Solareum Inc Overview
Solareum Inc is a solar and smart-home installation company based in New York City. The company was renamed Solareum Inc in 2020 but was originally founded in 2012 as America Green Solar.
Solareum Inc employs less than 25 full-time staff and relies heavily on referrals through independent sales reps and lead generators to attract new business. The company operates in all 50 states and caters to both residential and commercial projects.
Solar Panels and services offered by Solareum Inc
Specific Solar Panels Offered
Solareum Inc does not provide any information on the specific solar panel brand/s they use in their systems, however, they do provide a few options based on size and capacity. Here are the options available:
4kW Small Solar Panels
Solareum Inc’s 4kW panels are small, compact and ideal for homes that are 1,000 – 2,000 square feet in size. The company suggests that these panels are best suited for a home with an average electric bill of $50 – $99 per month.
8kW Medium Solar Panels
The most commonly purchased option, Solareum Inc’s 8kW panels are perfect for most homes and small businesses that are between 2,000 – 3000 square feet in size. The company suggests that these panels are best suited for a home or business with an average electric bill of $100 – $150 per month.
10kW Large Solar Panels
Perfect for large homes and commercial properties, Solareum Inc’s large solar panels have a 10kW capacity which will be most suitable for properties that are larger than 3,000 square feet. The company suggests that these panels are able to produce an average of 25+ kWh per day and are best suited for properties with an average electric bill of more than $175 per month.
Specific Types of Solar offered
Solareum Inc offers two main categories of solar systems which are residential and commercial systems.
Residential Systems:
Residential solar systems are the main service provided by Solareum Inc. Customers have the option to purchase the solar panels from Solareum Inc and have them installed on their own if they choose to.
Our secret shopper asked Solareum Inc about their residential systems and their response was: “SHR is the 1st and only company offering our whole-home energy solution, MYcrogrydTM/ MYcrogryd+TM; solar electric panels, back-up battery/storage solutions, and our unique solar home heater, the SHS Max”
This system includes:
- Battery storage for no more power outages
- High-Efficiency Solar panels for maximum solar production
- One-of-a-kind Solareum SHS Max
Commercial Systems:
Solar Ready Solutions aims to work with renters, businesses, and tax-exempt organizations, in creating more sustainable environments while assisting them in reducing high energy costs. The company has rolled out “Roofless Solar” systems nationwide and has gotten into the market of bringing solar to renters. Solareum Inc has solutions that can be custom designed to allow even customers that do not have roof space such as in an apartment to go solar easily.
SHS Max:
Solareum Inc’s patent-pending SHS Max is a one of a kind technology that is the first to offer thermal heating on a large scale.
Specs:
- 10,000 BTUs
- 2.9KWh
- 100 Cubic Feet/Minute
- No Moving Parts
Solar Battery
Solareum Inc has partnered with Sonnen to bring premier power storage options to their customer’s homes and businesses. These solar storage batteries provide complete off-grid reliability that keeps properties powered through any outages while utilizing minimal space in a sleek design.
Installation costs and process
Costs
For customers that are considering using Solareum Inc to complete the full installation of a solar system, the company requires completing a consultation with the customer in order to provide a price.
Solareum Inc also provides a price guide for its customers to help them understand the average cost involved to go solar using Solareum Inc’s products. Here’s a quick breakdown of the prices advertised:
- Solar Systems by Solareum Inc – Ranges between $8,500 – $26,500 depending on the size and number of panels required.
- Batteries by Solareum Inc – The Sonnen batteries are available from $9,999 each.
- SHS Max – Solareum Inc’s one-of-a-kind solar heating system (SHS) is available to customers for $7,500 each.
Solareum Inc offers all new customers a zero dollar down option in addition to an impressive array of bonuses through their Customer Appreciation Program. New customers can look forward to the following bonuses:
Three Free Months of Solar Electricity – Solareum Inc will cover their customer’s solar electricity cost for their first three months.
$250 referral bonus – Solareum Inc incentivizes its customers for referring friends and family to them with a $250 cash bonus on each successful installation. This service is also available to referral companies that wish to place their leads with a nationwide solar provider.
42″ TV and Free Streaming Services for 1 Year – Customers that choose a MYcrogryd or MYcrogryd+ solution get a year of free streaming services and a new 42″ TV to watch them on.
10 free energy-efficient bulbs – Solareum Inc helps its customers to go completely green efficient by providing them with 10 energy efficient light bulbs to replace existing high-consumption lights.
We were able to find 17 customer reviews for Solareum Inc which showed a mixed bag of responses and a 4* rating overall. Of the 13 positive reviews, there were a handful of customers that did confirm that the bonuses are legitimate and that they had received them as they were advertised.
Despite the suggestions that Solareum Inc is cost-effective and offers market-leading bonuses, SolarEmpower believes that customers should take extra care to inquire about ongoing maintenance guarantees.
Legitimacy
Solareum Inc is legit.
Solareum Inc has been registered with the New York Secretary of State since the 14th of December 2020 – DOS # 5896331 |
Since its formation, the company has obtained licenses to operate in all states across the US |
Solareum Inc previously traded as America Green Solar since 2012 until its name changed in 2020 |
The company also offers partnerships and franchising options to other companies and private salesmen. There is evidence of several companies and individuals signing up for this program. |
SolarEmpower scoured a few additional sources to see if we could find out if there was any helpful information relating to Solareum Inc prior to changing its name. And as it turns out, America Green Solar (the company’s previous name) was well reviewed and received an overall customer rating of just 2.7* with many customers and previous employees expressing discontent with the company for poor business practices including not delivering on promises, poor installations, and pay-related issues.
This creates some red flags in the eyes of SolarEmpower and raises questions around whether the company changed names as a means of ridding themselves of the negative perception toward the company by customers and employees.
Maintenance
- The company does not say whether they offer any form of maintenance with its systems – meaning customers will either have to rely on third-party organizations to maintain their systems or ensure that Solareum Inc provides guarantees of maintenance.
- Their PV systems are covered by a standard 20-year manufacturer warranty
- Solareum Inc also offers a 90-day returns policy to customers that purchase solar systems which covers defective merchandise and missing parts.
The company responds to new customer email queries fairly quickly, however, the responses seem to be pre-written and are aimed at initiating a consultation. The company does not provide its contact number on its website and aims to channel communication to its text and chat services.
Despite the change of name and superior workmanship claims made by the company, the customer reviews are still concerning. The company received 17 reviews in total and received an overall rating of 4*. It is worth noting that of all these reviews, 24% (or 4 of 17 reviews) were negative.
Among the negative reviews were consistent mentions of:
Installation errors |
Very little or no communication after making payment to the company |
Incorrect timescales provided |
Refusal by the company to cover maintenance expenses |
Customer service (review analysis)
Although 13 of the 17 reviews received a rating of 4* or more, the negative comments received are consistent with those that were expressed about the company when they were still trading as America Green Solar. This creates a concern for us regarding whether the company has taken steps to solve the issues experienced before rebranding to Solareum Inc or if they still exist.
This is further illustrated in the following customer feedback: “Started with American Green S. Changed their name to Solarium. No follow through. No city permits, gave a great “deal” with cash up front, no panels, no electricity to generate, no satisfaction should equal no stars, no trust.”
The SolarEmpower View
Solareum Inc provides its customers with state of art solar solutions for their homes at a reasonable price and has assembled a strong portfolio of successful project completions. However, the issues raised by customers that dealt with the company prior to its name change seem to have remained consistent since the launch of Solareum Inc and therefore create concerns for us.
The employee reviews also support this concern, and when coupled with the overall 4* rating of the company by previous customers, SolarEmpower suggests that customers should practice major caution when considering Solareum Inc as an option.
Cost: 7/10 | Legitimacy: 4/10 |
Quality: 5/10 | Customer Service: 4/10 |