Solar Sage Review: Costs, Quality, Services & More (2024)

Solar Sage Review: Costs, Quality, Services & More (2024)

Here’s what you’ll learn in your review of Solar Sage:

  • Is Solar Sage a legit company? 
  • What does the installation process look like with Solar Sage?
  • Is Solar Sage expensive?
  • What do customers have to say about Solar Sage?
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Choosing a solar installer can be an intimidating process, and it’s often one of the most challenging parts of converting your home to renewable energy. Our Solar Sage review below should help you decide if this company is right for you and your budget, which will help narrow down your search and make your choice a little easier.

Is Solar Sage a Good Solar Company?

Solar Sage is a good company to choose for your solar conversion. It has a small service area (Central Florida) that allows it to provide great customer service and individual customer care. The company maintains below-average pricing but still provides a worry-free experience and access to decent warranty coverage for equipment and workmanship.

What Should You Know About Solar Sage?

Solar Sage was founded in 2018 by Luis Barreto in Oakland, Florida. While Solar Sage itself is a young company, Luis has been in the solar industry for over 10 years, beginning his time in the industry with Energia y Sol PR, a solar company in Puerto Rico. Some customers will worry about the lack of company history, but most will be reassured by the experience of the CEO and founder.

Solar Sage’s mission is to increase awareness of the benefits of solar energy and make solar solutions affordable and accessible to all. It accomplishes these goals by educating potential customers about the equipment and its functions, maintaining below-average pricing and providing access to low-money-down payment loans.

The table below provides a quick look at Solar Sage and two of the best solar companies in the country: SunPower Solar and Momentum Solar.

Solar Sage Fast Facts
Year Started 2018
Service Areas Florida
Services Offered Solar panel and battery installations; insulation; energy-efficient air conditioning; general construction
Types of Solar Equipment Offered Varies
Certifications Accreditation by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Better Business Bureau Rating A+
Badge icon

Solar Sage

Outstanding Local Installer

EcoWatch rating

Average cost

Pros

  • Comprehensive service offerings
  • Full-service home energy solutions
  • Locally owned and operated
  • Competitive pricing

Cons

  • Limited service area
  • Relatively young company

Solar Sage Services and Installation

Going solar with Solar Sage is a relatively straightforward process, and understanding what to expect can make you more comfortable moving forward with the solar conversion. Below, we’ll break down the steps involved in installing photovoltaic equipment and explain the kind of customer service you can expect from Solar Sage along the way.

Solar Installation Experience

For the most part, the process of going solar will be similar regardless of the company you choose to handle your installation, but there can be some differences. Below are the steps you can expect with Solar Sage.

Step 1: Request a Free Quote and Consultation

First, you’ll need to fill out the company’s contact request form on its website. This step requires just your basic contact information.

Within a day or two, a sales rep from Solar Sage will connect with you to confirm your information and discuss your property and solar power system expectations. During this call, you should be prepared to review a recent electric bill, discuss the items in your home that consume power and what kind of equipment and services — like panels, battery storage, updated air conditioning and more — you want for your home.

Step 2: Home Inspection

If you choose to move forward with the process after seeing your estimated system costs and solar savings, Solar Sage will schedule a home inspection with one of its energy consultants. The technician will confirm the information you provided, measure your roof for panels and inspect your main breaker panel.

Step 3: System Design

With the information gathered from the home inspection, the Solar Sage design team will begin designing a solar system customized for your home. This process can take a few days, but at the end, you’ll have a finalized price and a more accurate estimate of your long-term savings.

Step 4: Permits and Installation

Once you approve the final design, your project manager will begin pulling permits. Permits are required for solar conversion, and the process of getting them approved can take a few weeks, depending on your local municipality.

With approved permits in hand, Solar Sage can schedule your installation date. The actual installation process is straightforward and usually takes just a day or two.

Step 5: Commissioning Your System

Finally, Solar Sage will activate your system. Your panels will begin creating electricity, and you’ll start to see savings on your utility bills.

Solar Sage Customer Service

Customer service is a very important part of your solar experience, and it can mean the difference between you being pleased with your system and months-long headaches and wasted money. Thankfully, Solar Sage has a reputation for good customer service, and most customers are not only happy with the communication and guidance they receive from the company’s reps but also with the performance of their systems and the savings they enjoy on electric bills.

Solar Sage Costs and Financing

The cost of going solar is a challenge to estimate because prices are based on many factors, including the size of your house, how much energy you use in an average month, whether or not your roof faces the sun during the day and more.

Generally speaking, solar customers in Florida spend around $3.04 per watt or an average of around $24,472 for their solar systems after the federal tax credit. On average, Solar Sage’s prices are below this amount. Your cost of going solar depends on numerous factors, but choosing Solar Sage will often bring your total under what other installers would charge.

Solar Sage aims to make solar accessible to all, which is why it provides access to affordable loan options for solar PV equipment. You can pay with cash, of course, or choose a low-APR loan from the company to keep upfront costs down. The company does not accept solar leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Financing Options Through Solar Sage

The financing options provided by Solar Sage — cash purchases and solar loans — are compared in the table below.

Cash Purchase Solar Loan
System Ownership
Upfront Cost
Added Property Value
Eligible for Tax Credit
Payment Due to Solar Installer Loan Provider

If you’re unsure of which option suits you best and fits in your budget, we suggest you read through our guide to paying for solar panels, which includes information on cash purchases, solar loans and more.

Solar Sage Solar Panel Warranty

Warranties are a big selling point for many solar customers because solar is expensive, and warranties provide some peace of mind that your investment is protected. Solar warranties can cover damage to the equipment, guarantee a certain level of energy generation, or protect your system and home throughout the installation process and beyond.

Solar Sage offers 20-year manufacturer’s warranties for physical damage and power production, as well as a workmanship warranty to cover issues caused by the labor. This coverage is good and will provide most customers with the peace of mind they need, but the industry standard for panels is 25 years, making the one from Solar Sage a bit shorter.

Solar Sage Reviews

With a home improvement as expensive as installing solar panels, most homeowners will understandably turn to online company reviews to see what kind of customer experience they can expect. Below, we’ll take a look at some positive and negative customer reviews we found online for Solar Sage.

Positive Solar Sage Reviews

The majority of reviews for Solar Sage are overwhelmingly positive. Many customers specifically note how pleased they were with the level of communication and customer care. Another common theme among the positive reviews is the energy savings customers see from going solar with Solar Sage.

Below are some of the positive Solar Sage reviews we found online.

“From beginning to end, Solar Sage has been nothing but professional, friendly and incredible. The installation process went perfectly and compared to my neighbor’s looks great — no wiring or piping visible. From what I’ve seen, the quality is excellent and it performs well… and even after they turned on my panels, they’ve been available to answer any questions. Definitely recommend!” — John via Google Reviews

“I’ve had an excellent experience with Solar Sage. They worked with me as a new homeowner to have solar panels, as it’s always been a dream of mine to go solar. They always [kept] me well-informed and set all the expectations of the process from start to finish. I recommend them highly, it all went smoothly without a hitch.” — Susy via Google Reviews

Negative Solar Sage Reviews

Of course, there are also some negative reviews for Solar Sage, which is to be expected with any company. The most typical complaints were about an underperforming system, but thankfully, these are few in number and don’t seem to represent the general customer experience.

Below are some of the negative reviews for Solar Sage we found online.

“My bill [is] still almost the same as before… The system is producing nothing close to what this company promised… After complaining, the response was that, sadly, they used [the] wrong calculation, and I now needed to buy more solar panels to produce what they told me this system will produce.” — Carlos via Google Reviews

“The staff that [served me] were undoubtedly helpful, attentive and dedicated; however, the company did not correctly estimate the number of [panels] corresponding to my home. Now I pay the loan of the solar panels plus an [electric bill] not less than $65 a month. Unfortunately, now [I] pay more for electricity than when [I] did not have the [panels].” — Mireya via Google Reviews

Solar Energy Provider Comparison

If you’re unsure if Solar Sage is right for you, it’s useful to look at how the company compares to other top-rated solar companies. The table below provides a quick look at Solar Sage and two of the best solar companies in the country: SunPower Solar and Momentum Solar.

Solar Sage SunPower Solar Momentum Solar
EcoWatch Rating 4.0 5.0 4.5
Year Started 2018 1986 2009
Services Offered Solar panel and battery installations; insulation; energy-efficient air conditioning; general construction Solar panel; solar battery and EV charger installations; solar monitoring Solar panel and solar battery installations
Service Areas Florida Nationwide 11 States
BBB Rating A+ A+ A+
Payment Options Cash payments, solar loans Cash payments, solar loans, solar leases, power purchase agreements (PPAs) Cash payments, solar loans, solar leases, power purchase agreements (PPAs)

 

The cost information presented in this article is derived from a comprehensive analysis, incorporating data from multiple industry sources. The average cost per watt per state was calculated based on figures from Consumer Affairs, Energy Sage, and Berkeley Lab’s Electricity Markets & Policy Department. Additionally, monthly energy consumption and the average monthly cost of electricity were sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, ensuring a well-rounded and accurate representation of the information presented.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions we get about solar companies. If you have specific questions that aren’t answered here, reach out to our team of solar experts at solar@ecowatch.com.

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Article author
Dan Simms is an experienced writer with a passion for renewable energy. As a solar and EV advocate, much of his work has focused on the potential of solar power and deregulated energy, but he also writes on related topics, like real estate and economics. In his free time — when he's not checking his own home's solar production — he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, skiing and rock climbing.
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Expert reviewer
Kristina Zagame is a journalist, editor and content writer with expertise in solar and other energy-related topics. Before joining EcoWatch, Kristina was a TV news reporter and producer, covering a wide variety of topics including West Coast wildfires and hurricane relief efforts. Kristina’s reporting has taken her all over the U.S., as well as to Puerto Rico and Chile.