Solar.com Score
Every published customer review of each company, read in full and scored 0-10 across six categories. Under 20 analyzed review texts: not yet scored. Never for sale. How scores work →
Best solar companies California Santa Barbara County
Best solar companies in Santa Barbara County (2026)
Scored installers are ranked by Solar.com Score. Not-yet-scored active companies remain listed below them by recent Santa Barbara County installs, with public records beside every score.
18,621verified Santa Barbara County systems
12established companies listed
$4.15/Wmedian reported cost, owned systemsSolar.com base price: $2.54/WMedian is self-reported installed cost on owned-system public interconnection records. Solar.com base price is a starting price before site-specific adders (roof complexity, electrical work, etc.); final quotes vary.
151installers active in 2025
Santa Barbara County installers, ranked
Solar.com Score leads. Not-yet-scored active companies stay below by recent local installs.Every company with 250 or more verified Santa Barbara County installs is included. Scored companies receive the numbered rank; unscored rows show a dash.
Install counts: Santa Barbara County only
| # | Installer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighten Solar Construction151 recent installs855 verifiedActive since 20160.0% leased | 151 | 855 | 2016 | 0.0% | 8.7 | Get a direct bid | |
| 2 | Solarponics20 recent installs275 verifiedActive since 20070.0% leased | 20 | 275 | 2007 | 0.0% | 8.6 | Get a direct bid | |
| 3 | Action Energy82 recent installs352 verifiedActive since 20180.0% leased | 82 | 352 | 2018 | 0.0% | 8.2 | Get a direct bid | |
| 4 | Wicks Solar76 recent installs263 verifiedActive since 20180.4% leased | 76 | 263 | 2018 | 0.4% | 8.2 | Get a direct bid | |
| 5 | Sunrise80536 recent installs273 verifiedActive since 20160.0% leased | 36 | 273 | 2016 | 0.0% | 8.1 | Get a direct bid | |
| 6 | Planet Solar Incorporated0 recent installs525 verifiedActive since 20091.2% leased | 0 | 525 | 2009 | 1.2% | 8.0 | Get a direct bid | |
| 7 | SunrunIncludes Vivint Solar records703 recent installs5,418 verifiedActive since 201469.8% leased | 703 | 5,418 | 2014 | 69.8% | 6.9 | Get a direct bid | |
| 8 | Tesla EnergyIncludes SolarCity records106 recent installs2,745 verifiedActive since 200935.1% leased | 106 | 2,745 | 2009 | 35.1% | 5.5 | Get a direct bid | |
| 9 | SunPower Corporation17 recent installs783 verifiedActive since 201125.7% leased | 17 | 783 | 2011 | 25.7% | 5.1 | Get a direct bid | |
| — | Bright Planet131 recent installs314 verifiedActive since 202086.3% leased | 131 | 314 | 2020 | 86.3% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid | |
| — | Sun Pacific Solar Electric55 recent installs522 verifiedActive since 20081.1% leased | 55 | 522 | 2008 | 1.1% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid | |
| — | Rec Solar0 recent installs393 verifiedActive since 200715.0% leased | 0 | 393 | 2007 | 15.0% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid |
Solar.com Scores are live for 9 of the 12 listed companies. Companies marked “Not yet scored” have fewer than 20 analyzed review texts or are still being analyzed; scores appear as each company's full review record is processed. Select up to 4 companies to compare them category by category.
What this data covers: These counts come from PG&E and SCE interconnection records, the investor-owned utility service in Santa Barbara County. Homes served by municipal or cooperative utilities interconnect through their local utility instead and do not appear in these records, so installers focused on those areas show fewer installs here than they actually build.
All install columns are Santa Barbara County-specific. The county's 151 active installers in 2025 include smaller and occasional operations below the table floor. Acquired brands count under their current parent: SolarCity under Tesla Energy, Vivint Solar under Sunrun. No per-installer price is published in the table.
Recent installs
Santa Barbara County installs recorded in 2025 and 2026. A big historical name with thin recent activity is a different signal than a company building every week.
Verified installs
Residential systems in Santa Barbara County public records listing that company as installer of record, all time. Real local activity, not review stars.
% leased
The share of that company's Santa Barbara County systems recorded as third party owned, a lease or power purchase agreement. Ownership mix, not quality.
% leased counts systems recorded as third party owned, meaning a lease or power purchase agreement. The remainder are customer owned. Active installer counts include every company that filed an interconnection that year, down to small and occasional operations. Counts come from PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E interconnection records; homes served by municipal utilities like LADWP, SMUD, and city power departments interconnect through their local utility instead, so companies focused on those territories show fewer records here. The Solar.com Score is computed from the full text of each company's published customer reviews (star ratings and review counts sourced from Google and Yelp), plus verified public-record track record; it drives the default ranking for scored companies and is never for sale.
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Where solar.com fits in
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See your priceMedian installed price ($/W) - public records$4.15/W
Solar.com base price$2.54/W39% below median
How to read these pricesMedian is self-reported installed cost on owned-system public interconnection records. Solar.com base price is a starting price before site-specific adders (roof complexity, electrical work, etc.); final quotes vary.12established companies ranked in the county
Cities in Santa Barbara County
6 city guides from the same public-record dataset.FAQ
Who has the best solar company reviews in Santa Barbara County?
The Solar.com Score column ranks review evidence directly: we read the full text of every published customer review of the county's established installers and score what reviewers actually report, 0-10, across sales integrity, price transparency, communication, timeline reliability, workmanship, and after-install support. Sort the table by Solar.com Score or select companies to compare their reviews side by side.
Who is the best solar company in Santa Barbara County?
The best company depends on your roof, utility, equipment needs, and whether you want to own the system or use a lease-style agreement. The table ranks scored installers by Solar.com Score, keeps unscored active companies below them, and shows verified Santa Barbara County interconnection activity beside the score.
How are Santa Barbara County installers ranked here?
The list includes every company with at least 250 verified Santa Barbara County installs in CPUC Rule 21 public records through May 2026. Companies with a Solar.com Score are ranked by that score; companies not yet scored show a dash in the rank column and appear below the scored cohort, ordered by recent 2025-26 activity. Every install column is Santa Barbara County-specific. Acquired brands are combined with their current parent, so SolarCity records count under Tesla Energy and Vivint Solar records count under Sunrun.
What does % leased (TPO) mean?
% leased (TPO) is the share of that installer's recorded systems that appear as third-party owned. It helps you see whether an installer historically skews toward owned systems, leases, or a mix.
How does solar.com pricing compare in Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County has a median reported install cost of $4.15/W on owned-system CPUC records. Run your address through solar.com to see direct bids for your home, backed by the Best Price Guarantee.
Does being listed mean solar.com recommends that installer?
No. The public table reports verified installation volume only. The companies that bid on your home are separately vetted before they can compete through solar.com, and nobody can buy public placement here.
How we built this data
Methodology: Counts are residential PV interconnections in investor-owned-utility territory (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E) per CPUC Rule 21 public records through May 2026. Postal and name variants are merged. Municipal utility territory such as LADWP, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Anaheim, and Riverside Public Utilities is not included in those CPUC counts. Counts show recorded installations, not quality ratings. Reported costs are self-reported on owned-system interconnections. No installer can pay for placement.
Who we are: Solar.com is a solar marketplace — we connect homeowners with installers and earn a fee when projects move forward. These rankings and scores are computed from public installation records and published customer reviews. No installer can pay for placement, and no installer — including those we work with — can pay to change a score.