Solar SME - DUPE

Unreliable. Disorganized. Frustrating.

My experience with Solar SME began in July 2025. The system was not installed until the end of December, and getting there was unnecessarily frustrating. When the equipment was delivered on December 11, it was left outside near the sidewalk instead of being placed in the backyard or shed as requested. It remained outside until installation. Scheduling was also unreliable. I was repeatedly given installation dates or timeframes when nobody showed up, leaving my partner and me constantly guessing when work would actually happen. Unfortunately, the problems continued after installation. Around May 5, 2026, four of my solar panels stopped producing. I reported the issue to Solar SME in mid-May and identified the affected panels. Over the next several months, I repeatedly contacted Solar SME trying to get someone to my home. I was told a crew would come the following week. Nobody came. I was later told someone would come another week. Nobody came. On June 26, I was told the issue would be handled that day. Nobody came. On July 6, Solar SME apologized and said I would receive another update the next day. I did not. I continued following up through July. On August 1, I finally escalated the issue to multiple Solar SME contacts and copied Climate First Bank, which financed the system. On August 3, Solar SME acknowledged the repeated scheduling failures and said it was targeting resolution within 10 business days. That deadline also passed. On August 12, Solar SME told me it would schedule a technician and that the system had been reviewed remotely with Hoymiles Technical Support. I was told that if the problem was related to Solar SME installation or workmanship, it would fall under their workmanship warranty. By August 22, I still had no appointment. On August 24, Solar SME told me they had been waiting for me to agree to terms before scheduling the visit, even though their previous email had not clearly stated that a response was required. I immediately told them to proceed. The service visit finally occurred on September 2, roughly three and a half months after I first reported the problem. According to the technicians who came to my home, the four-panel failure was caused by a plug/connection that had not been fully seated, resulting in a fault. Once corrected, the panels started functioning again. The technicians also told me that some panels did not appear to be angled correctly. I requested the technician's written service report documenting the connection problem, repair, and their observations about the panel angles. Instead, I almost immediately received a $190 truck-roll invoice. I understand that the $190 fee is included in the contract. However, after months of lost production, repeated missed service commitments, poor communication, and a repair involving what the technicians described as an improperly seated connection, I asked Solar SME to waive the fee as a matter of customer service. They declined. Their response focused on the contract language requiring the fee and did not substantively address the loose connection, the technicians' panel-angle comments, or my request for the service report. Equipment problems happen. That is not my main complaint. My complaint is that four panels were nonfunctional for months while I repeatedly chased Solar SME for service, received promises that did not materialize, and ultimately had to escalate the issue just to get someone to my home. Then, after the technicians finally corrected the problem, the $190 invoice arrived almost immediately. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Solar SME. If you are considering them, read the contract carefully, document everything, and communicate by email whenever possible.

Expensive roof covering.

Very disappointed with both SolarSME and the Generac solar/battery backup system. Since installation, the system has never functioned properly, and getting meaningful service has been extremely frustrating. I continue to get the runaround when trying to have someone come out and diagnose or repair the issue. For an investment of this size, I expected a functioning system and much better follow-through after installation.

Had the absolute worst experience with this company. It took them over 2 years to fulfill their contract despite me providing all payments in April 2024 this project only concluded in June 2026. Gross incompetence by the project management team with multiple changes in the project manager. Blatant lies by the sales team when they said they do not subcontract their electrical function - we had about 5 different crews. The original installation was performed by a crew of apprentices without a licensed journeyman or master electrician which of course resulted in failed inspections and potential fire hazards. This project only concluded because I had to constantly follow up with them and speak directly with the city inspector when the company continued to fail inspections multiple times. They managed to install the indoor battery outside next to the gas line! At one point they misdesigned and had it so I was paying to charge the electrical from the grid instead of the solar they incorrectly installed. Absolutely would not recommend. 0 stars of if I could.

Don't use this company

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.

Lack of communication, effort, or action.

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?

Absolutely avoid until their communication process is fixed

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.

Terrible service

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.

Poor performance

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

How can a company be so worst

A company full of lazy and unresponsive people. They do not listen and do not response either. Took almost forever for entire process of installation. Debris left all over place after installation. The heavy big pallets and bars still lying in garage which you can not even move by yourself. Even after several reminders, no action by Sam or Denis or Ayran. Before installation, they gave guarantee that they will make sure system is working with full potential. But they never cared about how system is performing. Upon informing them about issue with one panel which never produced as other others, they told to speak to Sunnova which is also pathetic. Stay away from them if you do not want to go through frustration and disappointment.

Unresponsive installer

Terrible experience with this solar installer It took several months after signing to eventually get the installer to work on the home and installation quality if very poor. They have installed solar for several homes in my neighborhood and most of the homes have roof leaks due to shoddy and bad installation process. Debris is left on the roof after the job. Required several follow ups to have the left over material cleaned up after installation was done. Denis and Sam at solar SME have left us disappointed many times during this process Referral bonus was not processed in spite of several follow ups. Don't have any confidence left that they will be able to follow through on warranty requests going forward

Experts? Not to Code. Avoid

I started this process in June because I wanted to ensure the tax credit. It's now December 2022 and I was told that the person helping me (Omar Diaz) was no longer with the company and they were not going to get my job done by 12/31/2022 because of "county delays". They did not realize I was following the county permitting process and the quality control review was rejected not once, not twice, but more than 3 times on both electrical and structural issues because the rep kept submitting applications with incomplete information, inaccurate information and not submitting it to code. Why was the person handling my project let go? He was incompetent. I had even messaged the supervisor more than a couple of times during the process in September and October 2022 expressing my concerns for very basic things being rejected on the application and raised my concerns about how it was going to be installed. It went ignored. They kept reassuring me that everything was fine and running smoothly. It wasn't. I even contacted the county permitting department and very simple things were missed (among bigger things) that a prudent company would not have missed. Then they tell me that they have to run my credit again because they wouldn't be able to get it done on time and rates had gone up so my previous loan wouldn't be honored. The cost? At least an additional $6k because interest rates had gone up. I got it for 0.99% but they said it would not cost me 2.49%. Not only did they keep missing the mark by having hired someone who clearly didn't know what they were doing, not supervising properly, but trying to charge me more for a project that isn't going to finish. I'm glad for the tax law changes as otherwise I would have missed on the 26% credit because of them. Not doing business with them. Read the other reviews where the installs were completely botched. May have dodged a bigger issue here. Very disappointing.

"Subject Matter Experts" My Foot

Avoid Solar SME if you expect professionals to do their jobs. My experience with Solar SME started positively in June 2022. Ray Conner was helpful in answering my questions and setting me up with an 8kW grid-tied PV roof-mounted system that would meet my energy needs. Raffy Sha has been the project manager and helped answer my questions. Initial installation went as planned in September, 3 months after signing the contract as expected. Then things went awry and the lack of professionalism of Solar SME became evident. The system failed inspection primarily because of major design flaws that were not compliant with local code. Solar SME's design engineer, Muhammad Arshad, did not do their due diligence in designing a system that was compliant with local codes, even though Solar SME has claimed to do business throughout the central Texas region. The PV meter was not included in the design, and the wire gauge sized used throughout the interior was incorrect. Raffy Sha then attempted to find an electrical crew to correct the errors. After another 3 months (so 6 months total) involving at least 3 different electrical contractors, the job is still unfinished. Now, 6 months after starting the project, I have already paid 3 utility bills and 3 loan payments on the system that is installed on my home and is inoperable. With less than 2 weeks before the 12/31/2022 deadline for the federal tax credit, I am not optimistic that I'll be able to get the tax credit this year (which was the whole reason I started this process IN JUNE) and will likely be out almost $8,000 due to Solar SME's failure to do the job I paid them $30,000 to do. Avoid my mistake in trusting Solar SME. "Subject Matter Expert" my foot.

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.

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.

Company Scammers

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE COMPANY SOLARSME!!! In January 2022, Daniel Reed (Project Manager) and Ray Conner offered me the solar panels (30 in total) for a cost of 40,000.00 USD for 25 years, they informed me that those The panels were enough to cover all the energy that my house needed and from that moment I would only have to pay the bill for the panels and not worry about the electricity bill anymore, BUT THAT WAS FALSE!!!, the calculation they made was incorrect , and now I am paying 130.00 monthly for the bill for the panels and an average of 280.00 for the electricity bill, I informed them of the situation, they said that it was not their problem, they only say that the house is consuming more than what they had calculated for me and that they are not going to do anything, after I signed a contract with them, they disappeared and did not respond for anything, they only left the debt, claimed their commissions and did not care about the problem, be careful with that company and those scammers.

Stay away

Stay away from this company they try and pressure you into signing contracts their site survey does not involve explaining anything to. I had to have them redo the contract multiple times finding things that did not sound right or were incorrect. I finally made a rep come to my house and explain everything to me and found out that the current panels that I was in the contract would only cover a fraction or my electric bill. I specifically told them that I did not want an electric bill and that I wanted to average between 2500 and 3000 kWh a month. We redid the number of panels from 30 something to 52 and I was assured that it would generate the number I asked for. My solar panels have been installed for the last 3 months and I have yet to generate more than 1500 kWh a month and when I called I was told my system will average out at 2000 kWh which is a huge difference when you are paying 45,000 for the system that runs 300.00 a month. If you decide to go with them make sure you have them put in the contract the number of kWh you expect to produce because you will put it in their terms that you don't understand. I usually am really good at making sure I am covered in a contract but I found out I definitely was not this time.