Cost of Solar Panels in Michigan
The cost of solar panels in Michigan are marginally higher than the average cost in many other places- Somewhere between $3.05 and $3.15 per watt. With an average solar system being somewhere between 5 KW and 6 KW, your cost will end up being somewhere between $15,000 and $19,000, on average. Though this cost looks like a lot, and it is, it can be deceptive. There are numerous tax credits, rebates and incentive programs that could reduce this cost by thousands upon thousands of dollars.
The resale value of your home will generally go up by something in the neighborhood of $10,000 with the addition of solar panels, though some sources say you should estimate closer to 4%. The average cost of a single family home in Michigan is $214,231, so a 4% increase of this value would raise the value of that home by approximately $8500. The size of your solar system can also affect this value increase, and of course the preference of a potential buyer plays a key factor as well.
The âpaybackâ period for solar panels is the estimate on how long it will take for your solar power system to pay for itself, whether thatâs through net metering and solar energy credits, savings on energy bills, rebates, etc. In Michigan, you can expect your âpaybackâ period to be something around 10 years. That sounds like a long time of course, but keep in mind the average lifespan of your average commercial solar panels is something like 25 years, so after your panels have âpaidâ for themselves, youâre looking at another 15ish years or âfreeâ electricity, which could result in a lifetime savings of $25-32,000 dollars. All of a sudden, solar panels arenât that expensive.
How Much do Solar Panels Cost in the state of Michigan?
The good news is that no matter where youâre located in Michigan (even in the UP!), you are probably not too far from a company that specializes in installation of solar energy systems. Predictably, most companies seem to be clustered around your bigger cities, like Grand Rapids, Lansing, and especially Detroit, but there also seems to be several companies located around the rest of the state. For the purposes of this review, we are going to try to spread it out geographically and try to name a few companies from different parts of the state.
Company Name:Â Strawberry Solar
Address: 4444 2nd Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
What are the benefits of going solar?
Years in Business: 11
Website: strawberrysolar.com
Reviews: 4 / 5 Facebook (19 reviews), 4.5 / 5 Better Business Bureau (2 reviews), 5 / 5 Yelp (2 reviews), 5 / 5 EnergySage (24 reviews)
How much will the addition of solar panels increase my homeâs value?
The Good: Generally good reviews across several platforms, 11 years in business, no complaints filed on BBB websiteThe Bad: Not a ton of reviews, website feels a little hard to navigate
Summary: Located in the heart of Detroit, Strawberry makes a big deal about putting the customer first in their process, and based on their reviews and lack of complaints, it seems like they mean what they say. With 11 years in business, one would expect a few complaints to be out there by now, but if they are, I canât find them. If you are in the area of Detroit and looking to get solar work done, Strawberry solar looks like a good bet.
Company Name: CBS Solar
What is the âPaybackâ period for Solar Panels in the state of Michigan?
Address: 16880 Front St, Copemish, MI 49625
Years in Business: 29 (Their website says ânearly 40â)
Website: cbssolar.com
How do I get solar panels installed in Michigan?
Reviews: 4.5 / 5 Facebook (14 reviews), 4.1 / 5 Solar Reviews (8 reviews), 3.8 / 5 Google (12 reviews)
The Good: Long time in business, no complaints on BBB website, no majorly bad reviews out there that I could findThe Bad: Not a huge web presence; Website is a little hard to navigate; Not a ton of reviews out there to be found
Summary: Any company that has been in business as long as CBS (whether thatâs 29 years or ânearly 40â) is worth a look. Longevity usually equals experience, and experience usually means theyâre going to know what theyâre doing. CBS does not seem to have a lot of reviews out there, but from what Iâve seen, a lot of the companies that have been around for a long time donât. Located near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, CBS would be a good one to look into for folks in the northwestern part of Lower Michigan.
Final Word:
Company Name: Michigan Solar Solutions
Address: 848 West River Center Suite B Comstock Park, MI 49321
Years in Business: 14
Website:Â https://www.michigansolarsolutions.com/
Reviews: 5 / 5 Facebook (5 reviews), 5 / 5 Better Business Bureau (3 reviews), 4.6 / 5 Solar Reviews (26 reviews), 4.9 / 5 Birdseye (101 reviews)
The Good: Two offices in the greater Detroit Metro area, a relatively long time in business, lots of good reviews out there about themThe Bad: Both their offices are relatively near each other, so their service area probably isnât especially broad.
Summary: Michigan Solar Solutions has two offices as near as I can tell, both of which look to be just a little west of Detroit, so Iâm guessing their service area is fairly concentrated. Their website does a good job of selling their service, offering several financing options and touting their experience, factory certified installers, as well as offering a number of customer testimonials. Overall they look to be a perfectly sound company to do business with, and no major red flags show up with a cursory search.
Company Name: Peninsula Solar
Address: 102 W. Washington St. 220
Marquette MI, 49855
Years in Business: 10
Website: Â https://www.peninsula-solar.com/
Reviews: 4.5 / 5 Whodoyou (3 reviews), 4.6 / 5 SolarQuotes (2 reviews)
The Good: Hard to say.The Bad: Website doesnât seem to provide a whole ton of information. Not many reviews out there about them. In fact, there is very little evidence on the internet that this company actually exists.
Summary: Peninsula Solar describes itself as âa small, close-knit team of environmentally conscious individuals aiming to have a big impact as we provide sustainable energy to Michigan, statewide.â Peninsulaâs website is a strange one- if I didnât know anything about solar energy, I think this one might scare me off frankly. Peninsula might be a very reputable and good company, but there just doesnât seem to be a whole lot of information out there about them right now. I would in no way advise you to steer clear of Peninsula- but would say Iâm afraid I canât give you much to go on with them. But there just isnât much out there to go on, other than that this is apparently a company that exists on the UP and does solar installation.
Company Name: Great Lakes Renewable Energy
Address: 414 S Henry St, Bay City, MI 48706
Years in Business: 26
Website:Â http://greatlakesbayrenewableenergy.com/
Reviews: 2.3 / 5 Indeed (4 reviews- this only covers working conditions, not the quality of their solar installations or business practices)
The Good: No complaints on the BBB website, and an A+ ratingThe Bad: Virtually no evidence to suggest this company even exists outside of a fairly out-of-date website.
Summary: Let me state for the record that I know very little about this company outside of what it is on their own website. This is because there isnât much else out there. For a company that, according to the BBB, has been in business for 26 years, they have very little out there on the internet to show for it. It could be that this is a âword of mouthâ company that gets a lot of business because of their reputable work and not through advertising, and if so, more power to them. Their facebook page shows only about 180ish âlikesâ, and the only reviews I could find out there for them were on âindeedâ, and focus pretty much on the working conditions within the company. Words like âUnethicalâ were used, so there you have that. Then there was this page: http://greatlakesbayrenewableenergy.com/home/just-for-fun/ , which was just⌠kind of weird. Itâs hard to describe, so just go see it for yourself. Trigger warning: Ex-tenant Tracyâs photo may not be safe for work.
Michigan is a funny place, and itâs a place you may not normally associate with solar power. But, just like most places habitable by humans, solar power is a perfectly feasible option whether youâre just a small town boy born and raised in south Detroit or a small town girl livin in a lonely world (presumably thatâs the UP). No matter what part of MIchigan youâre from, there are companies available to handle your needs, you just have to do your research to find the one thatâs right for you. So when it comes to solar power, donât stop believin.