Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated February 2024
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for Davis homeowners. A new solar energy system can help you add value to your property, decrease your carbon footprint, and provide a dependable source of power. Solar power can cut your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint. However, it's important to select a qualified solar installer. That’s why we’ve researched the options and compiled a guide to the most dependable solar installation companies in Davis. These top providers offer high-quality and dependable services.
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Family-operated business
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
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 help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. When deciding if a solar provider is right for you, consider these key factors.
Verify that your solar installer is properly licensed. This helps ensure that the work is done correctly using current best installation practices. There are five different levels of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn a license, a contractor must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of field experience, and pass written exams.
Check TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and other review sites to see what past customers are saying about local solar companies. Detailed reviews on these platforms can help you assess a provider's trustworthiness and customer service. Stay away from companies with few or mainly poor reviews.
To find a solar company that works with your budget, ask for free, detailed quotes from three to five providers. The quotes should list all costs as well as all solar equipment included. Comparing several quotes helps you identify the option that best fits your budget.
High-quality solar installations should have robust workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship warranty covers any installation issues like cracks in the panels, poor alignment, or poor wiring. The output guarantee ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong warranties reflect a solar provider's faith in its installations.
Solar is great for helping you lower electricity bills over time. Be sure to consider these aspects when considering the final cost and value of solar panels.
Solar panel costs vary based on system capacity and the solar technology being used. The typical Davis solar array has a capacity of 3.1 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area should expect to pay around $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Davis homeowners spends roughly $7,476 on a new solar system after accounting for federal tax breaks. (Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels to lower their upfront costs.) A personalized quote from a local solar provider will account for factors such as the panel type, size, and capacity of the planned system, and should include prices 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 heating system.
With home solar energy, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your property's emissions, and gain additional energy independence.
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, so you can reap the environmental benefits and savings of solar energy without having to completely switch over.
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 Davis amount to $1,053.
Your payback period is the time to achieve an ROI on your solar panels. It will vary based on their rated capacity, the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power, and the average sunlight in your area. Davis has extremely high daily sunlight levels, so you could recoup your investment in as little as 7.1 years per 5 kW of rated capacity.
Net metering is a power purchasing policy that allows solar energy system owners to get paid for the amount of energy they put back into the grid. It's available in most states and is a great way to reduce energy costs.
Solar panels can be more efficient than other forms of renewable energy. They have inexpensive upkeep and today's systems can stand up to the worst conditions.
