Free, no-obligation estimates
Pittsfield Solar Company for Panel Installation, Repair and Battery Backup
We design and install solar for homes and businesses across Pittsfield and the Berkshires, repair the systems already on the roof, and add batteries that keep the lights on through an outage.
We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
Licensed and insured
The whole job quoted before we start
We clean up when the work is done
Solar done right, start to finish
Solar panel installation in Pittsfield
We design and install solar panel systems for homes and businesses in Pittsfield, and we service them after they are on the roof.
A solar panel is built from "photovoltaic" cells, the trade's word for the cells that turn daylight into electricity. We size an array to the power bill, mount it to the roof or the ground, wire it to the house and stay the people you call when something on it needs attention later. The same crew that installs also diagnoses and repairs, so nobody has to explain a system to a stranger.
- We show up when we say we will.
- We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
- We clean up when the work is done.
What we do
Our solar services
Our solar services are panel installation, solar panel repair, solar roofing work and home battery installation.
Each service below has its own page with the detail.
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Solar Panel Repair
Low output, an inverter fault, a tripped "ground fault" or a leak at a roof mount all start with a diagnosis. We test the panels, the inverters and the wiring, fix what failed and seal what leaks.
Solar Panel Repair in Pittsfield -
Solar Roofers
Panel removal and reset around a reroof, "flashing" at every roof attachment, and solar shingles installed as part of a new roof. The roof stays watertight under the array.
Solar Roofers in Pittsfield -
Solar Battery Installation
Home backup power from a battery that stores the array's daytime surplus and carries the house through an outage, with a "smart panel" that decides which loads stay on.
Solar Battery Installation in Pittsfield
From the first call to power-on
The solar installation process, step by step
A solar installation runs in order from consultation and design to permits, installation, inspection and activation, then aftercare.
These are the steps every job follows, in the order they happen.
Consultation
We look at the power bill, the roof and the electrical service, and talk through what the house or building needs.
Design
We lay the system out in modeling software to get the most production from the roof and the cleanest look from the street.
Permits
We pull the building and electrical permits and handle the compliance paperwork. An open permit becomes the owner's problem when the house sells, so we close ours out.
Installation
Racking goes on the roof with flashing at every attachment, then the panels, the inverter and the wiring to the service panel.
Inspection
The town inspector checks the finished work and signs the permit off.
Permission to operate
We file the "interconnection" application with the utility. Its "permission to operate" is the sign-off that lets the system run, and we switch it on and stay on call for aftercare.
What goes on the roof
Solar panels, inverters and racking
A solar panel system is built from photovoltaic panels, an inverter that turns their power into household electricity, and racking that holds the panels to the roof or ground.
These are the parts of every system we put up.
Photovoltaic panels
The panels on the roof, each made of cells that turn daylight into direct current. The U.S. Department of Energy explains how a cell does it.
Inverter
The box that converts the panels' power into the alternating current the house uses. The choices are a "string inverter", a "microinverter" or a hybrid inverter that also runs a battery.
Racking
The rails and attachments, the "racking", that hold the panels to the roof or to a frame on the ground, flashed at every roof penetration so the roof stays dry.
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Inverter guide
Which type works best on a shaded or multi-pitch roof, and what it costs you in lost output when one fails, so you know which to ask for.
String Inverter vs Microinverter
Why neighbors make the switch
Solar savings, net metering and home value
Solar lowers the power bill as utility rates rise, net metering credits the extra power a system sends to the grid, and homes with solar tend to sell for more.
Utility rates rise 4 to 6 percent a year, and every year they rise, the power an array makes on the roof is worth more than the year before. "Net metering" is the trade's name for running the meter backward, and its terms differ from utility to utility. Homes with solar also sell for 4.1 percent more on average than homes without.
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Net metering guide
Solar bill credits explained: how the utility counts the surplus you export and what the credits offset.
Net Metering -
Cost guide
What sets the price of a system, from roof type and system size to equipment and permitting.
Solar Panel Cost
Why Pittsfield calls us
A local solar company that picks up the phone
We are licensed and insured, we work across Pittsfield and the Berkshire towns around it, and we keep the same promises on every job, large or small. Solar companies are judged on what happens after the panels go up, and that is where we put our effort.
- Free, no-obligation estimates
- We answer the phone or call back the same working day
- We show up when we say we will
- We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after
- We clean up when the work is done
We take calls Monday to Friday during business hours. Calls outside those hours go to voicemail and we return them the next working morning.
Call for a Free EstimateWhat a solar system costs
Every roof prices differently. System size, the roof type and its condition, how much power the building uses, the electrical service, the equipment you choose and the permitting all move the figure, so we give a firm quote after a site survey rather than a number over the phone.
A rack-mount array on a roof with years of life left costs less up front and starts producing sooner; a roof that needs replacing soon adds the later cost of taking the panels off and putting them back. We tell you which case you are in before you decide.
(413) 724-0582Houses, businesses and everything with a roof
Residential and commercial solar
We install and service residential solar on houses and commercial solar on business buildings, on the roof, on the ground or on a carport.
Besides rooftop arrays we build "ground mount" systems on their own frame in the yard, and panels on carports and boat ports that charge an electric car or boat. On a condo, solar usually powers the common areas rather than each unit, and we size it that way.
In their own words
What neighbors say about the work
These are our Google reviews from owners around Pittsfield, as they wrote them.
The representatives we worked with at Incite - Jonathan and Daniella were incredible and kept us informed every step of the way. The electrical team and installation team were wonderful and efficient and did an amazing job under brutally hot conditions! We are thrilled that we decided on Incite Solar Solutions and know that going forward it will be the best decision we ever made. We are fortunate that all of our panels are in the back and we actually forget they are there. Great installation.
We're in line to get a system thru SunPower with Derek as our rep. So far so good--he's been great! We had a hiccup with our first home site inspection--seems that the info never made it back to Incite. Then Peter Walters was assigned to come out--night and day difference from our first home site visit. Peter totally knew what he was doing. Hope all continues to go well!
We had Pete survey our property and he did an amazing job, took his time explaning to us everything he was doing and in what condition our home was in. He did a pretty awesome job!
The Berkshires, roof by roof
Where we install solar around Pittsfield
We install and service solar across Pittsfield and the nearby Berkshire towns our service area lists.
Adams and North Adams are on the regular route, and Lenox, Lenox Dale, Cheshire, Lee, Housatonic, Williamstown, Great Barrington and Chester are inside our reach as well. If your roof is farther out than that, ask on the call and we will tell you straight.
Before you choose a solar company
Other solar questions
The questions below sit next to choosing a solar company and point to the guides that answer them in full.
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How long solar panels last
Solar panels commonly carry 25-year performance warranties and keep producing for decades with care. Warranties and wear decide how long an array stays worth keeping.
Solar Panel Lifespan -
When solar panels stop producing
Output can drop from dirt, shade or snow, a failed microinverter or loose connector, or an inverter fault. The common causes and what each looks like are in our guide.
Solar Panels Not Producing
Let's talk about your roof
Ready to put the sun to work on your bill?
Call, tell us the address and what you have in mind, and we will set up a free, no-obligation estimate at a time that suits you.
Or dial (413) 724-0582 and ask for an estimate.
We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
We show up when we say we will.