Free bill analysis - bring a power bill, get the production math for your actual roof, panel brands like Qcells and REC compared side by side
If the pitch starts at your door and ends with "sign tonight for the special," sleep on it. The sun will still be there tomorrow; so will we.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSolar Services in Austin, TX
If you’re reading this, you probably have a stack of Solar Panel Installation in Austin quotes on your kitchen table and no clear way to compare them. That’s normal here. Austin Energy’s Value of Solar tariff makes this city’s solar math completely different from Dallas or San Antonio, and a lot of the numbers floating around your neighborhood are built on the wrong assumptions. We’re Gus’s Solar, locally owned and operated, and we’ll show you the year-25 output on your actual bill, not a brochure estimate. Call us at (877) 550-6892 and we’ll walk through it together.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Austin Homeowners Choose Gus’s Solar
Gus Petrakis puts his name on the truck, publishes his address and license number, and answers his own phone. When you call, a live person picks up. Not a voicemail, not a call center three states away. If something goes wrong with your system a year from now, Gus is the one who calls you, not some warranty department that’s already been renamed twice.
We do installs all over the city, from bungalow-heavy pockets in 78702 and 78704 to newer builds up in 78723. A lot of our Austin customers found us after a national outfit quoted one number on the phone and another at the door. That doesn’t happen here. The price quoted is the price charged, and Gus will tell you to take two weeks to think about it. If a salesman needs an answer tonight, the answer is no.
Solar Services We Offer in Austin
Solar Panel Installation
We size every system off your utility bill and Austin Energy’s current Value of Solar rate, not a generic square-footage formula. This matters more in Austin than almost anywhere else in Texas. Learn more about our Solar Panel Installation in Austin.
Solar Battery Storage & Backup
After Winter Storm Uri, a lot of Austin homeowners asked us about batteries. Austin Energy’s interconnection rules for battery systems are specific, and we handle the export-limiting and anti-islanding requirements correctly the first time. Learn more about our Solar Battery Storage & Backup in Austin.
Solar Panel Cleaning
Austin’s oak pollen and summer dust storms leave a film on panels that quietly cuts output. We clean and inspect panels without harsh chemicals and without damaging the roof. Learn more about our Solar Panel Cleaning in Austin.
EV Charger Installation
We install EV Charger Installation - Austin Level 2 chargers for homeowners who just bought an EV and realized the 120-volt cord takes 30 hours to charge. We’ll check your panel capacity first so the charger actually works at full speed.
Solar Panel Maintenance & Monitoring
Gus monitors your system’s production after install. If output drops, we call you, not the other way around. We handle firmware updates, health checks, and performance reviews tied to Austin Energy’s time-of-use windows.
Solar Panel Repair
We fix systems installed by other companies, including out-of-state outfits that left town. Free second opinion on any written estimate, and $40 off any repair over $200.
Commercial Solar Installation
Flat roofs, carports, and ground mounts for Austin businesses. We handle Austin Energy’s commercial interconnection process start to finish.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Austin
Gus’s crew works across the entire city, but here are a few of the neighborhoods where we spend the most time. Typical response time for a site visit is one to two business days for most of the metro, and same-week for urgent issues.
- East Austin (78702) - historic bungalows, older panels, frequent service upgrades
- Tarrytown (78703) - mature trees, careful shading analysis needed
- South Congress (78704) - mixed rooflines, some metal roofs on infill builds
- Windsor Park (78723) - ranch-style homes with low-pitch shingle roofs
Why Austin’s Climate & Housing Affect Solar
Austin averages about 228 sunny days a year, which sounds great until you factor in the heat. Panel efficiency drops roughly 0.3 to 0.5 percent per degree above 25°C, and July afternoons regularly push past 105°F. That means your array is producing less precisely when Austin Energy’s grid demand is highest. Some Austin homeowners actually benefit from a west-facing array orientation that captures late-afternoon sun during peak pricing windows, which is the opposite of what a national installer’s default design software would assume.
Then there’s the housing stock. Central Austin ZIP codes like 78702 and 78704 are full of 1940s and 1970s homes with original 100-amp panels. Before solar can be permitted, many of those homes need a service upgrade, and that cost has to be part of the honest quote from day one. New infill construction on the same blocks has created a patchwork of rooflines, from steep metal roofs to low-pitch composition shingle, so every site assessment here is different. Gus walks the roof himself before any numbers go on paper.
Pricing for Solar in Austin
Here’s what we tell people at the kitchen table. A residential solar install in Austin without batteries typically runs from $12,000 to $28,000 before incentives, depending on roof condition, panel count, and whether a 100-amp service upgrade is needed. Adding battery storage usually adds $9,000 to $16,000, depending on capacity and brand. Austin Solar Panel Cleaning starts around $150 for a single-story home and runs $200 to $350 for two-story or steep roofs. We work with Panasonic, Canadian Solar, JinkoSolar, and FranklinWH equipment, and we quote the year-25 output, not the day-one number. Bring us a bill and we’ll bring you the math.
Service Area - Cities Near Austin
Beyond the city limits, our crews also serve the surrounding communities. If you’re in Hornsby Bend, Wells Branch, Anderson Mill, or Jollyville, the same Gus’s Solar crew and the same no-pressure pricing apply.
Serving Austin, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Austin area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Solar in Austin
Most Austin homes fall between $12,000 and $28,000 for a solar install before incentives, with battery storage adding another $9,000 to $16,000. Your exact number depends on your roof, your panel, and your Austin Energy bill. Call (877) 550-6892 and we’ll quote it off your actual usage, not a brochure figure.
No. Austin Energy uses a Value of Solar tariff, one of the first in the nation, that pays a rate recalculated annually and typically below the retail electricity rate. That means the savings math from other Texas cities does not apply here. We build every Austin quote around the current VoS rate and the specific interconnection application Austin Energy requires.
Usually yes, but the panel may need a service upgrade first, which adds cost and time to the project. We’ll check this during the site visit and tell you upfront. Homes in 78702 and 78704 built before the 1980s run into this most often.
Call us. If it’s urgent, we’ll do our best to get someone out the same day. Otherwise, most site visits in Austin happen within one to two business days.
It depends on what you want. If you just want lower bills, solar alone is fine. If you want backup power during outages like Winter Storm Uri, you need Austin Solar Battery Storage & Backup. Austin Energy’s interconnection rules for batteries have specific export limits we handle as part of the install. Call (877) 550-6892 for a straight answer on your home.
Written by Gus Petrakis, Owner at Gus’s Solar, serving Austin and surrounding communities since 2011.
Ready for a real number? Call us at (877) 550-6892 for a free estimate. Bring us a bill, we’ll bring you the math. Take two weeks to think about it. The price will be the same.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local solar pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, typically within 1-hour.
- 4You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
What Austin Customers Say
"Told me straight that a battery did not make sense for how we use power and sold me the array without it. He talked himself out of a good deal of money that afternoon."
- Reginald Pontefract"He flashed every roof penetration properly and showed me the flashing before it went down. Three roof seasons on and not a drop anywhere."
- Philomena Achara"Panel level monitoring so I can see each one, proper stainless clips under the array rather than zip ties, and he walked me under it with a torch to show me before he signed off."
- Cassius Delacroix