO (Lease / PPA) | Solar Loan | Sell-on-Our-Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the panels | TPO company | Homeowner | Platform / lender |
| Homeowner upfront cost | $0 | $0 (loan-funded) | Varies |
| Federal tax credit (ITC) | TPO company claims it | Homeowner claims it | Depends on structure |
| Typical term | 20–25 years | 10–25 years | Platform-specific |
| Best lenders / providers | LightReach, Sunnova | GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight, EnFin, Concert Finance, Solrite | Seamless Home paper |
| Best homeowner fit | Wants $0 down, no ownership concern | Wants ownership + tax credit | Doesn't fit TPO or loan criteria |
| Sales org complexity | Low — no loan underwriting | Medium — multiple lender relationships | Low — single platform |
The real problem: managing multiple lender relationships
Offering all three financing types in theory is easy. Offering them in practice is where most sales orgs break down. Each lender has its own dealer agreement, portal, document checklist, advance schedule, and credit policies. Running four lenders means four onboarding processes, four portal logins, and four sets of terms to track.
The result is that most sales orgs end up defaulting to one or two products they know well — and losing deals where those products don't fit. A homeowner who doesn't qualify for Lender A isn't automatically re-run on Lender B. A deal that fits a TPO but your rep only knows loans gets abandoned.
The best-performing solar sales organizations solve this with a fulfillment platform that manages the lender integrations, so the rep focuses on the deal — not the portal.
How Seamless Home handles solar financing for sales organizations
Seamless Home is a back-end fulfillment platform for residential solar sales organizations, installers, and EPCs. On the financing side, it gives you access to a multi-lender network — GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, Sunnova, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite — plus sell-on-our-paper options, all through one workflow.
Instead of maintaining separate lender agreements and portals, you qualify the homeowner and select the right product in a single dashboard. Financing lives alongside fulfillment: once the deal is funded, Seamless Home routes it to the installer network, procures materials through Direct Pay (no upfront working capital), and tracks design, permitting, engineering, and project milestones through to PTO.
The goal is to eliminate the back-office overhead that slows sales orgs down — so you keep selling while Seamless Home handles the rest.
Multi-lender access
GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight, Sunnova, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, Solrite.
TPO + loans + sell-on-paper
All three financing types in one workflow — no single-lender lock-in.
Integrated fulfillment
Financing, installer connections, Direct-Pay materials, and project management in one platform.
No upfront working capital
Direct Pay covers materials before funding lands — your cash isn't tied up in panels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TPO solar financing?+
TPO stands for Third-Party Ownership. In a TPO arrangement — either a lease or a power purchase agreement (PPA) — a financing company owns the solar panels and the homeowner pays a monthly fee to use the energy they produce. The homeowner gets $0 upfront but doesn't receive the federal tax credit. TPO products are offered by providers like LightReach and Sunnova.
What is the difference between a solar loan and a solar lease?+
With a solar loan, the homeowner finances the purchase of the panels and owns the system outright — they can claim the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC). With a solar lease (a type of TPO), a third-party company owns the panels and the homeowner makes monthly lease payments. Loans typically deliver more long-term value for homeowners who can use the tax credit; leases lower the barrier to entry with no upfront cost.
What does 'sell on our paper' mean in solar?+
Selling on the platform's paper means the deal is financed through a funding vehicle the platform controls, rather than through a traditional bank or lender. Seamless Home offers this as a third financing path for deals that don't fit standard TPO or loan products — giving your sales org another option to close without turning a deal away.
Which solar financing type has the highest close rate?+
It depends on the homeowner's situation. $0-down TPO options tend to lower the barrier for homeowners with limited cash, while loans close better with homeowners who want the 30% tax credit and long-term savings. The orgs that close at the highest rate offer both, so they can match the right product to each homeowner rather than losing deals where a single product doesn't fit.
How do I offer multiple solar financing options without managing each lender separately?+
A solar fulfillment platform like Seamless Home connects you to a network of lenders — GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, Sunnova, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite — through one workflow. Instead of maintaining separate lender relationships and portals, you qualify homeowners and select the right product in a single dashboard alongside your fulfillment and project management.
Does Seamless Home work with GoodLeap and Mosaic?+
Yes. Seamless Home gives sales organizations and installers access to a multi-lender network that includes GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, Sunnova, LightReach, EnFin, Concert Finance, and Solrite, alongside sell-on-our-paper options. You choose the right product per deal without being locked into a single lender.
Ready to offer every financing option on every deal?
Get in touch and we'll show you how multi-lender solar financing through Seamless Home works for your org — TPOs, loans, and sell-on-our-paper in one workflow.
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