Solar Quotes For USA Households And Businesses
Here at SolarQuotes, we welcome many website visitors from the USA who make use of our helpful guides on going solar. But when it comes to arranging quotes, we focus on Australia.
However, our friends across the pond at SolarReviews.com are entirely focused on the USA; so that’s good news for you. They provide valuable US-centric information and quotes from some of the USA’s best installers.
Coming from a wide range of relevant backgrounds including electrical engineering, solar design and installation, the SolarReviews team really know their stuff. And as with SolarQuotes, if you decide to seek quotes through their service, they’ll only connect you with pre-screened solar installers in the USA they know and trust.
Note: In the interests of total transparency, if you submit for quotes via SolarReviews after clicking a link or banner on this page, they’ll sling some greenbacks our way. We’ll convert these US dollars to Australian dollarydoos to upgrade our website and buy the odd beer.
While you’re here, there are several questions we are often asked about going solar in the USA – perhaps you might be interested in an Aussie perspective.
Why Is Home Solar More Expensive In The USA?
Australia’s not called the Lucky Country for nothing! If you’ve been reading over our guides, you’ve probably seen system pricing that appears quite cheap compared to installation costs in the USA.
That’s largely due to home solar power being well-supported by our Federal Government for many years via subsidy programs that significantly reduce the up-front cost of installing a system. This support accelerated uptake, and along with hardware cost reductions, less red tape and refined installation efficiencies, put further downward pressure on system prices.
What Solar Incentives Are Available In The US?
There is government support at a federal level for installing solar panels in the USA. It just operates differently to Australia.
The most important mechanism supporting deployment is the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). This was to drop to 22 percent in 2023, but thanks to President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners who install eligible solar energy systems will receive a tax credit of 30% on their federal income taxes. The ITC for solar power will be at this level through to the end of 2032.
In some US states, owners may also be eligible for a feed-in tariff, which is a payment for surplus electricity generated by a system that is exported to the grid. A variation on this is net-metering, where system owners can earn credit for surplus electricity production to offset their mains grid consumption costs.
Another incentive available in certain states are Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs). Eligible system owners earn one SREC for every megawatt-hour of solar electricity generated, and these certificates can then be sold.
Is Going Solar Right Now Worth It In The USA?
An important point we make to Australian households and businesses considering holding off on an installation for whatever reason also applies in the USA:
The longer you wait to install panels, the longer you are locked into electricity bills higher than they would otherwise be.
In a nutshell, the best time to go solar – whether it’s in Australia or the USA – is usually right now! So, get cracking on cranking clean electricity from your rooftop and get a quote:
Trivia: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 6.4 GW (gigawatts) of rooftop and other small-scale solar power capacity was installed across the USA last year – 1 GW more than in 2021, and 2 GW more than in 2020.
Exciting times ahead for solar power in the US!