Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
A new solar energy system will provide you with a renewable power source that will eventually pay for itself. Switching to solar energy can allow you to save money and lower your carbon footprint, but you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. Luckily, we've done the research and assembled a guide to the best and most trustworthy solar installation companies in Brentwood.
Informative resources
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Family-operated business
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
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:
Going solar can be a great way to reduce electricity costs and help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint using renewable energy. Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating if a solar installer is reliable.
Verify that your solar installer is properly licensed. This help guarantee that the work is done properly using the most up-to-date installation methods. There are five distinct levels of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. For a contractor to earn a license, an installer must complete 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 on local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with companies that have very few reviews or mostly negative ones.
Call 3–5 solar companies for free, itemized quotes. A quote should explain all costs and specify the solar equipment included. Reviewing multiple quotes helps you find the most cost-effective option for your budget.
Quality solar installations should have comprehensive workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation problems such as cracks in the panels, poor wiring, or poor alignment. The performance warranty ensures a specific energy output level. Strong guarantees indicate that a solar installer has faith in its installations.
Solar energy can help decrease your electricity costs in the long run. When weighing solar panel's cost and value, be sure to consider these considerations.
In Brentwood, solar panels cost an average of $3,470 per kilowatt, with an average system size of 3.0 kilowatts. The typical Brentwood homeowner spends $7,395 on their solar array after federal tax refunds. An estimate from a local provider will take into account additional information reflecting your desired system's required preliminary work, size, capacity, and panel type. 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) system can be used to power any household system or appliance that uses electricity. In the simplest case, you can use a solar water heating system.
With home solar panels, 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.
It depends on your location 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.
Of course. The grid in Brentwood already uses a large share of renewable energy sources, and you may be able to sell your excess generated energy to your utility for additional cost savings.
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 Brentwood amount to $1,053.
The specific required maintenance steps will vary based on the type of solar panels you have. With any system, you should clean and inspect each panel once a quarter. Your solar installation company might offer comprehensive plans where they'll do the maintenance on your behalf.
Although solar energy is an ideal option for many, it might not be ideal for homeowners in wet, dark areas. In these cases, a contractor might recommend 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.
Absolutely. Solar panels exist independently from the power grid in Brentwood and will continue to generate power even if the grid is having problems. Keep in mind, however, that a solar system won't take you through a nighttime outage if you don't have a storage system. Your contractor can discuss some economical options to keep your home's power access reliable through the worst conditions, including battery backups or an emergency generator.
