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Last Updated: February 25, 2025
Rooftop solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners in Oakland. A rooftop solar array can help you decrease your carbon footprint, provide a dependable source of power, and add value to your property. Solar power can cut your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint. However, it's important to choose a qualified solar installer. Luckily, we've reviewed the options and assembled a guide to the best and most reliable solar installation providers in Oakland.
Our Rating
User Rating
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
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:
Putting solar panels on your roof could reduce your electricity payments while helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint through renewable energy use. Key considerations when looking at local solar installers are as follows.
It's important to hire a licensed solar installer. This help guarantee that the work is done correctly using current installation best practices. There are five different levels 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 experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check the Better Business Bureau (BBB), TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and other review sites to see what past customers are saying about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a provider's trustworthiness and customer service. Stay away from companies with few or mainly poor reviews.
Contact 3–5 solar companies for free, detailed quotes. Quotes should clearly explain all costs and specify the exact solar components included. Comparing multiple quotes helps identify the option that best fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should come with comprehensive workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship warranty covers any installation issues such as poor wiring, poor alignment, or cracks in the panels. The performance warranty promises a specific energy output level. Strong warranties indicate that a solar installer trusts its installations.
Installing solar panels can help reduce your electric bills over time. When evaluating the total price and value of solar panels, make sure to consider these factors.
The cost of solar panels varies based on your system's capacity and the solar technology used. The typical Oakland solar array has a capacity of 3.0 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area should expect to pay approximately $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Oakland homeowners spends about $7,314 on a new solar system after accounting for federal tax breaks. (Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels to reduce their upfront costs.) A personalized quote from a local solar installer will account for factors such as the size, capacity, and panel type of the planned system, and should include costs 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 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:
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 Type: PACE Financing
Incentive Amount:
Locally determined
Generally speaking, a solar photovoltaic (PV) array can be used to power any household system or appliance that uses electricity. In the simplest case, you can use a solar water heating system.
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.
Yes, it's possible to use home solar energy alongside conventional power sources. In many areas, solar panels are designed to supplement your existing energy sources, meaning that you can reap the environmental benefits and savings of solar energy without having to completely switch over.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Oakland, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 6.9 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.
While solar energy is a great option for many, it might not be ideal for homeowners in wet, dark areas. In these cases, you could consider other forms of renewable energy, such as wind or geothermal power, as a primary source. It is also important to speak to a qualified installer to determine if their solar system is compatible with the climate and environment of your area. Even if you choose a different form of renewable energy altogether, you'll still lower your emissions and could still qualify for distributed generation or other money-saving programs.
Solar energy can be more efficient than other forms of renewable energy. They have low maintenance costs and today's systems can work in a variety of conditions.
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