Find Your Street
Search for your street address at Solar Builder's homepage. This will give you a primary analysis of solar availability in your area as well as solar Incentives, rebates, and tax credits. Next, we use the area of your roof, local weather patterns, sunlight availability and electricity bill information to provide a personalized report.
Get personalized Solar Analysis
Find your home in the map and click on one of the edges of your roof. This will drop a circular pin. Now continue marking all the edges of your roof so as to cover its entire area. Once this is done, submit your monthly electricity bill to get a personalized solar analysis of your home. Among other things, your personalized solar analysis will have all the incentives, rebates and tax credits that can be availed in your State. This includes Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, Residential Energy Conservation Subsidy Exclusion, Energy-Efficient Mortgages and more. Additionally, you can also download a detailed 'Solar Savings Report'.
Solar savings are determined by factors such as:
- Roof size and shape
- Shaded roof areas
- Local weather
- Local electricity ratess
- Solar costs
- Expected incentives over time
Find Solar dealers in your area
If you find discernible benefits in installing solar panels on your roof, you can start looking for Major solar dealers in your area. As you might be unfamiliar with a lot of Solar installation processes, choosing a knowledgeable dealer with ample experience will make setting up the system seamless and hassle-free. Shortlist a few experienced dealers in your area and finalize one based on the factors given below:
Get personalized Solar Analysis
Ratings and Reviews
Go through the dealers' rating and reviews on Google, Social media or any local forums. Don't be pulled in by 4 or 5-star ratings, and check for the number of votes and their genuineness. Reviews and testimonials usually paint a better picture and help you understand the pros and cons of the particular dealer.
Solar Installation Quote
Solar Quote from any dealers should include estimated cost, projected savings, the system installation (service) cost, and maintenance costs. The more transparent the dealer is, the better. You can use Solar Builder’s personalized solar report for comparing and contrasting the quote from your dealer.
Schedule
Installing Solar Panels on your roof might take anywhere between three to six months. Get a proper schedule of the processes involved, including projected starting and end dates. While a shorter wait time might be ideal, ensure that the work done is not shoddy.
Warranty
Most Solar panels provide at least 20 years of warranty. Apart from this, major dealers usually provide performance and components warranties for a certain amount of time. Once you finalize a dealer, sign a contract with them stating all necessary terms and conditions.
Quality and Components
Most top dealers will have partnerships with multiple component manufacturers. This is useful if you have a particular brand of panels or inverters in mind for your rooftop. Check for quality of components as well as overall workmanship. Ask for licenses and quality certificates that they might have as well as pictures of previously completed projects.
Design a System that works for you
The chosen provider will start working on a rooftop solar system best suited for your home. You can weigh in your feedback on everything from Solar panel colors to the type of inverter required, depending on home aesthetics, budget and energy savings needed. After you approve the design, your solar provider will take it to the local building department to get a permit. Installation can start right after the Solar provider gets the permit. It's best to be at home during the installation process so as to monitor quality and understand the solar processes in detail. The final step of the installation process is to get approval from local city and utility representatives
Switch On & Monitor
Switch on the system once you get all necessary approvals. Monitor your solar performance regularly and contact the dealer if something goes wrong.