Solar & Batteries by Austin TX Locals: The Hoffman Brothers

How Solar Works:

Solar Power utilizes the Photovoltaic (PV) Process, where electricity is created when the panels are exposed to sunlight. Solar Inverters push the generated solar energy into our homes electrical. Learn More

Solar Installation Cost & Size:

How much does solar cost? What size system do I need? Our Solar Panel Cost page shows the average solar installation cost in Austin TX for common solar system sizes.

Federal Tax Credit

A 26% Tax Credit is available for the entire system cost until December 31, 2020. Taxable Income is needed to apply the credit. Use IRS Form 5695 and Consult a licensed CPA to check your eligibility.

Property Tax Incentive

Texas Law prevents a Property Tax increase on the value of your Solar Power System.

Utility Incentives

Electric Companies have their own incentives and billing structures for Solar Owners. Austin Energy Information can be found below.

Solar Panels:

You will have many options when it comes to solar panels. Visit our Solar Panels Compared page to see how 2018’s latest Solar Panels stack up!

Solar Inverters:

3 types of Solar Inverters are common in the Austin Solar Market. We display the pros and cons of each on our Solar Inverters page.

Module Level Monitoring is included in every HESOLAR installation!

Ready to Start? Get a FREE Quote

Residential Solar Rebate:

AE has a flat rate rebate of $2500. The Solar Panel Installation will have to comply with guidelines and the home owner will be required to participate in an online solar education course. The quiz is under an hour and well worth the rebate! HESOLAR will assist with all Solar Austin Energy Rebate documents… we make the process of going solar easy.

Austin Energy Billing:

(Very Important!) Austin Energy has a different billing structure than surrounding utilities. They use your existing electrical meter and add a solar meter. Your solar meter will keep track of solar production and apply the Value of Solar rate to solar production.

AE Value of Solar Rate:

This is the rate that AE will credit your solar energy production. The current Residential rate is $0.097/kWh and will be in place until 2021. You can check the current rate on the AE Solar Solutions Page.

Solar Financing:

Paying in full is the cheapest way to purchase to solar. If you need to finance your solar system then we recommend using Velocity Credit Union if you are an Austin Energy Customer. We Can Help: The Hoffman Brothers make the rebate process simple. HESOLAR includes Rebate, Permitting, and HOA assistance in their pricing. If you live in Austin but do not have Austin Energy as an electric provider then we can help. Visit our PEC and/or Bluebonnet page for solar information with these utilities. Ready to Start? Get a FREE Quote

– Latest Reviews from Google

Bidawi Casaoui

2021-03-19

We interviewed several Solar systems installers (some would not listen to our specific needs, others wanted to only install equipment they selected, some price themselves out of this world, etc.) and immediately, HESolar stood out. First, Mr. Derrick Hoffman came by the house and spent the time to evaluate our needs, assess the house and answer our many questions. Additionally, for the equipment we requested, the quote was very reasonable and fair. When we finally decided to take the plunge, within a few days, Derrick came by with two of his qualified technicians and in two days had the entire install completed to spec. They took care of all the paper work, coordinating with the electrical company and scheduling the entire job. Once the electrical company came by to check the install, we went solar. As we had anticipated, Derrick and Eric Hoffman were punctual, professional and accommodating when needed. We cannot recommend them enough. It is so rare to find contractors who care about their projects and make sure all aspects are done properly and completely. We will be sure to recommend them to all our friends and business partners. Kudos.
Update Dec. 29, 2019: After a few months using our new solar system and evaluating the power output and storage, we decided to add 12 Panasonic solar panels @340W and one extra Tesla PowerWall 2 battery. Again, Derrick listened to our needs and provided the most elegant solution for the install. Since we suspected our storage needs will increase during the first install with 2 PowerWall 2 Tesla batteries, the Hoffman brothers had the foresight to build the battery concrete slab for 3 batteries. Made it easy to install the 3rd one. Furthermore, our original SolarEdge inverter would clip at around 10KW production or so while we were producing up to 14KW. Derrick had a great solution, he offered to swap the original inverter for a bigger new one for a reasonable price rather than wasting the one we had. We now rarely have to depend on the grid (PEC) and once we have 100% battery storage power during the day, we can make it on batteries overnight easily. We highly recommend the Hoffman brothers, Derrick and Eric and their professional crew. As usual, they came by on time, they had all the necessary material and equipment needed, did a stellar install and thorough cleanup at the end. Oh, how much we appreciate professionals who love their job, take pride and ownership of the job and charge an honest and fair price. Thank you.

Rick Barongi

2020-10-30

I was extremely impressed with every aspect of service from HESOLAR, from my first call to the completion of the installation. This family owned company treats you like part of their family! They don’t just try to sell you their product but make sure it is the right product for you. Not only are they well qualified from a technological perspective, but they are honest and hard working, a rare combination in today’s competitive world. They took the time to explain all the numbers and projections and did all the little extra things that only great companies understand. I highly recommend the Hoffman brothers (Derrick and Eric, and their Dad too) for anyone who is considering installing a solar power system for their residence or business. I could not be more satisfied with their product and guest service.

John Cox

2020-10-24

HESOLAR was fantastic from start to finish with our solar panel installation. Derrick was able to present a very through and competitive bid. Erick performed a site visit to confirm exactly what was needed, and Erick was also on site and involved the day of the installation. Derrick and Eric are the owners, not just salesmen and they have their own employees for the installation, not contractors. The installation of our 21 solar panels went quickly and smoothly. The job was very professionally done, and we are very satisfied customers. Following the installation, they even worked with PEC to get the final inspection completed and we are enjoying the difference in our electric bills. We highly recommend HESOLAR!

Mark Smith

2020-10-21

I chose the Hoffman family for my solar/battery project because of these great reviews, and for their complete lack of pushy, slimy sales people. I was especially impressed after they first installed my panels when there was one detail which I didn’t think was visually perfect, and they offered to redo the whole installation or whatever I wanted to do to make it right. Luckily it was a fairly minor fix, which they accomplished the next day. They really know how to run a business, and their technical expertise is outstanding.

O R

2020-10-20

It’s been over a month since HESolar installed 32 solar panels on our roof, I couldn’t be happier with the process – from initial contact through to installation and follow up. There are a lot of solar companies out there now, and I really don’t appreciate the pushy/salesy business models many of them have. They may install a fine system, but door to door and sending salesmen to house with big fancy pamphlets seems like a lot of overhead built into pricing. HESolar was by far the best formal quote I received on a $/Kilowatt-hour produced. I also spoke directly to the owners, not sales people, on initial contact. The owners were also on site for pre-install inspection and for installation itself. The install was fast, very professionally done, left zero debris on site, and everything worked exactly as had been advertised. I’m an engineer and appreciated the entire process. Really enjoy seeing how much is produced daily and monitoring my PEC bills to see the overall reduction in cost and when I go negative and am feeding the grid. But mainly I like the idea of converting something that hits my house every day (to varying degrees) into power for my home. Highly recommend HESolar.

OTown Musicdad

2020-10-09

If multiple people are saying it, it must be true. I’ve been researching solar for over a year. I didn’t make the leap last year. This year, I hit an add that was supposed to get me three estimates. Only two companies responded. One company had a very high price. The second company had a good reputation and I was about to commit when the salesperson went silent. Enter HE Solar. I sent an email and had a response in an hour. I had a virtual proposal meeting the following day. The day after that I had a roof inspection and I signed the proposal. I was up and operating within 6 weeks, including HOA and PEC signoffs. The equipment provided is top-notch. The attention to detail on the installation was beyond belief. They even found an issue with a vent I didn’t know existed and it’s on its way to be repaired. Get all the estimates you want but go to the master electricians who do superb work.

H Nguyen

2020-07-31

Besides the cost, seamless process from beginning to end, what I like the most is how honest these guys are. No BS, “Just the Facts, Ma’am”.

Kelly Michael Skelton

2020-07-22

Outstanding installation of EV charging station. Their crew (2 people) were polite, helped explain the process to me, and were quick – less than an hour and a half until I went from charger in box to charging my vehicle! They were also affordable and available when I needed them to be. Lucky I went with HE Solar!

Scott Carter

2020-07-22

A family member recommended HESolar to me. Derrick arranged everything. The crew was finished within two days. My electric company charges about $0.14 per kilowatt hours. They pay the same for energy generated. It’s the heat of the summer, and the electric company informed me that my usage for this week was (rounded) $14. So I reckon that my power bill during the summer would be $56/month or 400 KwHrs. Since March I have generated 4.5MwHrs, so more than 11 months of peek electricity.

Tax breaks and utility company discounts pay about 60% of the initial cost. HESolar has my highest recommendation!

Google rating score: 5 of 5, based on 83 reviews