Solar Energy World - Profile & Reviews

We decided to go solar through the Montgomery Co-op of Solar United Neighbors since we got a better price ($2.19/watt) and warranty (20 years on the system, 15 years on the inverter). Solar Energy World was the company selected by the co-op to install our 9Kw/30 panels solar system. We had a very poor experience with the company and in particular with their solar analysts.

The two solar analysts who worked on our project showed a incredible lack of knowledge and customer care. Our first solar analyst, Mr. Jay Randell quoted us for a much bigger system (44 panels/13.2kW) that what we actually needed and he had a hard time following up with us. We had to ask the CEO of the company to work with another solar analyst. The second one, Mr. Bryan Hacker was better following up, but did not demonstrate the proper knowledge regarding roof penetrations and his way to answer our questions was really condescending to a point that we were afraid to ask. Even when we requested a second meeting to review the project prior to the installation, he claimed that he did not have time to meet with customers more than once and this is the way that the company works. It should be noted that Mr. Hacker is the Vice-president of sales of the company.
Regarding the roof penetrations, we needed a new roof before installing our solar panels, so I mentioned to Mr. Hacker that the roof company could mark the location of the trusses where the solar array is attached since I did not want extra new holes in our brand new roof. Mr. Hacker told us that was not needed since the company uses a method to exactly locate the trusses by measuring and chalking roof. The day of the installation we discovered that the company actually uses echo location to locate the rafters (i.e. they tap with a mallet or a hammer and roughly locate the trusses solely by the sound), as one can imagine with this method it is really easy to miss the trusses. As a result, we ended up with a bunch of holes in our new roof that they had to caulk. I recommend to CEO that his company should invest in proper electronic truss finders to avoid this problem. The company only measures and chalks roof trusses in situations where they cannot identify the trusses from above the roof with a mallet. We were really surprised that the Vice-president of sales was not aware of it. We could have avoided all those extra penetrations in our roof. Mr. Hacker also omitted to tell us that the company charges an extra fee to finance the system of roughly $2000 (apart from the money that goes to the loan interest) which would not have been charged if we paid cash. Finally and not least, he encouraged us to turn on our system before passing the county inspection. Thankfully we did not do it since the crew that installed our system told us that could cause the electric company to charge us twice (for the energy that we consume and the one that we produce) since we needed a new meter that knows the amount of electricity that we are producing.
The company never gave us a detailed report of the project (for instance the specifications of the solar panels and the inverter, where things will be located and how the condos would be run) prior to the installation, even when we asked for that information. After the installation I got the specs of the solar panels and the inverter after a direct request to the CEO of the company. Furthermore the company never gave us or even offered the manual of the inverter.
In contrast, the crew members that did the installation were very professional, they replied to all of my questions and they spent a good amount of time explaining things to us.

The CEO of the company is aware of these issues.

A solar system is quite a big investment and we believe that we deserved better customer care from Solar Energy World even when we are part of a co-op.

From the first encounter to present Solar Energy has been great to work with. The salesman was very knowledgeable and most helpful in my making a decision to go solar. I have recommended this company to more than one associate. I look forward to a continuing relationship.

This vendor operates differently than the others. They didn't post a quote, just a message that they were working on it. When the quote was not forthcoming, I sent them a reminder that I was interested. They responded and set an appointment. The salesman arrived and showed me a quote on his laptop. I asked him to provide me a quote via email or paper so that I could compare it with the others that I had received. He refused. He wanted me to sign with them on the spot. He asked me about the other vendors and wanted to see their quotes. I told him that I didn't think that was fair. Then, he gave me a spiel about how his company was the best and kind of trashed the others. I answered that I would not sign that day, but if he would give me the quote, I would review it alongside the others and make my decision. He asked me if we were done. I told him we were. So he left. He has yet to send me a quote or post it on the EnergySage website. I've seen some good reviews about them. It makes me wonder what they are hiding if they won't turn over their quote for comparison.

Installers mainly differ by the level of support they offer on installations -- it's less about the panels and hardware. So we chose someone local, experienced and with a great reputation. Solar Energy World excelled at making the entire process as frictionless as possible. They handled permits, site inspections and paperwork, and left me with very little to worry about. The installers were friendly and knowledgeable. We were very happy with the entire process, which took about 12 weeks, including the holidays.

Colin Gload and the Solar Energy World installers made going solar easy. The information was straightforward and easy to understand to make a decision. Then the installation team from design to installation was courteous, informative, polite, and did a top not job... it looks great... actually can hardly tell 39 panels are installed. It took a little longer than I wished but about on-time with what they projected. Can't wait to see the savings year over year. Colin was always responsive whenever we had a question or needed some information. He was awesome to work with and went above and beyond.

Dan and Georgana Finn

Everything from start to finish was great. There are many steps throughout the process, but Colin was great in being able to Move things along quickly. If you're thinking about going solar, def. call Colin and Solar Energy World!

Colin got back to me right away and thoughtfully answered my many questions. He was aggressive in trying to get us the best price and best components possible. We sent emails back and forth and had two phone conversations. I recommend him highly for his professionalism, knowledge and responsiveness.

Solar Energy World is a great company. Colin was very professional and did a good job assisting me in my process to go solar, I would recommend”

Overall we had a great experience with Solar Energy World. The sales and installation process went well. The inspection process did not go so smoothly.

Greatest thing I've done in years, the equipment is top of the line. installation was the most professional job I have seen in years. Great people to work with