With so many solar companies to choose from, we know how daunting it can be to find an installer you can trust with your home’s solar system. To help you make the right decision, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the best solar companies in Montana, as rated by our SolarReviews experts and Montana residents who’ve already gone solar.

We look for solar companies with owners who understand that when they sell you a solar system, you expect them to be there for the next 25 years to fix any issues that may arise. Here are the top companies we recommend for solar in Montana:

Best solar installers in Montana

Best solar companies for home battery installations in Montana

Batteries have become increasingly popular because they take an intermittent energy source like solar and turn it into a reliable and consistent supply of electricity. We recommend getting a solar battery quote if you want a backup power source or if your utility company doesn’t have a net metering program that buys excess solar energy at the full price of power, as you could save a little extra on your electric bill. 

Montana currently offers net metering billing rules to homeowners who install solar. However, utilities in Montana have been trying to kill net metering for a long time, and they may soon succeed.

If net metering rules change, that excess solar energy will save you less money on your electricity bill, and a homeowner will have to find some way of storing excess solar energy for later use if they want to offset the full retail value of that energy on their electric bills. That's where batteries come in.

Here are some Montana companies that install panels and solar battery storage systems:

How to find the best solar panel company near you

Picking a solar company is the most important decision you make when going solar. You need to trust them to drill holes in your roof, help you navigate financing and incentives and provide you with 25+ years of customer service.

Check out this video where our founder, who also founded a successful solar installation company, explains what to look for when choosing the best solar company near you.

Montana incentives and rebates

Solar incentives and rebates can cut the cost of installing solar in Montana by thousands of dollars. The most significant incentive is the 30% federal solar tax credit, available to any taxpayer in the country when they purchase solar panels or battery storage. 

Some states and utility companies offer additional solar incentives, saving homeowners even more money. Here are the solar incentives available in Montana:

What to look for in solar quotes in Montana

Once you’ve found a few companies you like, you can start getting solar quotes. You can get a better deal when you get quotes from multiple solar installers; we suggest getting at least three quotes. Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for comparing quotes and what questions you should ask installers.

System size and energy production

All solar quotes should include the size of the system and how much energy it is projected to produce. Most of the quotes you get will probably be in the same ballpark. But, if one is drastically larger or smaller than the others — ask about it! Maybe one installer included shading from a tree, while another based its estimates on having that tree removed. 

Although Montana is pretty far north, some places in the state still see plenty of sun. If you live in the southeastern portion of the state, you'll need fewer solar panels to make the same amount of energy as someone who lives in the mountainous northwestern part of the state. You can estimate the number of solar panels you need yourself or get quotes from a local solar company.

If you choose reliable installers, you can trust that these estimates will be as accurate as possible. But you can always double-check using the SolarReviews solar calculator and enter the information received in your quotes. 

Pricing

You should know as much as possible about how much the solar panels cost. Make sure you know both the total cost of the system and the price per watt of solar installed. The cost per watt makes it easier to compare prices between quotes and gives you a better idea of how fairly the system is priced. The average price of solar is about $1.94 to $2.9 per watt in Montana, so anything in that range is a fair price.

Financing

Financing is one of the most important things to look for in your solar quote. There are a few different things to keep an eye out for, depending on what type of solar financing you’re using. 

If you’re looking to use a solar loan, you should ask the company for both a cash quote and the financed quote. Solar loans include something called dealer fees, which can sometimes add 20% or more to the total cost of your system in exchange for a lower interest rate. It’s worth comparing what dealer fees and interest rates you’re quoted from different companies to get the best deal possible. 

If you want a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA), you’ll want to look for an escalator clause in the contract. The escalator clause outlines how much your payments will go up every year. Ideally, this should be lower than the rate at which electric prices increase in your area, typically about 3% annually. If the escalator rate is higher than this, you could end up paying more than if you hadn’t gone solar at all!

Payback period

Some quotes may include when you’ll break even, meaning when your panels have saved as much as you spent on them. If it’s not explicitly listed on the quote, you can compare any savings estimates they provide to the system’s total price and get a rough estimate of when your panels will pay themselves off. The shorter the payback period, the better.

Equipment

Good quality solar installers will carry good quality equipment. So if you pick an installer you trust, you can expect reliable products. But, it can’t hurt to research and ask the installer questions about what would be going on your roof. 

Most solar panels installed today are about 400 watts in size and have efficiency ratings above 19%. Higher wattage and efficiency panels can produce slightly more electricity but may add a price premium. You’ll want to make sure the solar panels have the industry standard 25-year product and performance warranties.

How SolarReviews rates installers

SolarReviews developed our Expert Rating criteria to make it easier for homeowners to find solar companies they can trust. It’s not just about the consumer reviews or the products they sell — it’s about how they treat their employees, how they support their customers and whether they run an honest business. 

We used our team’s extensive knowledge of the solar industry to create a data-based scoring system for rating solar companies that encompasses all of the most important things to consider when picking the best solar company, including:

• Background checks
• Licenses and insurance
• Profitability
• Consumer reviews
• Local service
• Brand quality
• Vertical integration
• Transparency
• Loan options
• Responsible pricing

Learn more about the SolarReviews Expert Rating System