Solar SME, Inc.

SolarSme reached out a couple months ago to answer an inquiry I made to EnergySage. Amir Shah, their sales rep, took charge and helped me architect a great solution that avoided clipping (google it). He and my awesome project manager Junayed Sarwar kept their cool through dozens (hundreds, lol?) of my questions and finally even a mid-project change due to my decision to upsize my system. Havent had install yet but great experience so far and can't wait to see this to completion. Will update at that time. Thank you for a great experience so far SolarSME!

They pushed for me to make a $2500 deposit and then when I cancelled during planning they ghosted me and wont give me my deposit back.

I had the pleasure of working with Danny Russell as my energy consultant, and I cannot recommend him enough. From the moment we started, Danny’s professionalism and expertise were evident. He took the time to thoroughly assess my energy needs and tailored a solution that not only met my requirements but also exceeded my expectations. What sets Danny apart is his deep knowledge of energy systems and his ability to explain complex concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Whether it was about optimizing energy efficiency or reducing costs, he provided practical recommendations that were both insightful and actionable. Throughout the process, Danny was responsive, reliable, and always available to answer any questions I had. He genuinely cared about finding the best possible solutions for my specific needs and made sure I felt confident in every decision we made together. Thanks to Danny, I am poised to see a significant reduction in my energy costs, and I now have a much clearer understanding of how to manage my energy use more effectively. His professionalism, dedication, and commitment to delivering excellent results make him an invaluable resource. If you’re looking for an energy consultant, Danny Russell is the one to call!

I found Mr. Amir Shah and his engineering coworker to be helpful and good guides. When other departments failed with my detailed information request, Amir Shah, was able to provide me with answers. No arguments. I needed a breakdown like bills-of-materials and such. He helped. Thank you to Amir. So this review is mainly for him. The project isn't Complete YET.

Hard to summarize the frustration I've had working with SME. I thought that by going with a bigger company I'd be getting things better/faster. Quite the opposite. My project manager, Erik, is a great guy. But I'm in Austin and he's 200 miles away in Dallas. I think he's been on-site once. Due to supply shortages my install didn't happen until Dec 30th (contract signed in May). The installers - a subcontrator - did a bad job. They clearly didn't know Austin building code. They misplaced hardware, left material laying around (still laying around) and did a visually sloppy job (wish i could add pics to this review). My inspection was a total fail, the inspector told me it was one of the worst he's seen, and SME's master electrician didn't even show up for the inspection. That was Feb. Now it's April, the electrician has been by once and not returned. He left things disassembled, wires hanging out. And the communication from Erik and the electrician has been totally unresponsive. It's pretty obvious that my project is no longer a priority now that I'm mostly paid up. I'm not one to leave negative reviews, I prefer to work it out with the contractor first. But at this point I feel I've exhausted all options.

We agreed to work with Solar SME in October 2024. They promised installation by the end of the year. We're now towards the end of March 2025, and new problems just keep cropping up. First, the communication has been terrible. I've continuously had to reach out for updates from Solar SME, because their project managers do not keep in touch. We had our site visit at the beginning of November. We got the engineering design then in mid-November. Then Solar SME dropped off on contact. I finally heard from them again after I reached out, and I was told that the structural engineers had not approved the initial plans and they had to be modified. In fact, they told me they had to go with a different engineering company entirely to get the plans approved, which I said did not fill me with confidence. As part of the changes, they told me that had to change the racking system for the solar panels to work with my roof and the weather where I live. These new approvals didn't come through until mid-December, and they were still telling me at that point they could get it done by the end of the year, although that was obviously unlikely. Then they submit the interconnection agreement to my power company, and it turns out that the system they assured me would qualify for net metering that would build up credits with my power company was too large and didn't qualify. At this point, I told them I felt like I had been misled throughout this process, didn't feel good about the difficulties in getting the plans approved, and was thinking seriously about canceling the contract. They convinced us to stay, much to my chagrin now. They also said they could change the system to a different microinverter system to qualify for net metering, which of course was more expensive than the one we originally agreed upon. As part of this discussion I also brought up the issues with communication, and I was assured someone higher up would be taking on my case now. It was immediately reverted back to the previous project manager after that call despite those assurances. Solar SME then sends me an invoice for the second draw of payment on December 20th. Our contract says that is only supposed to happen after all permits are approved. At this point, they have not yet even resubmitted the interconnection agreement to our utility company. I did not get the revised engineering plan until 12/26 and they did not submit the new agreement until 12/30. I signed but start getting emails from the utility company that the application fees have not been paid. I email asking about that on 1/10 and don't receive a response until 1/13 where they claim they have already paid the fees. I get an email from the utility company later that day saying payment has been received. I also get switched to a new project manager at this point. I again bring up my concerns about communication and timeliness, and I'm assured of regular contact going forward. On 1/16, I'm told my electrical permit with the city is approved. On 1/19, I get another email from my utility company that payment has not been received on the interconnection agreement. It turns out they submitted the application twice, which I told them about at that time to fix. Of course, I get an email on 1/27 from the electric company that I still have two applications in process, and finally Solar SME goes through the necessary steps to fix the issue. I then start getting emails from the utility company on a daily basis about corrections needing to be done on the application, and Solar SME claims that it is because the utility company is transitioning to a new software system and this is just a reminder to resubmit the application after the transition. On 2/17, Solar SME again tries to get me to pay our second draft before all of the permits are in place. I said that I was under the impression that only the electrical permit had been approved by the city, but that the building permit had not been approved. The interconnection agreement had also not yet been approved. They confirmed the building permit had not yet been approved yet, and somehow they claimed the city was also transitioning software systems which delayed things. I pointed out they had already said that was why the utility interconnection agreement was delayed, and they just said that was correct and provided no explanation for why the building permit was delayed. Our interconnection agreement is approved on 2/20. Solar SME claims the building permit is approved on 2/21. Solar SME sends the invoice that day and says they will order the materials at once upon receiving payment and once the material is dispatched, I will receive delivery tracking and installation date. I pay the same day and hear nothing. I finally reach out on 3/3 and ask for an update. I'm told that day that the material will dispatch that week and will be delivered the following week. I again hear nothing and reach back out on 3/14. I get a call on 3/14, and they claim that as of the new year, the city implemented a new permit that they did not know about that now has to be applied for. I express my extreme displeasure with them not knowing about this alleged new permit - which they keep referring to as a building permit despite them telling me that the building permit was already approved by the city and they've been in close contact with the city the whole time - since their job is to be aware of these issues. So now we again have no timeline for installation because we have to wait for this new permit approval. Then on 3/20, Solar SME reaches out and says their technical team has JUST realized there is gravel on my roof and the racking system they have selected won't work for my solar panels. I went back to my site inspection report - there are pictures of my roof in the report that clearly show it has gravel on it, and the plans were supposedly approved by structural engineering, the city, and the utility company previously. Solar SME also claims they realized it when they ordered the materials, but at that point in time, they told me everything was great. I said I did not want any changes made without this put into writing, and then I get a voicemail 3/21 saying that the changes to the permit with the city are going to take 15-20 business days to process. I called back and said that I did NOT approve changes and I had said I wanted everything in writing and that I still don't understand how we could have made it this far with a system that is not compatible with my roof. Obviously that is a HUGE red flag for working with this company. I have no confidence that I'm ever going to get the solar system I've paid for or that it's going to be stable or functional if we do get it. They assured me on 3/21 they wouldn't change the permit without my okay, and assured me they would send the information in writing. As of 3/27, I received no communication, so I reached back out. At that point, I'm told they are "waiting for confirmation regarding the roof from the mounting company" and they ask to do another site survey to examine my roof again. I say I want to talk to the higher ups about this issue, and I get a call later on 3/27 where I am told entirely different things from the procurement manager. He doesn't bring up the site visit at all, nor waiting for confirmation from the mounting company, and says there will only be a 10-12 business day delay to update the permit. He also promised to keep in touch as he'll be helping handle my project going forward, but we'll see if that happens since it didn't the last time I was told the same thing. Will update my review as we go forward.