SolarGaines

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Updated: 12 September 2017
Installer

Installing solar since 2015

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4.61 from 60 Reviews

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SolarGaines reviews


Breakdown of consumer reviews

Sales Process

4.8

Price as quoted

4.8

On schedule

4.5

Installation quality

4.8

After sales support

4.8

Latest good review thumbs up

Henry | Lutherville Timonium, Maryland | 10/29/2020

Installed in April 2019 - Great Experience, No Issues

Late adding the review, but want to make sure to give Solar Gaines 5 stars. We had a system installed in April 2019 and it's been fantastic. They made a great first impression in that when we called for a quote, they treated this like any other home improvement project. They didn't send a salesman, they sent someone who would spec out what needed to be done and give us an estimate, not a hard sell. Through-out the process they were great to work with and had someone on staff who worked all the paperwork on our behalf to get the tax credits and even followed up with the county months afterward to fully confirm we were on the property tax credit wait list. Between the cost avoidance and the SRECs, we're basically cash flow neutral with a 100% financed system... eventually we pay off the loan and it's just free electricity. Great local company, professional and easy to work with, stop reading reviews and just go get your solar system installed!

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Latest bad review thumbs down

SolarJ | 09/18/2016

Project Poorly Managed

Beware of using SolarGaines. Their prices are low for the Baltimore,Washington area. However, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.<br />I had several issues come up with SolarGaines:<br />1. A price was agreed to in writing with their sales representative. This price was suppose to be all inclusive and it was agreed that I could charge the project to my credit card for no additional fee. However, 2 weeks later when it came time for me to pay, they charged me an additional 3% for using a credit card. By that point, they had already taken my down payment for the project. The sales rep basically told me I could pay the additional 3% or cancel the project.<br />2. When the panels were installed, I was told that the inverter they purchased was not working properly and would need to be replaced. I was promised my system would be up and running within a week. When I called the project manager 4 days later, he told me that "he forgot to order the new parts but he would try to get to it that afternoon." He said shipping the new parts would take about a week. When I requested that the replacement part be overnighted, they said "no". Kinda sad that I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars for solar panels and they won't spend a couple bucks to fix the faulty parts they ordered.<br />3. They left the room near my circuit breakers a mess. The framing around the circuit breaker box was half ripped off, and the wall was not fully repaired nor repainted. When the billing department asked for final payment, I said I was withholding payment until the job was finished. I guess that was an incentive for them to finish the job. I was promised they would come on Monday. I stayed home from work to wait for the crew, and received a call 5 minutes before they were suppose to come that they were not able to come that day because they were finishing up another project. I was told they would call to reschedule. The next morning at around 11am, I get a call that the crew is waiting outside my house...no warning or scheduling. My room finally got fixed (they did an okay job, not great), but the project was poorly managed from beginning to end.<br />4. Once the job is done and they are paid, the company seems completely unresponsive. I reached out to them for some assistance filling out the forms to sell SRECs and received no response.<br />With all that being said, I gave them 2 stars because it seems like they did a decent job installing the panels. Just be warned that dealing with them is a pain.

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1 comment >
Reply from SolarGaines: Solarj,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments, feedback allows us to address issues and improve our service. I am very disappointed that we did not exceed your expectations for customer service. We strive for excellence in every aspect of our business, but apparently had some hiccups on your job, for which i apologize profusely. I wont try to make excuses, that wont change the fact that your experience was not up to standard, but I will thank you again for taking the time to provide feedback and promise you that we use that information to strive for improvement. We appreciate your support of the solar industry and for choosing Solargaines. I genuinely hope you enjoy many, many years of producing your own solar/renewable energy.

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Sandy007 | Freeland, Maryland | 09/12/2017

Great company, great system

I had my solar system installed in early June and started it on June 21st and wanted to see how my system performed before I wrote my review. I cannot be more pleased with every aspect of the sale, installation and performance of my system. The sales consultant, Paul Miller, was able at answer all my questions and did not pressure my at all to purchase the system. <br />The installation crew did a fantastic job and it took only two days to install the 36 panels and hook-up the inverter to my home's electric system. It took about two weeks before the utility came out to install the net meter. <br />The SolarGaines office staff submitted all the paperwork necessary for the meter and all the state and county rebate programs. I have already received my $1000 check from the state. <br />As for the performance, the system provided all the electricity I needed for my house all summer. In addition I have put about 150kWh back on to the grid during that period of time. <br />I highly recommend using SolarGaines to install your solar system.

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1 comment >
Reply from SolarGaines: Thank you for the great review!!

SolarEVDriver | Perry Hall, Maryland | 11/15/2016

Great Solar Installer!

SolarGaines was a great company to deal with. The process of getting my system installed was very quick and smooth. They did a good job with all of the paperwork and permits. They were willing to adjust the system design whenever I had any concerns, and this resulted in a really good looking system. Also, their pricing was much better than the 4 other companies I got pricing from.

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Mike Booher | Essex, Maryland | 11/10/2016

Great

I started my journey in solar by doing alot of research of the course of about at year here and there. I contacted almost every installer in the area and was surprised that only about half got in touch with me. I first chose another company and was so unsatisfied with the sales and design team that I stopped working with them. Then SolarGaines. The whole process was wonderful. The sales staff listened to what I wanted and didn't go for the hard sale or try to sell me what they wanted on my house. The designers were great as well. Communication from the office team regarding billing, utility forms, tax paperwork and everything else was great. The installation team showed up early and were wonderful. They were neat and appeared that they enjoyed their job. No issues with workmanship or materials. When it was all done it was like they were never here aside from the new system. My system was commissioned in the middle of my BGE billing cycle and I just paid my first post install bill, $10.49. I highly recommend SolarGaines.

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Jayapal | Lutherville Timonium, Maryland | 10/24/2016

Solar Panel System

8.86 KW system - Solar Edge system.

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Laurel | Silver Spring, Maryland | 10/22/2016

An Excellent Solar Installation

From the first sales contact to finally flipping the switch on the system, the Solar Gaines team (front office to installer) did a timely, professional and cost-effective installation of our solar electric system. There was never a time when I did not know what the status and schedule of the project was. It was a truly seamless process - unlike many construction projects.

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cmp2488 | Glen Burnie, Maryland | 10/21/2016

Well Done

After researching several options for a rooftop solar installation in my area, SolarGaines came in with not only the best price, but also the best equipment and the largest system capacity for my application. Being DIY oriented, I'm always hesitant to bring in outside contractors, because they rarely take the time and attention that I would if I were doing it myself. This was NOT a problem with SolarGaines, I was very impressed with the quality of their work, attention to detail and the friendly nature of the team that did the install.<br /><br />In addition to the above, here are some other things that stuck out to me that lead me to recommend SolarGaines:<br />- Quick communication (via email, their project portal or by phone)<br />- Completed the project quickly (was something like 3 days (consecutive) to install 42 panels and 2 months in total from start to finish (vast majority of time is spent waiting on government entities and power suppliers)<br />- Does not deal in PPAs - A small thing, but to me this speaks to their commitment to their customers, since in my opinion PPAs are really for the benefit of the installer and not the end user.<br />- There is a lot of confusing paper work for various incentives, permits, SRECs, etc. They do it all for you, so no worries there.

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pacho014 | Parkville, Maryland | 08/17/2016

Excellent and Quick Service

Really fast and clean installation. Solar Gaines strive to make the process as easy as possible to their clients.

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bobdunphy | Ellicott City, Maryland | 06/23/2016

Great Way to save on Tax Bite

After shopping many Installers and do it yourself systems I chose Solar Gaines. I spoke with Logan who was very helpful and fun to work with guy. He didn't want to lose a sale so was very competitive in pricing. I was ready to buy from another company when I got a price that could not be beat. Rain was our biggest problem, causing delays. Install took 3 days, it rained on 2 of the day making the crew leave early. Matt was a pleasure to work with answering an question I had.The office department was good to deal. Meter swap out was quick.system is working better than PV watts estimate.

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RManzo | Westminster, Maryland | 05/05/2016

SolarGains is an Exceptional Company

First and foremost is this company is beyond organized. From sales to installation and support, SolarGains is head and shoulders above the rest. I had multiple leasing companies try to have me sign a lease with them. For some reason I felt that something was just not right about a leased solar system. That's when I contacted SolarGains. I scheduled an appointment at my house with Logan Burke. This guy was exceptional. Professional yet laid back. He laid the numbers out for me to decide whether buying was the right choice. In the end buying a system was way more cost effective and affordable than leasing hands down. My solar credits come to me and not the leasing company. This can be anywhere from $800 to a few thousand dollars per year depending on the size of your system. A nice little payment for going solar. My electric bills were ridiculous. Anywhere from $300 to $500 per month. I can say that after 30 days of running my system my electric bill was only $120 and that was just the begging. I am now selling electrical back to the power company for credits which I can use during the winter when the sun is out less hours per day. Even with getting a bill from the electric company and paying my loan for the system I am still saving about $250 a month and the savings will just get better as my system produces more electricity. I am very satisfied with my decision to buy over lease. It's really a no brainer. If you are in the market to get on the solar wagon then Solar Gains is an absolute must. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to the entire SolarGains staff for your exceptional and persevering work. I will recommend you to anyone that wants to go solar. Thanks again.

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rich6878 | Annapolis, Maryland | 04/21/2016

Top notch process

Solargaines definitely earned my business. Logan prepared my design and made it easy for me to choose high quality products. The office support enforced my confidence that I had made the right decision. The install was easy and the close out meeting gave me all the information I needed. If you are considering going solar, do it with Logan and Solargaines.

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Solar panel cost calculator

Service types


Commercial solar - Grid tied

Residential solar - Hybrid solar systems

Energy monitoring

About SolarGaines


You could say that SolarGaines has been almost 30 years in the making. Since the 1980’s President Tom Gaines and his team at the construction/ contracting firm Hencken & Gaines, have built a reputation for doing high quality work, on time, and 0n budget. When lifelong friends and Marylanders Tom Gaines and Hans Wittich started SolarGaines back in 2009, they did so with a passion for improving energy consumption. They knew that solar could provide a cheaper and cleaner experience, so they wanted to create a company that it made it easier for consumers and businesses to adopt it. As local business people serving their own neighbors — all over Maryland, in Virginia, and Washington D.C. — they saw their mission as making solar more affordable and understandable. They wanted to make it easier to acquire and use. SolarGaines experts install systems, but they do a lot more. SolarGaines isn’t trying to be all things to all people. They have just one goal: Making solar the best energy choice for Marylanders, Virginians, Delawareans and Washingtonians.

Office locations


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Maryland - Baltimore

10616 Beaver Dam Road, Baltimore MD, 21030

Certifications


American Solar Energy Society

Contact SolarGaines


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Head Office
10616 Beaver Dam Road, Baltimore MD, 21030
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Website
SolarGaines