Why solar installers use PermitRadius: quote the roof before it exists
How BC solar, battery and heat-pump installers use building-permit leads: new roofs before they're shingled, solar and heat-pump permits that show electrified streets, and a library of homes due for a new roof.
PermitRadius Research · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Updated Sep 28, 2026
In short
The cheapest solar install is on a house that isn't built yet: conduit while the walls are open, no reroof, a builder who wants the net-zero-ready line. PermitRadius sends installers every new home and major renovation inside their radius the week the permit lands, tags the solar and heat-pump permits that show which streets are already sold on electrification, and lists the homes whose roofs are due.
01 · New roofs, before the trusses are ordered
Every new house, laneway, duplex and townhouse permit inside your radius arrives the week it's issued, with the builder behind it. Call in that first week and a south-facing layout and a conduit run cost nothing on paper. Builders with five or more permits a year want one solar partner and one price; win the first roof and the next nine follow.
02 · Solar and heat-pump permits: the electrified block
Surrey publishes solar installs as their own permit type; Vancouver and Victoria mention solar and heat pumps in the permit text. The app tags both. A solar permit is someone else's install, but it marks a homeowner who already said yes — battery, EV charging and a heat pump are the follow-on — and the neighbours who watched it go up are your warmest doors.
03 · Roofs due: the Homes library
The Library's Homes tab lists every property in your radius from public assessment records with the year it was built and the year of its last major work. Filter to homes 25 or more years past either and you have the reroof-plus-solar list for your area, by neighbourhood, with land values so you can prioritize. No permit has been pulled — these are the homes most likely to need one.
7000 blk 135 Pl
Killarney · Vancouver
$4.1M
Townhouse
Brightwater Builders Ltd.
17 permits this year · repeat builder
04 · Watch lists
Tick Solar and Heat pumps under Watch for in Settings and every such permit from the past week is pinned to the top of your Wednesday list. Add $1M+ builds to catch the custom homes as they land.
05 · Working the list
Statuses, notes and follow-up dates on every lead; due follow-ups pin to the top; Reports tracks quotes and wins. Export to CSV for your own tools. Builder phone, email and website on the Crew plan, from public business listings. No homeowner details, ever.
See this for your radius
Which builders are pulling permits within 15 km of your yard?