Is ADT Solar the Best Solar Installer? Everything You Need to Know

Going photo voltaic is usually a nice funding in clear, inexpensive vitality and it is more and more widespread. Residential photo voltaic installations elevated over 400% within the US by most of 2021 in comparison with the 12 months earlier than, in line with the Division of Vitality. 

But it surely’s an enormous determination to make in a crowded market. When you ought to attain out to a number of installers for quotes, together with native ones, it is price figuring out the nationwide gamers, too. Beneath we focus on what you might want to learn about ADT Photo voltaic.

ADT Photo voltaic grew to become one of many largest photo voltaic installers in America when ADT bought Sunpro Photo voltaic in 2021. It grew to become ADT Photo voltaic in April. It affords a price-match assure and 25-year warranties for a lot of of its merchandise. The announcement by LG, Sunpro’s most well-liked supplier, that it could now not make photo voltaic panels injects some uncertainty for the corporate going ahead, however ADT Photo voltaic would possibly make sense in the event you dwell inside its sizable and increasing service space.

ADT Photo voltaic remains to be a brand new model, although a lot of the previous Sunpro’s commitments seem to have carried over. Meaning ADT Photo voltaic affords sturdy warranties, a worth match assure on installations and a good collection of merchandise. It’s best to get high quality gear that should not be dearer than opponents (although there are caveats to the value match). ADT could possibly be extra upfront with its costs (although that is true of just about each photo voltaic firm) and it is going to be attention-grabbing to see the place issues stand after it finds a brand new most well-liked photo voltaic panel and the acquisition of Sunpro is not fairly so new. Of the businesses we have reviewed thus far, ADT has the very best ranking.

No evaluate ought to take the place of getting a number of quotes (together with native installers) particular to your property. This evaluate is as nicely researched as doable, however would not depend on any hands-on testing. I did not undergo the ordering course of with ADT Photo voltaic or some other photo voltaic firm, so your expertise could also be totally different from what’s written right here.

What do I get from ADT Photo voltaic?

ADT Photo voltaic affords panels for buy, however not by way of lease or energy buy settlement. If you buy from ADT, you are prone to get high quality panels, at the least within the close to time period.

Earlier than its buy, Sunpro’s most well-liked panels got here from LG. LG made a number of the finest and most generally used panels within the business, however just lately it introduced it would cease manufacturing panels within the spring of 2022. The corporate will proceed to honor warranties on its panels, however quickly you will not be capable to put them in your roof. What which means for ADT is not fully obvious. 

Different photo voltaic firms, like Sunrun, favor to put in LG panels, too. LG’s announcement is a serious shakeup, and firms have not had time to adapt, as of when this was revealed. An ADT spokesperson mentioned in an e mail that the corporate is choosing panels which have 25 12 months warranties and will likely be backed by a 25 12 months manufacturing assure by ADT. 

ADT Photo voltaic affords two most well-liked batteries, the Tesla Powerwall and Enphase’s IQ batteries. The Tesla Powerwall is a battery extensively utilized by photo voltaic installers. It could actually present 13.5 kilowatt hours of vitality in whole at a charge of 5.8 kVA repeatedly or 7.2 kVA for 10 seconds at a time. Powerwall guarantees 70% capability over 10 years no matter how a lot the battery is used so long as it is used simply to again up your home. Enphase IQ batteries are available in two sizes as nicely. The IQ Battery 3 can maintain 3.36 kilowatt hours of usable vitality and launch it at a steady charge of 1.28 kVA or 1.92 kVA throughout a 10-second peak.

Enphase’s IQ Battery 10 incorporates three of its smaller counterparts. That makes for a complete capability of 10.08 kilowatt hours of usable vitality, a most launch charge of three.84 kVA and a 10-second most of 5.7 kVA. Whereas the Powerwall is larger and may launch extra vitality without delay, each batteries can have extra items added on. If a Powerwall was too small in your wants, you would buy a second, or third. The identical goes for Enphase, although you’ll be able to add in smaller increments by including one IQ Battery 3 at a time.

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ADT Solar also installs Enphase microinverters, which operate with over 97% efficiency. Enphase also offers system monitoring through a smartphone app. Through the app you can monitor your system performance, see where energy is flowing between your house, solar panels, battery storage and the grid. You can also view the performance of individual panels, take your home off the grid, and configure your system to save the most money or use the least amount of energy from the grid possible. The app is well liked, scoring a 4.7-star rating in the App Store and 4.2 on Google Play. (I did not test the app.)

ADT Solar offers a couple of warranties above and beyond typical manufacturers warranties, a 25-year production warranty and a 25-year workmanship warranty. An ADT spokesperson said the production guarantee is specific to each array and included in individual contracts. The labor warranty guarantees that the system will be installed “according to the reasonable standards of care and diligence generally practiced by solar installation companies” on similar installations in the same area, a company spokesperson said. That guarantee seems pretty general, but a 25-year workmanship warranty is much longer than other companies.

Are ADT Solar panels a good deal?

ADT doesn’t make the average prices of its installations public and a spokesperson declined to share that number. Solar panel installations vary in price from state to state. The median cost in 2021 according to the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie was $3.28 per watt, but others report significantly lower numbers. EnergySage said solar installation averages ranged from $2.33 per watt in Arizona to $3.43 in Washington, DC.

Regardless of the average price in your area, ADT is likely to compete as it offers a price-match guarantee. Within 30 days of signing an agreement with ADT, if you can submit to them a cheaper quote from a competing installer, ADT will honor that price and throw an additional $150 dollars your way. There are a few stipulations: The solar arrays offer “the same products and workmanship or equal specifications” and provide the same “benefits of ADT’s workmanship, installation certifications, background and drug-testing program for installers.”

Does ADT operate in my state? How do I order?

ADT has a large and growing footprint. The company currently operates in 23 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. It further reports service is coming soon to six more states: Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia.

You can get in contact with ADT through a short online form, which authorizes the company to contact you via phone or email. ADT then conducts a site visit and presents you with a quote. ADT operates with in-house install teams, which have been trained by the company to install its system, ADT said in an email. 

Is ADT Solar the best choice?

As with most major purchases, it’s best to check out multiple options before choosing one solar provider over another. If you need to finance your panels, you should shop around, too. 

ADT’s price-match guarantee means it should be as affordable as other installers. On top of that, while you’ll need to read the details of the warranties you’re offered, 25-year production and workmanship warranties are longer than most on the market. While ADT Solar is fresh off a change in ownership, ADT’s preferred brands are high quality and have a strong track record. After LG announced it would stop making solar panels, ADT has yet to land on a new preferred panel, but appears to be aiming for a top-end panel with a 25-year warranty. Among the major solar providers, ADT appears to be a good choice.

While I researched as deeply as was reasonable, it’s important to note that I didn’t go through the purchasing process or get any hands-on experience with an ADT installation. Solar installers are difficult to review in a traditional sense, and this overview doesn’t rely on any independent, empirical testing by CNET. Be sure to do your own research into the best fit for your home and include smaller, local installers in your search.