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 solar panel array could give you a renewable power source that will eventually pay for itself. Switching to solar energy can lower your monthly energy expenses and shrink your carbon output. Before you get started, you want to make sure you find a reputable installer. That’s why, after conducting thorough research on providers, we put together a guide to the most dependable solar companies in Grass Valley. These providers consistently deliver excellent service.
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Family-operated business
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
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 crucial factors to consider when deciding if a solar installer is trustworthy.
It's imperative that your solar installer has the proper licensing. This help guarantee that the work is done properly using current best installation practices. There are five different classifications of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn licensure, a contractor 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 Google Reviews, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see feedback from past customers about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you assess a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with installers that have very few reviews or mostly negative ones.
Call 3–5 solar companies for free, itemized quotes. A quote should describe 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 come with comprehensive workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation issues such as poor alignment, cracks in the panels, or poor wiring. The performance warranty ensures a specific energy output level. Strong guarantees indicate that a solar installer has faith in its installations.
Solar panels can help reduce your electricity costs over time. When evaluating solar panel's cost and value, be sure to consider these considerations.
Solar panel costs vary based on system capacity and the technology being used. The typical Grass Valley solar array has a capacity of 3.1 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area can expect to pay around $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Grass Valley homeowners spends roughly $7,488 on a new solar array 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, capacity, and size of the planned system, and should include costs for labor, permit fees, and preliminary work.
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 appliance or system that uses electricity. In the smallest case, you can use a solar water heating system.
With home solar panels, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your property's emissions, and be better prepared if there's an outage to the local grid.
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 Grass Valley amount to $1,018.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Grass Valley, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 7.4 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
The specific required maintenance steps will vary based on the type of solar panels you have. At a minimum, you should clean and inspect each panel every three months. Your solar contractor might offer comprehensive plans where they'll do the maintenance for you.
While solar energy might not be the best performing choice for some in dark or wet areas, the latest generation of equipment and energy storage systems could boost your property's solar viability enough to achieve a return on investment. A contractor could also recommend a different primary source of renewable energy like wind or geothermal to boost your generation.
