Top 6 Best Solar Companies in Oklahoma (2023 Reviews)

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

The average cost of a solar power system in Oklahoma hovers around $28,820 before incentives, which is about 25% higher than the national average.

The per-watt cost for PV equipment averages around $2.62 in OK, which is below the U.S. average of $2.66. However, the high energy needs mean the total system size needs to be slightly larger — around 11 kilowatts (kW) as opposed to 9 kW, if you want to offset 100% of your electricity use.

With such high conversion costs, most residents will look for ways to keep costs as low as possible and long-term energy savings maximized. Below are some tips for achieving both:

• Take advantage of all the solar incentives you can
• Choose a high-efficiency panel brand
• Shop around for the best quotes

Take All of the Solar Benefit Programs You Can

The easiest way to bring down the effective cost of your system is to take advantage of as many incentive programs as you can. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many solar incentives in OK, but the federal government does offer one that is outstanding and available to all Sooner State residents. We’ll include information about the available perks below.

For more information on these perks and other energy efficiency rebates in your area, you can check out our guide to solar incentives in Oklahoma.

Choose a Panel Brand With a High Efficiency

Oklahoma has an abundance of sunlight, which is great news for residents considering solar. However, the average OK resident uses electricity at a higher rate than most other states, with most homes using around 1,088 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month as opposed to the national average of 886 kWh.⁴

In order to offset those energy needs — and, in turn, maximize your energy savings — it’s important to get a high-efficiency panel brand that can make good use of the available sunlight and roof space. Some of the best residential solar panel brands that work well for the needs of Oklahoma residents include:

• SunPower
• REC
• Mission Solar
• Canadian Solar
• Qcells

Get Multiple Quotes

Finally, we recommend getting a few free quotes from different solar providers in your area. Even among the 12 installers that serve OK, you’re likely to see costs vary by thousands of dollars due to differences in equipment costs and labor charges.

Getting a few free quotes means you can compare the all-in cost and the value provided to find something that suits your needs and your budget. As well as comparing which providers and panel brands offered fit your homes needs the best. Remember, these companies are fighting for your business, and some may lower their estimate if you have competing offers.

Looking for more personalized system and savings estimates? You can use our solar calculator to see what your system will cost and what it will save you in Oklahoma.

Will Solar Increase Your Home Value In Oklahoma?

Yes, adding a solar array to your home is expected to raise your property value by about 4.1%, based on research conducted by Zillow.⁵ With property values hovering around $188,707, that’s an average increase of around $7,750.⁶

Solar adoption in Oklahoma has historically been slow and unimpressive. The state is currently ranked 45th in the country for solar friendliness, down from 41st in 2021.⁷ However, the Sooner State’s abundance of sun and above-average energy consumption leaves it with outstanding potential.

Oklahoma City (OKC) was ranked 8th in the country in terms of solar potential.⁸ It’s likely that as the local industry and popularity grow, places like Oklahoma City will see even greater home value upside from installing solar panels or solar roof shingles.

Should Oklahoma Residents Hire a Professional Solar Installer Or DIY?

Hiring a professional solar panel company is expensive no matter where you live, but that’s especially true in Oklahoma. Since solar systems are more expensive in OK than in most other states, more residents are inclined to consider DIY installations. These are cheaper and faster to install, but there are some significant drawbacks to think about. These include:

• Less appealing warranty coverage than professionally-installed systems
• Lower efficiencies on DIY solar panel kits
• Increased risk of property damage from improper installation

We’ll discuss these downsides in greater depth below.

Warranty Coverage Is Less Appealing With DIY Panels

First off, the average warranty coverage on a professionally-installed system is as follows:

• 25 years for equipment
• 20 to 25 years for power production
• 10 years for workmanship

With a DIY solar array, the warranties are usually as follows:

• 5 to 10 years for equipment
• 5 to 10 years for power production
• No warranty for workmanship

While the savings you’ll see upfront doing a DIY installation are significant, the warranty coverage you get with a professional installation is often worth the added cost. You get protection for twice as long, on average, so you’re less likely to have to spend money on system maintenance and repairs, and you’re more likely to maximize your energy savings.

DIY Panel Brands Have Lower Efficiency Ratings

As mentioned above, we recommend prioritizing panel efficiency to get the most value out of the available sunlight in OK. High-efficiency panels will help you save more on your electric bills over time, which means your system will effectively cost less, and you’ll see more financial upside over time.

DIY panel brands usually fall between 15% and 20% in terms of efficiency, while most professional panels are above 20%, topping out around 22.7%. This seemingly small difference can make a much more significant difference in your energy bills in the long run. In some cases, the upfront cost won’t even be that much different from standard efficiency, since you need to purchase fewer high-efficiency panels to get the job done.

Property Damage Is More of a Risk With DIY Installations

Finally, solar panels are constantly exposed to the elements, which means, in Oklahoma, they’re exposed to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and occasionally heavy rainfall. Any errors made during installation of solar panels can leave your roof prone to leaking and even parts being torn off during heavy winds from tornadoes.⁹

Mistakes are far more likely to be made by inexperienced DIYers. While doing the installation yourself is more affordable, it can cost you more over time if issues lead to property damage.

What Should Oklahomans Look For in a Solar Installer?

Oklahoma is a unique space for solar installations, with abundant sun but also severe weather that can put panels at an increased risk of damage. We recommend you prioritize the below three characteristics when interviewing and choosing a solar provider in Oklahoma:

• Warranty coverage included
• Panel brands and equipment offered
• Local experience

We’ll explain why these factors are most important below.

Warranty Coverage

Oklahoma sees plenty of sunny days per year to make solar a good investment, but residents also see some severe weather. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms elevate your risk of panel damage, so having physical protection and workmanship warranties for your system are paramount.

Unfortunately, most of the companies in OK provide minimal warranty coverage for the labor involved in installing your system. The industry average is around ten years, but the average in Oklahoma is about half that. We recommend considering a longer warranty carefully and paying more for lengthier coverage if you can.

It’s also a good idea to choose an installer that provides a production guarantee, as that will help ensure your panels continue to offset your above-average energy bills for many years to come.

Panel Brands and Equipment Offered

Next, we recommend looking at the panel brands each company offers and the equipment it installs.

It’s a good idea to choose a high-efficiency panel. This will allow you to install a smaller and more affordable system but still produce enough power to offset the above-average electricity consumption in OK.

You also might want to look into the add-on products offered by each provider. Many solar customers in Oklahoma choose to install a solar battery alongside their panels. This helps maintain power through the frequent blackouts and also saves you money on energy bills since the state doesn’t mandate net metering.

You can eliminate companies that don’t carry the brands or products you’re looking to have installed.

Local Experience

Finally, we suggest prioritizing local experience. Solar is really only starting to catch on in OK, as evidenced by the slow adoption rate and the fact that there are only 12 installers that service the area.

While there are few companies that have more than ten years of experience, we suggest considering these carefully over those with just a few years under their belts.

More experienced companies are more likely to provide quality service, less likely to run into issues during the installation and can often keep costs down by helping you take advantage of local incentives and rebate programs.

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Methodology: How We Ranked Oklahoma’s Solar Companies

Our primary goal in the industry is to bring awareness to the benefits of clean energy and connect readers like you with reputable, reliable installers that will provide an outstanding experience. In order to reach that goal, we evaluate solar installers based on the below criteria, which we believe are most important to Oklahomans:

• Solar Warranties Provided(20%)

• Solar Services and Products Offered (20%) 

• Price and Solar Payment Options (15%)

• Local Experience (15%)

• Qualifications and Certifications (10%)

• Availability (10%)

• Environmental and Social Impact (10%)

Our methodology above is never influenced by commercial partnerships and has been adjusted to fit the needs of Oklahoma residents. Below, we’ll explain why these factors are weighted as they are.

Solar Warranties Provided

We prioritize warranty coverage over most other factors in OK due mostly to the extreme weather in the area and the inexperience of its installers. Installations exposed to tornadoes, strong winds and intense thunderstorms are naturally at higher risk of damage, which can be costly to repair if you don’t have warranties in place to cover it.

We use the industry standard to rank companies at, above, or below average. The standards include 25 years for equipment, 20 to 25 years for efficiency and ten years for workmanship. Companies like ADT Solar that offer a 25-year comprehensive warranty for all three get perfect scores in this category.

Solar Services and Products Offered

Not every solar company provides access to the same products and services, so we look next at what each provider brings to the table.

In Oklahoma, high-quality panels can help offset the above-average energy usage, so we look for panels that are highly efficient. We also look favorably on full-service solar companies that provide battery installations, as solar storage solutions can be a great way to maximize savings in areas like OK that don’t have great net metering policies.

Other unusual products — like off-grid rooftop solar, community solar or solar roofs — will play into this rating as well.

Price and Solar Payment Options

As mentioned above, the cost of a solar array in Oklahoma is around 25% higher than the national average, which means pricing is an important factor to consider. We give priority to companies that maintain average or below-average pricing.

More importantly, we move installers up in our ranking if they provide access to a range of payment options. Companies that only accept cash and third-party solar loans will get bumped down, while those that have low-APR, in-house loan options and access to leases and PPAs get bumped up.

Local Experience

Since the solar industry is only now getting established in OK, many of the companies within the state have little to no experience. Inexperienced installers are more likely to make mistakes during the installation and run into delays with permitting, but they’re also more likely to go out of business and take your warranties with them.

We use the industry average of five years of experience as a baseline for this factor, and we rank companies higher if they have at least ten years in solar.

Qualifications and Certifications

Next, we look at additional qualifications, industry associations and certifications that can set one company apart from the others in Oklahoma. Some things we look for include:

• Accreditation from the Better Business Bureau
• Certification from the Solar Energy Industries Association
• Green Building certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• Certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP)
• Other licenses or certifications that can help ensure a professional installation, like electrician licensure or general contractor licensure

Availability

Since the rate of solar adoption in OK is so slow, many companies in the state focus on major cities where more customers are likely to appear, like Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, that means some companies won’t service a good portion of the state.

We prioritize companies that service the entirety of Oklahoma, as they will be able to serve more of our readers.

Environmental and Social Impact

Finally, we look at the impact each company has on the environment and the communities they serve.

Things like a focus on end-of-life products — including recycling of old solar equipment — and promoting energy efficiency rather than just solar installations move companies up in our rankings. We also look for companies that give back to their communities via charitable donations or education surrounding renewable energy.

Read More About Going Solar in Oklahoma

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