The Best Solar Companies in Arizona

Sun Valley Solar Solutions makes the switch to solar an attractive proposition for Arizona homeowners by combining excellent customer service with top-of-the-line technology and competitive pricing. The company services the greater Phoenix area and all regions within a two-hour drive except for Tucson. If needed, a company representative will be able to recommend local Tucson installers. 

Sun Valley’s product portfolio includes reputable brands such as SunPower, REC, and SilFab Solar. The company's experienced in-house team will help build an entire system with panels, inverters, and batteries for your home, and install it with care. Once installation is complete, homeowners will have a 10-year warranty for workmanship and roof penetration, which should cover any unforeseen damage caused by the installation. For more expansive monitoring, Sun Valley provides 24/7 monitoring for an additional annual fee. 

While there isn’t any pricing information available online, the cash payment structure is split into three payments. The first is a $1,000 deposit when you sign the contract, then an 80 percent payment is required at the time of the installation, and the remaining 20 percent is due after you receive a “permission to operate” (PTO) from your utility company. Additional financing options include $0 down loans, home equity financing, and leases.

Oftentimes, it can take days to receive a response after you have submitted your initial information for a solar panel quote. Sunny Energy breaks this cycle by offering an online quote tool that gives you a rough estimate in just a few minutes based on your address, average electric bill, and specific energy goals. The quote will detail the size of the system (how many panels), the expected energy output, specific solar brands, battery additions, and information about the warranty.

Pricing is competitive within the region, and the company offers a variety of financing options with five to 25-year repayment terms. The instant quote tool will show the different loan rates available. However, specific information about the financing opportunities is not offered online, so you will need to speak to a representative about the options at your disposal. One thing to keep in mind is that leasing solar panels is not a service offered by this company. 

In terms of product variety, Sunny Energy offers REC solar panels (a reputable Tier-1 brand), but other options are limited and subject to availability. Do note that customers will mostly be beholden to REC if they work with Sunny Energy. Regardless, all equipment comes with a 25-year production guarantee to ensure your system produces the amount of energy it’s supposed to for the next two decades, and a 25-year product and labor warranty as well.

Solar systems are the type of investment that doesn’t give you a return until a few years down the road, so it’s important that your equipment is backed by a solid warranty. In this regard, SunPower has you covered, as the company’s products are all covered by a 25-year product and performance warranty. This ensures that your system continues to provide the energy output it’s supposed to, and any repairs or replacements are at no cost to you.

The company also has a 25-year labor warranty that guarantees any repair you need is free. In addition to its generous warranties, SunPower systems are very efficient and can provide the same amount of energy output as other brands, even while using fewer panels. This is a great solution if your roof is small, or you only have a limited area without shade.

The downside to this service is that the company tends to be a little pricier than average, but it does offer various financing options if you require them. Do note that SunPower does not install its solar systems itself, but relies on a network of authorized local dealers to complete the setup for you. Even though the dealers are vetted and recommended on a tiered basis, customer experience and service will vary according to the provider.  

Batteries are a crucial component of solar systems because they allow you to store excess energy and use it when there’s no sunshine for your panels to make electricity. This will allow you to rely less on a utility company’s power grid, and use energy directly produced from your own panels. One of the leading battery systems on the market right now is called Powerwall, which is made by Tesla. 

Tesla’s solar systems are sleek and well designed, on par with the aesthetics of the brand. Currently, the company is aggressively pursuing the solar market, declaring it will offer you the “lowest price of any national provider,” and backing that promise with a price match guarantee. You can get an instant quote online through its website by sharing your address and the average amount of your electric bill. You’ll see the price before and after incentives, and also the cost for a cash purchase versus a monthly loan. 

Aside from solar panels and Powerwalls, Tesla also offers EV chargers and solar roofs. The solar roof consists of solar glass tiles for energy generation and steel tiles to combat corrosion. Solar systems, roofs, and panels all come with a 25-year product and performance warranty to ensure your system will be functioning properly for the foreseeable future. While Tesla installs its own solar systems, it does not install its EV chargers, requiring you to hire an electrician to do it for you.

The goal for many solar homeowners is to reduce their electric bills and maximize the energy efficiency of their homes. Elevation Solar, an Arizona-based company, makes this a reality with a slate of services geared toward improving the energy efficiency of a property. Its most comprehensive package, dubbed the “Elevated Home,” bundles solar with an energy efficiency service and a proprietary energy monitoring system called Curb.

The purpose of this home solution is to help you detect and eliminate energy leakages to reduce energy usage before installing a solar system. Ideally, this may result in needing fewer panels, allowing you to save on costs. However, you are free to choose separate services outside the bundling option as well. For example, if you've already performed an energy audit and are seeking to install a solar system and batteries, you can do that too.

Once a system is fully installed, Elevation’s Curb energy monitoring system connects to your home’s electrical system to track your energy usage by room and appliances. Elevation works with Tier-1 solar panels like REC and QCells, and offers the manufacturer’s standard 25-year labor and product warranties, with an option to upgrade your warranty up to 30 years for an extra cost. However, if at any point you change your mind, there is a $1,500 penalty fee for cancellations.

As one of the biggest solar companies in the nation, Sunrun has ample experience selling and installing solar systems in a variety of environments. It also stands out because it has one of the most popular leasing products for solar systems with $0 down. Leases are a controversial service in the solar industry, partly because since you don’t own the equipment, you don’t qualify for the federal tax credit and other solar incentives designed for solar homeowners. However, in states like Arizona, where the break-even point of purchasing your own solar panels is too far into the future, it’s a viable alternative for someone hoping to save money on their electric bills.

When you sign a leasing contract with Sunrun, the company takes charge of installing the solar system, and provides all the necessary maintenance free of charge for the duration of your lease (typically 25 years). With a lease, you are only responsible for the monthly payment agreed upon during the sales process. But depending on your contract terms, your monthly payment may increase a couple of percentage points every year.

It’s important to note that if you sell your house, you have the option to transfer the lease to the new homeowner or buy the equipment outright if the buyer doesn’t want it. It’s very difficult to cancel the lease once the panels are on your roof. If the economics of the leasing agreement doesn’t make sense for your situation, you can still buy a solar system from Sunrun. The company has an online instant quote tool that lets you compare the cost of leasing versus buying and financing a solar system based on your address, energy usage, and roof specifications.