We had an outstanding experience with Solar Bear from start to finish on our home solar installation. We loved their honest and transparent pricing, strong communication skills, and efficient project management.
We found Solar Bear through Angi (the old Angie's list). They responded to us promptly and were able to produce a detailed proposal using some basic photos of our home and past electricity bills. Dan, their rep, came out to our house and walked us through the proposal page by page at our dining room table.
The heart of Solar Bear's pitch is that we could buy the panels and installation with $0 down, and that the monthly payment on the panels would be lower than our current electric bill. With electricity costs projected to rise in coming years, our savings would increase over time. The loan we took out to cover the project (via Mosaic), also contains the flexibility to let us lower our monthly payment by paying the note aggressively during the first 18 months -- including using federal and state incentives that would knock down a significant chunk of the sticker price. The numbers made sense in part because Dan patiently answered all of our questions with clarity and detail. We especially appreciated that while Solar Bear is based in Pennsylvania, they know all the ins and outs of New York's solar incentives.
Installation was smooth and well under deadline. The loan approval was quick straightforward. As promised, they took care of all the permits with the town and NYSEG, our electric utility. They also worked directly with our HOA on their permitting process. All of the paperwork was digital. Contractors and communication skills don't always go together, but I got regular text updates at every step of the process. Because this project was for our vacation home and we were away from the house much of the time, I really liked having a clear sense of what was going on at our property.
Since we just had the panels installed, I can't yet speak to how the energy generation and savings lines up to Solar Bear's modeling. But part of their package includes linking the panels to an app, so we'll be able to track the panels' performance.
We really couldn't have asked more of Solar Bear, and I wish every contracted project at our home ran as smoothly as this one did. We love our new panels, and we're so grateful for the opportunity to work with a family firm that values honesty, transparency, and a personal touch. read more