Dallas, being one of the sunniest places in the country, is a perfect location for rooftop solar arrays. With its low-cost solar panels, professional solar companies, favorable weather, and legal policies, going solar is as profitable as it is effortless here!
In this article, we will take you through everything you need to know about solar panels in Dallas and the top Dallas solar companies that can help you install them.
This article will cover
- Dallas Solar Panel Installation Costs
- Incentives, Tax Credits & Rebates For Dallas Solar Panels
- The technicalities
- Top 7 Solar Companies in Dallas
Dallas Solar Panel Installation Costs
Solar panels are priced at an average of $2.70 per watt in Dallas currently. The average gross cost of a solar installation for a 5kW system is about $12,780, but over $3800 of this amount can be claimed back into your pockets through Investment Tax Credit.
The amount you spend on installation might seem like a big investment at first but it is a very small price to pay for the savings you make by using solar energy to power your house. You pay an average of $0.13 for every kWh of electricity that you use in Dallas. Most people live under the misconception that alternative sources of energy are far more costly. However, that isn’t true!
Your solar power system generates over 8000 kWh of electricity every year, which means you save nearly $39,000 over a period of 25 years. And of course, with rising electricity rates, your savings will only keep going higher.
Dallas Solar System Costs | |
System Size | Avg System Cost |
3 kW | $8,250 |
4 kW | $11,050 |
5 kW | $12,780 |
6 kW | $15,980 |
7 kW | $18,750 |
8 kW | $21,450 |
9 kW | $25,100 |
10 kW | $26,980 |
What if I can’t pay that much upfront?
In order to avoid interest, paying for your installation with your own cash would be great. However, if you can’t, you can always take solar loans, solar leases, or get yourself a private installer. About 40% of residential systems make use of third-party ownership. In this case, operation and maintenance costs will also be taken care of by them.
Under a solar power purchase agreement, as you don’t own the system yourself, you will not be able to benefit from tax credits. You will pay on a per kWh basis for the electricity that is generated. However, this amount is always lower than the local electricity rate, so you will save money from day one. Alba Energy is an example of a company that offers PPAs in Dallas.
Incentives, Tax Credits & Rebates For Dallas Solar Panels
The state of Texas already ranks first in wind power capacity in the US and aims to be the second in solar PV capacity after California. To encourage residential and commercial solar installation, Dallas provides several incentives to customers.
Federal Tax Credit
The federal tax credit on solar installations has no cap, and allows you to claim 30% of the installation cost for several renewable energy projects. However, this number reduces every year and federal tax credit may not apply after 2035.
Dallas Solar System Costs(after 30% ITC) | |
System Size | Avg System Cost |
3 kW | $5,775 |
4 kW | $7,735 |
5 kW | $8,946 |
6 kW | $11,186 |
7 kW | $13,125 |
8 kW | $15,015 |
9 kW | $17,570 |
10 kW | $18,886 |
Property Tax exemption
The laws of Texas allow a property tax exemption, which means that the increase in your property value due to the presence of solar panels (which is usually +4.25%) will not be taxable!
Net Metering
Net Metering is not mandatory in Texas but utilities that handle transmission and distribution of power in Dallas offer net metering to those who want to benefit from them. Using this feature, you can send the surplus power generated by your solar panels to the grid every day to offset your next electricity bill.
Buyback programs
In places like Austin and San Antonio, the rules are common for all, but in Dallas, you get to choose your electricity provider. These providers can either pay you the retail price per surplus kWh or only the generation cost. Moreover, if your solar energy system generates more energy than you consume in a month including day and night, you might even get paid for the additional energy.
However, these buyback plans can have a volatile payout structure; some months they may pay more, and others less. If you have reservations about this, you can even get yourself a battery to store your surplus energy. You might want to either use it for your own house later on. Some customers even send it back to the grid during the months when the payouts are higher!
The technicalities
According to ClimaTemps, Dallas gets an average of 2900 hours of sunshine every year. July, being the sunniest, gets nearly 350 sunhours and December gets a little under 200. The daily average is nearly 8 hours! This makes Dallas a great place for the installation of solar panels.
The first thing on your to-do list is a calculation of the power requirement for your house or workplace. Then, figure out how much space on your roof or backyard you can spare for setting up your system. Look out for any shadows that might hinder the reach of sunlight. Once you have the wattage and area chalked out, you can calculate the wattage of the panels you will need to power your house.
Since the angle at which the panels are placed affects the amount of sunlight that they can absorb, it is important to tilt them accurately. To get optimum values of power production from a solar energy system in the US, the roof must be south-facing and the panels should have a tilt angle close to the latitude of the place.
In Dallas, if your panels are going to be fixed, you must tilt them at 28°. If you’re open to switching it up once a year, you can ensure a 9.5° tilt in summer and 47.9° in winter. The best option would be to change them every season if you have the means. In this case, you would keep a 5.9° in summer, 53.2° in winter, and 29.8° during autumn and spring. Learn more about solar panel angles.
The weather conditions throughout the year should be taken into account when you are buying your solar panels. Only the right hardware can sustain most storms and give you profits for many years. Glass PV panels can withstand hailstorms, but are likely to be damaged while shipping or installation. Do some due diligence to check if your panels are tested against wind and hail.
A Dallas tornado at full power can damage any kind of system, though. You need to ensure that your solar energy system has insurance that covers wind damage to your panels.
Top 7 Solar Companies in Dallas
Here are some top Dallas Solar Companies to help you get started! Click on their names to view their location.
1. Sunshine Renewable Solutions
They are quick, not only to make quotations and installations but also to fix errors. Amazing customer service and they continue to loyally answer queries even after the installation. They go beyond their hours to ensure the customer is best attended to. One customer was overjoyed that one of the employees visited their house on a weekend trip.
Location: 2631 Lakeforest Ct, Dallas, TX 75214
Phone: 832-280-8838
2. Good Faith Energy
Tesla certified installers. The highly experienced engineers at Good Faith Energy will design a custom solar system tailored to the needs of your home or business, maximizing your profits. One customer praises their honesty, as they provided an alternative no-cost approach to something that would have otherwise ensured an expensive contract with the solar company.
Location: 13720 Diplomat Dr, Farmers Branch, TX 75234
Phone: 469-209-5910
3. Diversified Solar solutions
As their name suggests, they provide a wide range of solar solutions like system design, permissions, procurement of solar, installation, monitoring, grid coordination, rebate assistance, and ongoing service and support.
Location: 2414 Arbuckle Ct, Dallas, TX 75229
Phone: 214-350-5095
4. Freedom Solar
Freedom Solar gives you exactly what its name promises: freedom. They take care of everything including your communicating with the homeowner’s association, arranging for a loan and following up after your installation. They present all the options, don’t push you on anything, and keep the whole process transparent.
Location: 3070 Story Rd W, Irving, TX 75038
Phone: 972-441-8230
5. Sunpro Solar
They’re super quick! They take a little over a week to get all the necessary permissions and finish the installation, explaining every step along the way. Their hard work and dedication even during the pandemic can’t seem to get enough praise.
Location: 2035 Royal Ln # 205, Dallas, TX 75229
Phone: 866-450-1012
6. Circle L Solar
They are very professional from start to finish. They walk you through the entire process and readily answer queries. They provide excellent post-installation monitoring and support and go a long way to keep all their promises. One customer was overjoyed that they installed extra panels at no cost when it was observed that their initial approximation didn’t meet their power requirement.
Location: 3914 Sandshell Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76137
Phone: 817-945-2011
7. Kosmos Solar
Kosmos set out to bridge the gap between the needs of consumers and what installers were offering. Keeping customer satisfaction as their top priority, they have climbed up the ladder in solar installation services rather quickly. They’re extremely cautious and don’t even leave a single wire showing anywhere.
Location: 1320 Post & Paddock St #500, Grand Prairie, TX 75050
Phone: 817-769-7802
The End
With every solar panel that gets added to your roof, you reduce the amount of pollution caused by fossil fuels. By going solar, you make your planet a cleaner and greener place and if anything, you only save money in the process!
Whether you can afford it all in one go or need the help of investors and loans, when you look back in a few years, installing a solar energy system will benefit your wallet.