New Hampshire residents face a few of the highest electrical energy payments within the US. The Granite State noticed the very best year-over-year enhance in electricity rates in June 2023, leaping by greater than 30%. To recoup a few of these rising prices, it is value exploring whether or not putting in solar panels on your home is the precise plan of action for you.
New Hampshirites have entry to incentives on the state and federal degree that make going photo voltaic extra enticing. The federal Inflation Reduction Act bolsters key federal tax credits and rebates that decrease the upfront cost of photo voltaic set up. The residential clear vitality credit score supplies a 30% rebate on the price of a photo voltaic panel system, come tax season.
The state’s net metering program permits residents to ship extra photo voltaic vitality to the grid and earn credit that they will use to tug vitality from the grid outdoors of peak daylight hours. A municipality-based property tax exemption additionally tamps down costs by wiping out taxes on the worth the photo voltaic panels add to your own home, although you will not be eligible for it relying on the place you reside inside the state.
This is a breakdown of what to anticipate in case you’re trying to set up photo voltaic panels in New Hampshire, beginning with the best solar installation companies working inside the state.
Finest nationwide photo voltaic panel corporations in New Hampshire
Palmetto Photo voltaic
Finest general
Photo voltaic panels are usually low upkeep gear, however they’re additionally unfamiliar. If you wish to reap the advantages of photo voltaic however can have a bit extra peace of thoughts if another person is ensuring it is working, Palmetto may be a very good match for you. Simply bear in mind so as to add the price of Palmetto’s monitoring service in to your payback interval calculations.
SunPower Photo voltaic
Finest photo voltaic panels
For those who’re in search of top-of-the-line photo voltaic panels, SunPower is your best option. However do not write it off in case you’re in search of a much less flashy set up that may get the job accomplished. This yr it began putting in Qcells panels, which ought to make an set up from the longest-tenured firm on our record accessible to extra folks.
Freedom Perpetually
Finest for money clients
Embody Freedom Perpetually in your search if you would like the backing of a nationwide firm that installs all kinds of the most well-liked photo voltaic gear accessible. Freedom Perpetually additionally extends a few merchandise that take a few of the ache and danger out of going photo voltaic, like a manufacturing assure and an escrow possibility with money purchases. On-line critiques say buyer satisfaction has been low of late, although the corporate says that is altering.
Tesla Photo voltaic
Most reasonably priced
Tesla’s photo voltaic department appears to be the least cherished of Elon Musk’s ventures. Even Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof appears to get extra love.
If worth is the factor you will not budge on, take into account Tesla. By all accounts, Tesla installs high quality panels and makes the closest factor there may be to a family identify in photo voltaic storage: the Powerwall.
The place you may miss out is customer support. Dialogue on-line appears to recommend Tesla’s service is a little bit of a raffle.
Native photo voltaic panel corporations in New Hampshire
Although CNET consultants have compiled the information and ranked the highest nationwide photo voltaic installers in line with our proprietary methodology, its a good suggestion to take a look at native photo voltaic set up corporations as effectively. These are some New Hampshire photo voltaic installers with excessive assessment scores. It is vital to perform a little research of your individual earlier than utilizing native installers. We have not ranked these installers ourselves.
Granite State Solar, based in 2008, is a small New Hampshire enterprise that provides photo voltaic panels and solar batteries. It supplies a restricted workmanship guarantee of 12 years and its panels carry a 25-year guarantee. It additionally companions with Vermont State Workers Credit score Union for financing choices.
Boasting greater than 14,000 accomplished tasks, ReVision Energy is a significant photo voltaic set up firm in New England. It additionally installs warmth pumps, photo voltaic battery backups and electrical automobile charging. ReVision Power gives 5 years of full protection of labor and honors producer warranties as much as 25 years. Clients pays for his or her house photo voltaic system both with an upfront money cost or a photo voltaic mortgage.
603 Solar is a photo voltaic vitality service based mostly in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It makes a speciality of grid-tied and hybrid photo voltaic techniques in addition to vitality monitoring. 603 Photo voltaic’s on-line monitoring system lets you monitor precisely what your system is producing on any given day and can warn you if any points come up. 603 Photo voltaic gives warranties as much as 25 years and photo voltaic financing by the VSECU.
Easy methods to decide which photo voltaic firm in New Hampshire is greatest for me
In response to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there are 65 photo voltaic corporations working in New Hampshire, together with 24 installers. With so many choices, it is vital you take the time to choose the right solar panel company in your house. There are a number of variables you need to take into account earlier than locking in a contract with a photo voltaic installer.
First, look into the corporate’s set up course of. Many photo voltaic corporations use in-house staff to carry out installations, however some others hire out subcontractors to do the work on your own home. Look into your chosen firm’s set up course of and what it might imply for you.
Extra importantly, make sure that the photo voltaic firm has the correct product you need (photo voltaic panels, solar batteries, and so on.), gives lengthy and honest warranties and has good customer support rankings.
Earlier than selecting a photo voltaic panel installer, make sure that to seek the advice of with and get bids from not less than 4 to 5 corporations to be sure to’re getting the perfect deal you presumably can.
Value of photo voltaic panels in New Hampshire
This is a have a look at the typical money worth for a typical photo voltaic panel system earlier than factoring in tax credit and incentives, in line with information from FindEnergy.com.
Common price of photo voltaic panels in New Hampshire
| Typical system dimension (kW) | Value per watt | Complete put in price | Value after 30% federal tax credit score | |
| New Hampshire | 6 | $4.22 | $25,320 | $17,724 |
| Nationwide common | 8.6 | $3.67 | $31,558 | $22,091 |
The next infographic map shows the typical complete money worth, price per watt and system dimension for a photo voltaic panel system in your state, in line with information from FindEnergy.com. These costs do not signify rebates from tax credit or state incentives. Sure states have no FindEnergy photo voltaic information and are grayed out on the map.
New Hampshire photo voltaic panel incentives or rebates
The price of photo voltaic panels has decreased considerably over the previous decade, however they will nonetheless run tens of hundreds of {dollars}. With the assistance of federal tax credit and New Hampshire photo voltaic incentives and rebates, although, you possibly can reduce the monetary burden of going photo voltaic.
The Inflation Discount Act prolonged the federal residential clear vitality credit score (previously referred to as the photo voltaic funding tax credit score) till 2034. This credit score lets you deduct 30% of the cost of your solar system out of your federal tax.
Putting in solar energy will increase the value of your home and thus your property taxes. In sure elements of New Hampshire, you might be eligible for a property tax exemption if you set up photo voltaic panels. New Hampshire does not have any gross sales tax both.
For those who personal photo voltaic panels, you can even reap the benefits of net metering together with your utility firm. By promoting extra vitality produced by your photo voltaic panels again to the grid, you may obtain credit that may be utilized to future electrical payments.
New Hampshire photo voltaic incentives
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Native property tax exemption | Your house’s worth will enhance if you add photo voltaic panels to it. Relying in your city or metropolis in New Hampshire, although, you will not see will increase to your property taxes out of your photo voltaic panels. This could prevent hundreds of {dollars} over the course of your photo voltaic system’s lifespan. |
| Web metering | New Hampshire web metering legislation states that in case your utility is Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electrical Cooperative or Unitil, you possibly can promote your extra photo voltaic vitality again to the facility firm in trade for credit. These credit could be utilized to offset the price of future electrical energy payments. |
| Residential clear vitality credit score | The residential clear vitality credit score, beforehand referred to as a photo voltaic funding tax credit score (ITC), gives as much as 30% in tax credit to shoppers who buy photo voltaic panels — irrespective of how you fiscal them. |
Easy methods to pay for photo voltaic panels in New Hampshire
Going photo voltaic is a expensive funding, although photo voltaic panel techniques finally pay for themselves. It takes fairly a little bit of time to see that return in your funding.
“In New Hampshire, the payback period is about seven years for a photo voltaic array,” Sam Evans-Brown stated in a cellphone name. Evans-Brown is the chief director at Clear Power New Hampshire, a renewable vitality advocacy group. “That is not quick, however these are investments that pay for themselves in time.”
Even with the assistance of incentives and rebates, it won’t be possible to pay upfront for a purchase order that’ll run you tens of hundreds of {dollars}. Whether or not you select to shell out money, take out a loan or faucet into your own home’s fairness, it is value researching your choices.
Money: If it matches your funds, you possibly can pay money upfront to cowl the price of your photo voltaic panels and set up. For those who aren’t prepared to purchase simply but, you possibly can reap the benefits of rising rates of interest by saving in your future photo voltaic system in a high-yield savings account.
Photo voltaic mortgage: Photo voltaic loans can be found from quite a lot of sources. Some photo voltaic suppliers companion with a credit score union to supply them. Whereas these loans are simple to use for, they might have greater charges or charges than choices from a financial institution or credit score union.
Dwelling fairness mortgage or line of credit score: Another choice is to faucet into your own home’s present fairness with a home equity loan or a HELOC. Usually used for house enhancements, house fairness loans and HELOCs permit you to finance such enhancements with out disturbing the speed in your major mortgage. Nonetheless, defaulting on a house fairness mortgage or HELOC might result in shedding your own home.
Lease or energy buy settlement: You possibly can enter right into a lease or energy buy settlement with a photo voltaic supplier. In these instances, the photo voltaic supplier owns the panels and also you pay for the gear (by way of lease) or the facility your system generates (by way of PPA).
Set up elements to think about
Photo voltaic panels have many advantages. Nonetheless, they won’t be the perfect match in your house. This is what to think about.
Your roof’s situation and pitch: Earlier than putting in photo voltaic panels in your roof, make sure that it is in good situation. A good firm will examine your roof’s situation and pitch previous to set up. Take into account, the pitch of your roof will impact the productivity of your solar panels in addition to the price of set up. The steeper your roof, the extra possible you may see some upcharges. In response to the Department of Energy, your photo voltaic array will work most efficiently at an angle of 15 and 40 levels.
Householders Associations and neighborhood guidelines: For those who dwell in a neighborhood with a house owner’s affiliation, it is all the time a good suggestion to verify for any guidelines or covenants relating to photo voltaic panels, as some HOAs require prior permission to set up. Solar access laws in New Hampshire permit neighbors to barter photo voltaic easements to be able to obtain optimum solar publicity for his or her arrays. New Hampshire HOAs are allowed to bar or limit photo voltaic panel installations.
Insurance coverage protection: It is a good suggestion to incorporate your photo voltaic panels in your homeowner’s insurance policy. Verify together with your insurance coverage supplier to see in the event that they cowl rooftop photo voltaic panels.
Geographic location: Whereas New Hampshire is thought for its snowy winters, photo voltaic panels could be much more efficient in chilly temperatures. Your photo voltaic panels will convert daylight photons into electrical energy so long as daylight reaches the floor of the panels. New Hampshire averages 198 days of sun per year — barely under the nationwide common of 205 days of solar per yr.
Value: Selecting to go photo voltaic is a giant monetary determination. Contemplate how lengthy you propose to dwell in your own home earlier than committing to a photo voltaic mortgage, lease or energy buy settlement. Contemplate financing choices to make sure you’re making the monetary transfer that matches your funds and priorities.
Simply in search of an emergency backup? Try portable solar panels and solar generators.
How we discovered the perfect photo voltaic corporations
The businesses we listed above as “the perfect” are curated from CNET’s best solar companies record. Corporations making the perfect record are scored on the gear, warranties and customer support they provide. Then, we make sure that these suggestions can be found in your state. You possibly can learn a full breakdown of how we review solar companies here.
Corporations listed below the native installers had been chosen in a much less rigorous means. We selected them as a result of they provided one thing distinctive or notable to clients within the state, they appeared well-regarded by web reviewers or as a result of they had been one of many few installers we might discover info on within the state.
Whether or not we have accomplished a full assessment on an organization or not, it is all the time a good suggestion to get a number of quotes from totally different installers earlier than selecting an organization.
New Hampshire solar energy FAQs
How a lot do photo voltaic panels in New Hampshire price?
Earlier than tax credit and rebates, the typical price of a residential photo voltaic system in New Hampshire is $25,020 — based mostly on a system dimension of 6 kW. Your price will differ relying on the dimensions, pitch and orientation of your roof, in addition to your month-to-month vitality consumption and the installer you select.
What number of days of solar does New Hampshire get a yr?
On common, New Hampshire will get 198 days of solar per yr — barely under the nationwide common of 205 days of solar per yr.
How lengthy do photo voltaic panels final?
The common lifespan of a photo voltaic panel is between 15 to 30 years. Your panels will not stop on you as soon as they flip 30. Nonetheless, the system’s efficiency could lower because it will get older. Your photo voltaic array’s longevity will rely upon the panels’ high quality, your local weather, ongoing upkeep and different set up elements.
