English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Русский
Español
简体中文
हिन्दी
日本語
Louisiana’s solar industry may not be as popular as its Cajun cuisine, but the state’s demand for solar is steadily rising. An increasing number of Louisiana residents are looking for trustworthy solar companies in the state. Based on our research, the best solar companies in Louisiana are SunPower, ADT Solar and Green Home Systems.
At the MarketWatch Guides Team, we selected three companies after extensive research, surveys and discussions with industry experts. We use a detailed methodology to rate and review each solar company in our guide.
What To Look for in a Solar Company
With numerous options and ever-evolving technology, choosing a solar company can be difficult. Below are a few factors to consider when choosing a solar energy company.
- Cost and financing: For most homeowners, cost is their primary concern. You should make sure that you are not paying much higher than the average cost of solar panels in Louisiana. At the same time, choosing a cheap system has its own risks, such as poor quality equipment or unimpressive warranties. If the upfront installation cost of a system seems too high, you can choose an installer that offers multiple payment options. Many companies offer leases for solar panels, power purchase agreements (PPA) and loans for their solar solutions.
- Trustworthiness: A solar power system is a complex arrangement of sophisticated components that is expected to last 25 or more years. Therefore, it is important that you choose a trustworthy installer — one who has the necessary licenses, decent experience and a good reputation.You can check if a solar company is trustworthy by checking its BBB ratings and customer reviews on several online platforms.
- Services offered: Solar panels are a great addition to your home, but they are just one of the many useful upgrades you can make. For example, you may want to explore services such as heat pumps or smart home upgrades. You might want to add accessories to your solar system, such as a battery backup system or an electric vehicle (EV) charger.
Most solar companies offer more than one service. You can narrow your search by looking for installers that offer the services you need.
Top 3 Solar Companies in Louisiana of 2023
After researching the costs, warranties, experience and other aspects of multiple solar companies in Louisiana, we think the following three are the best solar installers in the Pelican State.
Compare Louisiana Solar Companies
The average cost of going solar in Louisiana is $2.64 per watt. This is lower than the national average by about 20 cents per watt. A typical 6-kilowatt home solar system in Louisiana would thus cost over $15,000. The size of your system may vary depending on your energy needs.
*Note: Pricing data is based on responses to our March 2023 solar survey of 1,000 homeowners with 10 kilowatt (kW) solar systems. BBB ratings are accurate as of June 2023.
Our Recommendation
As Louisiana’s demand for solar energy grows, the number of installers in the state keeps rising. However, homeowners in Louisiana already have plenty of choices when it comes to solar companies. Homeowners looking for experienced installers can choose SunPower or ADT Solar, while those interested in solar shingles can opt for Green Home Systems.
Some other notable installers include South Coast Solar and Solar Alternatives. Before making a final decision, it is wise to request free quotes from multiple solar companies, which helps you figure out which installer provides the maximum value for your money.
Benefits of Going Solar in Louisiana
Louisiana residents can enjoy multiple benefits of going solar. Here are a few important ones.
- Electricity bill savings: When you generate your own clean energy using solar panels, you reduce your grid power consumption significantly, which reduces your monthly power bills. In many cases, solar panels are able to offset up to 100% of your grid power consumption, almost eliminating electricity expenses. Over its long lifespan, a solar panel system in Louisiana can save tens of thousands in utility bills.
- Protection against rising power costs: Throughout the world, the cost of electricity has been steadily climbing, and Louisiana is no exception. In fact, power prices in Louisiana increased for some customers last summer to help restore the grid damage from previous years’ extreme weather.
- Experts suggest that such price hikes are going to be more common in the future. Additionally, global events like pandemics or wars worsen the problem. Thankfully, solar panel owners can protect themselves against climbing power prices since most of their power comes from sunlight and has no cost.
- Positive environmental impact: Solar panels generate clean, renewable energy using photons in the sunlight and emit zero greenhouse gasses (GHG) in the process. On the other hand, fossil fuels, which make up most of the grid power, are known to emit thousands of tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals. Solar panels can therefore be an excellent tool in slowing down climate change by reducing GHG emissions.
- Security against power outages: Louisiana suffered from 64% more power outages in the past decade compared to 2000–2010. This makes Louisiana one of the top few states in the country in terms of frequency of blackouts.
- A home equipped with a solar panel and battery backup system is able to fight blackouts more easily. The battery storage can keep some or all appliances in the house running for a few hours to a few days.
- Increased home value: Several studies show that the sale price of a property goes up after installing a solar power system on it. Zillow, a real estate platform, reports that the average rise in a home’s value in the U.S. is 4.1%. Considering Louisiana’s average home price of $185,041, a 4.1% increase could mean an extra $7,586 on average.
Louisiana Solar Incentives
Louisiana does not have a long list of solar incentives and rebates. However, it does have a decent incentive program when you consider the federal tax credit, net metering and a loan program to help its residents go solar. Below is an overview of all the available incentives in Louisiana.
Federal Incentives
The federal solar tax credit is the most important incentive available to Louisiana homeowners. It offers solar buyers a tax credit equivalent to 30% of their system’s value. This credit can be applied to their income tax payments, effectively reducing the cost of a system by 30%. Considering the average system cost of $15,840, homeowners can save up to $4,752 with the solar ITC.
Statewide Incentives
Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Solar Companies
We closely evaluated seven crucial factors according to our solar panel installation company methodology to rank the best providers in the industry. Based on a 100-point scale, we came up with each provider’s score out of five stars. Here’s how we assessed each company:
- Cost and payment options (20 points): Companies that offer cash purchases and in-house loan financing earned full points in this category. Companies also receive bonus points if they offer solar panel leasing or power purchase agreements (PPAs).
- Services (20 points): Besides solar installations, companies offering backup battery and EV charger installations, energy efficiency audits and system monitoring earned the most points in this category. We also allotted points to companies that completed all their installations in-house (as opposed to contracting out installers).
- Reputation (20 points): We considered each company’s Google star rating, BBB customer review rating, BBB customer complaint response rate and NABCEP certification status to award each company its reputation score.
- Warranty (15 points): We verified that each company offers workmanship, product and performance warranties on all of its solar installs. Providers earned more points if their warranties were at or above the industry-standard length (10 years for workmanship and product warranties and 25 years for performance warranties).
- Customer Support (10 points): Solar companies that offered virtual consultations, a mobile app, 24/7 customer support and high customer satisfaction with backend support earned the most points in this category.
- Industry Experience (10 points): Providers with 10 or more years of experience in the solar installation industry earned a perfect score in this category.
- Sustainability (5 points): Companies with a detailed sustainability statement, ESG disclosures, end-of-life panel disposal programs and community partnerships earned all five points in this category.
Aniket Bhor is a solar engineer who has spent nearly a decade studying and working in the solar power sector in the European, Asian and North American markets. He is a climate enthusiast and avid cyclist, and he also loves to lose himself in books and cooking.
Sabrina Lopez is an editor with over six years of experience writing and editing digital content with a particular focus on home services, home products and personal finance. When she is not working on articles to help consumers make informed decisions, Sabrina enjoys creative writing and spending time with her family and their two parrots.
Read the full article here
