With several city specific incentives and rebates, and over 300 days of sunshine every year, Austin is a great city for solar energy. Austin, Texas, is a fantastic place to go solar. Here are our top choices for the best solar installers operating in the Texas Capitol.
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How we select the best solar companies in Austin, TX
- Installer holds valid Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor licenses in the State of Texas and who have no violations linked with those licenses.
- Company has at least one NABCEP certified PV Installation Professional (PVIP) on their team, not just PV Technical Sales Professionals (PVTS)
- Extensive experience
- Workers compensation insurance and general liability insurance
- Check for BBB complaints or state consumer protection office for complaints
- Panel warranties of at least 20 years and, ideally, workmanship warranties to match.
As far as possible, we also check for any active or previous legal claims against the companies and strongly favor those that have never had a customer make a legal claim against them.
We also look for signs that the company is a good employer that treats its staff well. After all, a happy team usually means they’re not putting out fires every day and typically deal with satisfied customers!
NB: The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a global certification company that offers several levels of assurance that a solar installer is up to the task. The PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Board Certification is the gold standard for PV professionals. This Board Certification is a good sign that a solar installer is competent at PV design, installation, operations, commissioning and maintenance.
The Best Solar Installers in Austin, TX: Our Top Picks
Freedom Solar Power
Highlights: Freedom Solar operates in Austin, TX, and is a national installer working with SunPower. The company is our top pick for solar installers in Austin and a top choice in many other places in the U.S.
Josh Meade, Adrian Buck, Chadwyck Preece, Nicole Lyons, Ben Flynn, and Gordon Gunn are all listed as NABCEP Certified PVIPs for Freedom Solar in Austin, TX. This makes Freedom Solar the solar installer with the greatest depth of PVIP talent serving the city of Austin.
Because Freedom Solar works with SunPower, it offers the highest efficiency solar panels for home solar installations. SunPower also boasts Cradle to Cradle sustainability certification and excellent warranties. Sure, the panels are a bit pricier, but the higher electricity production soon pays for itself in most installations.
Other things we love about Freedom Solar include the company’s ability to maintain and service existing systems it didn’t install. This is a great sign that the company’s PVIPs really know solar technology and are eager to help more people gain and maintain access to solar power.
Freedom Solar has talented in-house crews and well-organized city and regional offices. This all translates to efficient, friendly, locally knowledgeable customer service and timely responses with excellent project management. These guys are in a great position to help Austin residents access utility, city, state, and federal rebates and incentives and to handle any homeowner association and permitting problems.
Customers report seamless installations and friendly responsive aftercare if issues do arise with installs. Freedom Solar also offers the most comprehensive 25-year warranty of any installer I’ve seen. This includes workmanship and production guarantees.
The company is a Tesla PowerWall certified installer and offers other battery options. Freedom Solar also offers online monitoring and can retrofit old solar energy systems to include monitoring.
The only downside to Freedom Solar is that it might be a bit pricier than competitors because it focuses on the highest efficiency SunPower modules (which work out more cost effective over time). If you’re looking for a lower-cost solar installation and don’t mind a little less efficiency, a smaller local outfit that isn’t a Master Dealer for SunPower might be more up your alley.
- NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professionals (PVIP)
- NABCEP Certified PV Technical Salesmen (PVTS)
- Texas Licensed Master Electricians (ME)
- Texas Licensed Electrical Contractors (EC)
- Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer
- SunPower Master Dealer.
HE Solar LLC
Highlights: HE Solar LLC operates out of Buda, TX, and is ready and able to install residential solar in Austin. This family company boasts not one, not two, but three Electrical Engineers! The two brothers and their dad are a hit with customers, with zero BBB complaints, a stack of consistently glowing reviews across all major review sites, and Derrick Hoffman holds a valid PVIP certification from the NABCEP. And, as with all our picks, there is a current, valid Electrical Contractor license for the State of Texas and no violation reports or lawsuits against this company.
HE Solar only operates in Texas currently, but that’s enough to keep the Hoffman Brothers (Eric and Derrick!) busy enough. The family affair means you’ll have a Master Electrician and NABCEP Certified PVIP designing and installing your solar array.
The brothers deal directly with customers, from sales to installation, to aftercare and warranty claims. Their expertise means your solar installation is much more likely to go smoothly and look amazing. The brothers have a reputation for seamless work with hidden conduits and a pleasing final appearance. And, importantly, their systems work!
HE Solar favors Enphase Microinverters, which means you can monitor each module’s individual energy output. This helps identify any problems fast and facilitates easier solutions. The company offers a 25-year workmanship warranty, and has general liability and auto and workers comp insurance.
- NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional (PVIP)
- NABCEP Certified PV Technical Salesmen (PVTS)
- Texas Licensed Master Electricians (ME)
- Texas Licensed Electrical Contractors (EC)
- Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer
- Panasonic Solar Authorized Installer.
Solar CenTex
Highlights: Solar CenTex is a veteran owned and operated solar installer based in Harker Heights. The company also installs residential solar in Austin, TX, and has been in business since 2012, gathering hundreds of consistently favorable reviews along the way.
The company’s lead PVIP (and PVTP) is Howard (‘Scot’) Arey. Based in Harker Heights, TX, Arey is a veteran and former board director and chairman of the Texas Solar Energy Society, where he advocated for programs and policies to support solar adoption in Texas.
Solar CenTex invested in training out-of-work veterans several years ago through a partnership with a local college. Many of these trainees are now senior technicians or employees at the company.
The Master Electrician at Solar CenTex, Scott Shumate, has more than 27 years of experience in that role in Texas. Their installation crew also has at least five years of experience installing residential solar, backed by an experienced project manager.
Solar CenTex offers flexible solutions for going solar at home, including traditional rooftop arrays, solar pergolas, and prefabricated (in-house!) solar carport structures to maximize panel coverage and make the most of your property’s sun exposure.
As for equipment, Solar CenTex works with Enphase inverters with a 12-20-year warranty. Solar CenTex uses SolarEdge DC optimizers attached to each panel, helping to increase peak efficiency, improve shade tolerance, and allow for monitoring of individual panel power output. The optimizers come with a 25-year warranty.
Solar SenTex carries General Contractors’ Liability insurance and is an authorized provider for the Oncor Solar Incentive Program, meaning the company carries worker’s compensation insurance.
Like Freedom Solar, Solar CenTex offers maintenance and repair services for existing systems installed by other companies. They also do removal and reinstallations and offer home solar inspections for when you’re buying or selling a property with solar already installed. Again, this demonstrates the technicians’ know-how and the company’s overall capabilities and passion for helping folks enjoy clean energy production at home.
Customers especially seem happy with Solar CenTex’s Director of Sales, Sabrina Arnold, with nothing but glowing reviews of her professionalism, knowledge, patience, follow-up care, and project management expertise. The company operates a customer self-service online portal where you can easily track service requests.
As a veteran-owned and operated business, Solar CenTex is also happy to help customers who are veterans to access a Texas Veterans Land Board home efficiency improvement loan with generous loan conditions.
- NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional (PVIP)
- NABCEP Certified PV Technical Salesmen (PVTS)
- Texas Licensed Master Electricians (ME)
- Texas Licensed Electrical Contractors (EC)
Sunshine Renewable Solutions
Highlights: Sunshine Renewable Solutions (SRS) is based in Houston, TX, but also serves customers in Austin, El Paso, San Antonio, and Dallas/Forth Worth. The solar installer has been in business for five years and BBB accredited since 2020 with an A+ rating. SRS is a smaller outfit but has already garnered dozens of happy customers and excellent reviews.
The company’s website is a bit outdated but Jeff Shed, a Master Electrician and NABCEP Certified PVIP, confirmed through email that SRS has general liability insurance, workers comp, and auto insurance. SRS offers a range of premium solar panels, inverters, and battery storage options, including some of our top picks for solar modules from Silfab, QCells, and Panasonic, and SolarEdge and Enphase inverters. They can also install Tesla Powerwall battery storage, as well as SolarEdge, Enphase, Generac, and others.
SRS has partnered with Sungage Financial, Dividend, Sunlight Financial and LoanPal to offer customers solar loans. The company also offers a workmanship warranty that covers installation-related issues for 10 years from installation.
- NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional (PVIP)
- Texas Licensed Master Electricians (ME)
- Texas Licensed Electrical Contractors (EC)
- Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer
- Panasonic Solar Authorized Installer
American Sentry Solar / American Design & Build
Highlights: American Sentry Solar (which I’ll shorten to ASS, sorry guys!) is an off-shoot of the bigger company American Design and Build, based in Maryland. The solar arm of the business is well established as a solar installer in Austin, TX, with Jonathan D’Antonio listed as the PVIP for the company in San Antonio, TX, home to the company’s headquarters for solar. The company’s PVTP, Gailan Wensil-Strow, is based in Baltimore, MD.
ADB has been in business for nearly 30 years and offers replacement doors, replacement windows, siding, roofs, and, more recently, solar installation. ADB is A+ BBB Accredited and has a staff of experienced electricians, roofers, and solar panel installers. These folks can all work together, making for a seamless all-in-one project if you’re installing a new roof plus solar, or removing and repairing or replacing a roof and then reinstalling solar.
ASS doesn’t quite get 5 leaves because it has limited choice for panels and inverters. In fact, the company only uses QCell solar panels and Enphase Encharge 10 battery storage (it’s the only Enphase Platinum Installer in the area, according to the website). ASS offers a free, no obligation, site assessment from a solar specialist who can offer guidance on whether solar will work for your family.
As a nice touch, the company established a Small Business Recognition program in 2020 where homeowners who had installed solar could nominate a local business to receive a $1,000 donation from ASS. The company granted more than $100,000 in donations to support struggling small business during the height of the CoVID-19 pandemic.
If you go with ASS and are happy with your installation, refer a friend to earn a reward of $1,000 if they also buy a system.
- NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional (PVIP)
- NABCEP Certified PV Technical Salesmen (PVTS)
- Texas Licensed Master Electricians (ME)
- Texas Licensed Electrical Contractors (EC)
Austin Solar Company FAQ
Austin is a leading light in the state of Texas, with a smorgasbord of solar companies to choose from. Now you’ve seen our choices for the top 5 solar installers for Austin, TX, you’re in a great position to start making some calls to get some bids to compare. To close out the piece, I will delve into some frequently asked questions about solar in Austin.
Yes, Austin residents can claim Texas solar incentives. It’s worth noting that the State of Texas offers a statewide property tax exemption for residential solar installations, and Austin residents can take advantage. This means you won’t pay extra taxes when the value of your property increases after adding solar capacity. This is a major advantage for Austin homeowners who pay very high property tax bills.
Note, too, that Texas has a deregulated energy market. This means that many residents thinking of going solar in Texas can shop around for a utility provider, based on which one offers the best incentives for Austin home solar customers.
Yes, residents of Austin are eligible for state, local, and federal solar tax incentives.
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