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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated June 2024
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for El Dorado Hills homeowners. A new solar energy system can help you provide a dependable source of power, decrease your carbon footprint, and add value to your property. Switching to solar energy can allow you to save money and shrink your carbon footprint, but you want to make sure you find a trustworthy installer. That’s why, after reviewing and analyzing installers, we assembled a guide to the most reliable solar companies in El Dorado Hills. These companies offer high-quality service.
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
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 help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. When deciding if a solar provider is a good fit for you, consider these key factors.
It's imperative that your solar installer has the proper licensing. This helps ensure that the work is done correctly using current installation best practices. There are five specific types of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. For a contractor to earn a license, a contractor must complete a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of field experience, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see feedback from past customers on local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you assess a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with companies that have very few reviews or mostly negative ones.
To find a solar company that works with your budget, get free, detailed quotes from at least three providers. The quotes should outline all costs and list the solar equipment included. Comparing several quotes helps you identify the best value.
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 warranty ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong warranties reflect a solar provider's faith in its installations.
Solar energy can help lower your electric bills over time. When weighing the total price and value of solar panels, be sure to consider these factors.
The average El Dorado Hills homeowner will spend around $7,493 on a home solar system after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in El Dorado Hills cost approximately $3,470 per kilowatt, with an average size of 3.1 kilowatts. A personalized estimate from a local solar provider will include costs for permit fees, preliminary work, and labor, and will account for your system's panel type, capacity, and size. Some homeowners prefer to lease their 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
A solar photovoltaic (PV) system can generate power to run any electric appliance or system in your home. If you don't want to use solar power for your entire home, you can install a solar heating system for your water.
With home solar panels, you can recoup the cost of the system over time, lower your home's carbon footprint, and be better prepared if there's an outage to the local grid.
It depends on your home's location and the kind of panels you plan to use. With the winter months in California being very mild, you have significant leeway to install your panels, though they won't achieve peak performance until summer arrives.
Your payback period is the time to earn a net profit from your solar panels. It will vary based on their rated capacity, the average sunlight in your area, and the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power. El Dorado Hills 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.
Yes, solar panels will still be able to generate energy during a grid outage. To ensure that your solar system will keep working during a power outage, make sure to choose a quality solar provider and look for a solar system that includes a battery backup.
Some frequently-used types of home solar panels in El Dorado Hills include polycrystalline, monocrystalline and thin-film. Monocrystalline panels are balanced and efficient, while polycrystalline and thin-film panels pair good performance with greater upfront value. Ask your local provider about the types of solar panels they work with.