Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated February 2024
Year after year, more Rancho Santa Margarita residents adopt rooftop solar panels to provide a dependable source of power and add value to their property. Adopting solar energy can reduce your monthly energy expenses and decrease your carbon output. Before you get started, you want to make sure you find a reputable installer. That’s why, after properly vetting installers, we assembled a guide to the most reputable solar companies in Rancho Santa Margarita. These installers consistently deliver excellent service.
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Prompt service delivery
Family-operated business
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
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:
Installing solar panels can cut your electricity costs and help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. When evaluating if a solar provider is the best option for you, consider these key factors.
Hiring a licensed solar installer is critical. This help guarantee that the work is done properly using current installation best practices. There are five distinct 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 consumer review platforms like TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Google Reviews to see feedback from past customers about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's dependability and level of service. Use caution with providers that have hardly any reviews or mostly negative ones.
To find a solar company that works with your budget, get free, detailed quotes from 3–5 providers. The quotes should outline all costs and list the solar equipment included. Looking at several quotes helps you identify the best value.
High-quality solar installations should have robust workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation issues like poor wiring, cracks in the panels, or poor alignment. The output guarantee ensures an energy generation baseline. Strong guarantees reflect a solar provider's confidence in its installations.
Solar power can help reduce your electricity costs long-term. When considering solar panel's cost and value, be sure to consider these considerations.
Rancho Santa Margarita homeowners typically spend about $7,006 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in Rancho Santa Margarita cost approximately $3,470 per kilowatt, with an average size of 2.9 kilowatts. An estimate from a local solar provider will include costs for preliminary work, labor, and permit fees, and will account for your system's capacity, panel type, and size. Some homeowners prefer to lease their 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
A solar photovoltaic (PV) system can generate power to run any electric appliance or system 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.
There are a number of benefits to home solar energy. You can reduce emissions, raise your property values, and qualify for tax benefits. With the right storage equipment, solar panels can also give you further energy independence and offer some protection from power outages.
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 a lengthy window to install your panels, though they won't hit peak performance until summer arrives.
Absolutely. The grid in Rancho Santa Margarita 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.
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 Rancho Santa Margarita, the average amount someone can save is $824 per year. With net metering programs offered by many utilities, you could ultimately make a profit from your system after the payback period concludes.
Net metering is a power purchasing policy that allows solar energy system owners to get paid 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.
Solar panels are on par with other forms of renewable energy. They have inexpensive upkeep and today's systems can generate and manage energy under more conditions.
