Solar SME Reviews

I chose Solar SME because it had good reviews and based on the referral from my friend. They installed a 20 panel Aptos system to accommodate the most of my current consumption. The installation took 2 days with no problems so far. Rick H, the Project Manager is very responsive to address my concerns/requests every step of the way. I would recommend Solar SME to anyone interested in the installation of a solar system. They would handle the paperwork from pulling the permits from the Utility Company, City, County Office and the HOA. It was a pleasant experience to go solar with the quality service provider.

I chose Solar SME because it had good reviews with very few poor reviews. They installed a large (54 panel) system with battery backup. Some installation problems occurred along the way, but Solar SME constantly worked hard to overcome all problems. When a component was suspected to be defective, an Uber driver delivered a replacement part within six hours after the discovery. most often when I sent an email to the project leader, David, he would call me within minutes of my sending the email to discuss my concerns. After the detailed project plan was created, I checked the ratings of each component in the system. I was pleased to learn that the Panasonic solar panels were very highly rated and the Enphase system was very highly rated. I would recommend Solar SME to anyone interested in the installation of a solar system.

I went with Solar SME as they offered a strong warranty, provided the panels I was looking for, and had good pricing. I also appreciated the detailed quote and breakdown of expected performance that was supplied. My Project Manager for the installation was Rick H. While there was some initial communication issues, everything including permits from the City and Utility Company were delivered without any issues. Terry was my installer and he and his team did a great job with the installation and cleanup. I appreciated them taking their time to explain the different aspects of the system and electrical. They also rode out of their way to pick up the rail system which was delayed by FedEx in shipping. The only issue we have is one with a configuration with the electric measurement used by our home which should be fixed shortly by a follow up visit. Easily resolved and no major issues.

I found SolarSME through EnergySage and I am super happy with the end result! Sales: I felt that the package, warranty, equipment, and price were all the best fit. I worked with Ray C and couldn't say anything negative about the experience. He spent over an hour on our initial consultation appointment, thoroughly answering all my questions, never rushing me off the phone or to the next topic. He was the most honest of the sales people I talked to with one notable exception (see cons below). Very attentive and quick to respond to emails, but he balanced this well with not seeming super pushy either. He gave me time and respect to consider other options while not blowing up my phone with texts and calls and emails. Project: Rick, the project manager, has been wonderful and responsive all the way through the process. He took care of the plans, home inspection, permitting, and install. Their affiliates (inspector/installers, etc) have been super efficient and friendly. From the date that my contract was signed to the date my panels were installed was roughly 15 weeks. Just awaiting final building inspection. Can't wait to get the permission to operate and get the system switched on. Cons: -They subcontracted the work out despite saying it is their installers and that they have local warehouses. Maybe they do their own installs locally to Texas but I'm in PA. I do not feel this affected the job quality or scheduling but I would have respected the honesty approach more. -They asked me to store the panels in my garage before installation. Minor inconvenience, but I'm sure this also saved me on the project cost. -Both Sales and the project team were kind of desperate for reviews, but again, maybe saved in overall cost if they can do higher volume of business.

Was a little worried upfront. Was hoping to have it done prior to end of year but I understand things are a little crazy right now but David A did a great job following up and keeping me informed of the process. Can’t really complain about anything as the panels are up. Areas were kept clean. Crew was thorough and process went pretty quick once started. Price wasn’t too bad either considering the size of my system.

This review is for the initial experience of the quoting/proposal stage. We just signed the contract and are starting the process. So far so good. Solar SME’s initial proposal was sound and their response to my initial modification request was quick and accurate. Their combination of equipment, guarantee and price one the day. They weren’t the absolute cheapest but the combination of factors provided the best overall. Ray Conner (my consultant) was quick and concise. Not too much fluff or pressure.

Looking into solar was new for us, and Omar A immediately reached out and helped answer all questions as well suggestions. With every conversation we would want to make a change and Omar promptly rebuilt the proposals based on what we had discussed. In the end we decided to go with SolarSME mainly because of Omar's attentiveness, courtesy, and patience.

From start to finish my solar installation was very smooth. Rick my Project manager was very helpful and informative from start to finish. William my installer was very kind and fast on install. I am overall very happy with my entire experience with Solar SME and would recommend them for anyone looking into solar!

It was a pleasure working with Ray C who was extremely knowledgeable & professional. Solar SME was not the first company that I talked with but their amazing customer service and honest pricing made choosing them easy. Thanks Solar SME

Great experience from start to finish. Solar SME designed the system as I requested. Giving me the system that I need today and room to update and increase capacity as needed for my future ELECTRIC CARS. All my electrical demand is supplied cleanly by the sun. :)

Our Project Manager, Mr. H was so perseverant and patient, working through several snags & solved every problem with no complaint. He was so supportive when both myself and spouse came down with bad cases of Covid last year, checking in on us daily and sending prayers/inspirational messages! I felt like we built a good working relationship; and I would *definitely* work with him again on another project. Problems: the contract went over by 4 months, costing us the 26% Federal tax credit last year (now it's down to 22%). When Mr. H was sick, no one took over his workload, contributing to delays. Southeastern Freight Lines couldn't deliver the panels b/c semi trucks can't be driven on local roads, so a moving company had to pick them up. Southeastern didn't give them the steel rails & they had to make 2 trips! Somehow we were shorted rails in this process - good thing the Roofers had extras! The panels and hardware sat on our covered porch for a month before anyone could install them. The first draw check was lost in the mail for a month. Permits weren't put in at the same time for both the local electric co-op and county Building department, taking an extra month to finish. Because panels weren't ordered until permitting was completed, the Silfab panels became unobtainable, causing a design rework that meant County and Co-op re-approval & delays. Overall, we have our solar panels and they're working as promised, though the installation in two days was a whirlwind of activity all at once (after months of delays). The Roofing crew was courteous, professional, had working knowledge of the product; and cleaned up after themselves; but due to scheduling, couldn't stick around for the County inspector to come out (good thing nothing serious was wrong - it would have been 2 weeks for them to come back for repairs/corrections). Our Project Manager was excellent; but didn't have the support he needed to get the project done within the contracted time period; but honored the original contract price. Hopefully the system will perform as expected, giving us nearly a full offset of electricity used, important as this was a massive investment of time, energy, and money - a real slog, actually! My final thoughts are that, considering all the delays and problems, while I'm glad to have gone through Solar SME (Energy Sage recommended), I'd find a closer company next time. In my opinion, - given all the problems- Solar SME might be overextended for Northwestern Virginia, too far away from headquarters in Texas. I'm concerned about future servicing, due to distance alone. And there's no saying Mr. H will be there forever to help us. I really wish I could have used his *real* name, though - it felt disrespectful to *have* to use the pseudonym given.

I have an overall great experience. The financing rate in the industry was definitely hard to beat! I had a small issue and it was resolved very quickly! The panels are very sleek, all black, and came with some housing to give it a great design! It took a day, but I didn't need many panels!

Great effort. Typical sales model as to be expected but most willing to get the job done. Xavier has a great business sense and follow thru approach firstly respecting my time. Great job.. However, for me the investment makes no sense at this time. Thanks.

Mr. Omar A. is a sale advisor, not a salesperson. He gives you honest information so that you can make an informed financial decision. Mr. Omar is a very knowledgeable and professional individual; I recommend you work with him on your project, without reservations.

Solar SME was was inform and answered all of my questions. With solar being new to me, they made my husband and I feel comfortable and informed the entire process. I also like that they use top grade products that are durable and will last a long time.

Solar SME delivered what they said they would. Had to overcome some local coding obstacles when coming to a new area for the first time, but they persevered and built us a wonderful ground mounted solar array that is working better than advertised. I highly recommend Solar SME.

Xavier and Andrew were a pleasure to work with because of their fantastic professionalism and support. Overall, Solar SME did an outstanding job on our large and complex residential installation.

Mike B. was an amazing representative. He was thorough and complete is his understanding nformation. He did not object to revising quotes as our need changed. He is a five star!

Our original bidding/research period was definitely good with Solar SME, but our install took a very long time to complete in large part due to a lack of local install professionals in the Austin area who work with SME. I don't know if that has changed in the last 3 years since our project. Regardless, it seems there was very little monitoring of our system from their end. It seemed that not long after our install, we lost a lot of production. I'm not clear when it started, but it looks like we may have lost 2 years of production, and thus ROI. When I finally reached out to Solar SME, it took weeks to get a technician out (I had a 3rd party who actually came out first and verified one of our inverters needed to be replaced). At any rate, a new project lead, Basem Yani, took over our account and got our issues solved and our production back up. It is a vast improvement and we are back on schedule for our ROI, just 2 years later.

Chose to work with Solar SME because we felt they were being more straightforward and honest with their quote (via EnergySage) than some other companies. Our energy consultant, James , is very experienced and was absolutely fantastic to work with! He was one of the main reasons we chose to work with SME. He was always straight to the point, was very good at clarifying complicated aspects of the process, and was very willing to adapt SME's quote as our desires changed. Last but not least, he was very clear at many times during the process that we could cancel the Solar SME offer if unexpected expenses (or anything, really) came up during the inspection. Unfortunately, our inspection revealed the need to entirely re-roof our house (putting the total budget beyond our means at the moment), and so we've decided to wait a year., but we'll definitely be getting back in touch with James next summer!

Great Product, Good Experience and Good Price Ray the sales guy did a great job in helping me understand every detail of their product and how it was better than his competitors. He also worked with me to get the price just right. He offered me two of the best financing options from all the competitors. He did a great job explaining to me every line of the contract I was signing. Wish their roof warranty was better (only two years) but only two other companies offer a better roof warranty (25 years). I ended choosing Solar SME because they offered a superior system at a very reasonable price (Panasonic panels with Enphase microinverters). After signing the contract, I was contacted by the installation project manager Rick who immediately took care of site inspections, permits with the city and HOA, plus Duke Energy agreements and rebates. Installation was quick, clean and done in one day. After Duke change the meter, Rick help me start the system and ensure the system and app were working appropriately. Overall a great experience!

Cutting to the chase, my design planning and installation were hands down the best experience I could ask for. Brian my project manager kept me up to date on what was going on, he took care of all the paperwork, and even was able to move my install date up 2-3 weeks. The installation guys, lead by Frank, were amazing, and very professional. I would most definitely recommend Solar SME. The price was good with the panels and battery that I wanted. There were some hiccups on the connection side which was easily fixed by the SolarSME electrician by calling my battery's company. Our local power company came over for final inspection and even he was impressed with Frank's work, and that was very reassuring to us.

They were very courteous and helpful throughout the installation process. They assisted us with any questions we had and found answers quickly if they didn’t have one.

Professional and timely with the whole solar purchase and installation, especially with follow-up. Competitive pricing. Anticipated questions and answered them thoroughly.

Our Senior Energy Consultant, Mike B, was outstanding. He is very professional, I and he worked very hard to explain everything to us. He put in a lot of effort to earn our business. Solar SME is very transparent, and the system design they proposed was all first tier equipment. And Solar SME offered the best price on a REC Alpha series-based system.

This company worked well with me. I asked for several changes along the way, which came with change orders and drawing changes. I had no trouble getting in touch with Solar SME, and they called me every day to discuss progress and next steps. When I had questions, I was able to get clear and understandable explanations. Ryan F was excellent and took care of everything.

Solar SME was one of the choice I considered when using the energysage website to compare Solar installer company. I only dealt with the sales representative but when looking comparing, this company was on the top list when it comes to panels, inverters, and the cost. The sales representative, was excellent as to consistently keeping in touch to answer any question but also talked to me on his off-day to explain the quote.

We're really happy we chose Solar SME for the project and got Rick as an engineer! He was courteous, explained everything in details, gently lead us through the process with all the paperwork, approvals, hardware and software setup, so the actually complex project became nice and easy. The system was pretty carefully and precisely designed, works as a charm! Thank you, Rick, for all your care!

One year after installation, I’m receiving reduced utility bills from my power company. I’m glad to have Solar SME at my solar company. David A is my Project manager and has been very active in notifying me when the unit is not functioning properly. Overall, I’m happy that I purchased my solar panels from Solar SME. I would recommend that everyone should go solar.

I was quoted by SolarSME and ended up taking their bid. Michael was my POC for the project and was there every step of the way if I had questions or concerns. The install, or lag time between signing paperwork and getting everything turned on took longer than I expected but it was still completed and as quoted. In fact it was a little cheaper so I am happy. I would recommend this company to anyone looking for solar panels.

Solar SME is a subject matter expert on solar panels, installation, permits, warranty, and service. At every step they worked for mutual satisfaction and exemplified being customer driven. I found them to be reasonable and to live up to their word and commitments. I highly recommend Solar SME. My system is set to produce ~25,000 kWh per year with south and west facing panels totaling 51 REC solar panels with Enphase micro inverters.