Solar SME

After nearly four years, I have to say that I've often been frustrated with this company. Not only were the financial benefits of the solar system that they proposed unrealistic, they failed to disclose hidden costs like removal and remounting for roof replacement. They will void your warranty if you need roof work done and they will demand far above market rate for them to do the work if you want to keep your warranty. The installation process was also bumpy, with no one managing the process on location. Even after it was installed, they messed up the inspection and we had to wait over a month before we could even turn it on because of their error, costing us significant loss of energy generation.

Ryan Filo and the entire Solar SME team did a great job converting my thoughts to plans, getting permits, getting supplies on site and installing them. The projects passed county and Georgia Power inspections without problems.

At this point, I am going to have to get a lawyer involved in order to get the work done. They deposited my check in early May and have had minimal contact since then. I reach out to my project manager asking for updates and keep getting the response “we will get you on the schedule next week”. Same response since May 21!! This is to replace a panel that they had removed and stored in my yard while I had the roof replaced after a severe hail storm. The panel never worked after they replaced it. They kept telling me it was the weather and to give it time. I gave it two seasons before they finally had someone come out and say that the wiring was chewed on the panel and it needed to be replaced. It is my feeling that they re-installed it knowing that there was an issue. I paid anyway because it’s panels on my most sunward section. Why can they not manage to get two panels replaced?

The solar panel installation was smooth and professional from start to finish. The team arrived on time, was efficient, and took care of everything, including permits. The panels are high-quality and Mr. Noman Mehmood has helped me in guiding and clarifying all doubts and also got very nice discount on overall price. Thank you Noman!

We recently had the solar panel system installed by Solar SME, and we are happier with the entire experience. From the initial consultation with Noman Mehmood. Noman took time to truly listen to our needs and concerns and provided valuable insights and guidance. The consultation was informative and left me feeling confident about the solar system we got. Their team was professional and knowledgeable. The installation process was seamless and efficient, with minimal disruption to our daily lives. We highly recommend Solar SME to anyone considering solar power. They are a trustworthy and reliable company. Navin T

Here’s a detailed account of the many issues I encountered. They are currently denying any sort of compensation for their "home backup system" that lasts for 3-5 hours with basic home use. Management: The project management was an absolute disaster. Our initial project manager was completely incompetent, causing delays and providing incorrect information many times. It took three weeks for him to send a simple email, significantly delaying the project. Even after being reassigned to Erik, who was more responsive, it was clear that the entire organization suffers from severe disorganization, due to much of the operation being run offshore. Installation: The only redeeming part of my experience with SolarSME was the installation team—Mohammed, Rakan, and Jose. They were punctual, polite, and hardworking, deserving five stars. Their professionalism was a stark contrast to the rest of the experience. Timeline: The process from our initial discussion to installation dragged on from February to July. Some delays were due to our additional requests for a battery and car charger, the majority of the delay was due to the incompetence of the initial project manager and the company's disorganization. Car Charger: The car charger installation was another headache, complicated by our home’s layout and HOA regulations. Although the team eventually got it installed, the process was far from smooth. The initial project manager suggested running an extension cord over a public sidewalk to charge our car—an utterly unacceptable and unsafe solution. The charger works and I have no complaints there, but I had to assist with the installation and purchase over $200 worth of equipment of my own to help. Battery: This is where the experience falls apart. The sales team failed to do their due diligence, leading to a severely underpowered battery system. We expected a full home backup but instead get a mere 3-5 hours of usage. This forces us to rely on the grid at night, and the solar during the day is wasted recharging the battery instead of covering our usage. In July, our electric bill was over $80—barely less than befor. The situation was further aggravated when "Ryan" tried to charge us more to move the battery AFTER it was installed, despite the placement being clearly outlined and agreed upon beforehand. Their proposed "solution" to reduce our battery capacity to 40-50% is baffling. Financials: The total cost of the system was ~$52,000, which we financed with a 30-year loan. Our payments, before tax credits, are ~$280 a month—on top of our existing power bill. We ARE STILL GETTING A HUGE BILL with no real improvement in our energy independence. Turninghat was supposed to be a cost-saving investment into a financial burden. Additional Notes: Battery Issues: We are still waiting for a service call to get our battery running again. Bait-and-Switch Tactics: We were told a 17 kWh Panasonic system, but this was swapped to a SolaX system with little U.S. support and a poorly functioning app. Poor Logistics: We had nearly 2,000 pounds of solar panels stored in our living room and kitchen for over a month due to delays in installation. They should have been responsible for storage. Final Thoughts: As someone who runs a million-dollar service business, I believe in delivering what the client paid for. In rare cases where we fail, we go out of our way to make it right. SolarSME, however, expects the client to bear the burden of their failures and act as their own project manager. In summary, SolarSME has made our household bills higher and our daily lives significantly more inconvenient. I cannot recommend them—avoid SolarSME at all costs.

My system had a problem with my Enphase Gateway on my SME solar power system. It prevented my being able to get any information about how my system was operating. I contacted Compliance Supervisor, Faris Atal and he ensured that the issue would be corrected. A new IQ Gateway CR PCB was sent to me via Fed Ex and Faris contracted a local Electrician to remove old circuit board and install and dedicate the new one. The fix went well and the system is back in service again. Thank you Faris.

Roman did a good job quickly resolving my issue.

SolarSME offered me the best value of any of the companies that gave me quotes. With one brief exception (during transition of project managers), they've also been good at responding to questions. I worked with Johan for awhile (he coordinated install), and am now talking with Roman, who's been helpful in answering questions and offering continued support. My system was installed successfully by IHE (who partnered with SolarSME in my state of PA), and I had one battery issue where Enphase came out to correct, otherwise things have been running smoothly.

One panel began going bad in December. Faris oversaw the process for getting a RMD approved by Panasonic and then getting a local electrician to install. While it took many months for Panasonic to authorize replacement, Faris stayed in touch to get the job done.

I've been working with Faris and had an issue where my system had to be shut down. Faris was on the ball and had me back up and working without a hiccup. Great people to work with. They listen and respond in a very timely manner. Very glad I went with these guys.

Got NEXT day service to fix circuit breaker for my existing solar system installed through Solar SME. I worked with Roman who communicated with me throughout the process.

Thank you Roman and crew for taking care of a cable issue with my install.

Nothing about this experience with SME was good. The managers would be incommunicado for weeks. The time awaiting installation was too extensive. The deliveries of the parts was confused. The installation was incomplete. A line for the internet connection was not connected. After about two years, the system shut down and complaints to SME went unanswered to this day.

Had a problem with one of the modules, SME team came to our house and fixed the issues. They are professional, courteous,and did a most difficult job with ease!

Roman and his team were excellent. They ensure my system was fully connected, running, and the battery pack working. Additionally, they educated me on how to read the SolaxCloud & Enphase (Enlighten) app. I recommend SolarSME.

Battery issue was reported, Faris RMA’d the BMU and made the battery functional, Great Service!

Had an issue with consumption monitoring. After figuring out the issue, Roman was quick to have it resolved.

I chose Solar SME because they are a reputable Generac certified solar installer. They work hard to troubleshoot any problems remotely and even send technicians to my home site. Farris from Solar SME was essential in resolving a battery module issue with our system. Farris worked tirelessly to coordinate with Generac and also a local Generac certified electrician BJ Electric to have the BMU part replaced in a timely manner.

Danny was my introduction to Solar SME and was very patient with me as I navigated my way through learning about solar. He was professional, prompt with information requested and very pleasant

Competitive pricing, outstanding responsive service, from Denis (project manager) to the installation team, ran by Mohammad. The met all of my expectations and system is ready to be turned on. Can’t wait!

Very knowledgeable informative kind and professional

19 of my microinverters has gone bad and had to be RMA'd. Faris did an exceptional job getting everything RMAd and replaced on my roof.

I didn’t know that my solar power system had issues until I saw a text message from Roman from Solar SME team. They have installed this solar panel system about 5 years ago and I have saved enormous amounts of money due to solar power generation over the years which is still happening efficiently even today. Yesterday Roman and his team replaced the defective inverter which had issues and my solar panels started working again and I am very happy with this company’s proactively monitoring the system and fixing issues as they arise even after several years.

No complaints about the company, or work done so far, still awaiting a few final clearance to commence use of the product

These guys installed our solar system early in 2022 and they'd done a great job but as with anything done to your house (particularly if it involves electronics) things can go wrong and need maintenance. Almost exactly two years later we had a small issue come up and Roman was there to help. He got a crew out to look at our system and once they were onsite the issue was resolved in a few hours. It's definitely nice to have that level of support when other installers would have left you high and dry.

Great Experience at a fair price. I am very happy with the installation. Travis, my project manager, helped me in every step along the way. I highly recommend SolarSME.

I worked with my PM Levon Saryan and he was very responsive. The app is user friendly. The solar panels seem to be working great, I’m excited to get my 1st new energy bill. It takes around 2.5 months total. Quote, schedule delivery, schedule install, schedule county inspection, HOA approval, schedule utility meter switch, and finally PTO (Permission to Operate)! I would do it again in a heart beat, even one kw of clean energy is better than 0. I am trying to leave the earth better than I found it and this company helps do that. Proud to be apart of sustaining Solar SME as a business! I chose them over competitors because they seem very genuine. Also, was able to get panels made in the USA!!

I have had Solar for a few years. Recently a couple inverters went down. I contacted Solar SME and they had the new inverters sent and installed within a few days. Great to see them respond even though it had been so long since the original installation. They really do a great job of customer service. I would like to thank Roman Omari and his team for jumping on the repairs and getting everything back up and running smoothly.

Great team work from proposal to reaching an agreement, design to procurement of materials/equipment and then completion ahead of schedule. Indeed they are the Subject Matter Experts when it comes to home Solar Systems.

Solar SME Inc has been very professional from beginning to the end. Levon Sarayan the project manager has been very patient in explaining every step of the system setup process. Payments are collected in different phases which made it comfortable to handle payments. It takes time to learn the monitoring system but Levon has been very patient in explaining and helping us read the system better.

The team from sales to project management and following has been great! The system is working great. We are happy.

Choose another solar company and save your money, time, and reputation. In my situation, SolarSME failed to live up to its name, and they are failing to honor their contract. My Solar panels have been operational since late July 2022. Prior to going operational the installation was fraught with incompetence (see description) and lack of follow through. At the first anniversary of being operational the system is woefully underperforming by 23%. I reached out to SolarSME in August 2023 to “work together in good faith” according to the contract only to be led along for four months and then dismissed by SolarSME. My HOA does not allow solar panels to be installed on the front of houses, so SolarSME suggested they could install in the back using solar panel tilt legs for optimal performance. The design was created in December of 2021 and on 18 January of 2022 the project manager emailed, “Annual production with this layout: 18.05MHw per year.” I made my decision to proceed with the project based on 18.05MHw. I am currently getting 77% (13.1MWh) of the production agreed upon and according to the contract I should be getting at least 90% (16.245MWh). In hindsight, this lack of production is only mildly surprising because the installation crew had no idea how to install tilt legs. They improperly installed two arrays and then had to remove them, patch up the holes, and reattach them to the roof. This project was supposed to take 72hours and instead it lasted two weeks. The last day of the project was rushed, and it didn’t end until 9pm. They left pallets and a hole in the dry wall near my electrical panel. I brought this to the project manager’s attention multiple times, and he did nothing. He was only concerned with the final payment and 5-star reviews. I had to dispose of the garbage and pallets and then patch the hole myself. I have saved the reviews until now. In trying to resolve this issue the company says the production problem is due to shading. According to SolarSME, the shading is due to the solar panel arrays being too close indicating either a design flaw or installation failure. But there are no shading discussions in email, text, or on the phone in and around the 18 January 2022 date when I was emailed the annual production rate of 18.05MWh and I relied on that in making my decision to move forward. Annual production of 13.1MWh’s (77%) means SolarSME is not fulfilling their part of the contract

I liked how Denis Lee handled my Solar installation. Very nice and friendly. The reasonable and cheap price is why I chose Solar SME. The installation was easy and fast.

Great installation and service.

System has been running since January. Battery offline 149 out of 289 days, monitoring offline 131 out of 289 days, panels likely producing the whole time. So this would be a 2 star at best. However I’m giving it 5 stars because Faris has been on top of things the entire time, once he took over the system actually started monitoring, battery started working, and he’s been prompt to respond to inquiries and scheduled the multiple RMAs and technicians well with excellent communication. Here’s hoping the system will work going forward !

Areej made the process of getting my solar panels installed a lot less stressful than it could have been, always stayed in contact with me throughout the process and helped answer any questions that I had along the way.

We chose the SolarSME to install the solar system in our home. We got the quote from several companies and Solar SME quote was very competitive. Based on reviews, we have chose Solar SME. Our project manager was Dan Marino. He was providing outstanding service during the whole process. He was keeping us updated and always available via phone and text. We are very happy with Dan and I would highly recommend Dan and solarSME for solar installation.

We had a positive experience working with Solar SME for our installation in our Baltimore city row home. The price was very competitive and the installation occurred without any defects (eg no leaky roofs). Our contact Johan was very attentive to our concerns about our roof and would usually respond to my emails within hours. Would recommend.

Excellent and very fast response to concern I was facing as a result of a recent storm and power outages. The engineers were great experts that understood the problem immediately and fixed it remotely.

I have been Interested in getting solar panels installed on my home for some time. SolarSME provided excellent service. Emir worked with me to get solar panels installed on my roof that would cover 100% of my electricity needs. All phases of the installation process were explained. My solar panels are easily producing more electricity than I use. Emir has also assisted me with the application for the SREC. Going solar is one of the best financial decisions I have ever made.

My experience with SolarSME was mediocre. My salesperson Jim was very personable and designed a system customized to my property’s needs. First and foremost, SolarSME is very, very (very!) expensive. Even with an 800+ credit score, SolarSME’s interest rate was more than 600% higher than others, but I purchased my system outright with cash so I missed that red flag. The reason I agreed to their price premium over Tesla and others was because I trusted that SolarSME would provide a significantly better installation and support experience for 25 years vs. Tesla’s 10—so far, they haven’t… at all. First, I got final engineering designs back from SolarSME for approval. The first (obviously) didn’t meet building code so I rejected it. The second and third designs used my neighbors’ roof/ property to reach the system size promised in my sales presentation. After that fiasco, permits and applications to complete the build were filed late and incorrectly leading to significant delays. I tried to cancel my contract with SolarSME, but the cancellation fee was so egregious that I settled for SolarSME’s promise to assign my account to a new PM with additional oversight of SolarSME’s operations manager through project completion. I was assigned a new PM, Emir, who was better than Reuben but I continued to have issues and SolarSME’s senior management could care less and were nowhere to be found until after I filed a BBB complaint against them. It took SolarSME’s installers 3 tries on different 3 days to get the system installed and working correctly. Neither of the inspections went well—the first city inspector was displeased with some of their work but SolarSME’s technician was able to fix the deficiencies while the inspector waited impatiently and eventually signed off. The second city inspector left after arriving for the appointment and leaving due to SolarSME being a no show. SolarSME’s technician was there—he had just fallen asleep, literally, on the job. SolarSME says their price premium is because they use higher quality materials and have a proactive Compliance Team actively monitoring and identifying issues before the homeowner is even aware for 25 years. I don’t know about material quality, but in the first 25 *days,* there were half of a dozen system alarms and SolarSME’s “Compliance Team” was unaware and absent. To be honest, I have serious doubt they even exist. It took me several follow up calls and e-mails to get these alarms cleared, access to my own system via the various (clunky at best, faulty at worst) apps. and portals, the Pearl Certification documentation, and for both my SREC and MEA rebate application to be completed and submitted. SolarSME ultimately did fulfill their requirements but necessity and frequency of following up is not what I bargained for and not what was sold. When I raised my concerns to SolarSME’s senior management, they were argumentative and unhelpful, actually making matters worse. At the end of the day, my PM Emir tried his best but SolarSME’s management had obviously tied his hands behind his back. I don’t regret my decision to go solar but I wouldn’t choose SolarSME again. The experience isn’t what’s promised/ sold, their solution—while customizable—is very expensive and not as aesthetically pleasing compared to competitors, and was generally not what I expected from “subject matter experts.” We’ll see how reliable my system is over the next 25 years and if SolarSME can be bothered to clean my panels, maintain, and monitor/ repair my system as agreed.

I had solar SME install a system at my house in Buford GA. They were quick to respond to my questions, professional, and got the job done on time. Highly recommended.

Solar SME installed 19 solar panels on my home and I just got my Permission to Operate and turn the system on. I am very pleased with the team from Solar SME including Levon Saryan (who kept me informed and handled the paperwork) and the installation team led by Rashed. The panels look great (sleek, straight and low profile).

System is working well, energy bill went down over 90%, current customer rep, Henry, is great, still promptly answers emails even months after work is done. But, it took 8 months from signing to installing, and the first customer rep was horrible, and that is putting it mildly. I had to struggle with him for months until the company fired him, even if the problems were evident and occasionally someone higher up was looped in the (miss)communication.

Excellent job. they were prompt, professional, and courteous. I would highly recommend their services.

Despite some issues with a local subcontractor, the initial Project Manager, Andre Leon, and Technical Support Officer, Akil Dabir, were always responsive and helpful throughout the process and worked to keep us on track and get us live as soon as possible. The process was otherwise seamless and we are happy with the installation, project cost/value, and financing Solar SME arranged. SolarSME were transparent, fair and forthright throughout the process, and did everything they could to get us up and running as quickly as possible, and we are happy with the end result.

We chose SolarSME after researching and getting quotes from a dozen other solar companies. The team was always prompt and responsive in addressing any queries we had be it through emails or phone calls. We finally got Solar panels installed and up and running for almost a month now. Love the app too to monitor panel's energy production.

Had a great experience, everything was completed in a timely manner. Emir was great. My PTO was granted in a quarter of the time that my neighbors took. Tks

This had been quite a long process, however, my new solar system is very powerful in terms of power output. Panels look great on my roof. I had been approached by several solar companies and I chose SolarSME because the Google solar reviews of other customers. Their reviews seemed to be a step above every other solar company. During the installation, SolarSME contracted Hannah Solar out of Atlanta. These guys did a terrific job installing all the panels, the inverter and showed me how to use the SolarEdge app to monitor my new power source. I also got to interact with Joseph and the owner of Hannah Solar. Terrific guys! There were some challenges along the way, such as delays, a Solar edge inverter problem but, as with anything, there’s always a challenge or two. I rate a company based on how they respond to problems. That’s why I gave SolarSME 5 stars. I can be extremely demanding of people and with all the pressure I put on them, they performed at a very high level. They were calm, incredibly responsive and took care of any issues in a rapid manner. Farris in compliance was highly competent and slayed a problem we had with an inverter and he hustled to get it resolved without taking his foot off the gas pedal. Mario also did great follow up work and remained calm and responsive and, in the end, got it done. I’m completely confident I’m in good hands and, at this exact moment, my solar panels are creating 10kw. Well done SolarSME Team!