Note: In July 2024, SunPower notified dealers it would be halting all new shipments and project installations. The company also noted it would “no longer be supporting new Leases and PPA sales nor new project installations of these financing options.”
Tons of Georgia residents are investing in solar power as more people realize how much it can save them on their monthly electric bills. Statewide, Georgia aims to increase the fraction of energy it produces from renewable energy sources, incentivizing the industry’s best companies to bring their technology and expertise to the Peach State. This article takes an in-depth look at the greatest solar companies for residential rooftop solar doing business in Georgia today.
What Are the Top Solar Installation Companies in Georgia?
Featured Video: Is Going Solar Worth It?
SolarSME
4
Our Rating
Solar SME is a small solar company with a local office in Fayetteville. The company is relatively new — founded in 2014 — but has already established itself as one of the best solar companies in Georgia. The company handles everything in-house, including installation, giving you a single point of contact and consistency throughout the process.
SolarSME is an average-priced solar company. Keep in mind that part of the reason SolarSME can charge lower prices than a company like SunPower is that it uses more affordable equipment that can be less efficient.
SolarSME offers a 25-year warranty on workmanship along with the manufacturer’s warranty on the equipment it installs.
The company offers solar panels and battery backups and handles its installations in-house.
SolarSME offers customers several financing options. You can pay for your solar system in cash or finance via a solar loan, lease, or PPA.
As of this writing, SolarSME offers $1,000 for customer referrals through the Advocator app on your mobile device. The reward structure is $50 for an appointment, $1,000 for a sign-up, and $500 bonuses for every five referrals.
SolarSME’s installations are performed by an in-house team of technicians, so you don’t need to interface with a third-party installation company.
SolarSME offers premium panels from Panasonic and LG. The company uses Enphase for inverters and Enphase, LG, and Generac-branded power storage solutions.
SolarSME is certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A rating.
Blue Raven Solar
4.3
Our Rating
Blue Raven Solar is a national solar services provider that offers affordable solar systems backed by solid warranties. The company’s range of brands and products is more limited than some competitions, but it offers enough variety to meet the needs of most Georgians.
Blue Raven sets itself apart from the rest of the industry by offering the best solar financing in the business. The company’s BluePower Plus+ solar loan sets the bar by which all other solar loans are measured, giving customers the best of both worlds with the affordability of PPAs and the energy savings of outright purchases.
Blue Raven is cheaper than the competition in Georgia. If you don’t mind choosing from a smaller selection of brands and don’t need extra services like EV chargers and power storage, Blue Raven Solar is a great choice that won’t hurt your wallet.
Blue Raven’s warranty covers equipment for 25 years and workmanship for ten years. We’d love to see longer workmanship coverage, but ten years is good enough for most homeowners.
Blue Raven’s services are a bit lacking compared to other companies. Currently, the company only offers solar panel installation, although it is reportedly rolling out battery backups in 2022.
Blue Raven’s financing through its in-house BluePower Plus+ program is the best solar financing option, and it’s not even close. The company handles its own financing, making it easier for you than dealing with independent financing through a third party. It also has a unique financing structure that combines the best aspects of PPAs with outright purchases, making it as easy to switch to solar as leasing but with the savings of owning your own panels.
Blue Raven Solar has a refer-a-friend program that gives you $1,000 for your first two recommendations and $1,500 per referral after that.
Blue Raven’s installations are conducted internally, so you don’t have to worry about tracking down a separate installer if you have any questions or concerns.
Blue Raven uses Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers like Silfab, Trina, and Q Cells.
Blue Raven has a partnership with GivePower, a company focused on using solar desalination technology to bring clean water to people in need.
Alternative Energy Southeast
4
Our Rating
Alternative Energy Southeast (AES) is a Georgia-based solar company founded in 2007 to bring affordable solar energy to the southeastern United States. The company is the #1 Tesla Powerwall installer in the southeast and has a 15-year track record of excellent customer service and satisfied clientele. The company backs its installations with a decent solar warranty and a performance guarantee, taking most of the risk and worry out of converting your home to solar energy.
AES’s prices are average to above-average. Some customer reviews explicitly mention that the slightly elevated prices are worth it in light of the company’s stellar support.
The company’s warranty is one of the best in the industry, covering equipment and workmanship for 25 years. AES also offers a performance guarantee that ensures your system will produce energy at the advertised rate, or the company will pay you to make up the difference.
AES is a one-stop shop for solar services, providing panel installations, EV chargers, battery backups, solar roofing, and solar monitoring.
Alternative Energy Southeast accepts cash and solar loans. The company does not offer leases or PPAs.
Alternative Energy Southeast’s installations are conducted in-house by W2 employees, according to the company website.
The company is a certified Tesla installer and offers varied equipment from Tesla and other Tier 1 manufacturers.
Alternative Energy Southeast has a professional partnership with OpConnect, a leading provider of small, powerful EV chargers. The company is also certified by NABCEP.
Creative Solar
4
Our Rating
Creative Solar USA is another Georgia-based solar company — out of Kennesaw — with a long historyof providing solar services across the Peach State. The company is an all-in-one solar service provider, handling design, installation, and support in-house. The company’s prices are competitive — especially given the level of personalization each residential solar project receives — and it offers a decent selection of solar products from the industry’s top brands.
Customer reviews of Creative Solar USA suggest that pricing can vary quite a lot, even for similar homes. We suspect that this is due to variations in equipment fetching different prices depending on what’s in stock and what individual customers are looking for.
Creative Solar USA backs its equipment with a 25-year warranty but only offers ten years’ worth of protection for electrical and five years’ worth for workmanship.
The company offers panels, batteries, and EV chargers. Solar roofing from Tesla is in the works and expected to arrive in late 2022 or early 2023. Residential installations may be either rooftop or ground mount, although the company recommends rooftop panels wherever possible.
Creative Solar USA has flexible financing options to suit a wide range of customers. The company’s options range from a 24-month 0% interest “same-as-cash” option to more traditional 20-year loans.
Creative Solar USA is a full-service solar provider, so all installations are handled by an in-house team rather than contracted out to a third-party installer.
Creative Solar USA is a certified Tesla installer but also sources photovoltaic (PV) panels from undisclosed Tier 1 manufacturers. The company uses Enphase inverters and offers Enphase IQ, Tesla Powerwalls (check out our appraisal of Tesla Powerwalls), Sonnen, and Generac PWRCell energy storage options.
The company has several important partnerships with other solar panel companies and local governments, including a deal with the City of Tucker and a partnership with the local Koinonia Farm. The company’s technicians are also certified by NABCEP.
Tesla Energy
4.3
Our Rating
Tesla is a bit of an outlier in the solar community because it only sells its own equipment and outsources installations to local businesses, making the process opaque and confusing to some people. Still, we’ve already recommended Tesla indirectly through several certified installers, and there’s no denying that Tesla’s panels and Powerwall batteries are an excellent option for Georgians looking to invest in rooftop solar.
Tesla is expensive if you purchase panels from the company directly at face value. However, the company offers a price matching program that makes its solar panel systems far more affordable, although it requires a quote from another company, which makes the whole process take longer.
Tesla’s warranty covers performance for 25 years but only protects the equipment for ten years. However, Tesla’s performance assurances are solid and guarantee at least 80% output efficiency for 25 years. This is a nice feature that makes it possible to calculate your minimum energy-saving potential before you buy.
Tesla’s solar division makes its own solar panels, batteries, EV charging stations, and solar roof shingles.
Customers can choose to pay for a Tesla solar power system in cash or through traditional financing. The company does not offer PPAs or leasing options.
Tesla installations are contracted out to local installation companies. The company certifies companies to install Tesla solar products, providing some reassurances, but the customer experience still varies by location, as evidenced by the wide range of reviews available on the internet.
Tesla only offers its own brand of solar equipment.
Tesla is accredited by the BBB and is partnered with local and regional solar installers across the nation.
What Is Our Final Verdict on the Best Solar Company in Georgia?
SolarSME is the best solar company in Georgia overall. Local company, SolarSME is our top pick for a smaller, more personalized touch. The company only offers basic installations for panels and batteries, but its prices are more competitive than others, and customers are generally satisfied with the company’s familiarity with the local solar landscape.
This site receives compensation from the companies featured in this listing, which may impact where and how products appear. This listing doesn’t feature all companies, products, or offers that may be available.
Factors to Consider When Choosing The Best Solar Company in Georgia
If you’re having trouble deciding on a solar provider, it can help to take a step back and consider what factors are most important to you. Here’s a brief overview of the most important factors to consider when switching to solar energy.
Cost of Services & Installation
There’s no way around it: solar systems are expensive. However, they’re not as expensive as many people think, and choosing the most affordable solar system isn’t always the best option. Cheaper systems are usually less efficient, reducing your savings over the system’s lifetime and indirectly raising the effective cost. Technologically superior systems often induce sticker shock but lead to greater savings in the long run. They also add more value to your home, allowing you to recoup your investment more easily if you decide to sell your home down the road.
Equipment and Damages Warranty
Solar panels are exposed to the elements, whether they’re affixed to your roof or mounted on a ground array, so they’re inevitably going to experience some wear and tear. Before you choose a solar provider, make sure you understand the terms of the warranty you’ll have on your solar system. Most companies offer 25-year warranties on equipment, but coverage duration for workmanship and performance can vary.
Solar Services Offered
If you only want basic panels, you can choose virtually any solar company. But if you’re interested in more advanced options, like energy storage and EV charging, you’ll need to choose a company that provides those services. In general, companies that provide more services tend to charge higher rates, and more involved solar systems cost more and take longer to install
Financing Options
Many people think solar panels are prohibitively expensive, and on the surface, they’re right. Not many homeowners can afford to pay the large upfront expenses related to solar panels. all at once, but most solar companies offer financing options that make it easy to start building solar equity while simultaneously saving money on your utility bill. Solar loans, solar leases, and PPAs are common these days, so make sure you choose a company with flexible financing if you can’t foot the bill in cash. Explore our article for the savings benefits of solar panels.
Do They Contract Installation?
In general, you should choose an all-in-one solar installer if you can. Some companies contract installations out to independent companies, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but makes the customer experience you’ll receive more uncertain. In-house installations usually go more smoothly and lead to fewer headaches for the homeowner.
Brands of Solar Equipment Offered
Some companies don’t report the brands that they use, but most will at least say whether they use equipment from Tier 1 manufacturers. All Tier 1 PV systems are approximately equivalent, although any reputable company would be happy to discuss specific brand options with a potential customer.
Enphase is the de facto standard for inverters, Enphase, Tesla, LG, and Generac make excellent storage systems, and Panasonic, LG, Tesla, Q Cells, and Maxeon are broadly considered the best residential solar panel manufacturers today.
Average Online Rating and Customer Reviews
It’s important to do as much research as possible before choosing a solar company. You should read as many solar reviews as possible from as many different sources as you can to get a sense of what the overall public opinion of a company is before you sign a contract. Online reviews can shed light on issues that only arise after you become a customer and help you avoid unwittingly doing business with a company that disappears once it has your money.
Industry Partnerships
Partnerships aren’t a guarantee that a company is a good choice — especially for residential solar — but having relationships in the industry is usually a sign of a healthy, growing business. You should be wary of a company that operates entirely independently, or that isn’t invested in its local community, as such businesses usually aren’t invested in the future and don’t last long.
Size of Company
Whether you choose a large national solar company or a local one is mostly a matter of preference. National companies tend to offer more products from more brands and charge lower prices at the expense of less responsive customer service. On the other hand, smaller companies are often more expensive but excel at providing a personalized experience. Neither option is inherently better, so you should choose one that offers the services you need and matches your personal preference.
FAQs About the Best Solar Companies in Georgia
Yes, definitely. While Georgia doesn’t enjoy as much sunshine as nearby Florida, it gets more than enough to make solar energy worthwhile. Most southeastern states like Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida give homeowners plenty of sunny days to leverage for solar energy production.
Some people think that solar energy isn’t worth it in Georgia because energy tends to be affordable throughout the state. However, solar can still eliminate your entire monthly electric bill, saving you money every month for an average of 20 to 25 years, even if it won’t save you as much as it would in a more expensive state. Installing rooftop solar in Georgia also insulates you from future price fluctuations, making it easier to manage your money.
Georgia doesn’t offer any state-level tax rebates or solar incentives, but Georgia residents are eligible for the federal tax credit (ITC). This is a 26% credit to your federal income taxes, which averages out to several thousands of dollars.
Georgia Power, Georgia’s largest Atlanta area electric company, offers net metering through its Solar Buy Back program. Customers can sell the excess energy their panels produce back to the utility company to reduce their monthly bills. If you live in Atlanta or one of its suburbs like Marietta or Peachtree, net metering is an option you should consider.
The average cost of solar panels in Georgia for a 1,500 sq. ft. home is around $21,000. This estimate assumes an average 11 kW system and an average cost of $2.60 per watt. These are typical solar statistics in Georgia.
No. Some companies lure customers in with the promise of free solar panels when, in reality, these deals are usually part of a larger package priced slightly higher to compensate for the “free panels.”
Yes! Zillow estimates that a home’s value increases by 4.1% on average after installing solar panels. For Georgians, this means an average increase of more than $12,000.
