Scanifly pulls from several data sources depending on your location and plan.

Free sources (every account):

• Google Maps satellite imagery: base layer for all designs.
• Azure and Mapbox map tiles: alternative base layers.
• LiDAR (public dataset, ~2022 vintage): 124k points; provides tilt, height, and shading elevation data.
• Google 3D (G3D, ~2018 vintage): 900k points; photorealistic mesh used for fitting roof outlines and shading.

Premium add-ons:

• NearMap: high-resolution aerial imagery captured by airplane, significantly more current and detailed than free tiles. Optional paid add-on, especially valuable in dense urban or wooded areas.
• Drone-generated 3D model: an on-site drone flight processed into a proprietary high-resolution 3D model. The most accurate option available.

• LiDAR: Open-source point-cloud data (~2022). Used to set roof tilt and height. Requires manual alignment but gives solid elevation data where available.
• Google 3D (G3D): Photorealistic mesh (~2018). Higher point density than LiDAR. Used with the Fit to Google 3D button to snap roof outlines to the correct height and pitch. Can also be enabled for viewshed shading analysis.
• NearMap: Plane-captured high-resolution imagery. More current than G3D and dramatically sharper, which improves layout accuracy. Particularly helpful in the Northeast, where tree cover and older imagery degrade remote design quality.

When you open a remote design project in Scanifly (or inside Enerflo via the embedded window), click AI to generate a MaxFit layout automatically. The AI traces the roofline using available satellite imagery and data layers, places modules, and avoids keepout zones. You can then make manual adjustments.

Several factors can reduce remote design accuracy:

• Imagery age: G3D data is from ~2018; trees, additions, or obstructions added since then won’t appear.
• Tree cover: dense canopy in the Northeast and Canada makes it harder to distinguish roof edges and detect shading objects.
• Image resolution: free map tiles can be too blurry for large commercial rooftops. Use NearMap for those.
• Flat roofs: azimuth must be set manually before enabling the Manual Layout Editor; the editor locks azimuth once enabled.

Remote design accuracy is limited in heavily wooded or imagery-poor areas. In those cases, an on-site drone scan is the recommended path to a reliable design.

Drone-based designs are substantially more accurate. Remote designs can be upwards of 6 inches off, whereas drone-based designs are accurate within an inch.

Dimensional accuracy: with proper flight settings (45-degree obliques + exterior orbit, 2.5 mph or less, correct overlap), vertical features like HVAC units and parapets typically come in within 1 inch. Roof-to-roof linear dimensions are typically within ~1%.

Scanifly uses a patented viewshed system that calculates shading at the individual module level. Production is calculated using PVWatts, applied to the 3D model (either remote or drone-based). The irradiance map (ASA/TSRF view) shows shade patterns visually across the array.

To generate a shade report: Exports > Shade Files > choose Short PDF.

Yes. Google 3D is available as a reference layer in all Scanifly accounts. To use it for shading:

• In the Layers panel, select the Google 3D layer.
• In Properties, enable Include in viewshed shading analysis.
• Important: the G3D layer must be positioned correctly (below the roof texture). If it sits on top of the roof surface it will cast a false blanket shadow over the entire array.

• Google 3D: faster setup. Good for a quick shade estimate using existing mesh data. Best when the surrounding tree canopy in G3D matches current conditions.
• Manual trees: more control. Use the Trees tool (T key) to draw individual trees, then use Fit to Google 3D to set their height. Lets you simulate tree removal to show production gains. Better for sites where trees have grown or been removed since 2018.

Setbacks are a specific type of keepout. To add them:

• Select the roof plane.
• Enter Keepouts mode (keyboard shortcut: 2).
• Press S to activate the Setback tool, which automatically creates a buffer zone around the entire roof edge.
• Adjust the setback distance in the Properties panel.

For individual obstructions and fire pathways, use the box (B) or circle (C) tools in Keepouts mode. Assign a height to keepouts like HVAC units; this creates a shadow that feeds into the shade analysis.

Loss adjustments are in the Simulation tab of the design editor. Scanifly supports granular monthly loss adjustments, useful for climates with seasonal snow cover, soiling variability, or other monthly factors. Adjust the DC:AC ratio and system efficiency settings here as well. Note: Scanifly does not model inverters directly, so inverter efficiency is entered as a flat percentage.

Scanifly does not have an AHJ database that automatically applies local code requirements inside the design editor. Setbacks and fire pathways in the design tool are either set by users with the built-in presets, or entered manually by designers based on their knowledge of local requirements.

There are two ways setbacks get applied:

• Automatic via presets: users can configure default setback values in account settings (e.g., 3 ft ridge, 18 in eave) so they apply automatically to each new design. See the Setbacks Settings article.
• Manual entry: designers can draw keepouts and setbacks by hand in the design editor to match specific AHJ requirements for a given project.

The AHJ database does come into play when you order a full plan set through Scanifly’s Design Services team. In that workflow, the team maintains a national code database and applies the correct local requirements (setbacks, walkway widths, code version, etc.) when producing the plan set. If a plan set is kicked back due to an outdated code interpretation, Scanifly will revise it at no charge and update the database.

Outside of ordering a plan set, AHJ code compliance is the designer’s responsibility based on their knowledge of the local jurisdiction.

Scanifly is embedded directly inside the Enerflo platform. Reps can design and generate proposals without ever leaving Enerflo:

• Rep opens a lead or opportunity in Enerflo.
• Clicks into the embedded Scanifly window to design.
• Make sure the rep’s Enerflo account email matches their Scanifly account email exactly.
• Uses the AI tool for a MaxFit layout, or builds manually.
• Finalizes and saves the design, then hits the sync icon to send it to Enerflo for proposal generation.
• Multiple designs can be cloned to compare options (e.g., with and without battery).
• Multiple proposals can be created for different lenders or equipment configurations.

Yes. From within the Enerflo interface, reps can submit design requests to Enerflo’s internal design queue rather than self-designing. The assigned designer builds the design in Scanifly and the finalized version syncs back to Enerflo for proposal.

Yes. When a project is created in Enerflo, it auto-syncs to the Scanifly mobile app. The app surfaces the correct project based on the user’s location. Site photos taken in the app can be routed directly back to Enerflo, keeping reps in a single system. The mobile app also replaces CompanyCam for site survey checklists; these are fully customizable with required fields, example photos, and conditional logic.

Simple Design Mode is Scanifly’s streamlined design interface built for the sales process. Instead of the full design editor with all its tools and layers, Simple Mode presents a clean, step-by-step workflow reps can complete quickly at the kitchen table or during a site visit. It is optimized for speed and ease of use rather than detailed customization.

Important: the Enerflo integration runs exclusively in Simple Design Mode. When a rep designs inside the embedded Scanifly window within Enerflo, they are using Simple Mode. The full Scanifly design editor is not accessible through Enerflo.

Simple Mode walks through four steps:

• Step 1, Consumption data: kWh usage data is ported in automatically from Enerflo, or can be entered manually.
• Step 2, Module selection: all roof planes capable of holding panels appear with grid-like modules. Tap or drag across modules to toggle them on/off. Enable the irradiance map to identify the highest-production areas and build the optimal layout.
• Step 3, Review system output: a per-segment breakdown including module count, array size, TSRF, tilt, and azimuth for each roof plane.
• Step 4, Finalize: selecting Finalize or the Save icon saves the design and lets Enerflo sync the data back to their platform.

• Simple Mode: designed for sales reps. Fast, tap-to-place module layout, consumption-offset targeting, irradiance map, per-segment output summary, and automatic CRM/proposal sync. No manual roof tracing or layer management required.
• Full editor: designed for design teams. Manual roof outlining, keepouts, tree modeling, shading analysis, loss settings, CAD exports, and all advanced tools. Not available through the Enerflo integration.

If a more detailed design is needed after the Simple Mode sales design (for example, for plan sets or engineering), a designer can work in the full Scanifly editor separately and sync the result back to Enerflo.