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What is Cost buildup?
Cost buildup is a feature that allows sales representatives and managers to create quotes by assigning costs to specific components of the designed system. For instructions on how to construct a quote using cost buildup, see OG copy_ see How do I create a quote using cost buildup?
Cost buildup line items can include equipment and other project costs. They range from solar equipment to custom line items, and from general base costs to labor. A margin can be applied directly to individual costs or on the total project.
Account administrators have the ability to set default project-level costs (base costs, labor, and margin) as well as solar equipment costs. On the quote page, you will see all costs represented by a single $/W value that will appear in the Install Cost input field by default (highlighted below). Without updating the account defaults, this number will be $3.20/W.
Equipment costs & defaults
Upon account creation, your organization is set with default costs on modules, inverters, and project base costs of $1.00/W, $0.20/W, and $2.00/W, respectively. These can be changed at any time by any account administrator. Solar equipment costs can be updated by clicking the "menu" gear icon in the upper left corner of the page, then selecting Settings, and then selecting Equipment. Project Phase.
Under both the Solar Modules and Inverters tabs, Inverters, Storage and Energy Efficiency tabs, you can set the default costs. Setting a default cost for a module -- similarly done for inverters -- piece of equipment sets that default cost for all modulesin that category. This is done by editing the input field in the top left (highlighted below).
While the default module cost sets the default cost for all modules, you can override the cost of a specific module by clicking the Edit Item button in the edit button (pencil icon) in that module's row (highlighted below).
If you click to edit an individual module cost, the Edit ItemInformation window will appear. This will allow you to set a different default cost ($/W or $) and margin for that module. Click Submit to save any changes.
Project costs
From the sidebar menu, under Settings, the The account administrator can also select set Project Costs to both create custom line items and set project cost controls. Under the Additional Coststhe Adders tab, there is an Add CostsNew Adder button that allows users to create and store common line items to be used for all quotes (highlighted below).
Clicking the Add Coststhe New Adder button opens the Add CostNew Adder window, allowing you to create a specific line item. Each cost can be named and saved as a $ or $/W value (displayed below). The cost amount can be left blank; a sales representative or manager will then input a cost for the line item when ultimately generating a quote.
Costs you add here can later 
Adders and costs can be adjusted using the Edit option to change the name, amount, or category of a cost, or removed using the Remove option (highlighted below).
Project cost controls
While in the Project CostsPhase window, there is also a Project Cost ControlsDetails tab (to the right of Additional CostsAdders). Clicking this tab reveals a variety of defaults and constraints that can be set and applied to all jobs. Account administrators can set the project level margin, base costs, and project labor while also applying a constraint of a minimum margin to be applied (displayed below).
(displayed below).
These defaults can also be set on a market basis if you operate in multiple markets with implications on project costs. In order to set these defaults, select Edit on the Project Cost Controls section and select Add Project Costs for Market button (highlighted below).
If you have existing Market Templates in your workflow settings, you can apply the Project Cost Controls based on an existing template. If you don't have any templates created yet, you can create one in this module.
Once you name your Template, you can select Continue and define your market by state, utility, or zip code and select save.
Once you've created a Market Template it will show as an option on your Project Cost Controls edit window. If you have multiple markets, you can use the dropdown to select the market you'd like to apply these new costs to. (highlighted below)
Finally, insert the Cost Controls you'd like to apply for this market and hit Save on the top right. If you want to remove your Market, specific Project Cost Controls, just enter the Edit mode and hit the remove (trashcan) icon next to the controls you'd like to delete in question and hit Save.
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