Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
Solar is one of the most easily accessible forms of renewable energy for New Garden homes. Solar power can cut your energy costs and shrink your carbon footprint. However, it's important to choose a qualified solar installer. Luckily, we've done the research and compiled a guide to the best and most trustworthy solar installation providers in New Garden.
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Services Offered
Free quotes
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Free quotes
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Clear pricing policy
Free quotes
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Informative resources
Reliable customer support
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Informative resources
Clear pricing policy
Services Offered
Family-operated business
Reliable customer support
Services Offered
Free quotes
Family-operated business
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 lower your electricity costs and benefit the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. When deciding if a solar provider is right for you, consider these key factors.
It's important to hire a licensed solar installer. This helps ensure that the work is done properly using current best installation practices. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not issue state-level contracting licenses, so each city or county can set its own requirements and terms.
Check review sites like TrustPilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Google Reviews to see customer feedback 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.
Call three to five solar companies for free, itemized quotes. These quotes should describe all costs and specify the solar equipment included. Reviewing multiple quotes helps you find the option that aligns with your budget.
Quality solar installations should have comprehensive workmanship and performance guarantees. The workmanship guarantee covers any installation problems such as poor alignment, poor wiring, or cracks in the panels. The performance guarantee promises a specific energy output level. Strong guarantees indicate that a solar installer has faith in its installations.
Solar can help you lower electricity bills over time. Be sure to consider these aspects when considering the final cost and value of solar panels.
In New Garden, solar panels cost an average of $3,550 per kilowatt, with an average system size of 6.5 kilowatts. The typical New Garden homeowner spends $16,246 on their solar array after federal tax refunds. An estimate from a local provider will factor in additional information reflecting your desired system's capacity, required preliminary work, size, and panel type. In some cases, homeowners may prefer leasing solar panels to reduce upfront costs.
Incentive Amount:
Manufacturer loans: $40,000 per job created within 3 years
Manufacturer grants: $5,000 per job created within 3 years
Loans for geothermal systems: $3 per square foot of space served up to $5 million; also limited to 50% of eligible costs for residential systems.
Loans for wind energy production projects: $5 million
Grants for wind energy production projects: $1 million
Grants for feasibility studies: 50% of cost up to $175,000
Loan guarantee grants: Up to 75% of deficient funds up to $5 million
Incentive Amount:
Varies based on market conditions; during 2015 the market price for PA-sourced SRECs has ranged from approximately $32 - $55/MWh ($0.032 - $0.055/kWh) although individual trades have taken place at substantially lower and higher prices.
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 many areas, 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.
Generally speaking, your energy bills will significantly decrease 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 New Garden, the average amount someone can save is $1,066 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.
Your payback period is the time to achieve an ROI on your solar panels. It will vary based on the average sunlight in your area, the rate your utility charges per kilowatt of power, and their rated capacity. New Garden gets quite a bit of sunlight per day, so an average payback period could last up to 15.2 years per 5 kW of 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. A majority of solar contractors in the New Garden area offer comprehensive maintenance plans to help you keep your panels healthy and make the most of your system.
The best type of residential solar panel will depend on your specific needs and goals. For a typical home, monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient for New Garden homes. However, if you're looking at a more frugal option, then you could polycrystalline or thin-film solar panels. When selecting a solar company, make sure to ask about the brand names and models of solar panels a company offers and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
