Solar Side Up - Profile & Reviews

To evaluate the competing bids I received from Energy Sage, I considered the total cost and the amount of solar promised.  Solar Side Up won my business based on these considerations.  Unfortunately, what I was promised is not what I got. 

First: Solar Side Up convinced me to replace my roof prior to getting solar panels.  Not because the old roof could not support solar panels, but just because the roof was close to the end of its expected life.  They told me that if I used them to replace the roof and get the panels installed, then I could claim the solar tax credit (then 30%) on both the new roof and the solar.  Turns out, based on advice from my accountant and based on actually reading the IRS regulations, this would have almost definitely been illegal.  This resulted in an increase of about $6500 to my total cost compared to what I was led to believe.  When I mentioned this to Solar Side Up, they basically said "don't worry, nobody will check," and even provided an invoice that falsely stated that the entire amount they received was for solar panels.

Another thing they did to win my business was to guarantee (in the contract) a certain amount of solar production in year one.  They only did this because one of their competitors told me they thought their promise was not realistic and that I should get it guaranteed in writing.  Sure enough, after one year, the production was well short of the guaranteed amount.  When I contacted Solar Side Up I was completely ignored multiple times.  Finally when I threatened to write bad reviews, I was contacted by CEO Jeff Fleischman who condescendingly told me that weather is variable so I shouldn't expect any specific amount of production.  When I pointed out his salesman promised to add another solar panel if the guarantee was not met, I was offered $80 instead.  They received over $45,000 from me, didn't give me what was promised, but hey, I can get $80 of that back.

These are just the highlights. I could go on.  On the other hand the solar does work, so I give them a generous 2 stars.

Solar Side Up has been excellent to work with from the first moment of hearing the sales pitch for solar to turning on the system. They have always been super responsive and helpful with questions and their installers were professional and did an excellent job! I am really glad to have partnered with Solar Side Up for installing solar at my home.

40 panels installed

I spent many months researching solar, and was initially planning to do our install with another company. Once I spent a few minutes talking with Michael, I became convinced SSU was the type of installer and solar partner we were looking for. From planning to post-installation, they were communicative, friendly, and very helpful. I would highly recommend this team and their services.

The company was very responsive to my inquiry and was able to install in year 2020 for tax credit. Installation was fast and done with quality materials, rows of panels were straight and looks good. They had the installation done in 1 day. Went live in November and produced over a Megawatt of electricity in the month and a half and has survived 60 mph winds. Would use again, A+

This company has been great to work with. The equipment has been on the roof for 2 years now and not a single problem. The electric bills have been between .10 and 4.00 each month. In the 2 years since the install I have received emails at least 4-5 times from Michael just to Che k in and let me know all is well with the system. The installation was smooth, professional and done with great quality from the electric conduit to the mounting of the roof brackets on the shingles no leaks. We are even thinking of adding to the system for the new RV we have to power. Thank you Solar Side Up and michael . I hope the company keeps up the good work and you get to prove the quality to many more people.

It was a pleasure doing business with Geoff and his team. They were polite and professional at all times and saw to all the details. Better yet, it took only 43 days from signing our contract to having an operating system (that including the delays of inspection and Xcel, both beyond their control). Seeing that meter run backward is a treat! The installation process was seamless - no fuss, no muss - and the system looks great. I could not recommend more highly Solar Side Up.

I had solar installed by a company that came door-to-door offering special financing and a 30-year complete warranty on service and installation. Unfortunately, the 30-year warranty lasted less than a year before the company went bankrupt; so when my system was having a communication issue, I was left high and dry with no one to help.
After a few months of asking around and even contacting other installers that weren't even interested in returning my calls, someone mentioned Solar Side Up. Within a day of sending an email to their contact address on their website, I got a response and an offer of help. He spent over an hour on the phone with me trying to troubleshoot my system remotely, and when that failed (I didn't have the required tools), he scheduled a visit that very weekend, when he was able to get my system communicating again.
If that's the kind of service they offer to someone who, at that point, was not even their customer, I am looking forward to seeing the service I will get as their customer. I will definitely be using Solar Side Up for future maintenance and solar projects. My only regret is that I did not know of them when I first had my system installed.

Everyone at SolarSide Up involved in our project was great to deal with. We received a number of quotes through our EnergySage inquiry. We compared not only price but equipment, solar installation experience, roofing experience, and their ability to handle all aspects of our Installation- HOA approvals, City permits, Xcel applications, etc. All aspects of the process were beyond our expectations.
We have a cement barrel tile roof and we were especially concerned about the panel attachment and broken tiles. Multiple companies came to our door and said they don’t install on tile roofs. SolarSide Up not only demonstrated they can work on any roof, they brought out a number of mounting options and settled on one that resulted in zero cut tiles. That aspect of their work ranks very high in this review.

Solar Side Up did a great job on our panels. I appreciated their work and their communication and the system is operating very well.

We have had a wonderful experience having our solar project completed by Solar Side Up! The installation process went very smoothly and the installers were extremely considerate and friendly. We are able to monitor the energy produced by the solar panels and we're saving a good deal of money. We were easily able to access a low-interest loan recommended by Solar Side Up and we received a 30% tax rebate which lowered our taxes considerably for 2019. Thank you, Solar Side Up!

Michael DeRosia has render me great customer service handling the issues of my 2 solar panels not producing properly. He kept me will informed of what is happen with the system.
I had 2 panels not producing and he sent a team to replace the Micro-inverters and to monitor the production.
Awesome job!

01/20/20

Our solar system was installed in December, 2019 (it took less than two days!). We chose SolarSideUp (SSU) for several reasons:
-They were able to get our system in before the end of the year which means we’ll earn the 30% tax credit.
-They provided a comprehensive bid (very competitive with the other companies we looked in to), and spent ample time educating us about options.
-They took extra care to look at our roof and supporting structure/s, (our home is a 1954 brick ranch), and were able to come up with a design whereby we didn’t have to undertake costly improvements in order to accommodate the weight of the panels.
-Their design maximizes the energy production by using panels on both the front and back of our roof. It is state-of-the-art and can be expanded/upgraded if desired on down the road;
-The Enphase Energy Enlighten monitoring system is superb (allows SolarSideUp and us to check on our system’s functioning at any time). We are exceptionally pleased with our system’s output even in the dead of winter!
-SSU has been very responsive to our questions and worked diligently to get Enphase up and running (due to our home’s location and WIFI capabilities/issues, we had to add in boosters - Xfinity 3 XFI pods).
-SSU came highly recommended to us by friends and industry experts. They’ve done a superb job! So, we highly recommend them to anyone looking to install solar and take advantage of the tax credits, do the right thing for our environment, and enjoy years of savings on their energy bills.

We interviewed several solar system companies and chose Solar Side Up based upon their project proposal which was professionally completed. Another, likely more important aspect of our decision to go with Solar Side Up was their friendly and highly competent staff. Working with Geoff and Michael was a pleasure. They were always prompt to respond to questions and successfully installed our ground mounted system in difficult conditions and ahead of schedule!

After talking to 5 different solar providers, we chose, Solar Side Up, and are very pleased with the ENTIRE process. Solar Side met with us, and had the right combination, including value and great equipment. We went with Hanwha Q Cells with Enphase inverters and they are functioning efficiently, generating 1000 KWH per month. We also were connected with Elevations Credit Union, for our financing, and they were professional and prompt. The best thing was a single point of contact, Michael DeRosia, who was very knowledgeable, accessible, and walked us thru every step, and even after the installation. The installation was extremely efficient with ALL necessary permitting taken care of with the county and Colorado Springs Utilities. Our 25 panel system was installed in 4 days, with multiple inspections occuring along the way, ensuring ALL steps were meeting code. Flipped the "switch" after the final approval and we were very excited to be generating clean solar energy for years to come. So to obtain a comprehensive, quality contractor and installation, we would highly recommend Solar SIDE UP !!

Michael is a consummate professional. He addressed all our questions. The system was put up in the time frame he stated. The installers were quick, courteous, and knowledgeable. They were available to explain the process as they went along. They were hampered by inclement weather but preserved and completed the installation ahead of schedule. We are very pleased with Solar Side Up and highly recommend them.

Michael DeRosia and his team are amazing. The installation of our system had some delays due to Xcel, but Michael told us upfront they were coming and even reached out to Xcel to check on things for us. The installation was smooth and we can even keep an eye on things through an app. Solar Side up is an honest company who puts the best interests of their clients first.

My wife and I are very pleased with the system Solar Side Up installed at our home this month. We have a 29 panel system with a capacity of about 9 kW, and each day this month we have produced between 40 and 53 kWh. We learned of Solar Side Up through EnergySage and chose the company because of their experience, customer support, and use of quality components. Michael and Geoff sized the system to meet our power needs and budget while educating us on our options for solar configurations and components. Geoff did a fantastic job designing the system to maximize solar exposure while also paying attention to its aesthetic appearance. We were concerned about how the panels would look, but we were pleasantly surprised at the results! More importantly, Geoff was very attentive to detail and took great pains to ensure that our system was installed properly. He discovered problems with our existing electrical meter and panel, and he did extensive work at a very competitive price to reconfigure our panel to meet code as well as the power requirements of the new solar system. Solar Side Up made the application and installation process easy, coordinating utility company and the city for required inspections and filing all required paperwork for our energy credits. We now enjoy sunny Colorado days even more, and we are confident knowing that Solar Side Up is monitoring our system to ensure it is continuing to work normally.

I work as a contract specialist by trade. I tend to do way too much research when making a purchase of a significant amount (really anything over 50 bucks). Solar was no different. I reached out to many vendors for quotes. It is hard to compare them as they supply different products and warranties.

I focused on warranties and production. I wanted good panels that would last and were backed by a good installation warranty. After gathering all the quotes and putting the relevant information into a spreadsheet (yep I am that guy) and speaking with reps from the vendors I got quotes from, I chose Solar Side Up.

Sure other vendors might offer "18 months no payments" but what they may not tell you is that you pay a higher interest rate for those 18 months "free". Also, warranties matter. Some vendors had 15 year warranties on panels and invertors and that just isn't good enough for a purchase of this size.

Solar Side Up offered the best warranties and had access to different brand and spec of panels and invertors. I am very pleased with the speed of the install and the performance of the system.

My system so far in June produced 1.3 MWH or 1300 KWH. That is huge, double my usage (your results will vary). My system has a bit more expensive panel that has some new tech and so it produces lots of energy. Solar Side Up helped me pick the right panel for the job and I am very happy with my system.

Give them a shot, even if they are not the rock bottom price (you get what you pay for), they are worth the money.

Easy to work with, straight-shooters, always professional. From sales to install, these folks were all friendly and easy to work with!

We had a phenomenal experience with Solar Side Up. We worked with Michael DeRosia and the entire process was incredibly smooth and efficient. Everything from the initial meeting and quick house review to getting detailed designs of the recommended panel setup. Once we were ready to move forward they got us scheduled and the team showed up on time for the install and everyone was friendly and professional. The install was completed on schedule and the Xcel Energy meter was completed the very next week! So we were able to turn on our solar very quickly and now we enjoy watching the daily detailed analysis of how much energy we are producing from clean solar energy. Everything was completed in January 2018. We had such an amazing experience with Michael and Jeff from Solar Side Up, I confidently recommend them to everyone!

Solar Side Up's proposal predicted an output of 5,705 kWh of production a year. - It produced 5,693 kWH. Pretty darn close, eh?