Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Every year, more Oakley homeowners adopt rooftop solar panels to provide a dependable source of power and add value to their property. Making the transition to solar energy can help you save money and shrink your carbon footprint, but you want to make sure you find a reputable installer. Luckily, we’ve analyzed local solar installers and compiled a guide to the best solar companies in Oakley. These trusted providers are smart choices homeowners can depend on.
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Family-operated business
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
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 benefit the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. When determining whether a solar provider is right 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 properly using current installation best practices. There are five different classifications 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 review sites like TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see customer feedback about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with companies that have no reviews or mostly negative ones.
Get free, detailed quotes from at least three solar companies. A quote should list all costs and identify the solar parts included. Comparing several quotes can help you find the best value for your budget.
High-quality solar installations should come with robust workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation issues like cracks in the panels, poor alignment, or poor wiring. The output guarantee ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong guarantees reflect a solar provider's confidence in its installations.
Solar can help you lower electricity bills over time. Be sure to consider these aspects when considering the final cost and value of solar panels.
Oakley homeowners typically spend about $7,395 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in Oakley cost roughly $3,470 per kilowatt, with the average residential solar system being 3.0 kilowatts. A personalized estimate from a local solar provider will include costs for labor, preliminary work, and permit fees, and will account for your system's size, panel type, and capacity. 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
Generally speaking, a solar photovoltaic (PV) system can be used to power any household appliance or system that uses electricity. In the simplest case, you can use a solar water heater.
With home solar panels, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your home's carbon footprint, 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 savings and environmental benefits of solar energy without having to completely switch over.
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 Oakley amount to $1,053.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Oakley, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 7.0 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
The specific types of maintenance you need will depend on the type of panels you're using. Regardless of type, you should clean your panels regularly and inspect them for damage. Full-service solar contractors in the Oakley area offer multipoint maintenance plans to help you make the most of your panels and keep them healthy for as long as possible.
While solar energy might not be the best performing choice for some in wet or dark 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.
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.
