How To Become A Solar Installer
In the skilled and qualifications trades business, solar installers are among the most exciting & fastest-growing jobs. From 2016 through 2026, the employment of solar panel installers is expected to rise at a rate of 105%, according to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics .
With a projected employment growth rate of more than ten per cent by 2026, it is the most in-demand profession in eight states nationwide.
Solar power is a kind of renewable energy that is becoming more popular as the globe moves toward utilizing more environmentally friendly forms of power.
Career in solar energy is in high demand since solar panel costs have decreased dramatically in the previous several years, enabling solar panel installation to be more affordable.
- Build a Business Network Within Your Sector
Connecting with people in the business is the excellent method to locate learning and employment possibilities. They may be able to provide you with helpful information that you cannot get by reading a book, reading a trade magazine, or attending a classroom.
Trade exhibitions, conferences, and events dedicated to solar power may be found throughout the United States. You may meet people from smaller solar groups in your area if you attend certain events.
- Seek Out Possibilities for Education and Training
While federal or state certification is not necessary to work as a solar technician, some firms may demand it in the future.
- Gain Experience In The Real World
Solar Panel Cost By Manufacturer
Another way to break down solar panel price data is by the panel brand. The following table was made using data from the EnergySage Marketplace and tracks the average cost of 6 kW and 10 kW solar panel systems by the brand of solar panel used in the installation project.
Table: cost of solar panels by panel manufacturer
| Manufacturer |
|---|
| $2.99 |
NOTE: These ranges are system prices BEFORE the 26 percent federal tax credit for solar.
The price you pay for a solar panel brand is reflective of panel quality to a degree. For example, systems using SunPower panels see the highest average prices , and SunPower is known for producing well-made, high-efficiency products.
Interestingly, there arent that many outliers when it comes to brand pricing, and most manufacturers generally see similar cost ranges. Its important to keep in mind that when comparing system prices based on panel brands, there are so many factors aside from just panel manufacturer that impact the final system price like installer experience, location, racking equipment, inverter brand, and more.
What Will A 400
If you have a single panel containing 400 watts or a few much smaller panels that add up to 400 watts, this system can run some small appliances. You could simultaneously run a laptop computer, coffee maker, and toaster. You could also run a TV and a ceiling fan or other combination of two to four small appliances. You could also run a small to midsize window air conditioner on this system or a small refrigerator. This system cannot support anything that requires more than 380 watts to run because some wattage is lost to the inverter.
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Make The Best Choice About Solar Energy
Solar energy is not right for every homeowner, nor for every home. With that said, many homeowners will find that the total cost of solar is more than offset by long-term, recurring energy savings that provide a sizable return on investment. Make sure you factor in cost, energy needs, tax incentives, home value and more as you seek to make a fully informed decision about whether to make the switch to renewable energy with solar.
What Size Solar Panel System Do You Need
The average home uses 905 kWh per month, or around 10,850 kWh per year, in electricity. The average size home with a decent amount of sunshine could install a 5 kW to 6 kW solar panel system to help reduce utility bills. You may want to learn about your sun number score for solar based on your homes location and average sunlight exposure discussed below. Also explore the different solar panels dimensions and sizes for more context.
With solar panels, the money you save on your electricity bills can more than earn back your initial installation costs in 7 to 20 years. There are plenty of solar rebates and incentives available from both the government and local energy providers, which can significantly speed up your return on investment.
You may also be able to participate in selling excess electricity from your solar panels by net metering in your area.
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Saving Money On Utility Bills
One of the most popular reasons to go solar is that you can drastically reduce or even completely eliminate your monthly utility bill. The amount youll save depends on how much energy your system produces as well as how much energy you consume. But the most significant benefit is the decrease in your monthly utilities since youre harnessing the power of the sun, a free, inexhaustible energy source.
Youll also avoid hefty electricity rates that are often unpredictable and increase over time. And since the amount youll save with solar power is usually equal to the amount youll avoid paying an electricity supplier, your finances wont be affected by surging energy prices in the area.
When you install a solar panel system, you can lock in your energy costs at a constant rate, making your finances much more predictable.
Different Solar Panel Cost For A 2500 Square Foot House
Above calculations are for monocrystalline. For a 2500 square feet house, installation of monocrystalline panels would cost between $17,000 and $36,400. Lets compare all three types of panels i.e. monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin films.
As polycrystalline panels are 20% cheaper and 20% less efficient as compared to monocrystalline so price range will be as follows: * 400W per panel * = $16320 * 400W per panel * = $34944
As thin film panels are 50% less efficient as compared to monocrystalline and cost $0.75 to $1 per kW so price range becomes: * 400W per panel * = $7650 * 400W per panel * = $15600
Read my guide on best solar fence charger here.
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How Do You Pay For A Solar Panel Installation
Once you know the cost of solar for your unique project, its time to decide how youll pay for solar. There are three primary ways to finance a solar panel installation: a cash purchase, a solar loan, or a solar lease/power purchase agreement.
Generally, a cash purchase is right for you if youre looking to maximize your savings from solar, you have enough tax liability to take advantage of the solar tax credit, or you have the funds available to pay for a solar panel system upfront.
A solar loan is right for you if you dont want to shell out the amount of cash required to pay for a solar panel system upfront, you still want the most savings on your electricity bills as possible, and you would like to be eligible for all incentives and rebates.
A solar lease or PPA is right for you if you would prefer someone else to monitor and maintain the system, if you arent eligible for tax incentives, or if youd just like to reduce and/or lock-in your monthly electricity bill.
Cost To Run And Maintain Solar Panels In California
Maintain your solar panels properly to ensure they produce the optimal amount of energy and last the longest amount of time. Maintenance in California is fairly simple and includes cleaning the panels twice yearly. During this cleaning, the technician can inspect the panels so that you can be notified in a timely way if repairs need to be done before your energy output is hurt.
The average inspection and cleaning costs in California average $175 to $400 a visit, depending on the number of panels you have and their positioning. This makes for an average yearly cost of $350 to $800 in maintenance fees.
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A Note About Pricing: Gross Vs Net Costs
Throughout this article , we usually talk about solar panel pricing in terms of gross cost, aka the cost before any solar rebates and incentives that can reduce the upfront cost of solar, or even get you some money back over time. For example, our cost per Watt figures throughout the rest of this article are always the gross cost. This is because solar rebates and incentives arent always available to everyone. Even the 26 percent federal solar tax credit isnt always available for everyone to take full advantage of you need to have enough tax liability to claim the credit.
Solar installations are a unique product just based on your state and the manufacturer of your chosen solar panels, average solar panel costs can vary widely.
Other Benefits Of Solar Power
Solar panels can be very liberating. The more youre able to power your home entirely with solar energy, the less you have to rely on energy suppliers. If you can capture all the power you need from the sun, youll be living a life of electricity independence.
Most importantly, youll avoid the price hikes that suppliers often impose on their customers.
In late 2021, around 15 million UK households were told their annual energy bills would increase by £139 to £1,277 per year, as a result of Ofgem lifting its price cap.
These caps are revised every six months, which means that another increase might not be far away. Remember: the sun never increases its rates.
Additionally, a self-sufficient, solar-powered household will avoid any power cuts that hit the National Grid. Since Brexit took effect in 2020, the UK has narrowly avoided blackouts on multiple occasions, as Bloomberg has reported.
60% of the UK’s imported gas comes from the EU and Norway, and 91% of our imported electricity comes from the EU. Brexit has made the nation more vulnerable to supply shortages.
For more information, check out our page on the pros and cons of solar panels.
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How Much Do Solar Panels Cost
Weve all heard that solar panels can help reduce your electricity bills. But how much do they actually cost? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about how much solar panels cost.
Solar panels can cut down on your utility bills, especially if you qualify for tax breaks and live in an area where theyre fairly cheap. If you have a high electricity bill, you could potentially save tens of thousands of dollars over the lifespan of your solar panels. But before you invest in solar panels, its a good idea to know just how much they will costfor installation, monthly bills, and more.
According to the Center for Sustainable Energy, the average cost for a residential system is currently $3-$5 per watt, and an average five kH residential system costs $15,000-$25,000, before incentives and tax credits.
Read our comprehensive guide on how much solar panels cost if you want to learn about the metrics that go into calculating cost and whether solar panels could be worth it for you. For an estimate on how much solar panels will cost for your home, fill out this easy online form.
Why Choose Adt Solar
As you can see, theres a lot of factors that can influence the final cost of solar panel systems.
The good news is that ADT Solar will handle all of these calculations for you, just like well handle the entire process of going solar from start to finish.
Using all of these factors, well customize the perfect solar energy system for your home so you can get maximum savings.
Plus, with our Energypro Savings, youll also be getting a free energy efficiency package that could reduce your overall energy consumption even further!
ADT Solar is here to help you switch to clean, renewable energy with zero stress. We refuse to provide anything less than the highest level of customer service, so you can rest easy knowing that your solar panel installation is in good hands.
To learn more about going solar, or to schedule your free consultation, simply contact ADT Solar today!
Find out how much you can save with ADT Solar
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Hard Costs For Residential Solar Panel Installation
Think of hard costs in terms of hardware: the physical products installed to get your new solar panel system up and running.
This is what youll pay for the solar panels themselves, inverters, solar mounting racks, a battery for storage, etc.
- Solar panels can account for about 25 to 30 percent of the total solar panel system cost.
Other hard costs include
- A solar inverter, which can account for about 10% of hard costs
- Solar mounting and electrical equipment, which can be another 10%
Heres a useful pie graph sourced from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
See those other costs and installation? Those are soft costs, which well address next.
Curious About Solar Hard Costs Vs Soft Costs Near You
At Solar.com, were connecting solar customers with valuable information and vetted solar companies.
Were proud to be doing our part to make the switch to solar more understandable and affordable, particularly by eliminating the soft costs of salespeople and customer acquisition with our online marketplace. Get started today with our solar calculator to see if your home is solar friendly.
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How Much Does Regional Climate Affect Solar Panel Installation Costs
The table below shows how much electricity 1 kW of solar panels installed on a southern-facing roof will produce, on average, in the following states:
You can find out how much is produced in the other states, and even down to your specific house, by using this solar power generation calculator.
Annual solar panel production per state
| State | |
|---|---|
| Utah | 1,570 |
As you can see, solar panels installed in the northeast will produce approximately 35% less power than solar panels installed in sunnier places, like Arizona. Solar panels in Arizona generate more electricity because the sun is typically always shining.
So, a home in Arizona that is using the same amount of electricity as a home in Massachusetts will need a system thats 35% smaller, simply because Arizona gets more sunshine.
Solar Panel Installation Cost Breakdown
Many components go into installing a solar panel system. This includes calculating your power needs and surveying your home to make sure your roof can handle the load. Then the site is , and the panels are mounted onto a frame on your roof. They are then connected to the inverters, which are installed on the outside of your home on the other side of your electrical panel.
Most installers quote a single price for the materials and labor for this project. However, the labor generally breaks down to between $3,000 and $5,000 for the average 6kW system, or between $0.50 and $1.20 a watt for installation costs out of the total $2.50 to $3.50 a watt costs for the total system. Your labor costs are influenced by various factors, including the roof pitch, roofing materials, inverter type, and panel type. Thin-film panels with micro inverters are faster and easier to install than monocrystalline panels with string inverters. So, labor for the first example would be lower than for the second.
The following is the percentage breakdown of the total cost:
| Project Breakdown |
|---|
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Equipment Type And Manufacturer
The brand of equipment used dictates the overall solar panel price. While certain solar manufacturers’ panels are more expensive than others, it does not necessarily equate to superior performance.
For example, Jinko Solar’s panels are significantly less expensive than premium manufacturers like SunPower, but they offer the same features and have excellent customer ratings.
Along with the solar panel brand, other equipment like inverters and the racking system will also affect the end cost of installation. Weather conditions such as heavy snow or hurricanes may demand a more sturdy racking setup, which will increase the cost.
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What Are The Upfront Costs Of Getting Solar Installed And Is Finance Worth It
These days there are loads of companies that offer no deposit and zero-interest for the first couple of years on solar installation. That means you can walk right into a solar system with nothing down. The payments will be very similar or less than your current electricity bill, so there really is no reason not to get a system installed.
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So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.Here is a list of our partners.
How Much Does A Solar Panel Cost
Prices have been coming down steadily over the years. The total cost will depend on how many kilowatts of power your array will generate. According to consumer reports, after solar tax credits are accounted for, the cost for a solar panel system on an average-sized house in the U.S. in 2021 ranges from $11,000 to $15,000.
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