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{"id":1192,"date":"2022-06-23T20:54:49","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T20:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2022-06-23T20:54:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T20:54:50","slug":"hartford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/solar-installation\/hartford\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Panel Installation, Hartford, CT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who near Hartford can install solar panels?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you live here, you know that Connecticut is small. Like, really small. So if you\u2019re in Connecticut, you\u2019re never more than like 10 minutes from Hartford. Maybe a little further, but you get what I\u2019m saying. So if you\u2019re near Hartford and trying to have solar panels installed, the great news is that you don\u2019t have to limit your search to the greater Hartford area, as many solar installers are more than happy to come to you, sometimes even crossing state lines to get your business. So feel free to widen your search. For the purposes of this article however, we\u2019re going to focus just on the greater Hartford metroplex, if that term is really applicable in this situation. So below, here\u2019s just a handful of the many solar installers available to assist you in the Hartford area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company Eco Smart Home Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 105A Clark Dr, East Berlin, CT 06023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: 11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/www.ecosmartct.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 4.5 \/ 5 Facebook (10 reviews), 1 \/ 5 BBB (3 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Business Quote: \u201cSun on your roof means money in your pockets!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: CTEC Solar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 1 Griffin Rd S Ste 200, Bloomfield, CT 06002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: ctecsolar.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 5 \/ 5 Yelp (3 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Buildzoom (1 review), 3 \/ 5 Birdseye (14 reviews), 4 \/ 5 Facebook (21 reviews) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: Last Stop Solar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 71 Raymond Rd, West Hartford, CT 06107<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: Unclear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/www.laststopsolar.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 5 \/5 Facebook (15 reviews), <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: Premier Improvements Solar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: West Hartford, CT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: ?? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/www.premierimprovementsone.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 4.5 \/ 5 Solar Reviews,  5 \/ 5 Facebook (17 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Energy Sage (6 Reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: Solar City CT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 714 Brook St Ste 150, Rocky Hill, CT 06067<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: ??<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/energizect.com\/solar-city<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 4.3 \/ 5 Birdseye (8 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Angi (2 reviews), 4.5 \/ 5 Facebook (5 reviews), 1.25 \/ 5 Better Business Bureau (250 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: Earthlight Technologies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 92 West Rd, Ellington, CT 06029<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/www.earthlighttech.com\/testimonials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 4.2 \/ 5 SolarReviews (19 reviews), BBB 5 \/ 5 (2 reviews), 4.5 \/ 5 SunSolarCompany (79 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Facebook (20 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Company: SAVKAT Solar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: 36 Triano Dr, Southington, CT 06489<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years in Business: Unclear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website:  https:\/\/savkat.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews: 4.5 \/ 5 Facebook (6 reviews), 4.7 \/ 5 SolarReviews (37 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Energysage (1 review)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to expect #1: How much do solar panels cost in Connecticut? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get upset, but solar panels are expensive. You might know this already, but just to give you sort of an idea of what you\u2019re looking at, let\u2019s just take a look at how much solar panels cost by themselves. Connecticut actually has some of the cheapest solar panels available in the U.S. at only $2.28 per watt (most solar panels come in 250 watt sizes). An average solar power system is going to be somewhere between 20 and 28 panels, which means your cost for solar panels could be as little as $11,400. That is, of course, just the cost of the panels themselves, not the installation and so forth. So this is going to be expensive, but ultimately worth it as you\u2019ll see further on in this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to expect #2: What are the benefits of going solar?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state of Connecticut does not have the most incentives in place for going solar, but it doesn\u2019t have the least either. Let\u2019s check out a few of the little benefits you\u2019ll want to know about before making your decision-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The Connecticut Green Bank Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP) <\/strong>allows a homeowner to be compensated up to 42 cents per watt of solar power installed. And yes, I know, big deal, 42 cents. But think about it like this- to be a fully self-sufficient solar panel system, you\u2019re going to need between 20,000 and 28,000 watts of solar power. And what is 20,000 * .42? I\u2019ll let you math majors in the audience work it out, but this one is a major bonus. Basically 42% of your cost is eligible to be rebated to you. See ctgreenbank.com\/rsip-resources\/ for more info. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    1. Your home\u2019s value will increase by at least $10,000 to $20,000 <\/strong>with the addition of solar panels. There are a lot of different things that will affect this number, and a realtor can better explain the ins and outs to you. The size of your home, size of your solar energy system, etc will all affect this number, but either way, the value of your home will increase with the addition of solar panels, plus you can expect your home to sell faster if it is put on the market. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. The federal investment tax credit<\/strong> makes every American tax payer eligible to claim 26% of the cost of their solar installation as a credit toward your federal income tax liability, which is a big bonus in and of itself. Again, consider that you\u2019re likely going to end up on the hook for $16,000-$20,000 for this project, and this credit gives you back a quarter of that. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        1. In the state of Connecticut you have a property tax exemption<\/strong> that prohibits your property value from being reassessed due to the addition of solar panels. In other words, the value of your property will go up, but the taxes you pay on it will not. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          1. You also have a sales tax exemption<\/strong> in Connecticut, making you exempt from paying any state sales taxes on solar products or installations, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars on the cost of an installation. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            1. The payback period <\/strong>for solar panels in Connecticut is only 9 years- This means that after only 9 short years, your solar panels will have earned back all the money you spent on them, and from there on out will actually be making <\/em>you money, in the form of free electricity and energy credits on future electric bills. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Things to Expect #3: Researching your solar company<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              So I\u2019ve pointed out a lot of solar companies to you up above, and you might have found some more on your own, but how do we know which company to go with? You probably already have some ideas about this, but here\u2019s a few things you might want to pay attention to especially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1) How many years have they been in the solar industry? By no means should you ignore a company just because they\u2019re new, but older companies very often come with that little bit of extra peace of mind you get from knowing they\u2019ve been around long enough and seen enough that there\u2019s a good chance they can handle anything that might come up during your installation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2) Types of panels: If you\u2019re like most people, you\u2019re not really worried about what kinds of panels they\u2019re using in your installation. However, some people have strong opinions on what kinds of panels or what brands of panels they want used, and if that describes you, it would be wise to tell your solar installer up front before you go too far with the process, because some installers simply don\u2019t use certain kinds of panels. So if you\u2019re unwilling to bend on your choice of panels, make sure your installer knows this up front. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              3) Solar panels cost money. A lot of money. And most installers will want to be paid for them up front. So unless you\u2019re sitting on $20,000 in cash, it wouldn\u2019t hurt you one little bit to plan ahead when dealing with your solar installer. A few companies have payment plans and in-house financing, but a lot of companies don\u2019t. And either way, those panels are going to have to get paid for, so you better make sure you know what you\u2019re going to have to do when the time comes to pay the piper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              4) Yes, every company will claim they offer a warranty, but how good is it really? Is there going to be a service charge every time you call them out? And rest assured, you will call them out. Are they going to work with the manufacturer to replace defective parts or is that going to be left up to you? Suffice it to say, not every warranty is a good one, so make sure you know what you\u2019re buying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              5) Read the reviews. Simply put, probably the most important indicator of how good a job a company really does is what people say about them. There\u2019s always going to be a few sour grapes out there, but for the most part you can assume if the majority of a company\u2019s reviews are good, they probably do a good job. If there\u2019s a whole lot of bad reviews out there, chances are they might be more trouble than they\u2019re worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Things to Expect #4: How much solar power does my home need? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              This is another good question to go over with your solar installer; By examining your past bills, they can give you an accurate idea of how many solar panels you\u2019re going to need. Generally speaking however, the average home will need 20 to 30 solar panels to be completely self-sufficient. And while it won\u2019t hurt at all to have more solar panels than you need, keep in mind you will have to pay for them whether you need them or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Things to Expect #5: How long do solar panels last?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Solar panels generally come from the manufacturer with a 20-25 year warranty, and most every solar installer offers a similar warranty on their work. To this end, it is generally fair to assume your solar panels will last at least that long. The fact is, solar panels usually last 25 or more years, and can function at a diminished capacity for much longer. So your solar panels are a big investment, but they\u2019re going to be with you for a long, long time, much longer than most people keep similarly priced investments, like, say, a car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Things to Expect #6: How will weather affect my solar panels?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              So some may scoff at the idea of solar panels in Connecticut. Afterall, don\u2019t you need a warm and sunny environment for solar panels to work? Well, the thing is, solar panels actually will work as long as they\u2019re getting *any* amount of sunlight, and higher temperature doesn\u2019t always mean better solar production. And the state of Connecticut averages over 200 \u201csunny\u201d days per year, which is actually quite on par with a number of states further south. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to weather and solar panels: <\/p>\n\n\n\n