Greatest Photo voltaic Firms of December 2023

What’s the greatest total photo voltaic firm?

ADT Photo voltaic is CNET’s greatest photo voltaic firm for 2023 for its above common warranties, high quality photo voltaic panels and photo voltaic battery selections and good customer support. The photo voltaic installers on our greatest record all supply high quality gear and get excessive customer support marks, however ADT Photo voltaic’s 25-year warranties for workmanship and safety towards leaks lead the group and places it excessive. ADT Photo voltaic operates in 23 states (with seven extra coming quickly, it says), but when it is not accessible to you, or one other firm makes a greater supply, we have particulars on different corporations we have scored extremely too.

Greatest photo voltaic corporations of 2023

This greatest record attracts from nationwide and notable installers of (principally rooftop) photo voltaic panels. Our picks may change as we assessment extra corporations. I’ve written or edited every of the opinions this greatest record attracts from and developed our scoring methodology. All through this course of, I’ve spent dozens of hours studying gear spec sheets, taking a look at nationwide traits and talking with representatives from many of those corporations to rank them on standards that issues to you.

These corporations have been rated on the range and high quality of apparatus and merchandise they provided, their said warranties and obvious commitments to customer support. (Customer support is troublesome to pin down and subsequently makes up a smaller portion of the rating, regardless that it is a important a part of the buying course of.)

Moreover our high choose, ADT Photo voltaic, a number of different corporations ranked above the competitors. All of them supply stable gear, however stand out in particular methods: Palmetto, for customer support; SunPower, for premium photo voltaic panels; Tesla, for decrease costs; and Momentum, for its in-house installers.

If you happen to’re on the lookout for a photo voltaic installer, be sure you get a number of quotes, together with ones from native installers. The specifics of a photo voltaic array might change given the form and angle of a given roof or the vitality utilization and habits of a given family. Photo voltaic could be a nice funding, however you want to perform a little research by yourself.

Greatest regional or native photo voltaic corporations

Among the corporations we have evaluated have scored extremely, however aren’t accessible to as many individuals as a result of they function in simply a few states. Whereas the variety of individuals served would not have an effect on an organization’s rating, we have separated these out as a result of fewer individuals will be capable of entry their companies.

Examine the very best photo voltaic corporations of 2023

This desk compares how corporations charge by some (however not all) of the standards we use to evaluate them. To get the complete image, click on the corporate identify to go to their assessment.

Firm	CNET’s rating	Financing choices	Most popular panels	Battery choices	Weatherization	BBB ranking
ADT Photo voltaic	8.7	Buy	Canadian Photo voltaic, Qcells, Silfab	Enphase, Tesla	25 years	A+
Palmetto	8.3	Buy, lease, ppa	Qcells, REC Alpha	Sonnen, Tesla	5 years	A+
SunPower	7.7	Buy, lease, ppa	SunPower Maxeon, Qcells	SunVault	12 years	A+
Elevation	7.6	Buy, lease, ppa	Qcells	Tesla, Enphase	10 years	A+
Freedom Endlessly	7.6	Buy, lease, ppa	LONGi, REC, Silfab and extra	Tesla, Enphase, SolarEdge	10 years	B+
Tesla	7.2	Buy	Qcells	Tesla	10 years	A+
Momentum	6.9	Buy, lease, ppa	Qcells	Enphase	5 years	A+
Blue Raven	6.7	Buy	A number of	SunVault	10 years	A+
Trinity Photo voltaic	6.6	Buy, lease, ppa	Qcells	Generac, Tesla	10 years	A+
Sunnova	6.5	Buy, lease, ppa	Not specified	Enphase, FranklinWh, Generac, SolarEdge, Tesla	10 years	D+
Sunrun	6.2	Buy, lease, ppa	Not specified	Tesla, LG Chem	10 years	A+

Different corporations we reviewed

We have reviewed different photo voltaic corporations that do not seem in our greatest record above, together with some that scored increased total than Tesla’s photo voltaic panels. Given the character of the photo voltaic panel trade, which shifts from state to state and roof to roof, a few of these different corporations could be higher suited to your scenario. 

• Blue Raven: Now part of SunPower, considered one of our favourite photo voltaic corporations, Blue Raven installs a wide range of panels alongside SunVault batteries utilizing all in-house set up groups. Like its mother or father firm and plenty of different photo voltaic installers, Blue Raven might supply a worth match assure and larger worth transparency, however will get robust marks for customer support.
• Primitive Energy: Working on a brokerage mannequin, Primitive Energy goes between the shopper and installer, promising to supply higher costs by means of a aggressive bidding mannequin. As a result of the enterprise mannequin would not match our scoring methodology, Primitive would not get a rating from us, however could possibly be place to get a number of quotes .
• Qcells: This photo voltaic panel producer with factories in Georgia will join you with an installer that works with its merchandise. It would not have in place the identical ensures or insurance policies a lot of the installers on this record have, so it would not get a rating, however in case you’re occupied with its high-quality, American-made panels, we wrote up all the main points.
• Smartflower: The photo voltaic sunflower is a fantastic method to set up photo voltaic panels. Until you are attempting to promote your inexperienced commitments or discover a assertion piece to your yard, it is seemingly an excessive amount of cash for too little photo voltaic.
• Sunnova: Sunnova not too long ago gained mortgage ensures from the US authorities to assist low and average earnings households undertake photo voltaic. If in case you have less-than-stellar credit score, Sunnova could be possibility for you, although you must nonetheless store round. It installs all kinds of batteries and gives some robust warranties. It has had customer support points up to now and misplaced its Higher Enterprise Bureau accreditation, a problem the corporate and the bureau each mentioned they have been working to rectify.
• Sunrun: The most important photo voltaic firm in America. Sunrun gives high quality panels, a alternative of a few batteries and high quality inverters. It additionally gives robust warranties. Most of its enterprise is in leases or energy buy agreements, and Sunrun gives stronger warranties for energy buy agreements than purchases. Its total rating is increased than Tesla’s, however simply missed edging out the others as a consequence of its missing a price-match coverage.
• Tesla Photo voltaic Roof: Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof is an thrilling method to think about photo voltaic. It is smooth, it is low profile, however it’s very costly. Relying on the dimensions of your roof and your location, it may be a number of instances costlier than photo voltaic panels. 
• Trinity Photo voltaic: For some time, Trinity was CNET’s high firm for customer support and nonetheless receives high marks for there. It additionally gives high quality gear and warranties, although a few of its warranties, like its workmanship guarantee, are a bit weaker than different corporations’.
• WindMar Photo voltaic and Roofing: WindMar is likely one of the longest-tenured photo voltaic installers working in Puerto Rico and Florida. It installs high quality gear, although clients who finance their system by means of a mortgage or enter a lease obtain stronger warranties than those that buy outright.

Why are individuals shopping for photo voltaic panels now?

If you happen to’re planning to purchase photo voltaic panels to keep away from rising vitality prices and blackouts or to spend money on renewable vitality, you are not alone. Residential photo voltaic installations grew by 40% in 2022 from the earlier 12 months, in line with the Photo voltaic Power Industries Affiliation.

You may get 30% of the price of photo voltaic panels again in your taxes and take part in native incentives and internet metering (the place accessible). The Inflation Discount Act that was handed final 12 months opened up extra rebates for energy-efficient residence enhancements, electrical home equipment and different renewable vitality options, which might assist you save much more with photo voltaic panels.

Enhancements in photo voltaic panel know-how and manufacturing have additionally introduced the costs of photo voltaic panels down considerably from the place they have been a decade in the past, and trade specialists say that development ought to proceed. Coupled with newly expanded tax credit, photo voltaic panels have by no means been extra reasonably priced. 

With local weather change anticipated to gasoline extreme climate that may trigger extra energy outages, photo voltaic panels with a backup battery can preserve your property powered.

Photo voltaic panels price so much, usually. Since few individuals can construct their very own photo voltaic panels, you may have to fastidiously analysis which installer is greatest for you. Under are my selections for the very best photo voltaic corporations. However whenever you’re making a purchase order as large as photo voltaic panels, do not let this record be your solely cease. Photo voltaic panel corporations, as a result of their merchandise require prolonged, skilled set up, are examined a bit in a different way than different classes on CNET.

This record and the opinions it attracts from aren’t primarily based on any hands-on testing. There is no possible method to do hands-on testing of the acquisition course of, set up or efficiency of a photo voltaic array. As an alternative, these photo voltaic firm opinions depend on interviews with firm spokespeople, publicly accessible information and evaluation of traits (like photo voltaic panel costs). Whereas the opinions are as totally researched as doable, the character of the product means there are some limitations in comparison with one other class like transportable energy stations.

Elements to contemplate when selecting a photo voltaic installer

Selecting a photo voltaic installer is like selecting a contractor for any residence enchancment mission. It’s important to ask quite a lot of questions, get a number of quotes and decide on some mixture of who’s providing you with the very best deal and who you’re feeling most assured in working with. There are some suggestions for selecting a photo voltaic installer, although.

• Get a number of quotes and examine: That is presumably the one most vital step. You’ll be able to’t know in case you’re getting ripped off with out checking a quote towards one thing else. To get a way of the value selection, examine a minimum of three quotes.
• Perceive your native incentives: Be sure you know whether or not your native authorities and utility have solar-friendly insurance policies that may make photo voltaic a safer monetary wager.
• Learn opinions and complaints: On-line opinions aren’t the gospel fact, however they’re helpful for educating your self on the problems which may crop up and customary experiences that clients have had with an organization. Google and Yelp opinions are a pair good locations to begin studying buyer opinions.
• Discuss to your neighbors who’ve photo voltaic panels: Ask your neighbor how nicely their chosen firm communicated, caught to the schedule, navigated the allowing course of and supported them after set up. If the corporate has a referral program, you could possibly kick just a few hundred {dollars} your neighbor’s approach, too.
• Test licenses and certifications: You’ll be able to test the North American Board of Licensed Power Practitioners for licensed installers close to you. There are different certifying organizations although, so ask installers the place their licensure comes from.
• Ask your installer questions: A good installer should not be afraid of questions. If you happen to really feel you are getting the run-around, ask different installers the identical and examine their solutions. Your installer ought to be capable of reply all of your questions, even the troublesome ones. Make certain to ask your installer about mission deadlines and the way financing works.
• Calculate your financial savings: If an organization appears to be promising an excessive amount of, it could be lower than trustworthy. Photo voltaic panels can prevent some huge cash in the long run, however not in all conditions. Learn how to calculate your anticipated financial savings with photo voltaic panels. In case your calculation is available in a lot decrease or increased than a salesman’s, ask about it. 

How does photo voltaic panel set up work?

The method of getting photo voltaic panels appears somewhat completely different from firm to firm, however the broad strokes are the identical.

After preliminary contact with the corporate, somebody ought to go to your property. Whereas elements of the design and quoting course of may contain taking a look at satellite tv for pc imagery, having an expert really go to your own home permits them to bear in mind bushes which may have grown because the aerial photos have been taken. They’re going to additionally be capable of assess the well being of your roof and whether or not it must be changed or not and determine another obstacles to going photo voltaic.

Then the system shall be designed, sized, permitted by you, and permitted. After the corporate receives permits from the required authorities, your set up shall be scheduled. Set up usually takes a day or two.

Set up, except you are putting in sure photo voltaic roofs, requires drilling holes by means of your roof and into the joists that assist it. It’s a necessity to maintain your photo voltaic panels securely hooked up, however you may need to pay cautious consideration to how lengthy your installer ensures these penetrations will stay watertight.

Set up will even require new wiring to be put in. Generally which means new conduit being hooked up to the surface of your own home, although some corporations will set up it in your attic without spending a dime or for an extra cost.

After set up, you may have to get permission to function out of your utility, which must approve new electrical energy era of their service space, except your system is off grid. As soon as you’ve got obtained permission, you may transition to producing vitality, monitoring your array’s efficiency and sustaining your photo voltaic panels to maintain them up and working for many years.

Whereas the timeline will range, it often takes a number of months to design, allow, set up and swap on residential photo voltaic arrays. It’s best to ask installers you interview for his or her estimated timeline.

How a lot do photo voltaic panels price?

The common price for a residential photo voltaic set up is $2.99 per watt for an 8-kilowatt system, in line with an evaluation by Wooden Mackenzie. That signifies that 8-kilowatt photo voltaic panel system would price about $23,920. However that is simply a mean — the price of photo voltaic panels varies by location, because of so-called tender prices, like allowing, inspection charges and labor. It additionally relies upon closely on what sort of photo voltaic panel system you get and whether or not you purchase a battery to go together with it. Batteries, which might price $10,000 or extra, add considerably to the value tag.

Photo voltaic panel incentives and rebates

There are many incentives to cut back the price of photo voltaic panels or your tax invoice. The Inflation Discount Act elevated the federal tax credit score for photo voltaic panels to 30% and made it accessible for 10 years. Different native tax exemptions or incentives could possibly be doable, too. In case your utility has a internet metering program, you could possibly obtain credit in your utility invoice that may assist you get monetary savings.

How a lot can going photo voltaic prevent?

The reply relies upon by yourself private vitality utilization, the photo voltaic panel system you select and a wide range of different elements resembling internet metering insurance policies. There are just a few issues you may calculate that will help you learn how a lot it can save you. The primary is your payback interval, during which you calculate the price of putting in photo voltaic panels after tax credit and incentives, and divide that by how a lot cash in vitality prices you count on to avoid wasting annually. That gives you a interval, in years, after which your photo voltaic panels could have paid for themselves in financial savings.

Your photo voltaic panel payback interval can range extensively. However after you hit that date, any vitality you do not have to pay for is cash saved. 

It is also fully doable that, due to your property, your vitality utilization or different elements, photo voltaic panels won’t prevent cash. In that case, if you wish to go photo voltaic, you may take into account different choices resembling group photo voltaic.

Learn extra: Need one thing smaller than a whole-home photo voltaic system? See our picks for the very best transportable photo voltaic panels and photo voltaic turbines.

What photo voltaic gear goes right into a photo voltaic system?

Whereas the panels are essentially the most seen and well-known element of a photo voltaic array, there are different obligatory and optionally available items of apparatus you may have to know.

Photo voltaic panels

Practically 100% of the residential photo voltaic panels put in at present are monocrystalline, in line with the Lawrence Berkeley Nationwide Laboratory (PDF). Some polycrystalline panels are nonetheless put in although. They’re cheaper however much less environment friendly, although it seemingly will not be a priority for you.

Photo voltaic inverters

Photo voltaic panels produce electrical energy in direct present. Our homes and all of the home equipment inside them use alternating present. The photo voltaic inverter converts the electrical energy from direct to alternating present.

There are two predominant kinds of inverter in use: string inverters and microinverters. String inverters remodel the electrical energy from a gaggle (or string) of photo voltaic panels. This implies you solely want one per residential array, usually, however all the array is affected by the bottom performing panel. If considered one of your panels is shaded, it is going to cut back the output of the remainder of the array. String inverters are usually cheaper to put in, however include shorter warranties.

Microinverters function on the panel stage, which implies if one is shaded, the remainder can preserve producing at full capability. As a result of they’re put in on the roof with the panel, they’re usually somewhat more durable to service, however produce a bit extra vitality. Microinverters price a bit extra to put in, however usually include 25-year warranties.

String inverters can be put in with energy optimizers, which carry out an analogous function to microinverter. The vitality continues to be translated to alternating present on the central string inverter, however the energy optimizer lets panels work independently of one another.

Photo voltaic backup battery

Backup batteries have gotten a extra well-liked addition to photo voltaic arrays. Time of use charges from utilities (the place electrical energy is often cheaper when photo voltaic panels are producing and costlier after they’re not) make batteries a extra financially possible alternative for a lot of. Photo voltaic panels will not generate electrical energy throughout a blackout except they’ve a battery that permits them to go off the grid quickly, a course of referred to as islanding.

Backup batteries do not all the time make monetary sense, so ensure you perceive whether or not or not it does for you earlier than diving in. If you happen to’re hoping to have energy throughout a blackout, the monetary calculation could also be much less vital to you.

Tips on how to pay for photo voltaic panels

Photo voltaic panels include a hefty price ticket so, identical to different main purchases, just a few financing choices have change into commonplace.

Paying for photo voltaic panels with money

Paying with money is essentially the most easy and fee-free method to pay for photo voltaic panels. You will not pay curiosity or mortgage charges and you may lock within the 30% federal tax credit score. The apparent draw back is that you will have to drop an enormous chunk of money , which not everybody can do.

Paying for photo voltaic panels with a photo voltaic mortgage

Most photo voltaic corporations supply financing choices, together with third-party or in-house loans. If you happen to buy photo voltaic with a mortgage, you may get the federal tax credit score, too. Loans of any kind include curiosity and costs and, whereas it is exhausting to color all photo voltaic loans with the identical brush, it pays to match charges and rates of interest. It’s also possible to pay with a mortgage you carry from elsewhere, like a private mortgage out of your financial institution.

Paying for photo voltaic panels with a house fairness mortgage

Residence fairness loans or residence fairness traces of credit score allow you to borrow cash towards the worth in your own home. This may safe you a decrease rate of interest, however introduces another dangers. If you happen to default on a house fairness mortgage, your property will be foreclosed on. Since you are still buying your photo voltaic panels, you may qualify for the federal tax credit score.

Getting a solar energy buy settlement or photo voltaic lease

If you happen to see advertisements touting owners going photo voltaic with zero cash down, they’re most likely for solar energy buy agreements and leases. However what’s a PPA? It is the much less acquainted cousin of a lease.

With a lease or PPA, you do not really personal the photo voltaic panels in your roof. As an alternative, you comply with pay a month-to-month price for the gear (a photo voltaic lease) or to purchase the electrical energy the photo voltaic panels produce (a PPA). This implies you may go photo voltaic with no hefty price ticket (and infrequently zero cash up entrance). It is common for these charges to extend annually, so pay cautious consideration. If the escalation charge is just too excessive, you could find yourself saving much less cash than anticipated over the lifetime of the deal. Since you do not personal the panels with these agreements, you will not be eligible for the federal tax credit score.

How we consider photo voltaic corporations

Reviewing photo voltaic corporations in a hands-on approach is hard. Every mission is as distinctive as the home it goes on and the household that may use its electrical energy. To judge these photo voltaic installers in a significant approach, we needed to give attention to what we might measure and what could be helpful to you.

We charge corporations on three classes of standards: gear, warranties and repair. 

Within the gear bucket, corporations get scored on the panels, inverters and batteries they set up. Warranties embody the ensures on the panels (which generally come from the producer), workmanship and weatherization towards leaks. Firms achieve factors for service for providing a worth match, a significant stage of worth transparency and a well-rated app for monitoring photo voltaic manufacturing. They lose factors for main customer support points (lawsuits, investigations or apparent reputations for shoddy service). We’ll all the time element these within the assessment.

You’ll be able to learn an in depth take a look at how the scoring breaks down.

We do not take into account the typical worth of an organization’s installations of their rating. Common costs are exhausting to seek out and examine place to put (and even roof to roof). Firms are sometimes gradual to reveal it, too. We additionally pass over data that is simple to seek out, however not helpful to you, like what number of states an organization operates in.

Photo voltaic panel FAQ

Correction, Jan. 31, 2023: An earlier model of this text misstated the Higher Enterprise Bureau’s grading course of. Any firm can obtain a grade from the Bureau, no matter whether or not it has paid to undergo the accreditation course of.