Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners in Pacific Grove. A rooftop solar array 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 lower your carbon footprint, but you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. Luckily, we’ve conducted comprehensive research local solar installers and created a guide to the best solar companies in Pacific Grove. These reliable providers are reliable options known for their quality services.
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
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 lower your electricity costs and help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. When deciding if a solar provider is a good fit for you, consider these key factors.
Verify that your solar installer is properly licensed. This ensures that the work is done correctly using the most up-to-date installation methods. There are five specific types of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn a license, an installer must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check Google Reviews, TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and other review sites to see what past customers are saying about local solar companies. Detailed reviews on these platforms can help you assess a provider's reliability and customer service. Stay away from providers with few or mainly poor reviews.
To find a solar company that works with your budget, ask for free, detailed quotes from three to five providers. The quotes should list all costs as well as all solar equipment included. Looking at several quotes helps you identify the best value.
Top-notch solar installations should include strong workmanship and performance guarantees. A workmanship warranty covers installation defects, such as poor wiring, poor alignment, or cracks in the panels. A performance guarantee ensures a minimum energy output. Comprehensive guarantees indicate that a solar company believes in its work.
Switching to solar power can help decrease your energy expenses over time. Be sure to consider these aspects when judging the cost and value of solar panels.
The cost of solar panels varies based on system capacity and the technology used. The typical Pacific Grove solar array has a capacity of 2.9 kilowatts. Homeowners in the area can expect to pay around $3,470 per kilowatt; the average Pacific Grove homeowners spends roughly $7,050 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 provider will account for things like the capacity, size, and panel type of the planned system, and should include fees for preliminary work, permit fees, and labor.
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) array 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 energy, you can save money on your energy bill, lower your property's emissions, and gain additional energy independence.
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, which means you can reap the savings and environmental benefits of solar energy without having to completely switch over.
Generally speaking, your energy bills will decrease significantly after you install solar panels. This is because you're using the energy you generate for free rather than buying it from your power company. In Pacific Grove, the average amount someone can save is $1,053 per year. With net metering programs offered by many utilities, you could ultimately make a profit from your system when your payback period is done.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how short it takes to get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Pacific Grove, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 6.7 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
Net metering is a type of "power purchase agreement." If your state or utility offers net metering, you can send the solar energy you don't use to the grid. In return, they'll give you a credit on your power bill.
While solar energy might not be the best option 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 can still generate energy during a grid outage. To ensure that your solar system is able to keep working during a power outage, make sure to choose a quality solar provider that offers battery backup systems or emergency generators.
