Smart Wave Solar

Unable to get system fully functional

I received a call from one of Smart Wave’s top officials on 22 July. It was a greatly appreciated and much needed conversation based on numerous and lengthy issues with the installation of my system and the system not functioning fully. On 27 July, I received a visit from a Smart Wave employee to look into some of the issues with my system’s functionality. The visit resulted in the decision to re-locate the CTs of the system to the main panel, which is what I have been asking for since the day the sonnen battery was installed. Hopefully Smart Wave and Sonnen stay committed to getting my system fully functional so I stop buying power from Rocky Mountain Power every day. PREVIOUS POST - Equipment is installed, bank sent money to Smart Wave, and my system is not functioning properly. I’ve been trying to get smart wave to fix the problem since the fist of July, and it’s still not functioning properly. No one knows what’s going on. Sonnen doesn’t return phone calls or voicemails so they are of no help either. Bank expects their payment to start in a week, but why did the bank pay smart wave for a non-functioning system? The bank says they only care if the equipment is installed, not if it works! REALLY?! I have spent enough money on a non-functioning solar system, to pay for a new Tesla, and I am still buying power from Rocky Mountain Power every day!

STEVE!!!

Steve Michels, this guy is the example of what makes a company succeed. We have met with over a Dozen solar companies, and not a single one of them could either answer our questions or would just straight lie to our faces. we were at a home show, and was not even looking at solar at the time, Steve caught my wife's attention, and asked him the one question we asked all the other solar companies, and he was able to tell us, I don't know, but i will find out for you. He did, right there and then she interrogated him with the same questions we asked the other solar companies. He was honest, up front, did not try to charm his way out and did not lie to us. We met with him at our home, He was upfront, he was very professional & was able to break down everything. Steve walked with us the whole step, then handed us over to the project manager, Shauna. Shauna was very professional, informative and held our hand every step of the way till we turned the system on. Smart wave took care of the paper work, permits, install, and kept us involved the whole time. They are not the cheapest company on the block, but i am a true believer that you get what you pay for. And the home intergration is well worth the money. The power went out for an evening. We were able to kick on the backup and did not have to worry about food in freezer and fridge going bad, had power to be able to use throughout the house. and it all Started with one man just being honest with us. Steve. Thank you for taking care of my Family.

Results matter, not just kind people

I am 2 months into my solar fully operational installation. My solar is currently not tracking, was down for 7 days and the company has come out 2 or 3 times since inistial install, to fix things that were not working. They have had 2 instances of a situation that they said, " we have never seen this problem before." 2 in 2 months is the biggest coincedence or they are not technically very capable or covering up, either way you don't want them working on your project. They have been very nice always promise to get it fixed, but results matter and so far their results are minimal. Based on them having to re wire my system, it lets me know their initial installation crew was not technically capable of installing my system and did a poor job.

Whole process went very smooth.

Had a great experience with Smart Wave from beginning to end. Our system went in a lot faster than expected and seems to be running fine. We had a couple of minor issues but all it took was an email and everything was resolved that same day.

Great Pre- and Post-Sale Experience

I found each phase of the project was conducted in a highly professional manner: great communications, answered all my questions, kept to project schedules, on-time to appointments, follow up contacts. The installation went smooth and the system has been working great since it was installed three months ago. I will recommend Smart Waver Solar to my friends and neighbors.

Great all-around experience

We had a wonderful experience with the Smart Wave team! We stumbled across their ad and decided to give them a try. We are thrilled that we did! Their sales rep gave us an overview of the process and looked at our specific situation. They were much more thorough than anyone else we worked with. It was clear they wanted us to understand what was happening and not just to “sign on the dotted line”. After a few bids (this one being the final one) we decided to go with Smart Wave. Their installers (both the solar team and the electrical team) were super courteous and friendly. They also kept us in the loop for what was happening, it was great. Our project manager was awesome, she kept us in the know at all times. She gave us a weekly update, even if it was just that we were still waiting for permitting. Overall we had a great experience with Smart Wave. After our installation we had several of their team stay in touch with us to make sure we were happy. Our project manager even has been monitoring our energy production to make sure it’s in line with expectations. We have been sharing their name around for anyone considering solar. We would definitely choose them if we had to do it again!

Great Manager made the difference, Thanks Analee!

SmartWave came through! We've had a month of (cloudy) production from our REC panels and SMA inverter that still handled 60% of our needs. Our utility and town foster a reluctance to use residential solar, and the first two managers weren't quite up for their game. Materials weren't ordered. Blueprints were approved in multiple ways blocking inspection approvals so we were unable to produce for four months after installation (per Finance Company!) despite the great technical work of Trevor, Alex, and Andrew. Three management types from SmartWave contacted me directly when I express concerns during their weekly survey on how the project was going and that's very reassuring. Give them a chance to see if they can get you producing too!

So easy and Fast!

From low pressure sales to install and support... WOW! This is the 2nd house I've had solar installed on and this time with Smart Wave was way better than the last company. They got my system installed so much faster than I expected. They took care of everything! So easy.

A great company to work with!

I was very impressed by the knowledge and professionalism shown from the very first visit. Jake Whitney was very helpful and was able to answer all of our questions regarding the entire process of getting solar. He never tried to oversell or mislead us with confusing facts or numbers. No pressure at all. We had questions and would text him on his personal phone and he was quick to reply. I was also given a complete, thorough evaluation of my energy consumption and what would work best for our needs particularly as we have an electric vehicle to charge. Looking forward to the installation I highly recommend! UPDATE!: Panels fully installed and fully operational! Again, I can’t give enough stars for how happy I’ve been with the entire process. Shauna Terry has been absolutely AMAZING to work with! She kept us completely informed giving us updates often. We never had to wonder what was going on. Again, this is an amazing company to work with. They deliver 100% of everything they promise. That’s very rare in today’s world.

Great follow through

We’ve had a great experience with Smart Wave Solar. Easy to talk to someone and they are always asking for feedback. Between the sales rep and the coordinator we had a great experience and have recommended them to our neighbors and friends.

Smart Wave has been outstanding and delivered a great solution

In my investigation to do Solar on my home with Smart Wave, I have had interactions from the original point of contact(sales), Project Coordinators, Owners, to the installers for Smart Wave Solar. They are the most professional, organized, efficient, and cost effective Solar organization I've ever worked with. I investigated 9 different solar companies over a 2 year period and eventually chose Smart Wave due to the cost per Kilowatt, ease of financing, and the integrity of the organization. I have been very pleased with the patience and professionalism of everyone involved. In the final summary my 10 kwh system was installed in almost a single day, with 30 panels, emergency power, 2 batteries and coordinated with a new roof. It was not an easy install. The coordination with city power went well. The clean-up was efficient and well done. The financing is working. I am very happy with this organization and would highly recommend Smart Wave to others. As a matter of fact I have and will continue to do so.

There were minor issues during survey and was quickly addressed before install. Some minor correction needed to pass the inspection for the first time, but the techs were really helpful and fix the problem as soon as they can. At the end of the day my solar system is up and running well and great customer experience overall.

Exceptional service

We got bids from different solar companies but Smart Wave was by far the most honest and straight forward of all the company's. There was constant updates and communication throughout the whole installation process. The installation was so quick I was truly impressed, they got all our panels up in just a couple hours. System is up and running for several months now with no issues.

Smart Wave was Awesome!!!

SALES: Jake Whitney is AWESOME!!! Great blend of believing in what he does and being passionate about it, but not pushing it on anyone. He had the best tools and was the most knowledgeable of any rep I spoke with and was able to answer my multitude of questions. Best part was, when I checked his numbers they were right. Most sales reps in the field will push the story, but very few understand the real numbers behind the story and can understand how things work when the "industry standard assumptions" break down. Jake was able to stick with me as I tore the proposal apart and put it back together again. I may not agree with all of the assumptions, but at least the math is sound and I can plug my own assumptions to see how much they change the answer (sorry, I am an engineer, we can't take anything at face value). He was hyper-responsive, supportive, professional, knowledgeable and never pushy. He is the perfect example of how to sell something that is worth selling... you make sure people understand what it is, and let it sell itself. Project Management: My Project Coordinator was Bethany. She was amazing. She not only made sure everything got done, but she also put up with a nearly incessant line of questions from the oddball engineer writing this review. Overall things went incredibly smoothly with my project, but she was right on top of any of the little twists and turns that came up along the way. Put simply, she was so on top of it that any of the minor issues that came up were solved before they became real problems. She was efficient and professional in her communications, but was also just fun to chat with when we were working through things. We had a fantastic experience throughout the process, largely due to Bethany's determination and hard work. Site Survey: This was the one person's name I don't remember or write down somewhere. The technician showed up, was super friendly, professional and completed the survey quickly and efficiently. We worked together to get him up in the attic and basically just had a good time chatting while he took pictures of everything. Quick, to the point and well done. Design: Eric was my system designer. I would guess most people never talk to the designer, but if you read my oddball engineer comment from above you can guess that I did. I poked and prodded into just about every little detail there is and Eric did a great job of answering questions, providing information from his simulation and talking through the different scenarios I was wondering about. When I came up with an oddball idea he passed me over to Cameron who was similarly helpful in answering my questions. Basically Eric did a great job of listening and working with me to help me make sure I understood what he was doing and ensuring we had the best design we could. Permits: This all happened behind the scenes, but they must have done a great job because we got our permit super fast. Props to whoever is working in that department. Installation: Zach and his team did my install. They showed up, shoveled snow off the roof and still were able to complete my install in one day. Similar to everyone else at the company they were professional, courteous and definitely knew what they were doing. They and another electrician had to make a couple of extra trips because the city inspector wanted things wired a little differently than usual, but they were right on it. Overall the process from sales to being live was much faster than I would have expected it to be. My city building department was pretty fast and Smart Wave was right there with it. I have been super impressed with everyone I interacted with. If anyone is interested, you can take a look at my system's production at this link: https://bit.ly/3q4NPVz If you have any questions about solar in general, Smart Wave or would like me to put you in contact with Jake, feel free to reach out by email at starvingstudent09 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Great company and the best solar experience

This is the second house that I had solar panels installed on and the process with Smart Wave was much easier and smoother than the previous home. Our energy consultant, Steve Michels, was fantastic. This guy knew his stuff, he didn't try to "BS" me and was very low pressure. He didn't try to upsell on anything we didn't need. Since I had been through the process before and learned some lessons I did have some specific requests. Smart Wave accommodated what I had asked for and the quote came out as expected. The only issue we had during the ordering process was more with the financing company but Steve and his team worked tirelessly to get that resolved. That issue was not on Smart Wave Solar and was entirely on the rep with the third party finance company. The install came sooner than I had anticipated. It was about a month from the date we had signed the agreements. The install team was led by Michael who was great. He walked me through what there plans were and informed me upfront that they would likely need to return the next day. They entire install crew was friendly, polite and very good to work with. As mentioned, they did return the next day and finished the job. After the install was completed about another month passed before the system could be turned on. This was to allow time for inspections to take place and a new meter to be installed. This part is outside of Smart Wave's control, but they sent me a message every Monday with what was happening, what they were waiting on and what to expect. I loved that they sent these little emails and text messages just so you wouldn't think you were forgotten and remained informed. The installer for my previous home did not do this and it was a lot of phone calls asking what's next. Once everything was approved, a quick email was sent with instructions on how to power on the system - which was super easy and anyone could do this part. The system came online and we were producing our own electricity. As with anything new, there were a couple small hiccups with the system that Smart Wave worked quickly to get resolved. Overall, the entire process was about 2.5 months. I was blown away that they did it that fast. In my other house it was almost 9 months. This is a good company and I have been impressed with how they operated. Are they perfect - no, but no one is so don't expect perfection. But they will certainly do their absolute best to achieve perfection and keep you happy which is more than most companies will do.

We are really happy with our new solar panels. There were a few hiccups along the way that probably could have been avoided, but the Smart Wave team got it right in the end. It turns out that we have a kind of non-standard roof truss system on our home and that could have been known when they did their pre-install things if they had checked the attic. Instead it wasn't discovered until the whole installation team what here and ready to go. That set things back a month while waiting for the needed parts to be ordered. After the installation there was a wire that didn't get stripped and connected correctly which meant that the system didn't produce power because the circuit wasn't complete. They came and fixed that the same day that we turned the system on because it was pretty obvious that something wasn't quite right.

Great company!

SmartWave was amazing. We had a particularly difficult situation, with the power company needing to replace my breaker box and taking forever to do it. They covered the cost and kept me updated through the whole process, as well as putting pressure on the power company to do it. Once everything was installed, they stayed in touch and made sure everything was working, and even came out and hard wired my inverter in after I was having wireless connectivity issues with it, all without any additional cost. They helped me get all the available rebates and tax credits. Super friendly outfit. The panels are high efficiency and are blowing my mind a little bit, with amazing performance even in the middle of December. I even was generating a little bit of power in the middle of a snowstorm! I'm beyond impressed. Can't recommend them enough. I found SmartWave through EnergySage and I'm so glad I did.

Why we selected Smart Wave Solar

We have been very pleased with the installation of our solar panel system. Everything went smoothly. We selected Smart Wave Solar because: 1. They are locally owned. 2. They offered very competitive pricing. 3. They offered superior warranties and life on the solar panels. 4. They are a debt free company and large enough to be sustainable. 5. When an issued came up, we received immediate attention directly from one of the owners and the issue was resolved quickly. 6. They were transparent and kept us informed every step of the way. 7. They offered an emergency power supply at no extra cost. 8. They were flexible in making last minute changes we requested. 9. They took care of all the permitting and interfacing with the city inspectors and power company. 10. The installation crew members courteous and helpful.

Good Install with generation soon!

I will update once electricity is being generated: Great Local (employees, not contractors) Crew in Trevor, Alex, and Andrew! That installation went fantastic and very quickly even with the second installation inspection from Town of Parker. Kavy, Bethany, and Lindsay worked with CORE (IREA), Parker, and my insurance company to get the paperwork and materials marshaled and properly blueprinted. One note; there was a mixup on the initial installation date where the materials weren't available (supply chain planning issues), and that only delayed us a week. The management surprised me by calling when I noted some incomplete communication on their weekly survey. They cleared up the confusion and were very supportive. One even took my "future desire" for microgridding at the inverter level as a directive for their future discussions with me. Yeah, they stay in contact so I'm pretty confident with it. Hopefully I'll have more including the actual electricity generation in 2022! We started in May, 2021. This is no surprise if you use our Utility company, eh?

There were a few issues during install, inspection and turning on for the first time but the techs were really helpful and nice. They were able to solve the issue quickly. Overall a good experience so far.

Worth it!

We went with Smart Wave because they provide a solution to still getting power from your panels even if the grid goes down, but you haven't invested in batteries yet. It didn't hurt that they also offered a gift card to Amazon for getting a quote. From our first interaction with Smart Wave to getting the system turned on, every single person we dealt with was easy to talk to, informative, and highly professional. We never had to wait on them for answers and they kept us informed on everything. Smart Wave also handled all permits, inspections, and dealt with the city for getting us approved. All we had to do is say we wanted the system and they did everything else. The install team was easy to work with and did a fantastic job installing everything. Bethany, our project manager, always got back to me within minutes or hours if I had a question and even followed up with the city when it took them longer than normal to get our power meter swapped out. I honestly have no complaints about going with Smart Wave. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to get solar installed.

Great service, got the system installed ahead of schedule

Smart wave was great to work with from the start, no pressure sales great communication throughout the whole installation process and they got the system installed ahead of schedule Shoutout to the sales, support and installation team.

Great Solutions and Service

Jake at Smart Wave Solar was awesome to work with. He is very knowledgeable about the industry and the technology. I received three quotes. I feel Smart Wave Solar gave me the best combination of equipment and value. I requested that Jake contact my dad who wanted to add to his existing system. Jake was honest and pointed out that if my dad upgraded his system that he would loose a grandfathered in higher return rate with the power company. I will do business with them again on the next house. Craig

Easily the best solar around

Smart Wave has been amazing. We were about to go with another solar provider when Smart Wave got us a much better deal. The other solar company we were working with offered us a pretty awful deal and only offered to upgrade us when Smart Wave gave us their best deal. All other solar companies that pitched to us, didn't even come close to Smart Wave in terms of quality and friendliness. The communication through the whole process was super thorough, any questions we had were answered very quickly, and once all the permits were finished the entire system was installed on the same day. Any waiting that happened wasn't due to Smart Wave but external factors. My parents have Smart Wave, and we're super happy we got it as well. I'd recommend it to anyone that is looking into getting solar, because they're very honest straightforward, and you won't have to worry about shady business like you would from other solar companies.

5 stars

Sales were knowledgeable and VERY responsive, even with my many, many requests and modifications to the equipment. The install was very close to the plans, handling paperwork with the city was quick and easy (I did nothing), and the speed from signing to generating was as quick as I could have hoped for. The install looks very clean. The staggered payment schedule was very nice, too.