Freedom Forever, LLC Overview
Freedom Forever is a private company that was founded in 2011 and is currently overseen by CEO, Brett Bouchy; it is a residential solar installation company that does not sell directly to homeowners but through partnerships with independent dealers.
The company’s revenue is estimated to exceed $100 million per year while possessing around 1,700 employees. The business operates across the U.S., providing solar installation in over 20 states with its primary headquarter located in California.
Freedom Forever Breakdown
Freedom Forever is certified under the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and operates under a license in each of the states it is located in; these licenses vary from electrical contractor to general contractor licenses, depending on the state and required regulations.
Appearing on the Inc. 500 list of “Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.”, the business strives to rapidly grow and expand its service across the country. Its expansion across states has been largely achieved by partnering with independent dealers and providing engineering, procurement, and construction.
Freedom Forever Services
- Grid-tied solar solutions
- Home battery installation
- Hybrid solar systems
- Solar financing options
- Solar panel installation
Freedom Forever Products
The company works with the brands of LG, Panasonic, Q Cells, SolarEdge, Sunrun, and Trina Solar. However, the available installation selection varies depending on location due to the company working with local dealers through an Independent Authorized Dealers network.
Solar Panels
Freedom Forever sells in-house-produced panels.
Batteries/Inverters
LG Chem Cell: Depending on the selected size, batteries can hold between 9.6 and 16 kWh of electricity with an option to scale up to 32 kWh storage. The batteries come with a 10-year warranty and are even able to retain 70% of their original capacity after 10 years.
Tesla Powerwall: This home battery has an energy capacity of 13.5 kWh with a 10-kW peak backup power. It is water and dust resistance and possesses a standard 10-year warranty.
Other Products
Smart Home Essentials Kit: Provided by Vivint, this home kit has a doorbell camera, smart thermostat, smart control hub, and 3 years of 24hr monitoring.
Freedom Forever Costs and Installation Process
Costs
Due to Freedom Forever providing service in multiple states, pricing cannot be neatly fitted into a bracket and will depend on your state of residence, roofing, and electric bills. As such, it is recommended to get a quote, which is free and available on the company’s website.
It should be noted that by partnering with independent authorized dealers, the company offers prospective clients flexible financing options. These options include cash purchases, home solar loans, solar leases, and Purchase Power Agreements (PPAs). Also, note that opting for a lease makes one ineligible for the federal solar tax credit.
Installation
The installation process is reportedly 14‒21 days, dependent on the availability of required resources. The process goes as follows:
- A free quote from the company is available by providing them with information such as your address and monthly energy costs.
- Freedom Forever draws up a full proposal that includes custom system designs, local and state incentives, and estimated energy savings.
- The permitting process begins, which the company handles.
- The installation process begins once permits have been approved.
Freedom Forever Legitimacy
Freedom Forever is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited business with an A+ score and has been accredited since 2019. However, 253 customer reviews give the business an average score of 1.95/5 while 365 complaints have been filed against the company in the last three years. The majority of complaints surround poor customer service, long installation times, and incomplete solar installations.
The poor review score is not exclusive to BBB but also present across the three other review sites we trawled. Although the business is legitimate, the customer experience seems to be largely negative.
Maintenance
Freedom Forever does not provide workmanship or product warranties. This means that any damages incurred onto your property along the installation process will have to be dealt with through a third party, not Freedom Forever.
Instead, the company offers a 25-year production guarantee: should your system underperform or encounter any problems, they will fix them and reimburse you for any lost savings.
The SolarEmpower View
Freedom Forever prides and markets itself on the quality of its products, customer satisfaction, and its service quality. However, with over 700 customer reviews, the general impression across the board is very middling; the company is average at best, and frustrating at worse.
A lot of the grievances have to do with product quality, maintenance, and post-sales support, with one customer detailing how they initially reviewed the company poorly, was contacted by Freedom Forever, and then felt the service they received after had gotten worse with none of their issues fixed.
This is likely due to the company’s massive size, drive for fast growth, providing services in over 20 states, and partnering with third parties. Clients’ experiences will vary drastically and service quality is impossible to keep high across all boards. As such, we urge major caution if considering this company; it is highly recommended to research the branch located in your state before committing to a project with Freedom Forever.
