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 rooftop solar array will provide you with a renewable power source that will pay for itself in time. Adopting solar energy can reduce your monthly energy expenses and shrink your carbon output. Before you get started, you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. That’s why, after properly vetting providers, we assembled a guide to the most dependable solar companies in Oildale. These providers offer high-quality service.
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Family-operated business
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
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:
Adopting solar power lets homeowners reduce utility bills while helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint using clean energy. If you’re determining whether to go solar, consider these key factors for choosing an installer.
It's important to hire a licensed solar installer. This help guarantee that the work is done properly using current installation best practices. There are five distinct 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 review sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), TrustPilot, and Google Reviews to see customer feedback about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with installers that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
Contact three to five solar companies to receive free, detailed quotes. Quotes should clearly outline all costs and list the exact solar components included. By comparing multiple quotes, you can identify the most cost-effective option for you.
Quality solar installations should come with comprehensive workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship warranty covers any installation issues such as poor wiring, cracks in the panels, or poor alignment. The performance guarantee ensures a specific energy output level. Strong guarantees indicate that a solar installer has faith in its installations.
Solar panels can help lower your electricity costs over time. When evaluating solar panel's cost and value, be sure to weigh these considerations.
Oildale homeowners typically spend about $7,037 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in Oildale cost roughly $3,470 per kilowatt, with the average residential solar system being 2.9 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 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 system or appliance that uses electricity. In the simplest case, you can use a solar water heating system.
With home solar energy, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your property's emissions, and gain additional energy independence.
Absolutely. The grid in Oildale 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.
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 Oildale amount to $902.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Oildale, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 7.8 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
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 increase 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.
Yes. Solar panels exist independently from the power grid in Oildale 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.
The answer will depend on your specific needs and goals. Generally, monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient for Oildale homes. However, if lowering cost is your top priority, then you could thin-film or polycrystalline solar panels. When you're gathering estimates, make sure to ask about the brand names and models of solar panels a company offers and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
