18 Best Solar Companies in San Francisco, CA (Mar 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in San Francisco

Even though solar panels can help save you a decent chunk of change on utility bills over time, it's necessary to take into consideration the upfront costs. The installation cost is just one important factor you should consider when looking into installing solar panels. How much it'll cost and how much you can save depend on things including:

• Average daily sunlight: Since San Francisco gets lots of sunlight, your solar panel system will most likely be able to generate enough energy to power your whole home, which affects how much your solar panels can save you on your electricity bills.
• Your energy bills: This will dictate how much you can save. In San Francisco, the average homeowner can save about $1,000 a year on their electricity bills.
• Incentives: One thing that can make your solar project cost less is the solar investment tax credit (ITC), which is a tax credit that lets you deduct from your taxes a percentage of the project cost. You can also save on your energy bills, which can lead to an average of $31,000 of savings over 20 years.
• Choice of solar panels: The kind of solar panels you choose will affect your total cost. High-efficiency monocrystalline panels are more expensive upfront but can also lead to more savings over the lifetime of your system. If space isn't a constraint for your project, you can go with a higher number of more affordable panels.

So is a solar system worth it? Whether you're trying to reduce your electricity costs, carbon dioxide emissions or both, solar panels are a good investment for many San Francisco homeowners.

Solar Incentives in San Francisco

Because solar power is a cleaner source of energy than burning fossil fuels, there are several government incentives in place to encourage people to make the switch. Regardless of what state you live in, you can take advantage of the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which will let you claim 30% of how much you paid for your solar installation when you file taxes, lowering the amount of taxes you owe that year. Additionally, there may be some state and city incentives that can save you some extra money too. In our article on solar incentives, you can see the incentives you qualify for in San Francisco.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in San Francisco

There are a few big reasons why people are interested in solar energy: to put more money in their bank account and to help the planet. Something many might be thinking about is how much can they really help preserve the environment by switching to solar power anyway? The average person has a substantial carbon footprint. Between their car, which produces over 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, and powering their home, it can be overwhelming to think about what to do. Using solar power is a practical thing you can do to help. While solar panel manufacturing releases carbon dioxide emissions, the panels make up for it by greatly reducing the amount of CO2 you would have produced if you still used nonrenewable energy. In San Francisco, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 50 pounds a year with solar panels. The advantages of solar power are abundant — just like solar power is! That's why so many San Francisco residents have been happy with making the switch to solar.