15 Best Solar Companies in Santa Monica, CA (Jan 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Santa Monica

The cost of installing a solar panel system has decreased immensely over the past few years, but it's still a large investment for most homeowners. The overall price and potential savings vary depending on a few key factors such as:

• How much energy costs for you: The average family in Santa Monica spends around $980 a year on energy use alone, so you could end up with that much in savings.
• The kind of solar panels you're planning on getting: More efficient panels are more costly, so that will affect your budget for your solar project.
• Incentives: Those who purchase and install a solar energy system this year can save 30% of their solar installation costs by using the federal solar investment tax credit. You can also save about $33,000 on your electricity bills over 20 years excluding incentives.
• How much sunlight your roof gets: If your rooftop gets limited direct sunlight, your solar panels won't be able to produce as much energy, which will give you lower savings on electric bills than someone with a roof that gets lots of sunlight.

Even though a solar panel system costs a good chunk of money upfront, it can save you a considerable amount over time. The question of how much, though, depends on a number of factors, like the amount of daily direct sunlight available and incentives.

Solar Incentives in Santa Monica

In order to increase the adoption of solar power, federal and local governments — and even some utility companies — offer incentives to help make solar power more economical and accessible. You can qualify for the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) for the tax year you turn on your a solar system. You can also possibly pair the ITC with other state and city rebates and benefits. Take a look at our article on solar incentives to learn what incentives are available to you.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Santa Monica

An important reason so many people are thinking of going solar is to help reduce their environmental impact. But how much can installing solar panels actually help the environment? An important thing to think about is your overall carbon footprint. For example, if your commute is very long, your footprint may be larger, so adopting solar power for your home can help offset that. Although solar panel production releases carbon dioxide emissions, the panels make up for it by greatly reducing the amount of CO2 you would have been responsible for if you still used traditional energy. In Santa Monica, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 50 pounds a year with solar panels. If you want to do your part for the environment, you'll likely get that there are many benefits of adopting solar energy other than just saving money on bills. You can also help protect the environment, which some would argue is priceless.