Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Year after year, more Bell residents use rooftop solar panels to lower their carbon footprint and add value to their property. Going solar allows you to cut your utility bills and shrink your environmental impact. But you'll want to find a qualified installation company first. Luckily, we've done the research and compiled a guide to the best and most trustworthy solar installation providers in Bell.
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
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:
Going solar can be a great way to lower electricity costs and help the planet by reducing your carbon footprint using renewable energy. Here are some key factors to consider when deciding if a solar installer is trustworthy.
It's imperative that your solar installer has the proper licensing. This ensures that the work is done correctly using current installation best practices. There are five different classifications of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn licensure, an installer must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and TrustPilot to see feedback from past customers about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with companies that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
Get free, detailed quotes from three to five solar companies. The quotes should outline all costs and identify the exact solar parts included. Comparing several quotes can help you find the best value for your budget.
High-quality solar installations should have robust workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship warranty covers any installation issues like cracks in the panels, poor wiring, or poor alignment. The output guarantee ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong warranties reflect a solar provider's faith in its installations.
Solar energy is great for helping you lower electricity bills over time. Make sure you consider these aspects when considering the final cost and value of solar panels.
In Bell, solar panels cost an average of $3,470 per kilowatt, with an average system size of 2.8 kilowatts. The typical Bell homeowner spends $6,920 on their solar array after federal tax refunds. An estimate from a local provider will factor in additional information based on your desired system's capacity, panel type, required preliminary work, and size. In some cases, homeowners may prefer to lease solar panels to reduce upfront costs.
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) array can be used to power any household system or appliance that uses electricity. In the smallest case, you can use a solar water heater.
With home solar PV, you can recoup the cost of the system over time, lower your property's emissions, and be better prepared if there's an outage to the local grid.
Yes, it's possible to use home solar energy alongside conventional power sources. In most parts of the country, solar panels are designed to supplement your existing energy sources, meaning that you can reap the environmental benefits and savings that come from using solar energy without having to completely switch over.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Bell, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 9.2 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
Net metering is a type of "power purchase agreement." If your utility or state offers net metering, you can send the solar energy you don't use to the grid. In return, they'll give you a credit on your power bill.
Solar energy can be more efficient than other forms of renewable energy. Their maintenance costs are low and today's systems can generate and manage energy under more conditions.
