Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.
The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.
Please enter a valid 5-digit zip code!
Written By David Cusick
Last Updated June 2024
Rooftop solar is one of the most easily accessible forms of renewable energy for La Palma homes. Solar power can cut your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint. However, it's important to hire a trustworthy solar installer. That’s why, after reviewing and analyzing installers, we assembled a guide to the most trusted solar companies in La Palma. These providers consistently deliver high-quality service.
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
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:
Installing solar panels can cut 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.
Verify that your solar installer is properly licensed. This helps ensure that the work is done properly using current best installation practices. There are five specific 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 experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and TrustPilot 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 no reviews or mostly negative ones.
Call at least three solar companies for free, itemized quotes. These quotes should describe all costs and specify the solar equipment included. Reviewing multiple quotes helps identify the best option that fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should come with strong workmanship and performance warranties. A workmanship guarantee addresses any installation defects (such as poor alignment, poor wiring, or cracks in the panels), while a performance warranty ensures a certain level of energy production. Strong guarantees show that a company is confident in its work.
Solar power can help decrease your electricity costs long-term. When considering solar panel's cost and value, be sure to weigh these considerations.
La Palma homeowners typically spend about $7,006 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in La Palma cost approximately $3,470 per kilowatt, with the average residential solar system being 2.9 kilowatts. An estimate from a local solar provider will include costs for preliminary work, permit fees, and labor, and will account for your system's size, panel type, and capacity. Some homeowners prefer to lease their solar panels in order 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 system or appliance in your home. A more specific example is installing a solar heating system for your water.
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.
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 significant leeway to install your panels, though they won't reach peak performance until summer arrives.
Yes. The grid in La Palma 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.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny La Palma, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 9.3 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
Net metering is a power purchasing policy that allows solar energy system owners to be compensated 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 are on par with other forms of renewable energy. They have inexpensive upkeep and today's systems can stand up to the worst conditions.
