The Best Solar Companies in Oregon

Choosing the best solar companies in Oregon for your solar panel investment will likely be the most important decision you make during the process.

Oregon was one of the first states in the union to employ solar energy. Despite its reputation for gloomy weather, the state is in the country’s top half for solar energy generation. The state receives enough sunshine, but not as much as states in the South, to offset power costs and lessen environmental consequences.

Which Solar Panel Installation Company in Oregon Is Best for You?

Like any other sector, the solar business is vulnerable to aggressive salespeople and false assurances about efficiency. Choosing an installer who is well-suited to the task is crucial since a bad installation may lead to issues like broken wiring or a leaky roof.

Choosing a solar installation should take into account the following primary and important factors, which we attempted to highlight in our article:

• Experience is an Important Matter

1. For what duration has the solar installation been in operation?
2. What other work have they completed in addition to installing solar panels?
3. Learn about their experiences with local permits and inspections. Examinations and licensing frequently cause project delays.

• Feedbacks from Clients

Reading online reviews might provide you with a reasonable understanding of the company’s performance. After the system has been running for a few months, go through people’s experiences with the installer, both during and after the installation process. Customer testimonials are also beneficial. Look for any video testimonials from previous customers that the company may have. It’s likely that video reviews are more authentic and trustworthy than written reviews on the company website. Asking your friends, neighbors, and relatives can also help you create a shortlist of solar installers.

• Certifications

You may narrow your choices by examining the organization’s certifications and history. Find out more about their background and whether they have installed systems on various kinds of roofing similar to yours. The “gold standard” in accreditation is the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). An installer needs to pass written tests and undergo solar installation training in order to be certified by this organization. By doing this, you may be sure the installer knows enough about the job. Please do not hesitate to ask for proof of the credentials and licenses that the companies you are thinking about have.

• Warranties

Oregonians enjoy fewer than 75% of the country’s sunny days each year, so the effectiveness of the solar panels you install is essential. We also recommend that you consider the efficiency warranty that is included with your photovoltaic equipment. The percentage of efficiency that your panels are promised to maintain for the first 15 to 30 years that you own them is indicated by the warranty. When choosing a solar installer, the warranties that the company provides are quite important. Maintenance guidelines, system performance assurances, and workmanship warranties are all possible included in service contracts. Find out what is covered and how long the warranty lasts if there are any. Most experienced installers provide a 25–30 year warranty. Read the tiny print attentively to prevent any unpleasant surprises. Take some time to do this.

• Duration of Work

Installers of solar systems usually has a full schedule because of how popular these systems are becoming. Ask the companies for an estimate on their schedule and the earliest possible time for them to start installing your system. Additionally, find out how many days they will need to complete the task. It takes one to three days and an average of 75 work hours to install a standard 3-kilowatt system with roughly 20 solar panels. Naturally, the exact turnaround time will change based on the type of solar system you want installed.

• Personalized Solutions

It is not easy to choose installers who try to pitch you on a “one size fits all” approach to solar installation. Instead, look for businesses that provide specialized solar solutions made to meet the unique needs of your home. In order to determine your power requirements, reputable installers will come to your home, measure the area underneath the roof, learn about your spending limit, and review your most recent electricity bills. The best solar systems will then be recommended by them. Inquire about things like whether or not they will repair the electrical panel in your house if necessary. You may also find out how experienced the firm is and if they will obtain the necessary municipal licenses for the installation.

The Benefits of Going Solar in Oregon

While solar panels are more expensive in Oregon than in other states, you may still save money using a variety of available incentives. To find out how much you may save by converting to solar power and decide if it’s worth it for you, get a solar quote.

Source: solarpowersystems.org

We’ll look at the main advantages of solar below:

Financial Gains

The two primary methods for assessing solar economics are payback and lifetime cost. Incentives and tax refunds are removed from the initial installation cost. Each kW of a system built in Oregon produces 1,000 kWh of power, according to Solar Oregon. Conventional 4 kW systems produce 11 kW per day or 4,000 kW yearly. The typical system repays its debt in 6.5 years. After 30 years, PV will generate 80% of its own energy.

The average Oregonian pays $158 for power each month. Each year, it costs $1,896.

Most locals are drawn to investments with enormous returns. By using your panels to prevent energy rate spikes, you might save even more money.

Tax Cuts and Incentives

If you own a property in Oregon and are considering making the transition to solar power, it might be easier than you imagine. Oregon is neither home to California’s sunlight nor New York’s expensive electricity bills. However, homes may still save money on power by adding solar. Given the range of financial benefits the state offers, residents in Beaver State may find solar panels to be quite appealing. Our upcoming chapter goes into further information about Oregon’s solar incentives and subsidies.

Oregon Solar Incentives

Oregon business and residential owners that install solar systems on their properties can get federal, state, and municipal incentives. These subsidies have resulted in a record-low cost for building a solar energy system. In this post, we’ll provide an overview of all Oregon solar incentives.

Top Reasons to Hire a Solar Panel Installation Company in Oregon

Self-installed solar systems are permitted in Oregon; however, a qualified installer is advised. They can guarantee a solar system is installed correctly and lasts for years since they are skilled in building and electric rules, permits, and inspection processes. Selecting an Oregon solar panel installation company is primarily motivated by the following:

• Expert Knowledge: Being aware of the latest developments in solar technology as well as suggested installation practices.
• Quality Control: Carefully crafted components provide a long system life.
• Regulatory Compliance: Knowledge of local legislation and requirements for licenses.
• Post-Installation Support: Ongoing maintenance and help following installation.
• Safety: Large solar panels may result in mishaps. Employ a specialist to reduce your chance of damage.
• Resale worth: Skilled installers ensure that the right solar panels are mounted on your roof to raise the property’s worth.

Source: solarpowersystems.org

Sunlight Solar

In 1988, Paul Israel founded Sunlight Solar, Inc. in Sacramento. Sunlight Solar provides complete grid-tie solar electric energy solutions for homes and businesses. Sunlight Solar was recognized as the Best Green Business of the Year in Central Oregon by The Source Weekly. The company is based in Bend, Oregon, and is a licensed dealer of SunPower products. The team at Sunlight Solar has installed more than 2,000 solar energy systems over their more than thirty years of expertise.

What we consider to be the benefits of this installer:

• Trustworthy and Proven Experience

The company has been in operation for longer than the industry average — more than 30 years. For over 30 years, Sunlight Solar has installed solar panels and focused mostly on residential installations. In the Northwest and New England, the workers have completed hundreds of installs. While completing its responsibilities, the business’s sole owner has a positive attitude and provides exceptional customer service. They claim to put education ahead of money. Sunlight Solar provides moderately priced, aesthetically pleasing solar panels together with affordable, emission-free power. Everything is handled by Sunlight Solar, including custom system design and installation. Prospective clients can schedule a free solar consultation where a professional can answer any questions.

• Solar Blog Available

On their website, Sunlight Solar provides several solar education tools as well as a blog page. Customers who are considering making the transition to green solar energy may find a gallery of images of previous home solar installations to be interesting and highly informative.

What we consider to be the drawbacks:

• Low Activity on Social Media

Sunlight Solar is present on Google Plus, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Still, none of these pages have a substantial fan following. Moreover, the company doesn’t really interact with customers or answer their inquiries on Facebook. In comparison to Facebook, where they don’t post very much, the company is far more active on Twitter.

Earthlight Technologies

Earthlight Technologies was founded in 2008 with a focus on home energy efficiency in Ellington, Connecticut. The company has expanded to hire an increasing number of solar and electrical professionals in Oregon, Connecticut, and Massachusetts since opening its solar division in 2012. As a Master SunPower Dealer, the solar installer helps you find clean energy solutions by providing comprehensive energy efficiency packages. Earthlight can install solar panels on metal, rubber, or asphalt shingle roofs. The company also installs roof-mounted and ground-mounted systems and offers trackers.

What we consider to be the benefits of this installer:

• Membership in the Master Dealer Group of SunPower

What sets Earthlight Technologies apart from its rivals is its membership in the SunPower Master Dealer network. Businesses who wish to be a part of this elite group have to get through rigorous accreditation and screening processes. Approximately 2% of SunPower dealers are members of the Master Dealer organization.

• Top Solar Batteries Are Available

Earthlight Technologies offers its clients the SunPower SunVault storage option, which is an emergency backup storage unit that powers essential equipment in the case of a power outage. Additionally, the Tesla Powerwall, the greatest solar battery on the market, is a great brand to go with when going solar. Earthlight Technologies is authorized to install Tesla Powerwalls inside of your home because it is a licensed installer of the device. The Tesla Powerwall functions as a battery when solar energy is produced during the day and has to be stored for use at night or during a blackout.

• Commercial Solar Energy and EV Charging

In addition to installing solar panels for homes, Earthlight Technologies also completes corporate solar projects and installs electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. EV charging stations may attract environmentally conscious customers, enhance your company’s reputation as a sustainability leader, and boost employee satisfaction because staff can conveniently charge their electric vehicles at work.

What we consider to be the drawbacks:

• No Residential EV Charge Stations

While Earthlight installs EV charging stations for commercial spaces, it appears that household EV charging stations are outside of their competence. If you want to construct an EV charging station in addition to your home solar project, you will need to consider other options.

Purelight Power

This mid-sized solar business was established in 2019 and has grown rapidly to become the leading home solar panel installation company in Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Kentucky, and Washington. To ensure that customers may convert to solar power simply and effortlessly, a team of installers works internally. The company takes pride in providing excellent solar installations and solutions along with complete process transparency. Their areas of expertise include solar services, roofing, and other renewable energy solutions.

What we consider to be the benefits of this installer:

• Performance Guarantee

Purelight Power provides more than just two warranties: a 10-year workmanship warranty and a 25-year equipment guarantee. These meet industry requirements in the United States. But where Purelight Power really excels is in its performance guarantee. If the amount of electricity generated by your solar power system falls short of what is promised, Purelight Power offers a 25-year performance guarantee to make up the shortfall.

Furthermore, Purelight Power provides a non-prorated 50-year warranty on roofing work. You will get the full market value of your roof if it fails at any point in the next fifty years, not just a certain percentage of what it is worth.

• Finances Needing No Down Payment

To help make solar energy a reality for homeowners, Purelight Power offers financing options, including financing with no down payment. When paired with state and federal government incentives, Purelight Power’s zero-down financing option allows you to go solar with no money out of pocket and save a significant amount on your solar panel installation.

• CO2-Neutral Enterprise

Purelight Power has been certified as CO2 Neutral by Vincotte, a third-party organization that conducts safety and efficiency-based inspections, assessments, training, and certifications of businesses. Purelight Power has reduced its emissions and offset its residual CO2 emissions by receiving the CO2 Neutral accreditation.

What we consider to be the drawbacks:

• Lack of Certification by NABCEP

It does not seem that Purelight Power holds a certification from the highly esteemed North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), a nationally recognized organization that manages some of the most recognized and valued technician training programs in the solar industry.

A homeowner choosing a local solar supplier may view Purelight Power’s lack of certification as a significant drawback, but it shouldn’t rule out this company.

• No Storage Solar Energy Batteries

Purelight Power does not presently provide solar batteries or energy storage for the purpose of enhancing the solar panel installation. Solar storage devices boost the overall efficiency of the system since they reduce a home’s dependency on the electrical grid and may be used in an emergency or grid outage.

True South Solar

True South Solar provides comprehensive local solar panel and energy storage installation services. The company provides Southern Oregon households and business owners with the best options, including turn-key commercial and residential solar installations, by using the best, longest-lasting technology available. After assessing the solar requirements in southern Oregon, founders Eric Hansen and Shawn Schreiner decided to start their own solar business.

At True South Solar, a group of knowledgeable and experienced professionals is ready to offer distinctive solar solutions for every kind of property. The company has alliances with some of the leading producers of solar goods available on the market. In the Southern Oregon region, True South Solar has completed hundreds of solar projects successfully since its founding.

What we consider to be the benefits of this installer:

• Authorized Installer for Tesla

Customers may reduce their reliance on fossil fuels by using a customized solar-plus-battery solution from the True South Solar team. The Tesla Powerwall is regarded as the best battery, despite the fact that numerous solar installation businesses sell batteries or other storage devices. Since True South Solar is one of the few businesses in the state that is certified to install Tesla Powerwalls, it sets itself apart from its rivals in the market.

• Financing Options

Community 1st Credit Union’s Generations section has partnered with True South Solar. Owners of both residential and commercial property can take advantage of the solar loan and incentive program available to True South Solar customers through this arrangement. True South Solar understands that not everyone can afford to pay for a solar system upfront, but due to its cooperation with credit unions, more property owners will be able to benefit from sustainable energy sources. Loan decisions are made quickly and communicated to customers.

• SunPower Partnership

If the equipment used in a solar installation project is of poor quality, no amount of expertise in all facets of system installation will matter. Acknowledging this, True South Solar is a certified SunPower dealer offering some of the best solar panels on the market.

What we consider to be the drawbacks:

• Service Region

Some of the industry’s rivals in the solar space have expanded their product lines and installed solar systems throughout many states or regions. This enables such companies to help more homeowners and spread awareness of the benefits of solar energy. True South Solar has not extended; it still only offers services to companies and homes in Southern Oregon. This lowers the overall number of prospective solar clients that the company could serve.

Blue Sky Solar

Blue Sky Solar was established in 2015 with the goal of selling and installing solar panels. Both residential and commercial facilities can have systems installed by the knowledgeable and competent experts at Blue Sky Solar. The firm also offers off-grid solutions to mobile or RV companies. The provision and installation of the most recent solar technology is one of Blue Sky Solar’s main objectives. The products that the solar dealer sells and has partnerships with include EV chargers, smart home technology, and solar energy solutions. Blue Sky Solar is able to give the best goods at a reasonable price because of these partnerships. The solar company offers a free solar analysis to anyone interested in finding out more about what solar energy may mean for their house.

What we consider to be the benefits of this installer:

• Direct Manufacturing Partnerships

Instead of having to settle for whatever brand an installation company is allowed to set up, Blue Sky Solar’s customers may choose from a number of tier-1 solar equipment manufacturers. Manufacturer-direct partnerships exist between Blue Sky and the following companies: Solari, Q-Cell, Mission, Panasonic, Solaredge, Enphase, and SMA. These manufacture-direct relationships benefit Blue Sky Solar’s clients by enabling them to purchase high-quality products at affordable prices. That’s something that most solar installation companies are unable to give their customers.

• Options for Financing

Purchasing options for Sky Solar’s are various:

What we consider to be the drawbacks:

• Absence of NABCEP Certification

The nonprofit professional certification and accrediting body NABCEP provides solar heat installers, photovoltaic system installers, technical salespeople, and other renewable energy professionals with corporate and individual accreditation programs.

To guarantee effective sales and installs, a lot of solar businesses employ at least one NABCEP-certified person, generally an installer. Although it is not required, NABCEP accreditation is a standard for solar systems. There are no NABCEP-certified installers at Blue Sky Solar.

• No Solar Batteries Offered

Grid-dependent photovoltaic systems cannot function during a blackout; but, batteries may store solar energy and use it later in the day. Batteries can raise the cost of a significant investment. Unfortunately, some potential clients will have to find another installer to purchase them since they believe they are necessary in an emergency.

• No Details Regarding Warrants

Many companies that install solar energy systems also provide a workmanship warranty.

Any errors or bad choices made during installation are covered by the workmanship warranty. Often, ten-year workmanship guarantees are provided. Sadly, neither the availability of a workmanship warranty nor the details of this type of assurance are provided by Blue Sky Solar.

Source: solarpowersystems.org

Conclusion

Let’s take a quick look at our selection of the top solar panel businesses in Oregon!

From sale to installation, Blue Sky Solar manages every step of the solar system installation process. Several manufacturer-direct agreements that the company offers enable customers to select the best equipment for their property at a reasonable price. Through federal and state subsidies and financing, clean, renewable energy may be provided to customers across every level of income classes. Blue Sky Solar caters to off-grid, commercial, and residential clients.

To bring energy independence to homes and businesses, True South Solar offers a range of solar installation services. Due to the company’s partnerships with Tesla and SunPower, customers may obtain premium, market-leading solar equipment. To provide solar financing, True South Solar collaborates with a credit union.

But there are boundaries for the installer. The company has not published its workmanship warranty and exclusively installs solar systems in Southern Oregon.

Purelight Power is an outstanding solar company because of its performance guarantee and clean energy ambitions. In the solar industry, standard warranties are for 20 years for equipment and 10 years for labor. There are 25-year system performance warranties from Purelight Power.

Purelight Power does not produce carbon dioxide. Third-party verification of Purelight Power’s reduction in CO2 emissions and offset of the remaining amount has been provided by Vincotte. This distinguishes the solar installation and demonstrates its dedication to using more than just solar power to combat climate change.

Purelight Power is not certified by NABCEP and does not provide energy storage or batteries for sale.

Earthlight Technologies is a one-stop shop for solar energy and home services that might help you save time and effort by meeting your demands for comfort and energy efficiency. With regard to solar system problems, Earthlight’s service team can assist homeowners through both SunPower’s manufacturer guarantee and Earthlight’s workmanship warranty. Our assessment of a positive working relationship with Earthlight is based on its outstanding customer reviews.

Sunlight Solar Energy has been installing comprehensive renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses for more than 30 years. Their residential solar package includes live monitoring, a 25-year solar panel guarantee, and a 10-year labor warranty. Loans and $0 down PPA/leasing with 20-year leases are available as financing choices. Given its wealth of business expertise, Sunlight Solar Energy is definitely something to think about.

FAQs

Is it worth going solar in Oregon?

Indeed! The state receives enough sunshine, yet not receiving as much as states in the South, to offset power costs and lessen environmental consequences. Oregon is a great place to go solar since it offers a variety of benefits to solar users.

What is the average solar cost in Oregon?

In Oregon, the average cost of a solar panel system as of February 2024 was $2.83 per watt, including installation. This works out to around $14,156 before incentives for a 5 kW installation, while actual costs can range from $12,033 to $16,279. The average price decreased by thirty percent after the federal tax credit.

Does Oregon offer a solar tax credit?

Because of Oregon’s net metering legislation, you will receive full credit for the extra power generated by your solar panels on your utility electric bills. You can “bank” energy produced in excess of your use with your utility provider, allowing you to use it for times when you need extra power to fulfill your demands.

Which is the finest solar company in Oregon?

Sunlight Solar Energy is the best and top-ranked solar company in Oregon based on ratings and research.