Solar Companies NM
If youâre from New Mexico, and the fact that youâre reading this means you probably are, then you know that pretty much everything is in Las Cruces, Santa Fe or Albuquerque. So if you live in any of the other several thousands of square miles of the state, you may struggle to find anybody local to do your solar panel work. But hey, if you live outside of any of those thriving metropolises, youâre probably used to that already, right? So in this article weâll focus on the top reviewed companies regardless of where theyâre located in the state, with the knowledge that many solar companies donât mind traveling hundreds of miles to complete a job.
Company: Affordable Solar
Address: 4840 Pan American, Albuquerque, NM 87109
Here are some of the top rated Solar Installation Companies in NM:
Years in Business: 23
Website:Â http://affordable-solar.com/
Reviews: 4.6 / 5 Solar reviews (79 reviews), 4 / 5 Yelp (14 reviews), 4.8 / 5 Angi (39 reviews), 4.6 / 5 Birdseye (182 reviews), 4.5 / 5 Facebook (61 reviews)
How Much do Solar Panels Cost in New Mexico?
Business Quote: Itâs a win-win for everyone:
1. You save money on a reliable, durable alternative electricity solution and reduce your carbon footprint.
2. We win because youâre happy to refer more clients to us.
What are the benefits of going solar?
3. The state wins because itâs closer to achieving its 2030 clean energy targets.
The Good: One of the best websites Iâve seen, Amazing reviews and lots of them, no complaints with the BBB
The Bad: Squeaky clean. Not one bad thing to say about these people.
How much will the addition of solar panels increase my homeâs value?
Summary: Wow. This may be the best solar company Iâve seen to this point. I canât find anything notable to say about them that isnât glaringly positive. Great website, huge web presence, tons of good reviews, BBB accredited and no complaints- these people have got it going on. They are based in Albuquerque but have an extensive coverage area which looks to extend to most of the state. Unless you just know something I donât, I see no reason this shouldnât be the first phone call you make if youâre looking into solar panels in the state of New Mexico.
Company: Solar Works Energy
Address: 500 Marquette Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
What are the Effects of Net Metering on a Solar System?
Years in Business: 6
Website:Â http://solarworksenergy.com/
Reviews: 5 / 5 Yelp (1 review), 4.5 / 5 Birdseye (84 reviews), 4 / 5 Facebook (10 reviews)
How much solar power do I need to power my home?
Business Quote: âBased in Albuquerque, NM, Weâre committed to making the world a better place by educating the public on how to save money and do the right thing by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Let us be your answer to rising electric rates.â
The Good: Outstanding website, especially their âblogâ section with lots of video FAQs (https://solarworksenergy.com/blog/), Lots of positive reviews, no complaints with the better business bureau
The Bad: Only 6 years in business, a few super nasty reviews lurking around out there
What is the âPaybackâ period for Solar Panels in New Mexico?
Summary: Though a young company, Solar Works looks very promising. They have a very good website and a pretty good web presence. Their coverage area apparently expands all the way from Utah to Texas so it looks like if youâre anywhere in the northern part of New Mexico they would probably be willing to come to you. The only thing concerning is that I have seen a few nasty reviews out there, all of which seem to focus on their service after the sale. So while the company does great work, itâs possible their aftercare may leave something to be desired. But by all means, check them out.
Company: Poulin Solar Pro
Address: 8600 Pan American Fwy NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113
Final Word:
Years in Business: 38 (sort of)
Website:Â https://poulinsolarpro.com/
Reviews: 5 / 5 Yelp (1 review), 4.7 / 5 ChamberofCommerce.com (48 reviews), 4.8 / 5 Birdseye (48 reviews)
Business Quote: âWeâve partnered with some of the best name-brand solar panel manufacturers to offer Albuquerque homeowners high-quality and affordable solar panels that will help lower utility bills through the use of green energy. To top it all off, all of our solar panel equipment is backed by a 25/25/25-year warranty*. That means you get a 25-year product, performance, and labor warranty with every solar panel installation.â
The Good: 38 years in business (sort of- Iâll explain in a minute), lots of reviews available (sort of) and almost all positive
The Bad: Itâs a little hard to tell how long theyâve actually been in the solar business, some complaints with the BBB (sort of)
Summary: So this one is a little unusual. Poulin Design Company appears to have been in business for 38 years, but itâs hard to tell when they started in on the solar business. Poulin Design Company has an entry on the BBB website however, with 5 out of 5 stars in 5 reviews, which is always good. They do have three complaints, but the two that are visible are directed toward their home redesign business and not their solar work. They are definitely the same company by the way, according to their address, so unless two companies named âPoulinâ share an address, Iâm guessing theyâre basically one business with two show rooms. Their website is fine, you can definitely find whatever info you need out of them on it, and this looks like another very good and reputable company to work with.
Company: Amenergy
Address: 3212 Richards Ln, Santa Fe, NM 87507
Years in Business: 12
Website:Â https://www.amenergynm.com/about-us
Reviews: 2.6 / 5 Birdseye (5 reviews), 5 / 5 Facebook (2 reviews)
Business Quote:
âAMENERGY holds many of New Mexico firsts, including:
â˘First two installations of a solar electric system that were approved for the state tax credit
â˘Design and installation of the largest battery backup system for residential use
â˘First installation of an 3 Phase off-grid SMA Multi-Cluster system
â˘Installation of the three largest residential solar electric systems in Mora-San Miguel Coop
â˘First Enphase micro-inverter installation
â˘Largest Integrated Solar Thermal System infrastructure for residential useâ
The Good: Really liked the âNew Mexico firstsâ on their website, quoted above
The Bad: Not BBB accredited, 3 of 5 reviews on Birdseye were 1 star. Yikes
Summary: I had to dig to find a company with any reviews outside of Albuquerque, and I came across Amenergy, from Santa Fe. Their website says all the right things and all sounds good, and I really liked the âFirstsâ from their website, but the fact that theyâve been around for 12 years and have so little web presence, several bad reviews and are not BBB accredited are all kinda turnoffs. Doesnât mean they arenât good, just means their reputation is less than sterling and you may need to do some extra checking on them before taking the plunge.
Solar panels in New Mexico go for around $2.40 - $2.70 per watt, which is fairly average to below average on a national level. Standard commercial solar panels usually come in 250 watt denominations, so theyâre going to be around $600 to $675, and youâll need anywhere from 20 to 28 panels if you want to be completely self-sufficient, the panels themselves are going to cost $12,000 to $19,000. Again, this is a pretty average price for solar panels in the U.S., maybe even a little bit on the low side. So right off the bat, before we get to anything else, youâre already coming out ahead of a lot of places.
There are a lot of estimates about how much solar panels can increase the value of your home, and there are a lot of different schools of thought on the matter. The short answer is that yes, they generally will increase your home value, though some potential home buyers will be more willing to pay extra for them than others. Now, how much more can you expect to tack onto the value of your home with the addition of solar panels? Some people suggest a flat 4%, which in New Mexico is something around $10,000, as the average sale price on a home is somewhere in the ballpark of $250,000.
Another way to look at it is $20 in additional home value for every $1 in savings your system generates. That means if your system saves you $1,000 in a year, you can add $20,000 to the value of your home. This seems excessive, but again, it all depends on the person buying the home.
Other people suggest the value of your home may increase by $4 per watt of your system. This adds up very quickly, as to be self sufficient your system will need to be at least 6 Kw, or around 6000 watts. So even at that base level, the value of your home jumps up $24,000 according to this estimate.
So again, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle of all these, and itâs really based entirely on the preference of a potential buyer.
Net metering is the way a utility can measure the output of your solar energy system. Why do they need to know, you might ask? Simple- the more energy you put back into the grid, the more credits your utility owes you toward future bills, thereby granting you âfreeâ electricity in months where you draw more power from the grid than you put back in.
Estimates vary greatly on how many kilowatt hours per year the average home uses, but from my experience it looks like a home cannot expect to be self-sufficient energy wise without at least 6 Kw or solar panels, and youâre probably not 100% certain to be self sufficient till you get closer to 9 Kw. Nevertheless, a 6-7 Kw system is what most homeowners go for when installing solar panels, which is around 24-28 250 watt panels. If you arenât trying to be self-sufficient and just want a smaller system, you may go as low as 2 Kw (8 panels). Anything lower than that is probably not going to make much of a difference.
The âpayback periodâ for solar panels is how long the panels take to pay for themselves, via rebates, incentives, performance based solar credits, and most importantly through savings on energy bills. Current estimates in the state of New Mexico are between 10 to 10 and a half years, which is actually a pretty average length of time. Now keep in mind, most solar power systems are warrantied for 20-25 years depending on the company you use, and commercial solar panels are usually guaranteed by their manufacturer for 25 years. Basically, even if it does take you 10 years for your system to âpay itself offâ, thereâs a good chance your system will continue to function for at the very least another 10-15 years, meaning they are working to give you âfreeâ electricity for the remainder of their lives.
So in a state with place names like âTruth or Consequencesâ, âElephant Butteâ (heh) and âAngel Fireâ, you know youâre dealing with something unusual. So unusual, maybe visitors from another planet had to see it for themselves (or so the city of Roswell tells me). And one thing thatâs unusual about this place is that it gets more sunny days than Alaska and Washington combined (Seriously- New Mexico averages somewhere around 270 a year, Alaska around 100 and Washington around 160), and the fact is that you could make a lot worse decisions than going solar.