Longview, WA Solar Installers: Solar Panel Installation Since 2010
Sunbridge Solar installs home solar in Longview and across Cowlitz County. We pull the City of Longview or Cowlitz County building permit and the Washington L&I electrical permit, file the Cowlitz PUD interconnection, and put the panels on in two to three days.
- Installing since 2010
- L&I registered, bonded & insured
- 10-yr workmanship · 25-yr product warranties
- 2–3 days on site
Who installs solar in Longview, WA?
Sunbridge Solar does. Our own crew comes up from Washougal. We are a Southwest Washington company, not a national sales operation that subcontracts the roof work, and Longview’s older neighborhoods are the kind of houses we know how to wire.
- Registered, bonded and insured in Washington. Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF and electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK, both active with the Department of Labor & Industries.
- A track record you can look up. We are a licensed Washington contractor with more than 120 permitted installs in Clark County’s public records since 2017, and we install in Cowlitz County under the same license, the same crew and the same two warranties.
- Two warranties, kept separate on purpose. Ten years on our workmanship, 25 years on the panels and equipment from the manufacturer.
- No-pressure sales. A written quote, then the decision is yours.
Check us before you call us
Our Washington credentials
- Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF, active
- Electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK, active
- Bond and liability insurance on file with L&I
- 120+ permitted installs in Clark County’s public records since 2017
- Energy Trust of Oregon verified
Both numbers are on every quote we write.
Which parts of Longview do you serve?
All of them. The one thing that changes from one address to the next is who issues your permit: inside city limits, the City of Longview Building Division issues the building permit and Washington L&I issues the electrical permit; outside it, Cowlitz County issues the building permit and L&I still handles the electrical. We check the address before we quote so there are no surprises.
Inside Longview city limits
City of Longview building permit + L&I electrical permit
- Old West Side
- Lake Sacajawea
- Columbia Heights
- The Highlands
- St. Helens & Broadway
- West Longview
Good to know: the City takes solar applications at the counter, by dropbox or by mail, permits with plans are not issued online, and we handle the drop-off for you.
Longview addresses in Cowlitz County
Cowlitz County building permit + L&I electrical permit
- Rose Valley
- Coal Creek & Stella
- Ostrander
- Longview Heights
Nearby towns: Kelso, Castle Rock, Kalama, Woodland, or see every Washington town we serve.
Is your Longview home a good candidate for solar?
Most Longview homes are. Four things decide it: the roof (its direction, its pitch and how much life it has left) the shade on it, the size of your electrical service, and how much power you actually use. None of them depend on your zip code, and all four get checked on the first visit, before anyone talks about price.
Usually a yes
What we look for
- A roof plane facing south, east or west that the trees leave clear for most of the day.
- A composition or metal roof with ten or more years left. The panels are warrantied for 25, so the roof under them should not be the thing that fails first.
- A 200-amp service, or an electrical panel with room for a solar breaker.
- A bill worth cutting. A heat pump, an EV, a well pump or a shop is usually what puts a home in the middle of the 4 to 10 kilowatts we install most.
Still worth a look
None of these is an automatic no
- A shaded or wrong-facing roof. A ground mount or a shop roof often out-produces it, and the trench goes in the quote rather than turning up later.
- An older 100-amp panel. We check it on the first visit and price any upgrade in writing before you sign anything.
- A roof near the end of its life. We will tell you to replace it first rather than charge you to take the panels off and put them back.
- An HOA. Washington law (RCW 64.38.055) stops an outright ban; reasonable rules on placement and appearance go into the design from the start.
The only way to know for certain is to have someone look. We map a year of shade, check the service panel, size the system to your own Cowlitz PUD bills rather than to the roof, and put a written number in front of you. No charge and no obligation.
What does a solar installer charge in Longview?
The price depends on system size, your roof and whether you add a battery, not on your zip code. A lot of Longview’s housing went up between the 1920s and the 1960s, so the roof and the electrical panel decide more of the quote than the square footage does; most homes land in the middle of the 4 to 10 kilowatts we install most. Two things keep a Longview quote simple:
No sales tax on the system or the labor
Washington exempts 100% of state and local sales tax on solar systems up to 100 kW, including installation labor, through 2029 (RCW 82.08.962). One exemption certificate at purchase, filed by us.
No rebate to chase
Cowlitz PUD does not offer a solar rebate and Washington has no state credit, so the number on the quote is the number you pay. The federal residential credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. See what changed.
For cost by system size, run your bill through the Washington solar calculator or read our Southwest Washington solar cost guide. Then request a written quote.
Checked September 2026. Source: Washington Department of Revenue; RCW 82.08.962.
What permits does a Longview solar install need?
Inside city limits, two: a building permit from the City of Longview and an electrical permit from Washington L&I. The City asks applicants to allow two to four weeks for residential plan review, and we prepare and submit the package.
City of Longview building permit
What we submit to the Building Division at City Hall
- Site plan and roof plan showing the array, fire-access pathways and clearances
- Electrical plan with rapid shutdown and system labeling
- Manufacturer spec sheets for the panels, inverter and racking
- Structural engineering when the roof or the array calls for it
Building Division, Longview City Hall, 1525 Broadway, 360-442-5086, open Monday to Thursday, closed Fridays. We deal with them, not you. Outside city limits, the permit comes from Cowlitz County Building & Planning through its online Accela portal.
Washington L&I electrical permit
The City does not issue electrical permits
- The electrical permit and the inspection go through Washington L&I
- We pull it under our own electrical contractor license and schedule the inspection
- The passed inspection goes to Cowlitz PUD to start your interconnection
Older wiring? Some of Longview’s oldest houses still have a 60- or 100-amp service and a panel that is no longer supported. We check on the first visit and price any upgrade in writing before you sign.
Checked September 2026. Sources: City of Longview Building Division; Cowlitz County Building & Planning; Washington L&I.
How does Cowlitz PUD net metering work in Longview?
Every home in Longview is on Cowlitz PUD, and the PUD net-meters systems up to 200 kW. The power you send to the grid is banked as kilowatt-hour credits against your own later use; the summer surplus carries you through the dark months.
The Cowlitz PUD process
What happens after the electrical inspection
- Interconnection application filed by us after the L&I electrical inspection, with the one-line diagram and equipment specs
- Application fee $100, non-refundable, included in your price
- Systems up to 200 kW qualify; the PUD may charge for any transformer or meter upgrade it finds necessary during review
- Unused credits are zeroed out every March 31
No PUD solar rebate. The PUD does not publish a review time, so we chase the application for you. Engineering: (360) 501-9546.
Why we size to your usage, not your roof
The March 31 reset changes the math
Surplus you bank in July is worth full value in January, but anything still unused on March 31 goes to the utility without compensation. So we size a Longview system to a year of your actual bills rather than to every square foot of south-facing roof. An oversized array looks impressive and gives value back to the PUD.
Our post on Washington net metering explains the math.
Checked September 2026. Source: Cowlitz PUD net metering page; RCW 80.60.030.
Does solar work on an older Longview roof?
Usually, yes, and Longview is a planned city, so the answer depends a lot on which part of the plan your house is in.
The original grid
Old West Side, Lake Sacajawea, the Highlands
The 1920s to 1950s houses around the lake and the old grid have steeper roofs, mature street trees and, in some cases, wiring older than the panels we would put on them. We map a year of shade before we size anything, check the roof’s remaining life and the service panel on the first visit, and tell you plainly if the roof should be replaced first.
Columbia Heights and West Longview
Newer roofs, simpler installs
The neighborhoods that grew after the 1960s have composition roofs and 200-amp panels, which makes them the easy case. There the question is orientation and shade, and a battery is the add-on people ask about most, because when the wind takes the grid down along the river it keeps the fridge, the freezer and the internet running.
Panels run on daylight, not heat. A cool, bright Longview afternoon is a good solar afternoon, and the rain keeps the panels clean.
How long does a Longview solar install take, start to finish?
The panels go on in two to three days. Start to finish, from first call to switch-on, plan on ten to fourteen weeks.
Consultation, design and a written quote
Your roof, your electrical panel, your shading and a year of your electric bills, then system size, equipment, warranty terms and price on one page.
Permits, install and inspection
City of Longview or Cowlitz County permit plus the L&I electrical permit, then two to three days on site, then the electrical inspection.
Utility interconnection and switch-on
Cowlitz PUD reviews the interconnection application and sets the net meter. The PUD does not publish a timeline, so we follow it up until you can switch on.
How does Sunbridge Solar compare to a national solar company in Longview?
The panels are the same. What differs is who does the work. Most national companies that advertise in Longview sell the system and subcontract the roof and the wiring, so the people who quote the job are not the people who install it. Sunbridge Solar designs, permits and installs with our own crew, under our own Washington electrical license.
Sunbridge Solar
One company from the site visit to the warranty call
- Our own crew, our own licenses. Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF and electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK. The install is not handed to a subcontractor.
- We do the paperwork. We pull the City of Longview or Cowlitz County permit and the L&I electrical permit and file the Cowlitz PUD interconnection ourselves.
- Two warranties, both in writing. Ten years on our workmanship, 25 years on the panels and equipment.
- A local address. 421 C Street in Washougal, the same people answer the phone in year eight.
Checking a national quote
Four things worth confirming in writing
- Whose crew is on the roof, the company on the contract, or a subcontractor hired for the day?
- Whose electrical license the permit is pulled under, and who meets the L&I inspector.
- Who files the Cowlitz PUD interconnection and follows it up, or whether that is left to you.
- Whether the price is a cash price or a financed one with dealer fees rolled into it.
How do I choose among solar companies in Longview?
Longview gets pitched by solar companies from Portland, Olympia and Seattle, and some of the national ones sell here and subcontract the roof work. Four questions separate them quickly.
Are you licensed, and can I check?
Every Washington contractor has an L&I registration number and an electrical license number. Ours are SUNBRSL882NF and SUNBRSL857CK.
Who does the roof work?
Ask whether the crew on your roof works for the company on the contract. Ours does, and it drives here from Washougal.
What are the two warranties?
Workmanship and product are different things. Get both in writing, with the years.
How did you size this?
Cowlitz PUD credits reset every March 31, so an oversized system gives value back to the utility. An installer who pushes a bigger array than your bills support is selling panels, not savings.
We’re happy to be compared on all four
Ask us the same questions. We’ll put our answers in writing with your quote.
What Longview customers say
Real Google reviews from homeowners across Longview, Cowlitz County and the rest of Southwest Washington.
Longview solar FAQs
The questions Longview homeowners ask us most, answered plainly.
It depends on system size, roof type and whether you add a battery, so we quote every home individually. There is no sales tax on the equipment or labor for systems up to 100 kW through 2029, and no rebate to apply for afterward. Run your bill through our Washington solar calculator for a first number.
For most homes with a reasonably clear south-, east- or west-facing roof, yes. On the older houses around the lake and the original grid, the roof’s remaining life and the electrical panel decide more than the weather does, so we check both before we answer. Our Longview solar guide goes into cost and payback.
Yes. Inside city limits, a building permit from the City of Longview Building Division and an electrical permit from Washington L&I. Outside city limits, a Cowlitz County building permit plus the L&I electrical permit. We prepare and submit all of it.
Sometimes. Many Longview homes built before 1970 have a 100-amp panel, some older ones 60, which can limit the system, and a battery or EV charger adds load. We check on the first visit and price any upgrade in writing.
Not in cash, in kilowatt-hour credits at full value against your own later use, banked until the March 31 reset. Cowlitz PUD net-meters systems up to 200 kW and charges a $100 application fee, which we include in your price.
Yes. Battery backup for outages and a Level 2 EV charger can go in alongside the solar, with the panel and wiring sized so the three work together.
The panels are the same; the crew is not. We design, permit and install with our own crew under our own Washington electrical license (SUNBRSL857CK), pull the City of Longview or Cowlitz County permit and the L&I electrical permit ourselves and file the Cowlitz PUD interconnection, and answer the warranty call from our shop in Washougal. Before you sign with anyone, confirm whose crew will be on the roof and whose license the permit is pulled under.
Two to three days on your roof. Start to finish, including permits and the utility’s meter swap, plan on ten to fourteen weeks.
Ready to go solar in Longview?
Request a free, no-obligation quote and we’ll drive up from Washougal, look at your roof and your panel, and put a real number in writing.
Sunbridge Solar | 421 C St Ste 5a, Washougal, WA 98671 | 360-313-7190