How Can You Save Money When Hiring A Solar Company In Arkansas

With an average cost per watt of $2.54 that is less than the U.S. average of $2.66, many Arkansas residents pay less for their solar energy system when compared to other U.S. residents. On average, most Arkansas residents can expect to pay between $14,224 and $24,892 after the federal solar tax credit is applied.

However, this $14,000 to $25,000 investment is still expensive and 8 years payback period on solar might seem like a long time, so Arkansas residents continue to look for ways to save on solar energy. Take a look at these three tips to make solar more affordable:

• Utilize Arkansas incentives and tax credits
• Consider the type of solar panel
• Buy the right solar system size

Utilize Arkansas Incentives and Tax Credits

One of the best ways to save money on solar is to utilize all available solar incentives in Arkansas. There aren’t very many in Arkansas, but these cash rebates, tax credits and net metering programs make solar energy more affordable and easier to access than it would otherwise be. Arkansas may not be the leading state for solar incentives, but it does have some programs that you should consider.

Consider the Type of Solar Panel

The more efficient the solar panel, the more expensive that panel will be. If you want to save money on solar panels, the first factor to consider is the efficiency of your panels. The downside of purchasing less efficient solar panels is you’ll need to buy more to power your home, but if your panels have good access to sunlight, they may be able to do more with less. In some cases, you can get away with less efficient panels simply because you get a lot of sunshine.

Arkansas gets about 217 days of sunlight per year, which is above the national average of 205. Depending on the shading of your property and the direction of your roof, you may be able to get by with less efficient solar panels and save some money on a cheaper panel.

Buy the Right Solar System Size

You shouldn’t pay for a solar panel system that is too big or too small. Too big, and it will consistently overproduce. Too small, and you’ll end up spending too much money on electricity still.

Instead, have an energy audit performed on your home so that you know exactly how many panels you need to determine how much energy you use and determine other energy efficiency upgrades you can make to decrease your energy usage. This energy audit will directly determine the size of your solar panel system, which can prevent you from overspending on solar.

See Also: Calculate How Much You Can Save By Going Solar

Will Solar Increase Your Home Value In Arkansas?

Solar panels are good for more than just covering the cost of your electricity bill — solar projects can increase your home’s value by up to 4.1%.² With the average price of Arkansas homes sitting at $188,040 according to Zillow, you stand to increase your property value by $7,710 or more.³ In addition, many prospective buyers find solar panels desirable, so the addition of solar panels will likely help you sell your home.

Arkansas does not currently have a statewide property tax exemption on renewable energy equipment, so you will have to pay property taxes on the amount your property value increases due to solar power. However, the Arkansas property tax amount is very small compared to the rest of the country. Making getting solar panels in Arkansas worth it.

Should Arkansas Residents Hire a Professional Solar Installer Or DIY?

With electricity rates on the rise, many homeowners have turned to solar panels as a way to cut down on their ever-increasing energy bills. Problem is, solar panels are expensive, and many have wondered if DIY solar installation is an option.

There are other energy efficiency upgrades that can be done safely as DIY projects, but there are several reasons why you should consider hiring a professional solar installer for your solar energy systems:

• Quality installation
• Workmanship warranty
• Safety

Quality Installation

If your solar panels are not installed properly, then they will not produce as much energy as you’d like — if they produce any energy at all. As you are spending so much money on the panels themselves, you want to ensure the system is not only installed properly, but designed and sized properly as well.

Quality installation is more than just installing panels as well. A professional solar installer in Arkansas knows how to install solar panels so that the panels themselves remain undamaged, but your installer will also not damage your roof or home. If you try to install your panels yourself, you could break a panel, punch a hole in your roof or do more serious damage.

Workmanship Warranty

The best solar panel installers offer a workmanship warranty that covers any damage done during a solar panel installation. But if you install your own panels, you will miss out on this money-saving benefit.

Further, the workmanship warranty may not be the only warranty you lose if you install your own panels. Should you damage your panels during installation and try to use your manufacturer warranty, your solar panel company may claim that the damage should fall under a workmanship warranty instead. If that happens, you’ll be out hundreds if not thousands of dollars because you’ll have to pay for panel replacement without financial help.

Safety

Safety is also a major concern for those interested in DIY solar installations. If you do not have any experience with electrical work, you could harm yourself as you try to connect your panels to your home sytem. Unless you install ground-mounted solar panels, you also need to know how to install panels on your roof without harming yourself or damaging your roof.

When you hire a professional solar panel installer, you have peace of mind knowing that your panels will be installed safely with no harm done to you or your home.

What Should Arkansas Residents Look For in a Solar Installer?

As you shop around for the right solar provider, there are several factors that you should keep in mind:

• Warranty
• Year founded
• Services offered
• Brands of equipment offered
• Industry affiliations
• Size of company
• Solar pricing and financing

Warranty

Most solar panel systems include some type of warranty coverage. Solar warranties can be for physical damage, power production, labor or roof penetration.

All warranty coverage is good warranty coverage, but in Arkansas, where rain and other extreme weather events are typical, warranties covering physical damage like roof leaks can bring you peace of mind if any debris falls on your panels. We rank companies that include robust physical protection warranties higher — such as ADT — given that they serve Arkansas customers better.

Year Founded

Solar projects have steadily been increasing in popularity throughout Arkansas. This move to clean energy is great news, but it also has brought a number of “fly by night” companies looking to capitalize on the demand. Young, inexperienced companies are typically more likely to provide poor service, and they can void your warranties if they go out of business.

Consider the year a company was founded and give precedence to solar installers who have proven longevity and long-term success. Although there are some reputable younger companies, you may be more comfortable with a more seasoned installer such as SunPower.

Services Offered

If you’re looking for a more customized installation that includes add-on products like electric vehicle chargers, solar batteries or other equipment or services, some companies won’t be able to help. Installers like Sun Valley Renewables only tackle panel installation, so you’ll have to turn elsewhere if you need other products or services.

Brands of Solar Equipment Offered

Some solar companies only install a single product brand — like Tesla with its own panels and Tesla Powerwalls or SunPower with SunPower’s Maxeon panels — while others carry multiple brands for customization. Customers looking for the most efficient solar panels will find what they’re looking for in SunPower and Tesla, but those who want the cheapest solar panels, for example, will not.

Industry Affiliations

There are many solar organizations, nonprofits and associations that help educate consumers about solar energy, gain access to solar financing and promote conversion to renewable energy. Affiliations with these organizations make a solar installer stand out as an industry advocate and one that is dedicated to making solar more accessible rather than to profit.

Some affiliations we look for include the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and the Arkansas Renewable Energy Associations (AREA).

Size of Company

Many solar customers are surprised to learn that the size of the company you choose for your solar energy system installation can be a major factor when it comes to your experience and your system’s value.

Smaller local companies typically provide superior customer service but may come at a higher cost. Some might not have the resources to be flexible with installation timelines, but they often have better relationships with local utility companies and permitting agencies, so they can expedite net metering or connection to the grid via your inverter.

Larger national companies usually have lower prices at the expense of customer service and flashy options like Tesla Powerwalls. They also tend to have better flexibility with installation and consultation timelines.

Solar Pricing and Financing

The cost of solar panels from any company will be an important thing to consider for any homeowner, but our team assesses the company’s value in comparison to the cost. For example, companies that only install high-efficiency equipment — like SunPower panels or Tesla Powerwalls — will naturally be more costly, but the better equipment can boost your home value more and save you more on electric bills going forward. Cheaper isn’t always better with solar equipment, so the value is a better metric than cost.

Additionally, the more financing options a company provides, the more accessible they are to customers. Companies that accept cash purchases, solar loans with variable terms, leases, and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) tend to rank higher, even though some options are less appealing and beneficial than others.

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Methodology: How We Ranked Arkansas’s Solar Companies

When we rank our top solar companies, we start by identifying the factors that matter most when ensuring that our readers find a trustworthy, reliable and environmentally responsible installation. We’ve listed those factors as categories below. We then weigh these factors against the industry benchmark (a company meeting the industry standard in all categories would earn 4 stars in our rating system).

Our goal is to deliver unbiased reports and honest reviews, thus, our methodology is not affected by commercial partnerships and is specifically tailored to Arkansas homes.

• Solar Services (20%) 
• Qualifications, Reputation & Certifications (20%)
• Solar Warranty & Customer Support (15%)
• Solar Financing Options (15%)
• Experience (10%)
• Availability (10%)
• Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Factors (10%)

Solar Services

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it offers: in-house installations, energy storage systems (solar batteries) and home-efficiency audits or upgrades. A company can earn bonus points if it offers additional services that we don’t consider essential, including electric vehicle chargers, home thermostats, etc. The industry standard that we measure against includes solar panel and backup battery installations only.

Most of the companies on our list offer much more than just solar installations. The only company that may score lower in this category is Sun Valley Renewables because it only installs solar panels and performs energy monitoring. Otherwise, SunPower, Tesla, ADT and Seal Solar have other solar services for customers.

Qualifications, Reputation & Certifications

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it is: NABCEP-certified, has a minimum of four stars over its last 100 reviews on Google, an A+ with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and 4 or more stars on Glassdoor to reflect employee satisfaction and low turnover rate. We give bonus points for additional certifications, such as LEED or with the Building Performance Institute (BPI). We flag a company for further review if it has any track record of lawsuits or customer rights violations.

Many of our top companies, such as SunPower and Seal Solar, have stellar reviews and above-average A+ BBB ratings. However, both Tesla and Sun Valley Renewables have much lower C and F ratings, respectively. Due to these low ratings, both companies do not rate as highly in this category.

Solar Warranty & Customer Support

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it offers 25-year warranties that cover performance, product and workmanship. The industry standard that we measure companies against is 25-year product and performance warranties, along with a 10-year workmanship warranty. We also look closely into the track record of the post-installation support each company provides in terms of honoring its warranties.

Particularly in a state that experiences severe tornadoes, a good warranty can make solar panel systems more desirable. ADT Solar is a clear leader for comprehensive warranties, and even SunPower offers a great warranty plan for Arkansas residents.

Solar Financing Options

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it offers multiple financing options, including in-house options in addition to partner organizations. As many solar companies choose not to offer solar leases and PPAs in the interest of consumer well-being, we do not dock points for companies that don’t offer them.

All of the companies on our list have good financing options for Arkansas homeowners, but Tesla may have an edge over our other options. Tesla offers price matching to help homeowners afford its panels, so you can get quality clean energy for a decent price.

Experience in Arkansas

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it has 10+ years of experience installing solar. The industry standard that we measure against is at least 5 years of experience. All of the companies on our list have met this minimum requirement, but certain companies, such as SunPower and ADT, have more experience than others.

Yet, experience in the state of Arkansas is almost more important than sheer number of solar installations. This is where choosing a smaller local company, such as Sun Valley Renewables, is an advantage. Local companies often know Arkansas regions better and can recommend solar energy systems better than non-local installers.

Availability

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it offers services in the majority of Arkansas. Many of our top companies do offer services throughout the state of Arkansas, but smaller companies, like Seal Solar, may not be able to compete with national providers like SunPower and ADT.

Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance Factors

A company earns a perfect score in this category if it offers public data disclosure, addresses end-of-life (EoL) products or processes and demonstrates a commitment to uplifting the communities that it serves. SunPower ranks highly in this category because its solar panels were one of the first to be Cradle to Cradle certified, which showcases its commitment to sustainable practices.

Read More About Going Solar in Arkansas

• Is Solar Worth It in Arkansas?
• Arkansas Solar Incentives Guide
• Find Cost Savings on Solar Panels in Arkansas