Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
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Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Every year, more Santa Clara homeowners install rooftop solar panels to add value to their property and lower their carbon footprint. Solar power can cut your energy costs and lower your carbon footprint. However, it's important to hire a reputable solar installer. That’s why we’ve reviewed the options and assembled a guide to the most dependable solar installation companies in Santa Clara. These top providers offer high-quality and dependable services.
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Services Offered
Prompt service delivery
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Free quotes
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Prompt service delivery
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Informative resources
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
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:
Installing solar panels can cut your electricity costs and benefit the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. When evaluating if a solar provider is right for you, consider these key factors.
It's imperative that your solar installer has the proper licensing. This helps ensure that the work is done properly using current best installation practices. There are five specific levels of solar contracting licenses in California: boilers, PV electrical, HVAC, thermal, and pool heating. To earn licensure, an installer must take a highly comprehensive educational series, gain four years of experience as an apprentice or journeyman, and pass written exams.
Check review sites like Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and TrustPilot to see customer feedback about local solar companies. Detailed reviews can help you evaluate a company's dependability and customer service. Use caution with companies that have no reviews or mostly negative ones.
Get free, detailed quotes from three to five solar companies. The quotes should outline all costs and identify the solar parts included. Looking at several quotes can help you find the option that best fits your budget.
Quality solar installations should include strong workmanship and performance guarantees. A workmanship guarantee addresses any installation defects (such as poor wiring, poor alignment, 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.
Switching to solar power can help reduce your energy expenses. Be sure to consider these aspects when judging the cost and value of solar panels.
Santa Clara homeowners typically spend about $7,249 on home solar systems after federal tax refunds. Solar arrays in Santa Clara 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 capacity, size, and panel type. Some homeowners prefer to lease 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 system or appliance in your home. More specifically, you can install a solar water heating system.
With home solar energy, you can recoup the cost of the system over time, lower your property's emissions, and gain additional energy independence.
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 that come from using solar energy without having to completely switch over.
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 Santa Clara amount to $942.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can get a return on investment from your solar panels. In perennially-sunny Santa Clara, you could make enough from your solar panels to recoup your investment in 7.7 years per 5 kW of rated capacity at maximum.
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. Many solar contractors in the Santa Clara area offer comprehensive maintenance plans to help you make the most of your panels and keep them healthy for as long as possible.
The answer will depend on your specific needs and goals. For a typical home, monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient for Santa Clara homes. However, if you have a limited budget, then you could polycrystalline or thin-film solar panels. When you're choosing a contractor, make sure to ask about the different types of solar panels a contractor offers and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
