Solar City STL

When Solar City STL finally finished installing my solar panels, I was so relieved that I removed my former harsh, but accurate, review, which discussed the incredible hassle getting the panels installed and the stress I went through. But it wasn't over. Part of the affordability of the panels was from an incentive through Illinois Shines. They suggested the incentive was much more than it was, and then they didn't do the paperwork they were supposed to do, making the incentive drop even more, and if it's not taken care of soon, it will drop quite a bit more. I'm trying to help a vendor take care of the paperwork, but even though Solar City STL said that they would send me some information they had that I needed, they haven't. My solar panels will end up costing quite a bit more than they should. I signed with Solar City in September 2024, and even when they put off the installation until early 2025, and they assured me that my net metering would fall under the pre-2025 guidelines. That simply wasn't true, and of course that means I'm not getting the savings that I should. Getting solar panels from them turned out to be a huge mistake on my part, both financially and in terms of stress. I completely regret it.

Good

Summary Great communication throughout the whole process Flexible with design Power generation quote is accurate Straight forward and upfront about complications First contact to energizing with Ameren took less than 2 months Very competitively priced Quoted design included setbacks for fire codes Is local (this company is local and not at all affiliated with Solar City out of California) SolarCity STL saved my solar project. I had gotten a few solar quotes from other companies: one local (StraightUp), one local-ish (SunSent), one nationwide (GreenEnergy). All 3 seemed more expensive than what google said they should be, but they were all 37k +/- 5k$. So I went with SunSent. This was a big mistake, see my review of them elsewhere for what happened. I went to EnergySage, asked for more quotes, and Justin at SolarCity STL responded. The design on the quote was robust. It included the fire code set backs as required by inspectors on the quote itself. No other company has ever shown that on their quotes. Every single other company had panels quoted in places that were not possible. Not SolarCity STL, I knew from the start what was possible and Justin didn’t try to talk around what could and could not happen. He was very upfront and straight forward about everything. Their price for almost as much power as SunSent was claiming was about half what SunSent was charging and matched up with the average cost of solar per watt at the time of signing. He and I went back and forth on a few designs to maximize my power generation using only the south facing roofs, but the one he initially sent me was more or less optimal with a few tweaks. I double checked the math and power production estimates with another source, and they were spot on. After I ended things with SunSent, I signed on with SolarCity STL. Everything with SolarCity STL has been smooth, well and quickly communicated, documented, straightforward, well installed, and pretty simple. Building and electrical permits took a few weeks (delayed due to the 4th of July), but once all that cleared the rails to hold the panels were installed over the course of an afternoon. Electrical rough in took 12hours or so over a couple days. Both sets of crew are very knowledgeable and friendly. They all let me pick their brains through the whole process. After the rails were installed, there was a storm and there were no leaks. Another storm rolled in, still no leaks. The panels were installed in an afternoon after initial inspections took place. Then another couple storms rolled in. No leaks and everything stayed put, as it should with not issues. We then had a string of very hot days. The 2nd floor temperature with the panels has dropped about 5-8 degrees just from the shade the panels provide. This was an unexpected benefit. After the final electrical and building inspections, Ameren came out a week later to do their inspection and give the go ahead to energize. Justin came out the same day and commissioned the system. The whole thing went together quickly and was only slowed down due to inspections. There were no install problems and everything is very sound. Throughout the entire process all my emails were responded to within a day, usually within 4-8 hours. With the panels installed and system commissioned, I can monitor the power generation and draw in real-time. The app shows current production, current usage, and if you are exporting or importing power to the grid. Added benefit of this is that I realized my HVAC was drawing WAY more power than it should be. Very happy with finding that out. Overall, I can’t think of a single thing so far that was not good while with working with SolarCity STL. The electrical was designed in such a way that if I want to add daytime blackout backup power that I can, I could add batteries someday if Ameren gets cheeky like it did in Illinois. I am very happy with how thorough the project was designed and installed. Everything with SolarCity STL has been great with no non-sense. I’m very happy with how things turned out. :)

Made a $20,000 down payment over 2 months ago and have not heard from anyone. Online inquiry not answered. Went to the office, no one there. Suspect I got scammed unless they are just too busy. Will see.

Outstanding design and installation by Solar City STL. Best pre/post sale experience, warranty, easier to work with than anyone else. I met with most other installers in the area and Solar City STL stood out as more committed and thorough. Justin and his team really took the time to work thru our unique installation requirements. Very responsive, never pushy. They delivered on everything they promised and genuinely care about the project's success. There were no gotchas or surprises. Used high end modeling tools to give the most accurate savings expectations. Would definitely choose them again.

Answered all my questions about solar and performed an amazing install. Much more knowledgeable and flexible than the other solar companies I contacted. They also helped me out a lot when I worked with the energy company to make sure they were recording the correct amount of energy produced. Highly recommend.