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Solar Energy System Pricing FAQs
How much will a solar power system cost?
A solar power system costs about as much as buying a new car, but you are not getting rid of it every 8-10 years nor will it cost you a lot to maintain. A solar power system is for long-term investment of over 20 years, plus it increases your property value. Depending on your location, type of roofing, and design of your system, a typical home installation ranges from 3 to 12 kilowatts and costs between $18,000 to $60,000 to purchase.
What size of a system will I need?
It all depends on your average consumption of electricity and if you have any plans to expand your consumption, such as adding an electric car. An average American household solar system size ranges from 3 to 12 kilowatts. Our professional staff will advise you on what system size best fit your household needs. But if you want to get an estimate yourself, you can do a little research about your electricity for the past year and make calculations by following these steps:
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Gather all your electricity bills for the past 12 months (or check online for data).
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Add up the kWh consumed per month to get the total kWh consumed over the past 12 months.
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Divide the total kWh by 1300 = estimated size of system in kilowatts.
Too complicated? Don't worry, contact us and we will help you sort this out.
Why do some systems cost more than others? Even when they are the same kilowatt size?
Kilowatts are only one aspect of the solar power system. If you are buying a car, a kilowatt is equivalent to the weight of the car that you are going to get. So, you decided to get an SUV, but what kind of SUV you are getting? A Honda or a Porsche? This is where the cost difference came to be. In general, there are three key elements that define why one system cost more than the other.
1) Size of the system (kilowatt): This is simple. The bigger the system you are getting, the more solar panels are required to generate the power, and thus the higher cost. Conducting an energy audit and making home improvements on your energy consumption efficiency can help you save on the size of the system that you will need. Altadena Energy & Solar provides energy audit services.
2) Quality of the solar panels: Not all solar panels are created equal. Some have higher efficiency with better design and high quality materials. Others may not be the greatest and latest but they are efficient, reliable and economical. It all depends on what you want (a Honda SUV? or a Porsche SUV?). At Altadena Energy & Solar, we provide different classes of solar panels for customers to choose from. We offer wide range of solar equipment for you to choose from including modules from Winaico, Axitec, Solar World, LG, Pasaonic and inverters from SolarEdge, Enphase, SMA and many more. At Altadena Energy & Solar, you get to choose the one that fits you best!
3) Workmanship makes the difference: Installing a solar power system involves putting a mounting system on your roof, running wire and conduits, and installing new electrical components around your house. As a homeowner, you can tell the difference between a good roofer and a good electrician, and bad ones. The good ones do charge a little more, and it should cost something if you want to have a good warranty coverage. Altadena Energy & Solar hires only the best in the trade to provide you the highest quality of work. Hassle-free is our motto, and with our high quality work, you will not have to worry about a leaking roof or wires hanging all over the place. Hans is a picky guy. He won't sign off on a project if the quality doesn't match the standards at his own home.
