Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for Orcutt homeowners. A new solar energy system can help you provide a dependable source of power, decrease your carbon footprint, and add value to your property. Adopting solar energy can allow you to save money and reduce your carbon footprint, but you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. That’s why, after reviewing and analyzing installers, we compiled a guide to the most reliable solar companies in Orcutt. These installers offer dependable quality service.
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Family-operated business
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
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 help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. When evaluating if a solar provider is a good fit for you, consider these key factors.
Hiring a licensed solar installer is critical. This help guarantee that the work is done correctly using current installation best practices. There are five specific types of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn licensure, a contractor must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check consumer review platforms like Google Reviews, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see feedback from past customers about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you assess a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with providers that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
Contact at least three solar companies for free, detailed quotes. Quotes should clearly explain all costs and specify the exact solar components included. By comparing multiple quotes, you can identify the best value based on your budget.
Quality solar installations should have comprehensive workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship warranty covers any installation issues such as cracks in the panels, poor wiring, or poor alignment. The performance warranty promises a specific energy output level. Strong guarantees indicate that a solar installer trusts its installations.
Solar energy can help decrease your electric bills over time. When evaluating the total price and value of solar panels, make sure to consider these factors.
Solar panel costs vary based on your system's capacity and the technology being used. The average solar system in Orcutt has a capacity of 2.8 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area can expect to pay approximately $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Orcutt homeowners spends about $6,836 on a new solar array after accounting for federal tax breaks. (Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels to reduce upfront costs.) A personalized quote from a local solar company will account for things like the panel type, size, and capacity 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 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 smallest case, you can use a solar water heater.
With home solar panels, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your property's emissions, and gain additional energy independence.
It depends on where you live and what type of panels you're installing. With the winter months in California being very mild, you have significant leeway to install your panels, though they won't achieve 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 Orcutt amount to $1,053.
The maintenance you'll need to do will vary based on the type of solar panels you have. At a minimum, you should clean and inspect each panel once per season. Your solar energy company might offer comprehensive plans where they'll do the maintenance for you.
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.
