If you are having a new home built in California, you may be familiar with the 2020 California Solar Mandate. It requires a solar energy system to be installed on residential new construction builds. While you may be worried about the added cost to your home, it can help you save considerable money in the future.
When you need a reputable solar installer for your new home build, turn to our experts at Simply Solar. We are a top solar contractor in the San Francisco Bay and Fresno areas. We feature our own dedicated technicians for any installations, not subcontractors, and we offer a 25-year workmanship warranty on all our residential solar systems.
What Is the California Solar Mandate?
Introduced by the California Energy Commission, the California Solar Mandate went into effect on January 1, 2020. It requires that all new single-family homes, condominiums, and apartment buildings of less than three stories tall built in the state include a solar energy system during the construction process. This solar system must be sized large enough to satisfy all of the electricity needs for the home annually, though the system can be up to 25% smaller if a solar battery system is added. Solar battery storage can buffer the incoming solar electricity, shift power usage to off-peak periods, and provide continuous power when there is an outage on the utility grid.
The goal of the 2020 California Solar Mandate is to encourage the widespread use of clean, renewable energy while reducing the air pollution caused by burning non-renewable fuels like natural gas or coal. Ultimately, California is hoping to generate at least 50% of its electricity through green energy resources like solar, wind, or hydroelectric by 2030.
Exceptions to the Mandate
While California is ideally suited for solar, some homes and some areas are simply not conducive to efficient solar power generation. In these cases, the California Solar Mandate provides exceptions to the solar power requirements. You may not need to install a solar energy system if:
- Your home has a small roof: Some home designs may not have the space required on the roof to support a solar system that powers the entire home. This may exempt your home from the solar requirements, but if you still would like a solar system to save money on your utility bills, other options may be available, such as a ground-mounted solar system or a solar carport.
- Your roof has too much shade: Depending on the location of your building site, trees or nearby buildings can cast shade on your home’s roof. If a solar system is mounted there, it may produce little to no power during periods of extreme shading, and that can exempt your home from the solar requirements, as the cost to install the system would be substantially more than savings from the power generated.
- Your home is near a community solar system: If you are in a development with a community solar system, you may not be required to install your own rooftop solar system.
Solar Panel Design & Installation for New Build Homes
When it is time to choose a local solar contractor for the design and installation of your solar system in the Bay Area, trust our team at Simply Solar. We can work directly with your builder to design a custom solar system that supplies all the power you need for your home while meeting all the standards of the 2020 California Solar Mandate. We work with the industry's leading manufacturers to provide the best solar panels, inverters, and solar batteries, and we feature high-quality, professional installation services for a reliable, turn-key solar energy system.
All of our solar power systems are backed by our exclusive Simply Solar Guarantee, which includes a 25-year workmanship warranty, a one-time remove and replace service, and a “Power Performance” promise that ensures that your system generates more than 90% of its rated output throughout the warranty period.
To request your FREE estimate for a residential solar system installation in the Bay Area, Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, or Fresno, call (707) 285-7037 today.
