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Last Updated: February 25, 2025
Rooftop solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners in Orange. A solar panel array can help you provide a dependable source of power, add value to your property, and decrease your carbon footprint. Solar power can cut your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint. However, it's important to select a qualified solar installer. Luckily, we've reviewed the options and assembled a guide to the best and most trustworthy solar installation companies in Orange.
Our Rating
User Rating
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Our Rating
User Rating
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
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 planet by reducing your carbon footprint using renewable energy. Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating if a solar installer is reliable.
It's imperative that your solar installer has the proper licensing. This helps ensure that the work is done correctly using current best installation practices. There are five different classifications of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn licensure, a contractor must complete 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 feedback from past customers on 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 describe all costs and identify the exact solar parts included. Comparing several quotes can help you find the option that best fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should have strong workmanship and performance guarantees. A workmanship guarantee covers 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 warranties show that a company is confident in its work.
Solar energy can help decrease your electric bills over time. When evaluating the total price and value of solar panels, be sure to consider these factors.
Solar panel costs vary based on your system's capacity and the solar technology used. The typical Orange solar array has a capacity of 2.9 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area can expect to pay around $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Orange homeowners spends roughly $7,006 on a new solar system after accounting for federal tax breaks. (Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels to lower upfront costs.) A personalized quote from a local solar company will account for things like the size, panel type, and capacity of the planned system, and should include fees 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
A solar photovoltaic (PV) system can generate power to run any electric system or appliance in your home. More specifically, you can install a solar water heating system.
With home solar PV, you can save money on your energy bill, 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 a wide time window to install your panels, though they won't achieve peak performance until summer arrives.
Your payback period is the time to achieve an ROI on your solar panels. It will vary based on the average sunlight in your area, their rated capacity, and the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power. Orange has extremely high daily sunlight levels, so you could recoup your investment in as little as 8.9 years per 5 kW of rated capacity.
Net metering is a power purchasing policy that allows solar energy system owners to receive compensation 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 might not be ideal 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.
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