Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Rooftop solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners in Arcata. A solar panel array can help you add value to your property, provide a dependable source of power, and decrease your carbon footprint. Transitioning to solar energy can reduce your monthly energy expenses and shrink your carbon output. Before you begin the process, you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. Luckily, we’ve conducted comprehensive research local solar providers and created a guide to the best solar companies in Arcata. These reputable providers are smart choices homeowners can depend on.
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Today's Homeowner looks at dozens of datapoints on solar companies to come up with our data-driven rankings. It's not possible for a company to pay for preferential treatment in our rankings. We look at the following key factors in determining who should top our list:
Installing solar panels can lower your electricity costs and benefit the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. When determining whether a solar provider is the best option for you, consider these key factors.
Confirm that your solar installer is properly licensed. This help guarantee that the work is done properly using current installation best practices. There are five specific types of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn a license, an installer must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check consumer review platforms like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and TrustPilot to see customer feedback about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with installers that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
Contact three to five solar companies to get free, detailed quotes. Quotes should clearly outline all costs and list the exact solar components included. Comparing multiple quotes helps identify the option that best fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should have comprehensive workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship warranty covers any installation problems such as poor wiring, cracks in the panels, or poor alignment. The performance warranty promises a specific energy output level. Strong warranties indicate that a solar installer has faith in its installations.
Going solar can help decrease your energy expenses. Be sure to consider these aspects when judging the cost and value of solar panels.
Solar panel costs vary based on your system's capacity and the solar technology used. The typical Arcata solar array has a capacity of 3.2 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area can expect to pay around $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Arcata homeowners spends roughly $7,877 on a new solar array after accounting for federal tax breaks. (Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels to lower upfront costs.) A personalized quote from a local solar provider will account for things like the size, capacity, and panel type of the planned system, and should include fees for permit fees, labor, and preliminary work.
Incentive Amount:
Eligible products can be financed for up to 25 years, depending on the useful life of the eligible product.
Minimum financing: $5,000
The financing may not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the market value of the property, up to the first seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) of the property’s market value, and ten percent (10%) of the remaining value of the Property above seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) minus any PACE assessment on the propertyThe total amount of any annual property taxes and assessments shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the property's fair market value, determined at the time program financing is approved.
Incentive Type: PACE Financing
Incentive Amount:
Locally determined
Incentive Amount:
For projects 30 kW or larger, 50% of incentive will be received up-front; 50% will be received based on actual kWh production over the first 5 years. For projects under 30kW, 100% of the incentive will be paid up front.
Incentives will step down over time. See below for incentive amounts.
Incentive Amount:
Step 1 Incentive Rates (contact utility to determine current incentive levels):
Single Family Residential Incentives:
Systems that displace natural gas: $29.85 per estimated therm displaced
Systems that displace electricity or propane: Funding has been exhausted
Commercial/Multifamily Incentives:
Systems that displace natural gas: $20.19 per estimated therm displaced
Systems that displace electricity or propane: $0.42 per estimated kWh displaced *** Note, funding has been exhausted in this category for SCE and PG&E
Solar Pool heating: $5.00 per estimated therm displaced
Generally speaking, a solar photovoltaic (PV) system can be used to power any household appliance or system that uses electricity. In the simplest case, you can use a solar water heater.
There are many benefits to home solar energy. You can save money, qualify for tax benefits, and reduce emissions. With the right storage equipment, solar panels can also give you further energy independence and offer some protection from power outages.
It depends on where you live and the kind of panels you plan to use. With the winter months in California being very mild, you have a wide time window to install your panels, though they won't hit peak performance until summer arrives.
Your installer can give you an estimate of what your energy bills will look like after you install solar panels. Generally, your energy bills will decrease significantly because you'll be using energy from the sun for free, instead of buying energy from the utility company. The average annual savings in Arcata amount to $1,053.
Your payback period is the time to achieve an ROI on your solar panels. It will vary based on the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power, their rated capacity, and the average sunlight in your area. Arcata has extremely high daily sunlight levels, so you could recoup your investment in as little as 7.5 years per 5 kW of rated capacity.
The type of solar panels you have will have specific maintenance steps to follow. Regardless of type, you should clean your panels regularly and inspect them for damage. A majority of solar contractors in the Arcata area offer comprehensive maintenance plans to help you make the most of your panels and keep them healthy for as long as possible.
While solar energy is a valuable option for many, it might not be ideal for homeowners in wet, dark areas. In these cases, you could consider other forms of renewable energy, such as wind or geothermal power, as a primary source. It is also important to speak to a qualified installer to determine if their solar system is compatible with the climate and environment of your area. Even if you choose a different form of renewable energy altogether, you'll still lower your emissions and could still qualify for distributed generation or other money-saving programs.
