In the not-so-distant past, powering a home with solar panels seemed outlandish. The technology was so new that it wasn’t realistic, let alone cost-effective. But now, that reality has changed.
The price of solar panels has fallen dramatically since 2010. They’re coming to neighborhoods near you, and they might be more affordable than you think. That’s good news for the environment, for your wallet and for the power grid.
“The big vision 10 years down the road is that there’ll be solar panels on house after house after house,” said Cailey Underhill, advocacy and development director at Solar Rights Alliance, a California solar advocacy group. “Everyone who wants it will be able to get it. There’ll be solar panels on the church, on the school, they’ll have community solar on an abandoned lot and there’ll be batteries in garages and in basements that are connected together in a grid that is healthy and flexible and functional, that doesn’t cause blackouts and doesn’t cause wildfires. And through that … we can help California hit its overall clean energy goals.”
Can solar panels save you money?
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The news is even better if you live in San Diego. Not only do you live in one of the cheaper states to get solar energy, but you may also have access to extra incentives and tax credits that can make the process even cheaper. Let’s take a look at what kinds of costs you’ll be facing if you decide to go solar.
Best national solar panel companies in San Diego
You’ve got a wide variety of choices when it comes to going solar. Here are some top national solar companies we’ve reviewed at CNET that operate in San Diego.
NRG Clean Power brings one of the solar industry’s most confident approaches to its work, offering a price match and 40-year warranty. NRG Clean Power is a solid bet as long as you live in Texas and California. NRG Clean Power does not offer leases or power purchase agreements, but they do provide solar panel cleaning and roofing services as well as a reliable equipment menu.
Elevation’s focus on your home’s energy efficiency isn’t the norm in the industry. If you’re planning on addressing energy efficiency first, working with Elevation allows you to keep the whole process with one company. Elevation’s solar equipment comes from well-established and well-regarded companies. Elevation’s warranties on workmanship and weatherization could be a bit longer.
Tesla’s solar branch seems to be the least loved of Elon Musk’s ventures. Even Tesla’s Solar Roof seems to get more love.
If price is the thing you won’t budge on, consider Tesla. By all accounts, Tesla installs quality panels and makes the closest thing there is to a household name in solar storage: the Powerwall.
Where you might miss out is customer service. Discussion online seems to suggest Tesla’s service is a bit of a gamble.
The companies we listed above as “the best” are curated from CNET’s best solar companies list. Companies making the best list are scored on the equipment, warranties and customer service they offer. Then, we make sure these recommendations are available in your state. You can read a full breakdown of how we review solar companies here.
Companies listed under the local installers were chosen in a less rigorous way. We chose them because they offered something unique or notable to customers in the state, they seemed well-regarded by internet reviewers or because they were one of the few installers we could find information on in the state.
Whether we’ve completed a full review on a company or not, it’s always a good idea to get multiple quotes from different installers before choosing a company.
