Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated June 2024
A rooftop solar array could give you a renewable power source that will pay for itself in time. Adopting solar energy can help you save money and reduce 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 dependable solar installation providers in Mountain View.
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Services Offered
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 lower 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 trustworthy.
Make sure you hire a licensed solar installer. This help guarantee 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, an installer must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of field experience, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and TrustPilot to see customer feedback about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's dependability 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. The quotes should describe all costs and list the solar equipment included. Reviewing multiple quotes helps you find the best option that fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should come with comprehensive workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation issues such as poor wiring, cracks in the panels, or poor alignment. The performance warranty ensures a specific energy output level. Strong warranties indicate that a solar installer trusts its installations.
Solar panels can help lower your electricity costs over time. When evaluating solar panel's cost and value, be sure to consider these considerations.
The cost of home solar panels in Mountain View varies depending on several factors, including the size of the system and the type of panels you'll use. Generally speaking, a typical solar energy system will cost $3,470 per kilowatt, not including preliminary work, permit fees, or labor. Most solar systems in Mountain View are 3.0 kilowatts, and the typical Mountain View homeowners spends $7,249 after accounting for federal tax refunds. Some homeowners may prefer to lease solar panels and 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
Incentive Amount:
Single-family residential gas-displacing systems: $18.59 per therm displaced
Single-family residential electricity or propane-displacing systems: $0.54 per kWh displaced
Multifamily and Commercial gas-displacing systems: $14.53 per therm displaced
Multifamily and Commercial electricity or propane-displacing systems: $0.42 per kWh displaced
Low-Income Multifamily gas-displacing systems: $19.23/therm displaced
Low-Income Multifamily Electric or Propane Displacing systems: $0.56/kWh displaced
A solar photovoltaic (PV) system can generate power to run any electric appliance or system in your home. More specifically, you can install a solar water heating system.
With home solar panels, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your home's carbon footprint, and gain additional energy independence.
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.
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 Mountain View amount to $975.
Your payback period is the time to achieve an ROI on 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. Mountain View has extremely high daily sunlight levels, so you could recoup your investment in as little as 7.4 years per 5 kW of rated capacity.
Of course. Solar panels don't depend on the grid to work 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.
Solar panels are becoming more relevant than ever for their high efficiency and low maintenance costs. Depending on how much sunlight your property receives, you may find they're the best performing source of renewable energy compared to others.
