They will let you know how to apply for the programs that will save you thousands on your install.
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are the benefits of going solar? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Almost every state has some form of tax rebates or incentives to encourage the use of alternative or renewable energy resources, and Washington is no exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- State Net Metering Laws- Net metering laws are what makes it easier, faster and cheaper to connect your solar energy system to the grid. More explanation on what net metering is further on in the article, but suffice it to say that Florida has net metering laws, which is a good thing for any solar system owner. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Statewide Interconnection Standards- When doing your solar installation, you’re going to want statewide interconnection standards, which will make it easer and faster for your solar company to connect your system to the grid. Luckily, the state of Florida has them. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Performance Based Incentives- These incentive payments are based on the power your system actually produces and feeds back into the grid. The more energy you produce and feed back in, the more credits you will get and therefore the more “free” electricity you will get in the future. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- State Rebates- Though the state of Washington does not offer a rebate, if you happen to live in an area served by Snohomish County PUD, you are eligible for an offer from them. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- State Sales Tax Exemption- Solar equipment is exempt from state sales taxes in Washington on any system up to 100 kilowatts (and you unless you\u2019re running a solar farm, you won\u2019t need that much), potentially saving you thousands on the installation of a system. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- 26% Federal Tax Credit- When you install a solar power system, you are eligible to claim up to 26% of the cost as a credit on your federal income taxes- a potential savings of thousands of dollars!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How much will the addition of solar panels increase my home\u2019s value?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As a general rule, solar panels tend to increase resale value of homes by something like 4%, so you\u2019re looking at anywhere from a $8-15,000 increase in home value for an average house. And again, this varies based on a multitude of factors- everything from home size to electric prices in state to the size of the system. Another way of looking at how much resale value increases is by number of watts- and in Washington state it looks like resale increases by about 4 dollars per watt. An average sized system is usually between 5 and 6 kilowatts, though again this can fluctuate based on a variety of factors. Using 5-6 kilowatts just as a baseline however, you\u2019re looking at something more like a $20-24,000 increase in value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What is the \u201cPayback\u201d period for Solar Panels in the state of Washington?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your solar panels will eventually “pay” for themselves through a lot of means- rebates, savings on electricity, performance based incentives, etc. Currently estimates vary wildly in the state of Washington, largely based on the cost of living in different parts of the state. In rural parts of Washington, in the eastern part of the state especially, your system may for itself in as few as 4-5 years, as installation and maintenance costs will generally be lower. In the western part of the state however, you may be looking at drastically longer \u201cpayback\u201d periods, possibly as long as 14 years. Though that may seem like a wild variation and may deter some from investing in solar energy, consider that the average life of most solar panels is around 25 years. So even if your system takes 14 years to pay for itself, you\u2019re still looking at a possibility of 11 years of \u201cfree\u201d electricity, which is potentially thousands of dollars in savings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Call (844) 518-0958 To Reach our Recommended Solar Panel Installer In Washington State! <\/strong>
They will let you know how to apply for the programs that will save you thousands on your install.
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow do I get solar panels installed in Washington? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So the good news is that if we\u2019re talking about Washington on a state-wide level, there\u2019s plenty of solar installers to choose from. The bad news of course is that the majority are going to be along the coast. However there are still some options available in other parts of the state. So in this review, we\u2019re going to try to focus on a few companies in different parts of the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Company Name: Northwest Electric and Solar
Address: 118001 73rd Ave NE, Kenmore, WA 98028<\/p>\n\n\n\nYears in Business: 9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website: https:\/\/www.nwsolar.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviews: Five stars on facebook (24 reviews), 4 \/ 5 Yelp (40 reviews), 4.7 Angi (789 reviews), <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good: Good reviews across multiple platforms, no complaints on Better Business Bureau website, lots of information on website
The Bad: No reviews from Better Business Bureau website, which is a little odd. Website is kind of cluttered. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSummary: Looks like a company that has done a lot of business in a short time (9 years in business), and has zero visible complaints registered against them on the Better Business Bureau website, which is very encouraging. Their website has a TON of information, including reasons why solar energy in Washington might actually be more efficient than in a much sunnier place like Arizona. So if you\u2019re in the area of Kenmore, this might be a company worth looking into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Company Name: Greenlight Solar
Address: 6115 E 18th St, Vancouver, WA 98661<\/p>\n\n\n\nYears in Business: 6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website: greenlight-solar.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviews: Five stars on facebook (59 reviews), 4 \/ 5 Yelp (13 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good: They have an exceptional number of good reviews across a number of platforms, nice looking website
The Bad: 3 complaints showing on the Better Business Bureau website in only 6 years of business isn\u2019t especially good or bad, but it\u2019s worth looking into. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSummary: Greenlight looks to be another business that has mostly done a good job and served a number of customers in their 6 years in business. They have a few complaints on the Better Business Bureau site, but none appear particularly egregious (to see them for yourself, visit https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/us\/wa\/vancouver\/profile\/solar-energy-equipment-dealers\/greenlight-solar-llc-1296-90004052\/complaints). Their website has a ton of information to look into, and this company seems overall to be reputable and definitely worth looking at for your solar needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Company Name: Northwest Renewables<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Address: 2613 W 8th Ave, Spokane, WA 99224<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years in Business: 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website: https:\/\/northwestrenewables.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviews: Five stars on facebook (21 reviews), 4 \/ 5 Yelp (13 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good: Nice looking website that gives a ton of detail on what they do, how they do it and what to expect from a solar energy system.
The Bad: No negatives to report! <\/p>\n\n\n\nSummary: This company, founded by Gavin Tenold and Harlan Heise in 2016, is one of the premeir companies in north central and northeast Washington. They have no complaints against them on the better business bureau website, and their website has a lot of good information about the jobs they’ve completed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Company Name: Allcities Solar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Address: 2008 S 1st St, Yakima, WA 98903<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years in Business: 42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website: allcities.solar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviews: Five stars on facebook (21 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Angi (5 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good: Apparently in business for a shockingly long time (42 years according to the BBB), with no reviews or complaints showing on the BBB website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bad: A strange lack of internet presence in terms of reviews or general talk about them for a business that has been in business as long as they have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary: AllCities began as a satellite and cable company that evolved over the course of time into managing various energy projects including solar by the mid 80s. They offer most of the standard services that all solar companies do, including free energy need assessments and quotes. What I really like about this company is that they seem to have been on the job longer than I\u2019ve been alive and I see zero hate directed toward them on the internet. That alone earns them a recommendation in my book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Company Name: Western Solar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Address: 4041 Home Rd Ste A Bellingham, WA 98226<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years in Business: 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website: westernsolarinc.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviews: Five stars on facebook (3 reviews), 4.7 GuildQuality (16 reviews), 5 \/ 5 Birdseye (52 reviews)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good: 27 years in business is never a bad thing. Their website looks modern and is well organized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bad: Nothing bad to report! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary: Another very long lived and solid looking company, Western Solar\u2019s website is very informative and well designed. The company has no complaints on the BBB website and overall solid reviews all over the internet. Side note: Interestingly, it seems like the longest-lived companies tend to not have complaints about them filed with the BBB. Funny how that works. Anyway, this company appears to be another fine one to work with, so if you\u2019re in the northwestern part of Washington, this company is definitely worth checking out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final Word:<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So the best news here is that even in a state like Washington where you can expect more cloudy days than sunny ones, Solar is still a very viable option. You have to remember, all the solar panels have to have is sunlight and cloud cover don\u2019t really matter that much. In fact, lower temperatures allow solar panels (and all electronics) to work more efficiently. And judging by the reviews we found while writing this article, there are reputable companies to deal with in most every part of the state (though most do seem to be along the coast). So overall, solar is absolutely a good route to go in the Evergreen State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How Much do Solar Panels Cost in WA? So first things first- how much is this gonna run me? The average cost to install a solar panel system in the state of Washington is going to be somewhere between $11,000 for a basic system and $20,000 on the upper end, or $2.50 – $3.05 per… Continue reading Cost of Solar Panels in Washington State<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar-installation","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1055,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions\/1055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wgsi.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- 26% Federal Tax Credit- When you install a solar power system, you are eligible to claim up to 26% of the cost as a credit on your federal income taxes- a potential savings of thousands of dollars!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- State Sales Tax Exemption- Solar equipment is exempt from state sales taxes in Washington on any system up to 100 kilowatts (and you unless you\u2019re running a solar farm, you won\u2019t need that much), potentially saving you thousands on the installation of a system. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- State Rebates- Though the state of Washington does not offer a rebate, if you happen to live in an area served by Snohomish County PUD, you are eligible for an offer from them. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Performance Based Incentives- These incentive payments are based on the power your system actually produces and feeds back into the grid. The more energy you produce and feed back in, the more credits you will get and therefore the more “free” electricity you will get in the future. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Statewide Interconnection Standards- When doing your solar installation, you’re going to want statewide interconnection standards, which will make it easer and faster for your solar company to connect your system to the grid. Luckily, the state of Florida has them. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n