Help & Tutorial

What SunSite does

SunSite is an iOS app that lets solar installers and homeowners run a fast on-site shade survey of a roof and produce a client-ready PDF report estimating the roof's annual solar access — how much of the year's available sunlight the roof receives after shade from trees, buildings, and hills.

Run a survey in a few minutes

Every survey follows the same flow inside the app. You can complete most of it standing in one spot on or near the roof. Tap the "?" on any screen at any time for in-context help specific to that step.

1. New project — name the customer and pin the address. Start a new project, type the customer's name, and search for or drop a pin on the property address. SunSite uses Apple Maps to find the location and anchor the survey. The customer details you type are stored locally on your device.
2. Mark the array position. Set the viewpoint you'll survey from — the spot on or near the roof where the panels would go. This is the position SunSite uses as the origin for tracing the skyline and computing shade.
3. Outline the roof on the satellite map. On the satellite view, drag the corner handles to trace the outline of the roof plane you're surveying. Adjust each handle until the shape matches the roof edges.
4. Calibrate on the sun. Point the phone at the sun once. SunSite uses that single sighting to correct the compass to survey-grade accuracy, because phone magnetometers drift and are easily thrown off near metal and rooftops. If the sun is hidden behind cloud or an obstruction, switch to Landmark mode and calibrate against a known reference instead.
5. Trace the skyline. Slowly pan the phone across the horizon, tracing every tree, building, and obstruction where it meets the open sky. This outline of the obstructions against the sky is what SunSite uses to work out when shade falls on the roof through the year.
6. Eave height, roof pitch, and roof azimuth. Measure each value with the phone — hold it to the surface to read the angle, or sight along it — or type a value you already know. Every measured value has a manual-entry fallback, so if you have plans, a spec, or a measurement from another tool, you can enter it by hand.
7. Results. Read the Access % — the share of the year's available sunlight the roof receives after the shade you traced. This is the headline number that tells you how good the location is for solar.
8. Sun Map. Open the Sun Map to see where and when shade falls across the roof through the year, so you can spot the worst-affected areas and the times of day or seasons that lose the most sun.
9. Generate the PDF report. When you're happy with the survey, generate the PDF report to hand to the client. It pulls the project details, the Access %, and the survey results into one client-ready document you can share through the iOS share sheet.

Tips

• Always do the sun calibration before tracing the skyline. The accuracy of every shade result depends on it.
• Trace the skyline slowly and follow the exact line where each obstruction meets the open sky — a rushed or rough outline gives a rough Access %.
• If a measured value looks wrong, don't fight the sensor — type the known value by hand instead. You are responsible for verifying critical numbers before relying on them.
• Take your time on the roof outline; a shape that matches the real roof edges gives a cleaner Sun Map and report.
• Tap the "?" on any screen for help written for that exact step.

FAQ and troubleshooting

Why do I have to point at the sun to calibrate?

The phone's built-in compass relies on a magnetometer, which drifts over time and is easily disturbed by metal, wiring, and rooftop structures. A perfect magnetometer reading isn't something we can count on. By having you point at the sun once — whose exact position SunSite computes from your location and the date and time — the app corrects the compass to survey-grade accuracy. If the sun is hidden, use Landmark mode to calibrate against a known reference instead.

The satellite map is blank — what's wrong?

SunSite uses Apple Maps for satellite imagery, and Apple's imagery coverage varies by region. In some areas the satellite view may be low-detail or blank. That's a limit of the available imagery, not a fault in the app. You can still complete the survey: mark the array position and outline the roof as best you can, and rely on the on-site skyline trace and your measured values.

Can I enter values by hand instead of measuring?

Yes. Every measured value in SunSite — eave height, roof pitch, roof azimuth — has a manual-entry fallback. If you already know a value from plans, a spec sheet, or another instrument, just type it in. Because results depend on the accuracy of the values you provide, hand-entered numbers are a good way to use measurements you trust.

How do subscriptions and the free trial work?

SunSite Pro is an auto-renewing subscription sold through Apple's App Store: Monthly $39/month or Yearly $399/year, with a 7-day free trial. Apple processes all payments — SunSite never sees your payment card, bank details, or Apple ID. You manage, change, or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. See our Terms for details.

Is the Access % an official engineering report?

No. SunSite produces estimates for planning, sales, and illustration. It is not a certified, stamped, or "bankable" engineering report, and not a substitute for a professional site assessment or a shade analysis done with certified instruments. SunSite does not assess roof access, structural integrity, electrical or code compliance, or installation feasibility. Results depend on the accuracy of the measurements you take on site, and you should verify any critical value before relying on it. See the Terms for the full disclaimer.

Where does my survey data go?

It stays on your device. Projects, customer names and addresses, photos, GPS coordinates, roof outlines, and generated PDF reports are stored in the app's private storage and never leave your device unless you explicitly share a report through the iOS share sheet. You can delete any of it at any time. See our Privacy Policy for the full details.

Still need help?

If you're stuck on a step or something isn't behaving as described, we're happy to help. Visit our Support page or email us directly at xianengqi@gmail.com.