Southern Energy Management

Verified profile
Updated: 21 April 2018
Installer

Installing solar since 2001

Southern Energy Management logo
Pre-Screened Solar Pro

Since 2018

4.32 from 52 Reviews

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SolarReviews Expert Rating Score:

A score we give a solar company out of 100 based on 7 criteria that our SolarReviews industry experts believe are the best criteria to separate good and bad solar companies.

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Rating breakdown

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Southern Energy Management reviews


Breakdown of consumer reviews

Sales Process

4.5

Price as quoted

4.9

On schedule

4.3

Installation quality

4.0

After sales support

4.2

Latest good review thumbs up

S. Pahwa | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 05/23/2018

Recommend Southern Energy

From no hassle sales process to quality of installation to after install follow-thru has been exceptional. Installation guys were great - they informed us when they came, what they would do, cleaned up after work and on schedule. Every which way a professional group who did a great job. We are very pleased - Thanks Graham.

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1 comment >
Reply from Southern Energy Management: Thank you for your kind review! We are glad to hear you had a great experience with us and appreciate you choosing us as your installer. Please don't hesitate to reach out to Graham if there's anything else we can do for you on your solar journey!

Latest bad review thumbs down

bugman | Sanford, North Carolina | 10/01/2017

Disappointed

They installed solar panels for me 5 years ago. When they came to install they discovered the panels would not fit. They did not measure accurately so the panels would not fit on the roof. Their solution was to put some panels on a shed roof but they had to use mini-inverters. I did not want mini-inverters as they are not as reliable. And, the panels in the new location was less efficient than the original location. So we got off to a bad start. I look at the inverter fairly often at peak output and it does not seem I am coming anywhere close to the output promised. All in all I was hoodwinked.<br /><br />Since then I have had few questions but there have been times I needed some information about the panels. When I emailed them they essentially ignored me. I sent repeated emails to no avail. I finally resorted to calling the owner and leaving messages. Over and over. Finally they responded. So for me their response to customers is extremely poor.

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1 comment >
Reply from Southern Energy Management: Hi Bugman, we're incredibly sorry you had this experience with us as it relates to our customer service skills. We reviewed this internally and want to make it right by you. Can you email me at christian@southern-energy.com so we can take a closer look at our notes? Turns out we installed at least 5 systems of that size in 2012 in that zip code. If you give us a chance to make it right we'll do our best!

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RenewablesRock | Raleigh, North Carolina | 04/21/2018

Highest Recommendation

I have two requirements when it comes to doing business: professionalism and great work quality. Since I work in the solar industry, there was also a higher scrutiny in terms of the system design. SEM delivered on all three. I called 3 installers, of which only 2 responded and visited my house. One of the sales reps (who will not be named, but I did notice the company has a 5-star rating on this site) who visited my house was like a used car salesman - we haggled over the price and he seemed put out to agree to $3/watt. Not the case for SEM. Graham was professional from the start, listened to me when I spoke, and quickly turned around a very professional proposal. By professional, I mean it included detailed datasheets for modules and inverters, system size (based on my roof size and orientation) as well as my utility bills, an estimate for ROI and added value to my home at a price better than $3/watt - without haggling. All my questions were answered with polite and thorough responses within a reasonable response time. SEM worked with my schedule, they kept me in the loop, were courteous and responsive through the entire process. They provided drawings when I asked for them. The installers were professional and more importantly, executed their installation safely. They didn't leave wire insulation or cigarette butts around the house. The PM was present during the city inspection and answered the inspector's questions so that I didn't have to. They completed all the contracts with Duke Energy Progress and the city of Raleigh as well. There were two potentially contentious issues that could have caused this review to be quite lower: The first occurred in October 2017, just before the installation, when modules were scarce and prices were all over the place due to the possibility of tariffs. SEM contacted me to let me know they were changing the module, which resulted in increased DC power of the system, but didn't charge me for the increased wattage. Secondly, Duke Energy changed their bi-directional meter and SEM didn't have the right current transformer for the system monitoring to show my electricity consumption (the production was still showing, so I knew my PV installation was working). It wasn't until January that the CT came in, but SEM was understanding and didn't require me to pay the final 10% until after the CT was installed. From November to February, the system didn't generate as much as my household loads used. But in March, the system started producing more energy that I am using, so my electric bills are right now less than $15/month. I would recommend them to anyone in the triangle area interested in solar. I will likely use them again. Note the system size below is kWDC. The system AC size is 6.0 kW.

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1 comment >
Reply from Southern Energy Management: Thank you for your awesome review and in-depth feedback. We're happy that we were able to meet your expectations and that we were able to work with you through the project's 2 speedbumps! We pass reviews like this on our entire solar team so they can see the happy end result of their hard work--so thanks for being so detailed.

NCVIOLA | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 04/15/2018

New Solar in Claremont South

We worked with Graham from Southern Energy from the beginning, his time and detailed explanation of the process throughout were great. We are extremely happy with the work and customer service, thank you!

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1 comment >
Reply from Southern Energy Management: Thanks for the awesome review! We're thrilled that you're happy with your project. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you ever have questions or if there is any way we can help you--just let us know!

Anonymous | New Bern, North Carolina | 01/14/2011

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Anonymous | Siler City, North Carolina | 01/03/2011

i was most frustrated with how long it took for my solar panels to arrive, which kept changing and held up my building project for a couple of months, which may not be the fault of SEM. But overall i was very please with the company.<br />

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Anonymous | Apex, North Carolina | 01/03/2011

My installation did not pass the county inspection for 3 reasons. My installation company tried to downplay it. In the end, they made the changes necessary to pass inspection, but it was only 6 months later, when the wanted to get paid.<br />

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Anonymous | Belmont, North Carolina | 12/14/2010

I was very pleased with my dealing with my salesman, Matthew Dickey.. less so with his boss, Eric, when trying to agree upon a resolution to a problem. Overall, everything went fine with the install. I had left a message with Matthew that I really wasn`t sure it was working or not, but did not hear back or follow up with him. I really won`t know if the system is working properly until the spring, as it was installed late in the season. I certainly couldn`t say it extended my swimming season this year (beyond October) or if it is even working correctly. After this experience and learning more about solar I would say that I would probably never attempt another solar project. This was the second type solar system I purchased and can`t see the investment will ever be recouped from an energy savings cost standpoint. I guess you could say while I was happy with the process, I am somewhat dissppointed with the results.<br />

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Anonymous | Raleigh, North Carolina | 11/19/2010

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Anonymous | Raleigh, North Carolina | 11/04/2010

<br />by purchase agreements, i thought you were talking about tax incentives -

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Anonymous | Pinehurst, North Carolina | 11/04/2010

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Anonymous | Raleigh, North Carolina | 10/21/2010

I think SEM did a fabulous job and recommend them to everyone who asks about my system.<br />

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Residential solar - Grid tied

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Residential solar - Hybrid solar systems

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About Southern Energy Management


Southern Energy Management is the Southeast's rooftop solar and building performance expert. We're a team of over 180 building scientists, solar professionals, and entrepreneurs dedicated to improving the way the world makes and uses energy. We're passionate about continuously innovating and leading the energy market while maintaining our core values.

As a Certified B Corp, we're firm believers that businesses have the power to change the world for the better, and we're committed to working toward that goal each and every day. We believe what you do is important, and we also believe how you do it matters just as much.

Based out of North Carolina, we offer energy efficiency, green building, and turn-key solar services for homeowners, builders, and businesses across the country. With over 21 years of experience, we have the expertise and proven process to provide a seamless project and positive customer experience.

SEM's team has installed over 3000 Solar & Battery systems and we have a superb solar tech support team to help even when we didn't install your system.

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North Carolina - Raleigh

5908 Triangle Drive, Raleigh NC, 27617

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Contact Southern Energy Management


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Head Office
5908 Triangle Drive, Raleigh NC, 27617