Solar-Fit Overview
Founded in 1975, Solar-Fit is a small, family-owned business operating out of Holly Hill, Florida. With an impressive amount of experience under its belt, Solar-Fit readily declares itself to be not just an industry leader but Florida’s first choice for solar energy.
Despite their bold claims, Solar-Fit only provides residential and commercial solar energy services to a few counties and has netted itself a modest revenue between $1-5 million. Whilst their good reviews speak highly of their superb services and the quality of their components, there are rumblings that their installations aren’t quite to the level they promise.
Solar-Fit Services and Specifics
Specific Solar Panels offered
Solar-Fit is partnered with several industry-leading manufacturers, including Sunpower, Equana, and UMA Solar. In addition, they have a stated commitment to only provide the highest quality solar panels and inverters on the market.
Specific Types of Solar Offered
Solar-Fit provides grid-tied, roof-mounted solar arrays to residential and commercial properties in Florida, although they also offer hybrid systems for some homes. In addition to the solar panels, they also provide a variety of battery backup and energy storage solutions, including Tesla Powerwall and Equana Technology batteries.
Outside of providing solar energy systems, Solar-Fit also offers solar water and pool heating technology to help cut your utility bills even further.
Solar-Fit’s services are limited to only some counties in Florida, namely Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam, Nassau, and Duval.
Solar-Fit Installation Costs and Process
Costs
Solar-Fit promises only the highest quality products for the fairest price. Whilst they don’t list these prices on their website, from their reviews we can get a rough estimate; an installation of 18 Sunpower solar panels plus battery backup will likely cost you $55,000. Whilst this certainly isn’t cheap, you are paying for a durable system that Solar-Fit claims will last upwards of forty years.
In addition to a long life, Solar-Fit claims that many of its customers will make their money back within a mere 3-6 years based on utility savings alone. To quote their website; “The average American stands to save more than $20,000 over 20 years.” Some customers may also make their money back by selling their excess energy to their utility companies through net-metering services.
If the upfront cost is too intimidating, Solar-fit claims to offer a “Zero Down” solar energy plan to make your purchase all the more affordable. However, we could find no further details about this plan on their website.
Solar-Fit’s services qualify for both Federal and State Tax Credits, which, together, could cut up to 45% off the total cost of your installation. However, you will have to enquire with your tax advisor to get a proper estimate on how much you can save.
Legitimacy
Solar-Fit is a legitimate company, with a number of certifications to its name;
- A verified Florida Solar Contractor License (#CVC56690)
- Accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2016, with an A+ rating
- Association with the American Solar Energy Society (ASES)
- Association with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
Solar-Fit also has a number of certified partnerships with industry leading manufacturers and financial partners;
- Sunpower Certified Sales and Installation Company and Elite Dealer
- Equana Certified Partner
- Tesla Powerwall certified installer
- Sungage Financial Certified Partner
In addition, they sport many glowing reviews praising the quality of their products and their sales and customer service. However, what complaints they do have, suggest that the company often overpromises and underdelivers. One customer was promised a reduction from roughly $229 to $9 a month on their utility bills, but instead, they only saw them drop by $79. After over twenty phone calls to the company, they have still not seen a resolution.
Maintenance
Solar-fit provides a 25-year warranty on workmanship, parts, performance, and labour, though this may vary depending on the products and area.
Whilst some long-term customers have received excellent responses whilst troubleshooting, a number of them have very strong words about their services. Frequent complaints include a lack of communication, often with months of calling to receive minimal – if any – response. Another common problem is Solar-Fit’s repair teams lacking the necessary parts to fix a problem on the spot, and then simply never returning to address the issue later.
Glassdoor reviews suggest a similar set of problems, citing that the company is run as they were still in the 1970s. Poor management, a lack of training, and many administrative duties falling onto the sales staff instead of office support may help explain the spotty service. These are rather worrying trends for a supposed industry leader.
The SolarEmpower View
| Cost: 8/10 | Legitimacy: 7/10 |
| Quality: 5/10 | Customer Service: 5/10 |
Solar-Fit talks a big game on its website, and with over 47 years of experience, you’d expect them to be able to back those claims up. With several prestigious certifications and partnerships with industry leaders, there’s no doubt that the product they provide is of good quality. However, the owners and business practices seem to be stuck in the past, and their customer service suffers greatly for it. To quote a former employee, Solar-Fit has “great potential if management would get out of their own way.” As such, we would caution you against using them until their reputation improves. 6/10.
