Best Solar Companies in Murrieta, CA

Residents can also take advantage of statewide solar incentives in California, including Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) rebates for homeowners who install battery storage systems with their solar panels.

Additionally, the California Energy Commission (CEC) offers various incentives and rebates, including incentives for solar water heating systems and energy efficiency upgrades, which can be combined with solar installations to maximize overall savings.

In California, net metering lets homeowners with solar panels send excess energy into the grid in exchange for credits on their utility bills. If your solar panels generate more electricity than you use, the extra is sent back to the Southern California Edison grid. Currently, SCE credits you based on the "avoided cost" of energy, which is typically lower than the retail rate.

A relatively slanted roof with plenty of unshaded space is best. The worst place to install would be on north-facing roofs, especially if those roofs have a high pitch (very steep). Here are a couple of other questions to ask yourself:

• How old is my roof? As a rule of thumb, if your roof is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it before going solar. Installing solar panels on an old roof might mean you have to remove the panels, replace your roof and then reinstall the panels again. This is an expensive and frustrating process.
• How much sunlight do I get? Murrieta gets a good amount of sunlight. The state averages 5 to 7.5 peak sun hours every day. However, if you have a lot of shading around your house, whether from trees or tall buildings, the panels might not get enough sun to power your home.
• How old are my appliances? Getting your electrical loads as small as possible before going solar means you’ll need a smaller system, which will be cheaper overall. If you have older electrical appliances, upgrade those before investing in solar panels.

As long as your house is a good candidate for solar, it’s at least worth considering. We suggest using NREL’s PVWatts Calculator to estimate how much electricity a solar panel can produce over a year on your house. Project Sunroof is a reliable online solar savings estimator.

No. Under California law, solar installations are exempt from property tax reassessments, meaning the value added to your home by solar panels won’t increase your property taxes.

California’s Solar Rights Act prevents homeowners associations (HOAs) from restricting residential solar panel installations. HOAs can, however, impose minor restrictions as long as they don’t reduce the system’s efficiency.

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline are the most common types of solar panels used in residential installations. In general, monocrystalline panels are considered the best bang for your buck. Cheaper solar panels are typically polycrystalline. The key difference is in materials and efficiency: Monocrystalline panels use pure, single silicon crystals, while polycrystalline panels are made from melted silicon fragments, resulting in different efficiency levels.

Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how well a panel makes electricity. Standard efficiency rates range from 19% to 23%, which means 19% to 23% of the sunlight that hits the panels gets converted into electricity. The more efficient the solar panels you buy are, the fewer panels you need. While more efficient panels cost a little more, you save by buying fewer panels.