Solar installation companies, solar installers or solar contractors – how they are often referred to, are companies that focus on designing a solar system based on your requirements, delivering solar equipment to your property, installing all the parts as agreed on, and verifying that the equipment of your selected solar system performs at the optimum level.
Most solar installers include in their work necessary paperwork you need to obtain to get started. This includes local permits, applications for solar incentives, and dealing with utility company about connecting the solar system to grid for net metering, or setting up correctly a battery storage if you prefer a stand-alone solar system for your home.
Pay attention to what solar installation company you decide to trust with your home improvement project. They will be the provider you will interact with the most, and will be responsible for setting every piece of solar equipment right for the next 25 years. Many solar contractors offer annual maintenance of your solar system as well.
Choosing the right solar installation company may need some thorough research but it is worth your time. Once you make the decision with whom you will collaborate, the first steps towards solar energy transition can begin. We are here to help you. Let’s get started by getting to know the best solar installation companies in the United States.
Top 10 most reliable solar installation companies in the United States
The best solar installation companies should have an established reputation in your state and in the community. Professional contractors employ people who have good resumes and include at least some installers and technicians who’ve been working in the industry for several years.
High-quality companies should have impressive online reviews from satisfied customers, and should show the willingness to respond quickly when issues emerge or complaints are made. When on site, technicians and their supervisors should be personable, professional, and willing to explain their company’s policies and procedures.
When trying to decide, you should solicit bids on your solar energy project from multiple solar contractors. Each should send qualified technicians to your home to perform a full and comprehensive assessment of your property to evaluate its suitability for a rooftop or ground-mounted solar panel installation. Take your time to think about selecting the most suitable deal for your situation.
The chances are that you may find some of these solar contractors on your final list. Due to their experience in the field, hard work and reliability, they have been selected by many satisfied solar panel owners before you and made it among the best solar installation companies in the United States.
SunPower
SunPower has headquarters in Silicon Valley for the last 37 years and holds more than 1,000 patents for solar innovation solutions. When you visit their website, you have an option to use their online design studio to visualize how a solar system would look like on your rooftop and will get even information on potential savings.
SunPower specializes on solar installation, including battery storage if requested and offers flexible financing options of either purchasing a solar system upfront or buying energy produced by solar panels on your rooftop. This solar company offers their own design of quality solar panels, featuring Maxeon® solar cell technology. They are SEIA certified.
Additional advantage is a special offer a Complete Confidence Warranty. This warranty covers all the equipment, including mounting, microinverters, battery storage and monitoring hardware).
Further reading: Best Solar Panels for Homes in 2023
Sunworks
Sunworks is a company that has been in business for 33 years, has installed 162 megawatts of solar power and serves in ten states (CA, NV, AZ, UT, CO, NM, TX, SC, MN, WI). They focus on residential, commercial and agricultural solar photovoltaic projects and storage options. Numerous public schools also carry their solar panel setup.
The company offers the installation process with guarantee of 100 percent customer satisfaction, a choice from three financing options – loan, purchase and power purchase agreement, maintenance and repair of existing solar panels.
Sunworks has NABCEP certification and is verified by the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). Their customer service is great and the initial consultation when you can discuss your requirements is for free.
SolarMax Technology, Inc.
SolarMax Technology operates in California since 2008. Their solar panels are manufactured in Riverside, California, and are top-rated among customers. They specialize in solar installations for residential and commercial projects. Their solar panels are currently up and running on more than 12,000 homes in California.
The company offers a free consultation to interested homeowners. If agreed, they present financing options (with possible monthly payments), take care of designing a system, installation, connection to the grid, and offer further maintenance and repair. Their additional services involve roofing and home energy audits.
SolarMax solar systems come with 25 years warranty on solar panels and workmanship, and up to 25 years on inverters. They are SEIA certified.
Momentum Solar
Momentum Solar was founded in 2009 in New Jersey. It has been a fast-growing private company ever since, expanding its service to 10 states (NJ, NY, CA, FL, TX, CT, PA, AZ, NV, MA), having installed over 300,000 kilowatts of residential solar energy.
The company focuses on the installation of residential solar systems and works with good quality equipment. In their financing plans are four different options to suit your needs. This includes upfront purchase, solar loan or lease, and power purchase agreement.
If needed they offer complimentary roof repair and replacement at cost, and even tree removal or trimming to remove solar panel shading. The workmanship warranty is for 10 years. They also do maintenance of their solar systems and monitoring of performance.
The first consultation is for free and could be done virtually via Zoom. If you decide to proceed with the installation, the company will take care of the necessary paperwork and permits.
American Array Solar and Roofing
American Array Solar and Roofing company has been in the business, serving customers in California, for a long time. They focus on various services, including electrical contracting, roofing, energy audit to everything solar, even off-grid systems with battery storage.
The company has started with roofing work 80 years ago and added solar power installations to homes, companies, agriculture and community projects 25 years ago. They have installed over 32 megawatts of solar power to this day.
American Array operates in California and is has one of the longest warranties in the industry, 30 years for their work, while their pricing is still very competitive.
ACE Solar
ACE Solar installation company is based in Massachusetts. It is one of the largest solar contractors in the state and operates also in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine. The company was founded in 2015 but managed to install over 200 thousand kilowatts in this short time. Their focus has been on residential solar energy, which eventually expanded even to larger commercial projects.
The package of services this company offers starts from a free consultation, design, paperwork to the actual solar panel installation process. You can select from two financing options, lease or purchasing the solar system. ACE Solar covers energy storage as well if that is something of interest to you.
This contractor has NABCEP and SEIA certification, as well as recognition from the American Solar Energy Society.
Solar ME
Solar ME a company from New Jersey has been working on numerous residential and commercial projects since it was founded in 2014. Solar ME is a medium sized company that has a smooth and efficient work process, considering their size. The company is NABCEP certified and is an authorized installer of some of the best solar panels on the market, such as Panasonic, LG, Sunpower.
The services this company offers include solar installation together with three financing options (lease, loan or purchase), paperwork, future system maintenance and repair, but they also perform general and electrical contracting and professional roofing work.
Solar Energy World
Solar Energy World has been in operation since 2009 and installed over 150 thousand kilowatts of solar power. The company has headquarters in Maryland, but serves in eight more states (DE, FL, NJ, NC, PA, SC, VI, WA). They specialize in residential market. This fast-growing contractor is NABCEP and SEIA certified.
A strong side of this company, apart from good customer service and reliable installation, is focus on helping customers with financing and other options to save money on energy that are available. This involves going through the information and application to SRECs and net metering, or a choice between power purchase agreement and lease.
Solar Energy World has a referral reward scheme for customers who recommend their service. It is a smart strategy to connect communities in transitioning to solar energy together and sharing their experience along the way. The advantage you gain from knowing someone in your area with a solar system from the same company is that you can be better informed and be able to compare your system’s performance under relatively same environmental conditions.
Tesla
Tesla is a name that pretty much every person has heard of until now. The company is leading solar energy transition by coming up with some interesting concepts to provide alternatives to standard solar panels, like their Solar Roof, or reliable energy storage options (Powerwall).
Tesla was founded in 2003 and has headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The company operates in 26 states. The advantage of going with Tesla is that you are getting installed their own low profile solar panels and quality inverters. You are also given a choice of going for their battery system. The company is transparent in terms of pricing of their products and services.
The installation comes with a 20-year workmanship warranty to ensure that your solar system performs as agreed on. If interested you can receive all initial information you need, including potential savings and design, online by using a free tool on Tesla website called the ‘Design Studio.’ The company offers a price match guarantee on the best price for solar panels you can get in your area. You need to show them a competitive bid from another contractor, and they will make you a custom price offer. Solar panels come with a 25-years warranty and a 12.5-year warranty on inverter.
Once you have a solar system up and running, you can monitor the performance yourself 24/7 via their mobile application where you can see the data. You will receive the instructions on how to use the app when your solar system is installed and ready to produce energy. This gives you a great advantage of knowing how your solar system performs, how much power goes to utility or is stored.
Sunrun
Sunrun, founded in 2007, is one of the largest solar contractors in the United States for homeowners who want to switch to solar energy without having to worry about the large upfront payment. They have some interesting financing options.
The company provides good quality solar panels and battery storage for those interested in going off-grid. According to their annual reports, they have installed over 3,885 megawatts of solar power in the past 14 years.
Sunrun focuses on design and installation of solar systems. Complimentary services are maintenance and repair throughout the lifetime of a system as well as performance monitoring and a system insurance offer.
As mentioned earlier, this contractor has a few choices of financing solar panels. Many Sunrun customers like the unique option of a monthly lease. You can further select from a full lease, or an upfront purchase, or lastly a monthly loan to get your solar panels installed and running.
Sunrun is SEIA certified and has headquarters in San Francisco but in total operates in 22 states and provinces. Once you sign the contract, you receive a 10-year warranty on free equipment replacement and system repairs, covering all parts and labor.
Selecting the most suitable solar installation company can be a long process during which you may need to spend quite some evenings doing your research. Your decision will be primarily affected by the availability of solar contractors in your area and how well their offers can match your expectations.
Above presented installation companies are experienced and skilled in the process, offering the best service in their field, but some may not be available in your area. You can get an overview of available companies by using this tool to get quotes from local solar companies near you.