Wind rating and attachment detail
A solar array is a wind load on your roof for the life of the system, and in Kansas that load is a serious design input rather than a formality.
Ask what wind speed the racking and attachment system is rated and engineered for, and how that compares to the local building code requirement for your address.
Ask how the array attaches to the structure, how many attachment points there are, and whether a structural assessment of the roof was performed or commissioned.
Ask what the warranty says about wind damage specifically. A general product warranty and a wind provision are not the same thing.
Hail, and what the rating actually certifies
Modules carrying UL 61730 or IEC 61730 markings have passed hail impact testing, and that testing underpins most durability claims in sales material.
The detail rarely reaching a homeowner is the test condition: the standard uses roughly one-inch hail at about 50 miles per hour, while plains storms can produce considerably larger stones.
So the certification is a meaningful floor rather than a guarantee. Some manufacturers publish testing above the standard, and that is a genuine differentiator between otherwise similar quotes.
Ask for the hail rating of the specific modules proposed and whether the manufacturer publishes testing beyond the standard, and ask what the warranty says about hail specifically.
Insurance, before rather than after
Call your insurer before installation, tell them the system size and cost, and ask in writing whether the array is covered under dwelling coverage or requires a separate endorsement.
Ask whether your wind and hail deductible differs from your standard deductible. In storm-prone states it frequently does, and that difference is the number that matters after an event.
Ask whether adding the system changes your premium and by how much. That is a recurring cost and it belongs in the payback arithmetic.
After a storm, production data is what supports a claim. Ask whether panel-level monitoring is included, since a system reporting only whole-array output makes partial degradation much harder to demonstrate.
What belongs in the projection, and what does not
The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a cash or loan purchase in Manhattan receives no federal tax credit, and Kansas has no state solar tax credit.
Section 48E survives at 30 percent for third-party owners under leases and power purchase agreements, so ask what a provider claims and what reaches you in the rate.
What exists is retail-rate net metering credit under the 150 percent sizing rule, carried forward monthly and expiring March 31, with no solar-specific monthly charge.
Add any insurance premium change as a recurring cost, and get the wind rating, hail rating and warranty terms stated alongside the price rather than on request.