Solar SME, Inc. - Profile & Reviews

Solar SME designed a high-quality system to my requested specification, arranged efficient field measurements, permitting, and skilled and very responsible installers - all at a very competitive price for a 12 kW home system. There were some delays due to high installation volume at the end of 2019, but my net metering was operational before the end of 2019. I was pleased with the professionalism of every participant in their system.

I got a brand new roof in mid 2019. I hired the company on October of that year. I had the foresight to add a clause in our contract that if they did not complete the work by the end of the year that they would have to compensate me for the federal rebate that was ending. The project manager tried his best to not honor our agreement. We also had the first rain of the year and now my brand new roof is leaking. The installation failed the initial inspection and they wanted me to pay my remaining balance even though the system is not approved and not functional. Stay as far away as possible!

First time dealing with solar so I was skeptical. Pending the final inspection post install but so far the process has been chugging along smoothly. Only a speed bump arose but solar sme went out of their way to keep things on schedule.

This was my second time to purchase a solar system; the first being 10 years ago. This time was a much easier and better informed experience. Having EnergySage to use as an educational tool and compare equipment and quotes was invaluable. The data generated was incredible. Solar SME was by far the offer with the best equipment at the best price. The representative was very knowledgable and answered my questions truthfully. They were also very accommodating in modifying the system to suit my needs and preferences. After signing a contract everything needed to assess my site, get permits, and get homeowners approval was done by them. I really didn't need to do anything but provide information that was asked of me. The installation was done over 2 days with little disruption to my home. The system looks great and is functioning well. I would definitely use them again.

It was a pleasure working with Zack Miller on the initial setup. I got a higher quality panel (Panasonic VBHN330SA17) and 1/4 more watts for $3000 less than other Companies in the area.

Awesome job install went in perfect panels look great on the roof. SME picked and installed exactly what I wanted
Thanks everyone for a great job

Solar SME wasted a good amount of my time. The initial offer was for $2.90 a watt, and it offered very good equipment. However, whoever placed the offer gave me a quote on a system that could not possibly fit on my roof. It was simply too large. They most likely didn't take the time to actually look at imagery when they wrote the first quote, but instead looked at my electric bill, a bit frustrating but not a huge deal, I simply sent them a message asking what they would quote me for a smaller system. They quoted $13,400 for a 4 KW system, still a decent price for my needs.

In addition to wanting solar panels on my roof, I also need to replace the roof before I get the solar, so, seeing that Solar SME stated that they offered roofing services I inquired about that. The response from the representative who I've been talking with the entire time stated that they simply offer referrals to companies that they have worked with in the past. So in stead of simply sending me names of roofing companies in his response, I had to write him a reply email to get names of companies to contact. He sent me one contact in reply, I called them and they don't even work on houses in my area, or on my type of house. I asked for other contacts, he then sends me just one more, this company then does not offer warranty on a roof if solar is placed on it afterwards. So, again a useless contact. I just found my own roofers at that point and asked the representative to write me an itemized quote for the 4 KW system so I can see what kind of panels, inverter, how much I will be paying in taxes and other fees. He then states that I need to sign a contract to move forward so I say ok, send me the contract with the revised quote. What I receive is a contract for almost $18K, no quote or explanation as to why the number changed. I ask why this number is $4,000 over what we initially discussed and he proceeds to argue with me that it is in fact only $2,000 more, and that the increase is due to me having a flat roof. I had mentioned I had a flat roof much, much earlier in the conversation so why wasn't that included in the initial quote?

At this point I not longer trust this company and will not be using them for solar. The communication skills desperately need work. There were several times during our communication where he completely ignore questions that I had, causing me to have to repeat them multiple times. Even after repeating what I was looking for, he still failed to answer or provide the information that I wanted. This was a giant waste of time. They still were unable to provide any sort of break down on the taxes and fees I would be paying on the project. Ultimately I gave up on working with this company as I don't trust them.

Awesome solar installation service from quote phase to system initialization(best bidder with state of the art panasonic solar penals on energysage)...effective and prompt in communications throughout the process..would highly recommend for solar project even in the remote location..very dedicated team they have.

Professional team. No frills, straight to work. Allen Ross was my project manager and he did a good job. I did almost all my communications through text messages which I didn't expect but it worked out fine. I got my solar panels installed by them and I am very happy with it. I recommend them without any reservations because of the quality of the work done. I will say the best way to think about their service is like working with a great doctor that has a short bedside manner. I felt at times like I was taking a leap of faith as these guys are a machine. They are fast. I didn't think such a big investment would happen so fast.

Zack provided great support to me and answered any questions I had, as well as filling in the blanks. He also adjusted the quickly to provide different options.

Zack Miller worked really hard in his quotes and follow up and was incredibly responsive to feedback and requested changes. I was very happy with his efforts to meet my solar needs. Solar SME was a close finalist for me, but ultimately I chose another product and provider that fit my specific needs a little better.

Amazing experience working with Alex Thompson. The agent was not pushy to close the deal, let me go on my own pace and followed up all the ay. Was understanding and upfront with all my pain points. Great people and company to work with.

I worked with Alex Thomson and he was great awesome information and pricing, at this time we were not able to make the investment but his customer service patience and guidance was fantastic.

We worked with Zack Miller to get a proposal to fit our house (roof). We had spent some time back and forth iterating on the panels, inverters, layout, etc., to satisfy our requirements. Ultimately we did not go with Solar SME. It was a combination of things that we considered; price alone was not the deciding factor. Besides the price we were looking for design the layout of the panels, panel power rating and reliability, inverters and their reliability, installer location and reputation. Some of it was just the feel for the proposed project too.

Through all this iteration Zack was very patient, persuasive and came back with good answers to our questions. Thanks.

The difference in business practice this company has with numerous other companies that I have been in communication with is astounding. Last year I decided to search for companies on my own and had a pleasant experience, but this year I decided to go with EnergySage now that my new construction home is becoming more and more available on different maps. Unfortunately, the only bid I received was from Solar SME. I received an estimate 4-5 months ago (July) and soon after sent a message back to Xavier in order to discuss more specifics with my home. It was not until mid October that I heard back asking to speak with me. I messaged back and asked them to read the message I had previously sent, however, instead of calling, emailing, or messaging me to discuss the issues I raised they just wanted to call. At the time, I thought okay that's fine since more information can be exchanged.
Sadly, I found this to be the opposite. I explained to Xavier that the system he had quoted (19+ kwh) would not work since my electric company, which I mentioned in my profile, does not allow for such a large system and has a cap (10 or 12 kwh). I told him I uploaded new information since my July registration with Energy Sage and instead of providing my a quote for what I am allowed he just sent another quote for an 18 kwh system. He then wanted me to sign a contract in order to have an onsite visit, which I later found out is typical with the exception that every other company I spoke with provided me with a proper consultation and preliminary review of my home. I told Xavier that any new quote should be sent through EnergySage since I liked how the system is set up, but he insisted on e-mail. After much back and forth he reluctantly agreed to message via EnergySage only to have him text and call instead.
The following conversation centered around the location of my home. Up to this point I have explained several times that my home is a new construction and not available on Google Maps, but on Bing Maps. This point was then repeated several times during our conversation and he insisted he had special access with Google Maps. I knew that contractors have special access to maps and figured that maybe he had one with Google. He then calls me asking me to help him locate the house and after several back and forth he sends me an image from Google Maps. I called back and told him that this is exactly what I was explaining to him. Regardless, I sent him an image from Bing Maps.
The following call he was already talking about financing and wanting me to give financing information so that he can start filling out the financing form. Mind you, at this point, despite him telling me that a proposal was being written up that was more accurate for my particular circumstances I had yet to receive one. Every single time I explained my situation and what I was looking for in a solar system, e.g., as close to 100%, explanation that my usage is higher than it should be due to issues with my heating and A/C (I am all electric), and etc., he just kept blowing it off and pushing whatever agenda he wanted and pushing for a system that I did not need. At this point, I told him that I had enough with working with him and Solar SME and tired of him not listening. I also mentioned that just that day I spoke with 3 other companies and none of them gave me the experience I have had with him. All of them contacted me 24-48 hours after requesting a consult, each one asked what I was looking for, each asked about usage rather than how much I pay, each scheduled a consultation appointment in order to go over specific figures and that an estimate can be provided for my particular set of circumstances before a site visit would be scheduled, each of them listened when I was trying to explain how my home could be located via satellite imagery, and none of them ever pushed a product, agenda, and completely disregard the unique circumstances I had with my unusually higher than normal electric usage and went as far as to provide estimates based on what is typical in my area.
At this point I thought it was over. However, today, 3 days later, I get a call from someone else. I explained that I was done with them and that I did not appreciate how Xavier refused to listen to what I was saying and was just being pushy. One would think that the conversation would end there. However, like Xavier, this person was already putting me in for a consultation and wanting to find out when I would be available. I then accused him of doing exactly what Xavier was doing and it was nothing more than, "Okay," "I understand," "Uh huh," "...so I'm trying to set up this consult. At this point I just said I am done with you and your company. Do not contact me. Do not schedule anything. All I heard was silence and it felt like there was going to be a followup to schedule something, but I just said, "Did you get that? I want nothing to do with you. Have a good day and thank you." He finally acknowledged and I hung up.

Our experience with Solar SME is great. The team was professional both office and field. All step was communicated and on time. Very professional from first contact to commissioning project. Patiently answered all our questions, gave us the best price for a top of solar system. Installation was completed on schedule, crew was a pleasure to work with. From start to finish, all positive interaction. Would definitely recommend them.
In the beginning we were worrying to pay 60% to order material, but it was end up happily. because he material is come early and installed. Now I am happy with my solar production!!

This company stands behind their work.

I spoke with “Mike” who gave me an Energy Sage proposal and sent me emails. It sounded like he was calling from a call-center, and he really did not know anything about Solar in my state (Georgia).

We have a state law here that limits solar energy system sizes on homes and Solar SME (“Subject Matter Experts” asked ME to provide them with the law and my utility companies solar metering policy). They tried to tell me that my utility company will store my extra solar for me and I can use it at night - and that’s a blatant lie. My utility company doesn’t have Net Metering (no utility on my State does). Had I not called another local company I would have never known and this company would have sold me a system $20k more expensive than I really needed or could use. They tried to tell me I wouldn’t get a power bill again - another lie!!!

Deceptive sales practices. I would hate to find out how little they know about installing it on my home.

Very professional from first contact to commissioning project. Patiently answered all our questions, gave us the best price for a top notch system. Installation was completed on schedule, crew was a pleasure to work with. From start to finish, all positive interaction. Would definitely recommend them.

I had great experience with them. System has met all my expectations. It's been a little more than 3 months since the installation. Some of the folks in their team may not have the best communication skills, but if you give them a chance you will notice that they try their best to please their customers. I haven't had the need to call them for service yet, hoping their service is as good as their sales and installation team.

I had SME install solar panels on my new town home which only had a small roof area. They were able to install 9x370W panels (commercial size). The workers were friendly and on-time and did a good job. I had a small issue since my roof was flat using TPO roofing,they were very helpful fixing a leak that developed and it has not leaked again.
Last month (August) my solar cells generated $85 worth of electricity and my bill was only $65, in the winter I will accumulate credit (based on GreenEnergy plan at $0.129/KWH)

I chose Solar SME after receiving 3 other estimates. I feel that they offered the best combination of value, quality of equipment, warranty, etc. The only thing I wish had been more clear to me was the mounting brackets I assumed were removable but didn't ask. They are technically removable, but not without destroying the shingles directly underneath (it makes sense in retrospect, they have to use a strong enough sealant to keep the rain out). Also never having worked with installation of solar panels, maybe all mounting systems tear up the shingles to a certain extent? I discovered this after Oncor made them move a few panels to qualify for a rebate, but Solar SME repaired the damaged shingles. It's pretty cool getting an electric bill with a credit!!

I obtained a quote good through March 2019 for a solar system at $10,620.00. I obtained comparative bids and then went back to this company to close the deal. The quote was now several thousand more. I asked for an explanation. I was told the prior bid was "really old." I advised the company I would sign the contract at the prior bid and made concessions re: equipment. The company told me the deal was then with the supervisor to sign-off on it. The company then went silent. A complete waste of time. It seems like this might be a company that underbids to get in the door, but then finds reasons to increase the price. I would recommend caution.

I wanted to go with solar before the moron changed the tax credits, something he can't do for a few years. I vet things a lot before I buy and Solar SME has the best panels and at the time the best reviews. Now seeing how good it is everyone wants them so understandable they have more orders than they can handle. Yes it took a little longer to get them installed but when they did it was a very good job. Was also happy they handled all the red tape that one has to go through, that took some time dealing with the state= CID. One hast to be registered as a utility company in order to feed back into the lines and each electric company has it's own rules.
Now that the system is in and up and running I love seeing my meter run backwards and am looking forward to the next many years 25 guaranteed!!!
that the system will be running.
Happy to be cutting the carbon footprint. Dana.

"Going solar is a big decision. Alex and the rest of the team at SOLAR SME provided us with the information we needed to make this decision.
The communication during the entire project was outstanding and the people were incredibly friendly! We are very happy with our system and have even gotten compliments on how it looks on our roof!"

I started my journey in solar by doing a lot of research for over a year.
I contacted almost 8 local installers in the area and was surprised that only about half got in touch with me.
Solar SME was in my top 3 but first I chose another company and was so unsatisfied with the sales and design team that I stopped working with them.
Then I have reached out to the other preference Solar SME. The whole process was wonderful. The sales staff listened to what I wanted and didn't go for the hard sell or try to sell me what they wanted in my house.
The designers were detailed oriented. Communication from the office team regarding billing, utility forms, tax paperwork, and permit application was smooth. The installation team showed up early to complete my 10KW system install in a single day. Just within one week following my install, the system was commissioned and ready to operate. Since then it is producing as per what I was guaranteed by Solar SME.

Hmmm.... don`t think i`m doing business with a company that cant even keep a phone appointment.....OK up-date company did call me one hour after the appointed time apologized for not making the appointed time. Now there giving me good service. As an Engineer I must say I`m more interested in the off set as that is the most important number as it relates to solar. I have a very good Azimuth 191 on the main roof.

The review just prior to mine states the exact same thing. It appears that they keep having these same "uncommon" issues. In my case, we had an appointment tonight, which the salesperson blew off. An hour later, he called to casually and dismissively state that they had other meetings and that's why they didn't show up. Clearly their time is more important than mine, or at least more important than my $70,000. Folks, this was the world's easiest sale.

A little later, the salesman emailed: "inconvenience regretted." This must be almost like "sorry."

So, it is now the day after. Salesperson Adam called me from what sounded like a factory. He was completely unaware of anything that had transpired. He either hung up on me, or the call was dropped. He didn't call back, and nobody at the entire company answers their phones. Definitely give ALL your money to this thoroughly unprofessional business.

First, my original sales rep didn't keep the appointment that was scheduled today though I did get a call from one of his colleagues 30 minutes later. Once we settled on a new time, I got a call back from the next rep who promptly handed me off to someone else named Mike. Due to the background noise (sounded like a call center) and the heavy accent, I could barely understand what Mike was saying which made communication a chore. Once I thought we were on the same page I was trying to clarify that I don't have enough roof to hold the panels they were recommending to which Mike said they could mount the panels on the north side of the roof. Since I live in northern Michigan, the north side of my roof is just not an option; unfortunately Mike disagreed even though I requested an adjustment to the quote for a ground mount system. Rather than giving me the quote adjustment I asked for, Mike proceeded to explain how they would mount the panels HIGHER than the roofline on the north side so it could get sun...which is when I terminated the conversation. Of all of the consultants I've spoken to through EnergySage or independently this was the worst experience I've had and thought the only thing I was getting out of the conversation was where I led, not the other way around.

Regarding the original quote I received it was really competitive with other quotes which was why I was excited to talk to them. Needless to say I'm very disappointed and will caution anyone who gets a quote from Solar SME.

They provided a quote, and followed up well. But I decided to go a different direction and told them to please remove me from their contact list. Their very pushy salesperson keeps calling and calling even though I've asked multiple times to be left alone. Very annoying.

After reviewing multiple EnergySage proposals we decided to go with Solar SME because of their price point and also their positive reviews. After choosing Solar SME as the winning proposal they quickly reached out to us and walked us through the process. They responded to questions we had about the contract and worked with us on the timing and amount to be paid throughout the project. Early on the installation products we wanted to use were not readily available, so Solar SME proposed using another brand of products that were comparable in quality and price. We not only asked for a newer Phase Inverter to be installed, but were also compensated for the original materials not being available. Solar SME also took care of the permit and HOA approvals. Less than a week after both approvals, the materials were delivered to our house and installation work began. The installer was very knowledgeable and completed the work in 2 days. All wiring was routed through the attic so we didn't have galvanized tubes on the outside of the house. The result is a very clean look from the outside, which is what we wanted. The solar system has been up for about 3 weeks now and we would highly recommend Solar SME if you plan to go Solar! Also, take the time to educate yourself about the components of a Solar System and the different products that are out there, EnergySage makes it easy.

On Price -- I checked their price against six other companies —best price.
On quality of materials -- 18 LG 330 W Panels & 18 EnPhase micro-inverters -- exceptional & I'm very very happy.
On Ease of process--most of it is automated taking little time from the buyer; the company handled the details.
On Professionalism -- the email price quote presentation was A++; I was able to double check their numbers to my satisfaction.
On dedication to the job—SME Solar, Inc. installed my array in 19F and 30mph winds weather and traveled 9.5 hours to get here the night before...it looks awesome! I am very VERY HAPPY!

Price better than anyone I spoke to, quality of panels and equipment as good and generally better than I found elsewhere. They explained the process every step of the way. They were reliable and dependable. I have referred them to family members based on their overall efforts. I highly recommend these folks. Call Tanzeel or George. Not only will you be glad you did, but you will get a high quality system at a reasonable price from true solar professionals!

Did research and Solar SME seemed like the best solution- best priced/quality equipment. Got the solar installed 8 months ago after signing contracts a year ago. My energy costs have doubled since. System production is a fraction of what was quoted and I can't get any response from SME on next steps. Wish we had the option to un-do the whole thing.

This system is very easy to use and very informative. After you invest a big chunk of money in solar panels it is reassuring to know that you are getting your moneys worth. Also, the ability to check individual panels is a great advantage. Due to this feature, I have discovered that in the early morning hours, some of my panels are shaded more than had expected, leading to the need to trim a tree in the front yard.

I’ve gotten two home installed by SolarSME and they know how to get the job done. My electricity bill instantly dropped 35-55% received great incentives and now making residual income from the excess energy from the buy back program! It’s a win win!

First rate Business. Very knowledgable, polite. professional, and well trained from the front office to the installers. They gave me exactly what they contracted to do. And answered all my questions completely. I couldn't be more happy with the quality of the product and the work.
Patrick Schumacher Homeowner

Everything works well and up to mark. I am really satisfied by their services and quality of products and professional installation team.

Solar SME was noticeably different from other Solar installers. Besides being very knowledgeable of the products, I was able to customize the options to fit my needs. This was very important to me. They went above and beyond to keep me informed and deliver exactly what was contracted. I highly recommend them if you want a company that will work with you through the entire process.

Only been on grid a few days. ..averaging 64.7 kws a day. .was told February was worse month and only one day was clear..I am generating at least 3 times what I am using. ..
I have 10,800 watts of Panels on the roof. ..and had a max output of 10,247 watts. ..with all rebates and grants this is definitely the answer. ...it really exceedseems my expectations. .