Plan It Solar Construction reviews

This homeowner ended up with a solar project that had to flex around real-world supply shortages, but Sierra Solar handled the adjustment without turning it into a hassle. They supplied the equipment and designed the system for a job the homeowner installed with contractors of his own, then stepped back in when a few components had to be swapped out and redrew the system at no added cost while still honoring the per-kilowatt pricing from the original bid. What stood out most was how much they helped with the less visible parts of the project too, especially the building permit paperwork and rebate applications, which took a meaningful amount of work off his plate.

This homeowner found the whole process unusually easy from the start, beginning with a site visit that came quickly from both the installer and the sales person. On a home energy setup aimed at breaking free from rising utility prices, the crew arrived professional and left behind a wiring layout that looked clean and orderly, while the sales team kept answering a long list of questions without making the homeowner feel foolish. The paperwork never became a burden either, since they handled it all. What really stood out was how practical the decision felt: after waiting on the utility company to deliver cleaner energy, the homeowner chose to lock in power costs instead of watching bills climb year after year, expecting the system to pay for itself in about ten years and then deliver the kind of “free power” that felt worth planning around. They also already planned to come back to Sierra Solar next year to expand the system size.

Terrie F. owns a 24-panel system under warranty and opened a repair request in April 2023 after problems showed up. She waited months for action; techs finally arrived in fall 2023 and fixed several panels but left one unrepaired. They walked away without explaining what they’d done or telling her they were leaving, even though she had asked for that communication. After winter rains she discovered several water spots on the ceiling in the areas where work had been performed. She had paid a $250 service charge last July that the company insisted was mandatory even though the panels were under warranty. She placed numerous phone calls and emails asking for status and follow-up that went mostly unanswered. The only update she received was a call late in 2023 promising parts would be ordered and service scheduled — but by April 2024, a year after the initial inquiry, the repair still isn’t complete. Terrie doesn’t usually write reviews and tends to cut small businesses slack, but the drawn-out timeline, lack of communication, the out-of-pocket service fee on warranty work, and visible ceiling damage are what stand out: she just wants the remaining panel fixed and the job finished.

Don H. had a 64-panel ground-mount system installed in 2014, back when Cathy Colvin and Gilbert Mathew ran the company and the installation work was described as meticulous. After the business changed hands to Ali Fawad, he found the company’s responsiveness evaporated. When the SMA inverter began exhibiting arc faults, he expected the installer to handle the warranty claim, but the new ownership refused to engage. He ended up coordinating the repair himself: hiring a local electrician so SMA would agree to send a $10,000 replacement inverter under its warranty, then paying for the on-site work instead of getting coverage from Plan It Solar. Phone calls went unanswered and getting anyone to return a call became nearly impossible. He noticed the company’s positive reviews dropped off after the ownership change and points to Better Business Bureau complaints as confirmation. His lasting takeaway is tangible — a warranty issue that used to be handled now left him out-of-pocket for a major inverter replacement.

A decade after Roland had Sierra Solar (back when they called themselves Plan It Solar) mount a 22-panel array on his 1970s house, he found the system still running with almost no attention. The home has been through nearly half a dozen major renovations since 2001 — Roland even had a bedroom and bathroom built from scratch for health and green reasons — yet the solar array never required mechanical or electrical service in the 12–13 years since installation. The only upkeep has been his wife climbing a short stepladder every week or two to rinse dust and brush away pine needles, with their roofers and gutter cleaners removing needles periodically. Installers used mounting hardware with rubber gaskets around the roof penetrations, and he has never seen any sign of water staining on the ceilings below. Even during the brutal 2016–2017 winter that overwhelmed their otherwise sophisticated drainage system and caused basement water intrusion, the roof under the panels stayed watertight. The detail that stands out is simple but telling: more than a decade of dependable, essentially maintenance-free operation combined with seals that kept the roof dry through extreme weather.

Jeff T. inherited a house with a Plan It Sierra Solar system that had been installed five years earlier. Seven months ago the array stopped producing, so he prepaid just over $500 for a service call and then waited—six months—before anyone showed up. When technicians finally arrived they found a different problem and told him the fix would require joining the back of the queue: at least another six months and several thousand dollars in prepaid fees to proceed. He refused to pay more. The experience ended with long delays, extra out‑of‑pocket costs, and no timely support. The concrete takeaway he leaves prospective buyers with: confirm written service‑response timelines and any prepayment or refund policies before committing to an installer.

Sarah had Plan It Solar install a rooftop solar system on her home ten years ago and has been impressed not just by the installation itself but by the long-term support that followed. She found Arron easy to work with during the install and kept relying on him afterward—whenever a question or concern popped up, Arron answered it. Kevin handled service visits and listened carefully, stepping in to help when needed. The most memorable part of her experience isn’t just that the panels work, but that the same people stayed available a decade later, so ongoing service felt personal and dependable.

Kelly S. purchased a home solar system covered by a 10-year warranty and discovered that when the inverter started throwing a persistent fault code, the array stopped reporting production to the utility and disappeared from her monitoring — even though the household internet worked fine. Her husband left numerous voicemails that went unanswered, and she called multiple times only to be repeatedly told a service meeting was scheduled “tomorrow” and someone would call back; weeks turned into months with no technician visit. They ended up living without remote monitoring and without the ability to share production data with the power company while under warranty. The most striking detail: the warranty didn’t translate into timely service — scheduling and callbacks became the real problem, not the hardware itself, and that lack of follow-through is what prospective buyers should watch for.

Thomas hired Aaron to inspect the solar system before closing on a house. Aaron pronounced the system “in great shape,” but months after moving in Thomas discovered the reality: the batteries were about ten years old and nearly dead, and the solar panels dated from the 1990s and barely produced power. Had he been given an accurate picture of those components and the upgrades needed, he would have made a different offer—now he faces roughly $15,000–$20,000 in replacement batteries and added panels. He tried to get answers from Aaron and SierraSolar, left multiple messages, and received no callbacks, which added to the frustration. Thomas also noticed the company has rolled out a new Yelp presence after poor reviews on their old page. The detail that sticks is the mismatch between the pre-purchase inspection’s assurance and the decade-plus aging of the system’s core parts, which turned into an immediate, costly surprise.