Smart Solar Energy

Solar Energy Done Right

I found Smart Solar Energy through my search in Energy Sage for solar installers in my area (Columbia River Gorge) after doing considerable research about solar. There is a lot of information which can be confusing , but I wanted to make informed decisions about size, materials, efficiency, financial incentives, etc for our home installation. I contacted Smart Solar and got a response within a day to set up an online visit time and what documents were needed to assess and design a system, like current electrical usage from the PUD. The online interview with Jordan Showers was very helpful and informative. I got clear, respectful answers to my questions and he spelled out the phases of the solar installation process, product & service warranty, cost & incentives available. It was my decision to proceed--no pressure from Jordan. Smart Solar took responsibility for the permitting processes and WA sales tax credit, set up the installation schedule and solar production & monitoring app, and kept me advised of the steps as installation progressed. This effective communication and keeping to the planned process and cost instilled a confidence in their work & services, which I greatly appreciate. All together, my Smart Solar experience went very smoothly--a testament to their professionalism, belief in the value of solar, and caring for customers in both Oregon & Washington.

Highly recommend

Highly recommend. Great company. They were super helpful throughout the process. Clear instructions and good visibility of all the steps in advance. Everything is taken care off, even the Oregon incentives. Also super quick timeline.

Smart Solar Energy

Accessibility. Communication. Connectivity. Responsiveness. Transparency. Timeliness. Useful Information. Excellent Installation. Assistance. Follow Up. Continued Monitoring. These are the words and terms I use to describe my experience with Smart Solar Energy. My comfort level was very high throughout our solar panel installation and continues during the operational phase. I absolutely recommend Smart Solar Energy for residental solar panel installations.

The best!!

We used Smart Solar Energy to install a solar panel system on our roof. From our first contact with them through the final setup and activation of the system - and ongoing - they have been incredible partners in this project. Their professionalism (knowledge, honesty, transparency, responsiveness to questions about any detail, and so on) has been absolutely top notch. We've lived in our house for 16 years and have experience with many contractors and service providers. It's rare these days to find a company like this. Your passion for your work shows, guys! Would highly recommend them to anyone interested in solar.

Excellent work

The Oregon Coast is fillies with companies that pay little or no attention to good service. This wasn’t the case with Smart Solar Energy. My concerns were listened to and promptly addressed. They also left the area they worked in cleaner than they found it.

Great experience

Great experience with Smart Solar. I knew I wanted solar on my house but didn’t know much else. Jordan did a fantastic job educating me on how to shop for solar and make choices. We iterated on the design of my 9kw system (22 panels), to find the right balance of good sun exposure and nice aesthetics. Execution was smooth - Jenn did very well coordinating the subs, eweb, and city of eugene permitting department. Definitely a 5 star experience.

Smart Solar, positive experience

Smart Solar did a great job of meeting our needs! We’ve had multiple companies approach us to provide bids over the years, each one providing varying information on what would work for our home. Because of the confusing and often conflicting information, we had come to the conclusion that solar wouldn’t work efficiently enough on our home. Smart Solar was different. Jordan gave us solid information and answered all of our questions from bid, to installation, to end use. He did a nice job of explaining what savings we could expect and didn’t try to sell more than would benefit our household. Jenn was our project manager. She gave us consistent, timely (even when she had to reach out several times due to missed calls on our end)), and clear communication. The installation went quickly and without hiccups. It was/has been a very good experience with Smart Solar and we highly recommend their services.

Overall good experience

The Smart Solar team was very responsive and answered all of my questions during the design and construction process. Smart Solar beat the original project schedule by nearly 2 months(!), which meant I got to have solar up before summer ended. Overall a good experience working with them.

Great company, great price

Great company to work with--very happy with my system and all of my interactions with their employees. They were also more than $5k cheaper than the other companies that solicit door to door.

Amazing experience

Absolutely amazing experience. Started off with a 45 min zoom call explaining everything and making me feel very comfortable. Once the process started, Jenn was always available for questions and quick with communication, just an excellent customer experience. They kept me updated throughout the entire process and made everything so easy. Top notch customer service and would 100% recommend them if you're going solar.

Smart Solar Energy Is The Best!

Highly recommend Smart Solar Energy! I am a very satisfied customer. If you are looking for solar panels on your home, look no further than Smart Solar Energy. I did my research by examining the best solar companies in the Portland area and receiving quotes from the top rated companies. Smart Solar Energy was the best company for several reasons. I worked with Jordan to receive a quote and he was extremely patient, walked me through the process of going solar, provided me multiple options for solar, and was not pushy in the slightest. He helped educate me on the various factors to consider when evaluating if solar and what type of system was right for me. The best part was Smart Solar Energy had the lowest price-per-watt (make sure to calculate this when shopping offers!) and worked with me to install a system to cover almost all of my energy needs. After signing with them, I worked with Jenn (the project manager) to organize the install. Installation was completed within a week and was done flawlessly! Jenn was extremely communicative during the install process and handled scheduling the inspection, the smart meter install with PGE, and setting us up on the app to monitor our system. After the system was turned on, there were 2 panels with issues and Jenn handled everything to get the microinverters fixed. Smart Solar Energy worked very hard and provided an excellent product at the best price and flawless installation service. You should go with them, and I am confident if you research other options you will come to the same conclusion.

Excellent service

I was a little skeptical and didn’t have much knowledge about Solar energy or what product or company to pick. But then when I started to contact Smart Solar Energy (from the state recommendation and I also checked from business bureau) they took a great afford to explain every silly questions that I had. I want to give the credit to Jordan, Taylor, Jenn particularly and the team in general to provide a great service and experience for me. The best part about their service is they are not pushy and pressure me and always available to help if I have any concern.

Very good

I found information about Smart Solar from the website of energysage. I put my information there and after a bidding process, I selected Smart Solar for my project. They offered me a competitive quote for my project and also, they went through multiple meeting sessions to explain the process and address any queries I had. I have found them to be punctual about the schedule be it meeting or installment setup. On the day of installment, I have found them to come on time and complete the installation with very minimal issues. The system went through inspection and turned on by PGE officials and all of these was coordinated by Jenn (my project manager). In brief, it was easy to work with Smart Solar.

Great service, great product and excellent warranty

Getting a solar system done is no easy job for someone who hasn't done it before - and most of us have not. Talking with vendors and installers, and possibly roofers, shortlisting candidates for negotiations, deciding on the best you consider trustworthy and signing the contract is all stressful, even with knowing the big reward ahead. Frankly, everyone would go through these no matter what awesome references you got from neighbors, HOA board, or friends. However, out of all five solar companies I started with, working with Smart Solar Energy was very quickly surfacing to the top, for a number of reasons, the warranty, the know-how explaining process, the price and personnel. Jordan was genuinely interested in helping you and I don't think he is disguising that for pitching a quick sale. From the beginning to the end, I certainly would not know everything about solar panel brands (foreign or domestic), inverter capabilities, and other specifications thrown at me, yet the common sense seems to go well with what Smart Solar Energy introduced all the way. Now the system is up and running, I cannot say any bad things about the experience. In fact, I think it was a very pleasant one.

Smart Solar Energy did a great job on our 5.7KW system!

Smart Solar Energy has been an amazing installer for our 5.7KW solar system on our house in Portland Oregon. We're very satisfied with their service and happily recommend them to anyone looking for solar installed on their home. We were given very clear quotes for cost and timeline for installation which they held precisely to. Their workers were professional and very quick.

Smart Solar Energy installed a 9.43 kilowatt system, generated by 23 solar panels mounted on our garage roof, in May 2024. Our electricity power bill was reduced by 85% compared to our May, 2023 bill. To say that we are delighted is a gross under statement. A Smart Solar representative returned my call on the same day of my initial inquiry. Our first Zoom consultation meeting occurred only a few days later. At that time, we were presented with a detailed engineering plan for our project, including a diagram of optimal solar panel location, our power consumption needs, and realistic cost-reduction offsets by going solar. All steps involved in the process were clearly spelled out, from an on-site survey with an engineer to permitting, installation, and inspection processes. After personally contacting references from other Smart Solar customers—who all sang the company’s high praises, without reservation—we signed the contract for Smart Solar to do the job for a very competitive and reasonable cost. Every aspect of the proposed work proceeded flawlessly and exactly according to the planned timeline. High quality, USA manufactured panels were installed by two licensed electricians and two skilled technicians. All of the daunting permitting, paperwork, and arrangements for inspections were handled by very well-informed Smart Solar administrative staff. Upon job completion, we received a thorough exit interview with technical experts who explained how the system works and how to monitor it using an intuitive phone application. Smart Solar is the most professional contracting company that I have ever dealt with in the course of my 50 years as a home owner. This is a well-established top-drawer, reputable solar contractor that operates as a well-oiled machine. All company staff, including administrative and technical support, are promptly accessible by phone and email. Their competence and responsiveness is unparalleled. Smart Solar’s warranty on labor and parts exceeds that of competitors by a country mile. Final project costs were exactly as proposed, with no hidden fees or after the fact charges. I readily refer my friends to Smart Solar owing to my total trust in and satisfaction with the integrity of this local company.

Awesome team, professional and great offerings!!

I will give them 5/5 stars due to their knowledge, competitive price and professionalism in solar space. The team is great to work with and very realistic on estimation and feedback. We had a great experience quote through install and thanks to Jordan/Jenn for all the support on this journey. We would highly recommend Smart Solar Energy System size- 8.61kW Microinverter - APS Panels: REC Cheers! PB

Good Price, Straightforward, great support

Smart Solar was our best price per kWh out of six bids. They were quick and responsive to questions while I was reviewing options. They did not try to upsale, if anything they did the opposite and recommended providing what I needed and not more. I was most impressed by their follow-through after we signed a contract. They were clear on the next steps and the permitting took a little less time than anticipated. I appreciated the project management support provided to answer questions during the process and the set-up.

Great Partner in the Solar Journey

Let's start with this: solar power is a journey. Everyone wants solar power, but two immediate questions come into play: - can I afford it? (i.e., whether I borrow or pay out of pocket, does solar power make sense from a return on investment perspective?) - can I trust the company? (i.e., will the company that is drilling holes in my roof and attaching thousands of dollars worth of equipment be around in 10 years to pick up the phone?) Armed with these not-so-profound concerns, I did my due dilegence in researching solar installers, and many seemed to be able to do the job. However, my home builder was super impressed with a company called Smart Solar Energy. Why? Because they did what they said they were going to do within the budget and schedule they agreed to. No BS, just getting the work done as promised. That kind of thinking resonates with me--just do what you promised to do. So I gave Smart Solar Energy a shout in November 2023. From our first emails I was impressed. No fluff, just focused on the task, addressing the concerns I had, setting expectations, more than anything helping me understand if and why solar power might make sense for me because, as it turns out, solar power is not for everyone. From that point forward we steadily marched toward an understanding of the need and what meeting that need would entail in terms of cost and schedule; basic project management ideas. But the difference was that Smart Solar Energy took care of literally everything from unscrewing the local city hall bureaucracy to permits to scheduling the work. This kind of hand-holding was awesome and I appreciated it very much. We were scheduled to get our system installed in May 2024 and somehow got it actually installed in March 2024. That's pretty cool. I won't go into detail about how awesome the installers were (great folks, great communicators, and getting on a roof in a steady rain with a stiff wind still amazes me) but Smart Solar Energy did their part flawlessly and stayed in touch the entire time. In fact, the only part of the process that was frustrating was dealing with the power company, something Smart Solar Energy can't control but helped with from an expectations point of view. My system went on-line just within the past week, so I have no comments on Smart Solar Energy's long-term viability, and I do hope they can maintain their high standards and "produce to promise" ethos. From what I've seen so far, they have their stuff together, and when considering the two questions addressed at the beginning of this review, they are on the right track. Last thought: generating power is its own addiction, so be forewarned. You'll spend time watching the dashboard, trust me.

Smart Solar review

Smart Solar was exceptional to work with from start to finish on our solar panel project, and they were very responsive whenever we had questions. Highly recommended!

Smart Solar is GREAT !

We chose Smart Solar because they had by far the most experience of any local installer. And, it’s obvious why that is. Smart Solar was AMAZING to work with. First, their bid was the lowest of the 5 we received. They explained things clearly from our 1st contact, never over-promised, and did everything they said they would on time and on-budget. They installed the panels despite nasty winter weather, which allowed us to have the job completed in time for receiving the federal rebate on our 2023 income tax filing. The installation was neat and quick. I’m not great at tech so I was especially pleased that, when the job was finished, they hand-held me through the process of getting the monitoring app working. I tell my home-owning friends that solar is a no-brainer, and using Smart Solar is too! We could not be more pleased with their service.

Excellent service from Smart Solar

Smart Solar Energy did a fabulous job of putting solar panels on our small house in Portland. When other solar companies couldn’t be bothered with a “small job” like ours and wouldn’t even give a bid, Jordan from Smart Solar studied our home roof and gave us a thorough explanation of what a small solar system could do for our energy bills as well as the resale value of our house, He was explicit about both the cost of the project (including available rebates) and the projected slow timing to completion due to expected permitting delays. He was also very honest about what made the most sense for this project rather than what might make the most profit for the company – and only the most trustworthy will put the customer first like that. Once we had an agreement, the project was turned over to Jenn to manage – she kept in touch with us every step of the way so we were always clear on what needed to happen next. Everything was efficiently taken care of from start to finish and we couldn’t be happier with the results. We have no hesitation in recommending Smart Solar for residential solar projects!

We recently installed solar panels at our home in Ocean Shores WA. After vetting several companies, we landed on Smart Solar Energy out of Portland, OR. After an extensive zoom meeting with them we looked at our options and pulled the trigger. Our system at 8kW included 20 Silfab panels and APS microinverters. From design, permits, installation, inspection, and post-installation customer support, our experience was trouble free, staff were super helpful, and very professional. The investment in solar saves us approximately $100 a month on our electrical bill and this capital improvement increases with the value of our home. After federal and state incentives, which covered a third of the cost, we enjoy a better return on our investment in solar than traditional market investments. If you are considering solar, call Smart Solar Energy, they were able to debunk a lot of solar misinformation floating around social media and help you make the right decision based on your circumstances.

Outstanding service at a good price

Smart Solar's team is outstanding! Within a day or so of first contacting them, we had a detailed video call where the entire process was described and all our questions were answered. Once we signed on, Smart Solar facilitated the financing (zero interest loan!) and explained how to get the tax credit for the installation. The process of installing the system was also smooth and efficient and completed more quickly than expected. The follow-up with Jenn to ensure the monitoring app was working and to iron out any issues was similarly informative and thorough. I can recommend Smart Solar Energy unreservedly for your solar installation.

Could not be happier

Could not be happier with the whole process. total install only took 1 week. followed by a second week for the final inspection by the county. the permit process took a bit only because our county is know for being really slow at issuing permits. Especially for structural as we did a ground mount system. Jen our project manager was very helpful. Any question since install have be answered very quickly. Can not wait for summer when we actually get some real sun to see this really produce. System was installed late 2023 like October ish.