Score
1st Light Energy reviews
• updated MAR 3, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
This company goes dark when you need them most. We found dozens of customers whose panels stopped working and who then sent four, five, six unanswered calls for help. One reviewer lost three prime summer months after their inverter died because 1st Light never returned a single voicemail, even though the manufacturer had already shipped the replacement part. Another paid $33,000 for a system that quit after eight years and described fruitless attempts to reach anyone. The pattern is unmistakable: 106 negative mentions about value versus 39 positive, and post-sale support scored just 1.8 with 112 negative comments. Reviews describe roof leaks from botched installs, systems that failed inspection and required rework weeks later, and promised SREC payments that never materialized for over a year. One customer contracted Salmonella poisoning from pigeon droppings that accumulated under panels after the company assured them birds wouldn't be an issue, then refused to help pay for cleanup and called the neighbor's contaminated yard 'collateral damage.' When problems surface, you'll be on your own.
If you want an installer who'll actually pick up the phone after cashing your check, skip this one. The install might go smoothly, but the moment something breaks or leaks, you're likely to join the long line of people leaving unanswered voicemails.
3 Stories That Stood Out
Jeffry Lee hired 1st Light Energy to install a residential solar system about eight years ago and watched the crew show up promptly and do a tidy job — the array ran smoothly for years. In June, the inverter suddenly failed, and the manufacturer, SolarEdge, quickly issued an RMA and shipped a replacement, which kept the technical side moving. What derailed the experience was 1st Light Energy’s silence: after four separate attempts to contact them, he received no response. That gap left him without peak production for months, forced him to seek help from other installers, and added both expense and hassle beyond the equipment failure itself. The clear takeaway for a prospective buyer: the initial installation was solid, but long-term customer support from this contractor can vanish when problems appear.
Diana signed a rooftop solar deal after a company representative repeatedly promised a federal tax rebate of roughly $11,200 and assured her the panels wouldn’t attract pigeons. She relied on those verbal assurances and agreed to take out a high‑interest loan — nearly 18% — structured so that if the rebate arrived within 18 months she could pay the loan off and avoid the interest. When the rebate arrived it was under $4,000, and she had to withdraw about $7,000 from her retirement to retire the loan before the interest kicked in. When she pressed the company about the shortfall, they told her they were unaware of her tax situation. She ended up bearing the financial hit. Shortly after installation, pigeons began roosting under the array despite the earlier reassurance. Droppings accumulated on the roof and spilled onto the sidewalks. While using a blower to clean the yard, she inhaled dust from dried pigeon feces, contracted Salmonella poisoning, and spent roughly two months recovering from a near‑fatal illness. At her request the company later power‑washed the roof and panels and added guards around the modules at no charge, but the wash sent contamination into a neighbor’s yard;
Eda T. leased solar panels through Solar Mosaic for her home and relied on First Light Energy to handle service. After five years she discovered First Light never came out to clean the array, and the system has not been working for a few years. When she reached out to Daniel Hargus at First Light, he quoted a charge to come inspect the system, warned of another fee for a return visit, and said any repair would carry an additional cost. Living retired, disabled, and on a fixed income, she cannot afford those unexpected bills and feels taken advantage of, labeling the companies "liars, thieves, scammers." The clear takeaway for buyers: get explicit, written terms about who pays for routine maintenance, inspections, and repairs before signing a lease.
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 30
Buyer Beware
Unauthorized Activities
0 reports
Misleading Claims
6 reports
Background Check
Serving customers for 20 years
Among the longest-standing installers in the market.
BBB Rating: D-
Poor BBB standing. Significant complaints.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
What You Can Expect
Nanci-Nanciele opened by placing the experience in context: solar isn’t magic cash-back — PGE rates have climbed, households still need to conserve, and financing adds extra cost unless you pay cash or take a loan you control. She understood that 1st Light Energy doesn’t underwrite loans itself but connects customers with outside financing and chose to factor that into her expectations. Garrett handled her project and laid out the costs versus expected savings up front; when a cancellation freed an installation slot, Garrett called a month early and the crew put the panels on the roof the same day. She found him friendly, honest, and just an email away whenever questions came up. Three years after that first install she turned to the same company for a second home — again benefiting from a cancellation that moved her install up — and a year after the second system went live she finally wrote the review. What stood out to her was the consistency: the same responsive contact, the same quick turnaround when openings appeared, and a small local team (the owner and his brother still work there) that kept things personal and straightforward.
On a $33,000 solar installation that’s only eight years old, brimoore300 discovered the panels had stopped working. They tried repeatedly to reach the company by phone and never got an answer or a callback. Left with a dead system, they accused the installer of being fraudsters—calling them “a bunch of scammers”—and asked how to pursue a lawsuit. The image that lingers: a costly, eight-year-old array sitting idle and a company that won’t pick up the phone.
Eda T. leased solar panels through Solar Mosaic for her home and relied on First Light Energy to handle service. After five years she discovered First Light never came out to clean the array, and the system has not been working for a few years. When she reached out to Daniel Hargus at First Light, he quoted a charge to come inspect the system, warned of another fee for a return visit, and said any repair would carry an additional cost. Living retired, disabled, and on a fixed income, she cannot afford those unexpected bills and feels taken advantage of, labeling the companies "liars, thieves, scammers." The clear takeaway for buyers: get explicit, written terms about who pays for routine maintenance, inspections, and repairs before signing a lease.
Jeffry Lee hired 1st Light Energy to install a residential solar system about eight years ago and watched the crew show up promptly and do a tidy job — the array ran smoothly for years. In June, the inverter suddenly failed, and the manufacturer, SolarEdge, quickly issued an RMA and shipped a replacement, which kept the technical side moving. What derailed the experience was 1st Light Energy’s silence: after four separate attempts to contact them, he received no response. That gap left him without peak production for months, forced him to seek help from other installers, and added both expense and hassle beyond the equipment failure itself. The clear takeaway for a prospective buyer: the initial installation was solid, but long-term customer support from this contractor can vanish when problems appear.
Shazam K. had solar panels installed six years earlier and discovered they stopped producing power three weeks ago. They reached out repeatedly by phone, email and voicemail but got no response from the company. Frustrated by the silence, they prepared to report the issue to the Better Business Bureau, summing up the experience as "lousy service."
Calogero DiStefano financed a $70,000 solar system in 2019 to fight rising energy costs, but the installation quickly turned into a long, expensive headache. He discovered interior damage and a leaking roof from the initial work and struggled for years to get the company back to fix those defects, ultimately hiring local contractors out of pocket to repair the problems. The system had been quoted at 16 kWp, yet in full sun it only ever produced about 12 kWp at best. He filed multiple service tickets—most went unanswered—and when technicians did show up he was charged $250 for a visit that concluded there were no problems, despite ongoing underperformance. When bills climbed higher than before the install, an associate finally called and said the company no longer serviced the Northeast, even though Calogero had signed a 10-year workmanship warranty. A local solar firm inspected the array and found panels not generating, failed optimizers, and poor installation; they offered to make repairs but expected Calogero to pay. 1st Light refused to accept responsibility, declined to contract the local crew, and effectively abandoned the system, leaving him an “orphan” with a $70,000 loan on
Erica went forward with a home solar installation a year and a half ago and has experienced steady, trouble-free performance since. She noticed a clear drop in her electricity bills, remains very happy with the outcome, and plans to recommend the company — the standout point being that the savings appeared quickly and were still visible after 18 months.
Theresa S. had 1st Light Energy install solar panels on her home six years ago, and now finds the system isn't delivering the expected savings. She reached out to the company three times and left voicemail messages each time but got no response. With her monthly bill staying about the same as friends who don't have solar, she believes the system is not functioning properly. Frustrated by the lack of follow-up and ongoing charges, she plans to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Mark M. bought a 14-panel solar system about eight years ago for roughly $21,000 and expected to largely eliminate his electricity bills — he was told he’d only face an annual true-up of about $700. He soon discovered extra costs the salesperson hadn’t mentioned: the MID meter fee that jumped from $21 to $31 a month and other charges that added up over time. A few weeks before he wrote the review he noticed a brown spot on one panel and called the company. They charged a $250 service call plus a $10 debit-card fee. After waiting several days without contact, the brown spot began to fade and he figured it was probably an oily stain from airplane activity overhead. Then he found the inverter screen dark and tried to troubleshoot by phone with Greg, the owner. Greg described a blueish-green button that would reactivate the display but gave such vague directions that Mark couldn’t find it; the button actually sat tucked under a two-inch gap beneath the inverter face. Once Greg realized Mark was attempting to fix the display himself, the company sent a technician at the last minute. The tech walked in, reached under that small gap, pushed the hidden button, looked at the panel from
Long-term Satisfaction
Long-term satisfaction for 1st Light Energy drops to 1.8 ★ compared to early reviews. This decline is worse than 62% of installers we looked at.
Long-term reviews carry the most weight in our methodology because they are most representative of what you should be paying for: a system that will perform for years.