Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated February 2024
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for Palo Alto homeowners. A rooftop solar array can help you add value to your property, decrease your carbon footprint, and provide a dependable source of power. Transitioning to solar energy can lower your monthly energy expenses and decrease your carbon output. Before you get started, you want to make sure you find a qualified installer. Luckily, we’ve analyzed local solar providers and compiled a guide to the best solar companies in Palo Alto. These trusted providers are smart choices homeowners can depend on.
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
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:
Putting solar panels on your roof could lower your electricity payments while helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint through renewable energy use. Key considerations when looking at local solar installers are as follows.
It's important to hire a licensed solar installer. This helps ensure 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. To earn licensure, a contractor must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of field experience, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and TrustPilot to see feedback from past customers about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's reliability and customer service. Use caution with providers that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
Call at least three solar companies for free, itemized quotes. A quote should explain all costs and list the solar equipment included. Reviewing multiple quotes helps you find the most cost-effective option for your budget.
High-quality solar installations should have robust workmanship and performance warranties. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation issues like cracks in the panels, poor wiring, or poor alignment. The output guarantee ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong warranties reflect a solar provider's faith in its installations.
Switching to solar power can help lower your energy expenses. Be sure to evaluate these aspects when determining the cost and value of solar panels.
Palo Alto homeowners typically spend about $7,249 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in Palo Alto 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, permit fees, and preliminary work, and will account for your system's size, capacity, and panel type. Some homeowners prefer to lease solar panels in order 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
Incentive Amount:
Single-family residential gas-displacing systems: $18.59 per therm displaced
Single-family residential electricity or propane-displacing systems: $0.54 per kWh displaced
Multifamily and Commercial gas-displacing systems: $14.53 per therm displaced
Multifamily and Commercial electricity or propane-displacing systems: $0.42 per kWh displaced
Low-Income Multifamily gas-displacing systems: $19.23/therm displaced
Low-Income Multifamily Electric or Propane Displacing systems: $0.56/kWh displaced
A solar photovoltaic (PV) array can generate power to run any electric system or appliance in your home. If you don't want to use solar power for your entire home, you can install a solar heating system for your water.
With home solar panels, you can recoup the cost of the system over time, lower your property's emissions, and be better prepared if there's an outage to the local grid.
Yes, you can use home solar energy alongside conventional power sources. In most parts of the country, solar panels are designed to supplement your existing energy sources, which means you can reap the environmental benefits and savings of solar energy without having to completely switch over.
Your payback period is the time to earn a net profit from your solar panels. It will vary based on their rated capacity, the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power, and the average sunlight in your area. Palo Alto has extremely high daily sunlight levels, so you could recoup your investment in as little as 7.5 years per 5 kW of rated capacity.
The type of solar panels you have will have specific maintenance steps to follow. Regardless of type, you should clean your panels regularly and inspect them for damage. Full-service solar contractors in the Palo Alto area offer comprehensive maintenance plans to help you keep your panels healthy and make the most of your system.
The answer depends on your specific needs and goals. For a typical home, monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient for homes in Palo Alto. However, if lowering cost is your top priority, then you may want to consider thin-film or polycrystalline solar panels. When selecting a solar company, make sure to ask about the different types of solar panels a company offers and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Solar panels are on par with other forms of renewable energy. They have inexpensive upkeep and today's systems can stand up to the worst conditions.
