Solar SME - DUPE

A Total Disaster

6 months in and system still not up, facing lien by 3 party installer for non payment by Solar SME. They have never have visited site, Engineering Drawing had to be redone after permit was approved because they forgot the battery. Change solar panels 3 times, first time was for 420 watt panels could only produce 370 watts since that all the system inverter could handle, Change to 370 watt panel but then 2 months later they didn't have in stock so we had to change to a 3 panel. Their idea of communicating is telling you when they are doing, never a discussion of when they may be planning on coming. Most of the time no heads up warning so you can make sure someone is home. Raw material drop off a night mare, not everything installers need is dropped off and parts missing so installers have to wait for parts to finish install or leave to go get them. Had to bring master electrician up from Houston to fix battery install but in process killed all the micro processors so can't tell if all the panel are working. Didn't know Ft Worth electrical code and want to pass on cost to get the system passed when they designed the system because they didn't want to put a smoke detector, baluster or 200 amp outside cutoff switch which is required by Ft Worth electrical code and then tell you it's an additional 10K to bring up to code. I've had to go back and dispute the charges for 36k since I don't know if there are any other mechanical liens still to come. Things are so bad, owner of SME asked to speak to me and we had a 3 way call, asked him to send me their attorneys option on the lien and nothing but crickets. I wish I could make this stuff up but it's so bad you can't I don't know if they are a bad company or not, my experience is a total cluster up. In the end we will get it done but I'm sure we are head to mediation before we go to court.

Took a while but great communication

We had Solar SME design a project for our house. Initially, everything went well. Then we had to deal with PECO, our local utility company, who dragged out the timeline and made a few requests to change the design, one of which was a large change. This also reset the timeline for permits with PECO. Johan, our project manager, communicated everything with us and helped us through the process. He was not afraid to reach out to us via phone or text If he did not hear back from us. This was key at times given I do not have access to email at all times. We did end up with some changes to the original plan, but Johan worked with us to make sure we were taken care of, and all parties felt happy with the changes and final product.

Solar SME

Our solar experience has been an overall positive one. We have worked with Raffy and he is very good about answering all questions. We had numerous text exchanges and he is quick to reply. We feel as though we got a very good deal with solar sme. We talked with many companies to reach the decision to have solar sme install our panels. I believe we made a great choice.

Professional with warranty work

I recently worked with Raza Khan of Solar, SME. After almost 2.5 years of enjoying my solar array - also through Solar, SME - the inverter stopped functioning. Raza Khan professionally walked me through the warranty process with the manufacturer, coordinated all the appointments and support, and personally made sure my solar power system was up and running before declaring the job complete - around the Thanksgiving holiday, no less. So grateful!

Great experience with SolarSME

Ruben did a great job with the design and communicating status updates throughout the process. I was impressed with the install team and how clean the wiring and conduit runs were. Once install kicked off it was only a little over a week that I had PTO from Oncor. Ruben stayed on top of the of the various city officials to receive the proper signoffs.

Stayed wthe me to the end

I had a great installer (Tom) and Solar SME contact (Basem). We did a 9.9KWH system with battery backup. I live i semi-rural area with no wifi service and on a well. So I really needed a solar system with backup. We spec'ed out a Generac system due its efficiency and ability to be installed outside. I had just completed a complete whole house renovation so I very particular about this install. Tom and Basem did a great job and worked to resolve any issues. Tom also had to come up with some creative solutions based on the design my house. It worked out well and I felt confident I was with a good reputable company.

Got the Job Done

Rasa Khan was great! After some setbacks he made sure we got the job done.

Very responsive to all my questions and concerns.

Josh Lee was very responsive to all my questions and concerns concerning having solar panel system installed on my roof. He was able to provide me with the needed information to make an informed decision on whether a solar system was the right fit for me.

Quick and Responsive

Josh at SolarSME was a fantastic rep to work with on my solar project. He was very responsive either via email, text, or phone calls. Always followed up on my requests or concerns and detailed oriented with regards to the system specifics. Would highly recommend SolarSME and Josh again!

Great Experience with Solar SME

We had a great experience with this Solar SME. They gave me the best quote that I can get among all other solar panel companies. Dennis is the project manager for the installation of my solar panel, he was the best. I asked him a lot of questions, and he always answered quickly and professionally. I recommend Solar SME to anyone who needs to install solar panels.

Very knowledgable and willing to accomodate special requests

From the beginning of the process to the end, it was very nice working with Ryan Filo. He always promptly answered the phone and if he did not have an answer was always quick to get one. He helped us with financing, and we chose the higher interest option to avoid the large financing fee associated with the lower rate. I didn't have to worry about anything because he handled all the permits and any available rebates for me. There was a snag when the panels I had been quoted were on back-order, but he negotiated a compromise for some available panels and went with the brand and option I selected to replace the original. The material were ordered and delivered in a timely manner. They didn't sit in my garage for long. Once he assigned Frank as the lead installer, Frank came in and handled it like a boss. He knows his stuff, and he was willing to work with me to get the configuration I really needed for my large home to put what was necessary on the critical load panel. Unfortunately, there was a delay between the final installation test and the turning on of the system because some additional breakers had to be obtained. That delay caused the system to not fully update and set up. It took several days of close monitoring on my part, and several calls to Enphase support. But every time I called Enphase I got a different tech, and they were all amazing in their knowledge and getting down to business. The system is up and running and I couldn't be more thrilled. I'm a bit short on battery but should get through the winter with the setup I have. I will need to add an additional battery before the summer comes. No project of this size is without difficulties, but Solar SME and Enphase made sure everything got resolved to my satisfaction.

Solar SME Install

We decided to research and install solar earlier this year and chose Solar SME based on price and the quality of product they provided. I felt Aryan with the sales team was very upfront with me on the cost and financing options and the correlation of interest rates and loan set up fees. Once we decided on Solar SME and signed the contract we were switched to the project team and Ryan was our Project Manager. He was very attentive to our needs. The only negative for us was the time it took for Center Point to approve our installation, which I don't blame on him or Solar SME. Once we had our solar installed we got a very quick turnaround to get the Permission to Operate. The install team led by Frank was outstanding. Communicated clearly throughout and did a wonderful job.

Great customer service

Solar SME provided us a great solar panel installation experience. They went above and beyond to make sure we were completely happy with the end product. Highly recommend!

Dan was a great project manager!

I used energy sage to bid several companies against one another. I chose solar sme due to their low interest rate and high quality equipment and micro-inverters. During the estimation phase I was sent contracts to sign that seemingly added $19,000 to the bottom line cost of the project. I inquired about this added cost which was not mentioned or noted anywhere in my documents that I had seen. After I asked about the increase I was advised it was a loan organization fee. I felt blindsided by this fee. I read all of the documents they sent me and the emails and never saw this fee mentioned once. After I told them I would seek secondary financing they said I could get same as cash financing but with a 6.99% interest rate rather than the .99 advertised. I plan to pay the system off quickly so I am not worried about the interest rate increase. After dealing with the financial side I was handed off to Dan Marino for the project and he was great! He handled every situation quickly and answered messages and emails almost instantly like a pro!! Solar sme is lucky to have this guy! The installers left a lot of trash at my home, zip ties, bolts, plastic protector pieces in my gutters etc, but they did a good job installing the panels, their electrician did an excellent job with his attention to detail and wire organization! The system went online the day they finished install, their was a hangup with some of the equipment but Dan made it right quickly! I highly recommend solar sme, just be careful with their finance dept!

Solar system installed

Just completed install of my solar system using Solar SME, Inc. Project Manager Areej Yousaf was great! She kept the project moving along and kept me informed along the way, always quickly responding to my questions! Very pleased with the service and work.

Omar Diaz project manager did a great job overseeing the project. He was available to answer questions over phone and email at all times.

I recommend Solar SME

I signed contract in late June. My solar panels were installed on September 28th which was right on schedule. I was originally told to expect 3-4 months for completion. My project coordinator was Johan. He did a fantastic job. He made sure the process went as smoothly as possible. He was always there to answer my questions.

Best Solar Partner Ever!

From the beginning, Raffy was right there to answer all my questions! From fine-tuning our initial quote to coordinating my login to the application to monitor the system - he was there. Very kind and professional and ready to help at a moment's notice. When I need a modification to my system, I know exactly who I will be calling - these guys are the best.

Quality Solar Install

Dan Marino (project manager) and his team were responsive to all my needs and questions. They do quality work with high end products for a professional installation. My only complaint was the time to install(stated 8-12 weeks) which took 22 weeks: however, this was not the fault of SOLAR SME. Supply chain issues made the Panasonic panels I ordered unavailable and I subsequently went with LG panels. Township permits and electrical inspections took some time as they were short staffed. The longest delay was with the electric company finally turning on the solar.

Once decided on going solar, our journey with SolarSME began with Ray - who took the time to go over detailed system requirements & costs. Emir from SolarSME then took over as project manager as we moved into system design phase - all communications were timely & professional. Despite not being local, Emir coordinated everything well from inspection to installation details & did commendable work procuring all needed materials on time. We're quite satisfied with SolarSME & looking forward to years of clean energy from our solar panel installations.

Very Fast and Responsive

Solar SME installed complete home solar system. Worked with Ryan Filo(sr project manager) and he is very responsive, coordinated very well throughout the project and made project complete on time.

Terrible--do not use!!!

Pick anyone else!! Their contract says the process is totally completed in 90 days...But after 5 months, the permits were still not approved (they had made several mistakes on the permitting forms which sent us to the back of the line)--let alone installation. At this point, SolarSME told us that the materials we had agreed to in the contract were actually NOT available, and tried to get us to buy more expensive items or else the project would not proceed. When I said this was unacceptable, they demanded an arbitrary amount of money to cancel the contract (without any justification). I have emails documented on all of this...The communications they send are unprofessional and full of errors and typos. I really wanted solar, but this is NOT the company to trust.

Solar SME install in Brazoria County

I rated Solar SME high because I did get the project I had contracted. There were several challenges along the way (as with most projects). I selected Solar SME because they designed the system I wanted and offered the equipment I desired. They were not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. They advertised as being local and able to supply an all-internal turnkey project. Neither were completely correct, but not a showstopper. They advertise a Houston office, but all work is from Dallas. They contracted the installation to a contractor in Houston. The Contractor was one of the best contractors I have experienced in over 40yrs of working with contractors. The contractor lead/technician Frank did an exceptional job (knowledge, communication, timeline, clean-up, quality of install). My project appeared to be my project manager’s, Ryan’s first project to manage in a barrier county requiring Windstorm WPI-8, as well as, working with TNMP. I worked directly with him through several critical items to make sure all required deliverables were completed. There were several long discussions, but Ryan ultimately completed all required task defined within the contract. I think he did learn and could do a better job on his next project in a windstorm barrier county. The system started-up without issues and has been running for 4 weeks without issues. A strong suggestion is to review the contract carefully and make sure to capture all your expectations before signing as I did have to refer to it several times to achieve my expectations.

Solar SME is a class act! They were the most competitive on price, used quality products (Panasonic panels, SolarEdge optimizer, IronRidge racking), and quite professional! System has been up and running since 2019. UPDATE: The SolarEdge optimizer ended up needing to be replaced in Aug 2022 as well as an inverter. Basem from Solar SME was in contact as soon as they recognized the problem (from actively monitoring the system) and coordinated the parts to be shipped to the house and dispatched personnel to come fix the problems. Everything is now fixed and the system is generating power!

Great Honest Company. Mr. Omar Diaz PM was great to work with.

We enjoyed working with Mr. Omar Diaz. He made sure we fully understand how solar works and made some very good suggestion and recommendation for us. We had a change order because of the availability of the brand we originally wanted came up and Omar made the transition easy. Mr. Omar Diaz has been very professional throughout our project process and I highly recommend Mr. Omar Diaz to be your project manager.