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Simms Solar Electric reviews
• updated MAR 3, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
Simms Solar delivers clean, professional installs when owner Matt Simms stays engaged. We found 16 reviews praising workmanship quality, often calling out aesthetic wiring runs and rooftop layouts that looked sharp rather than slapped together. One homeowner who coordinated a concurrent roof replacement reported Matt worked hand-in-hand with roofers to avoid downtime, finished on schedule, and delivered a True-Up bill one year later that matched the original estimate to the dollar. But post-installation support scores drag the company down. Three reviews describe serious permitting failures: one project sat unpermitted for months because the application was never filed, another required a $20,000 fix after an inspector flagged incorrect panel placement and missing county records. In both cases, the owner stopped returning calls once the deposit cleared. If you're evaluating purely on install aesthetics and upfront pricing, Simms competes well. If you need confidence that someone will answer the phone six months after PTO, factor in the risk that Matt may ghost you when complications arise.
If your project is straightforward and you plan to verify permit filings yourself, Simms Solar can deliver a polished install at a fair price. But if you value responsive post-sale support or foresee permitting complexity, the pattern of radio silence after activation makes this a gamble we wouldn't take.
3 Stories That Stood Out
Tom I. chose Simms Solar for a significant home upgrade — a full solar installation carried out at the same time his roof was replaced. Matt Simms acted as owner and lead contact through the whole process, stayed responsive to questions, and coordinated closely with the roofing crew so there were no downtime gaps between trades. Both the roof and the solar array finished on the schedule originally promised. He waited a year before weighing in to make sure the financial side held up; when the one-year true-up arrived, he discovered a $200 credit from the utility even though he ran the AC and heat more than usual. No unexpected costs surfaced, and having the business owner as the direct point of contact gave him confidence that the project would be completed as agreed. He had chosen Simms Solar on a friend’s recommendation and is now comfortable passing that same recommendation along—what stuck with him most was the one-year true-up showing a $200 credit despite heavier-than-normal energy use.
Max B. hired Simms for a residential solar install, signing the contract in early August 2022 and seeing crews put panels on his roof in late September. He discovered the array wasn’t installed to the agreed site plan: two panels ended up severely shaded by adjacent modules and are only producing about half the output of the others. Even worse, the crew put panels up before any city permit had been submitted. After weeks of being told Simms was waiting on the city, he contacted the city and learned there had been no permit filing at all. When he confronted Simms, the company finally submitted a permit in late December, it failed review, and Simms never corrected the submission — then stopped returning calls and emails. The project now sits unpermitted and not built to plan just as NEM 3.0 approaches, with potentially large financial implications and no clear path to finishing on time. The image that sticks is simple and stark: an improperly sited, unpermitted array with two underperforming panels and a contractor that went silent.
Tyler P. hired Simms Solar for a residential installation and, at the very end of the project, needed the company to complete the interconnection with SDG&E. He discovered Matt stopped answering calls and texts after repeatedly telling him "we're good to go." After contacting the county, he learned there was no record of any plans being submitted, despite being told otherwise. An inspector then flagged many panels as installed incorrectly and found issues with other system components. He ended up hiring a different company to fix the problems and faces a bill of over $20,000 to correct the work. He has opened litigation against Simms Solar. The image that remains: a finished-looking system that didn’t clear county paperwork or inspection, leaving him with costly repairs and a lawsuit.
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 84
No Red Flags
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 10 years
Operating longer than most installers in the market.
BBB Rating: A+
Excellent BBB standing. Strong complaint resolution.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
What You Can Expect
Tom I. chose Simms Solar for a significant home upgrade — a full solar installation carried out at the same time his roof was replaced. Matt Simms acted as owner and lead contact through the whole process, stayed responsive to questions, and coordinated closely with the roofing crew so there were no downtime gaps between trades. Both the roof and the solar array finished on the schedule originally promised. He waited a year before weighing in to make sure the financial side held up; when the one-year true-up arrived, he discovered a $200 credit from the utility even though he ran the AC and heat more than usual. No unexpected costs surfaced, and having the business owner as the direct point of contact gave him confidence that the project would be completed as agreed. He had chosen Simms Solar on a friend’s recommendation and is now comfortable passing that same recommendation along—what stuck with him most was the one-year true-up showing a $200 credit despite heavier-than-normal energy use.
Patrick hired Simms Solar to put a rooftop system on his Ramona house and was most impressed that the owner, Matt, stayed available to answer every question. He watched a friendly, punctual crew show up, complete the work without hiccups, and leave the site tidy. The installation went smoothly from start to finish, and he now sees lower utility bills as a result. The direct access to Matt during the process is the detail that made the experience stand out.
After collecting eight bids for a home solar installation, Amir settled on Simms Solar because their proposal offered the strongest performance for the price. He found Matt easy to reach and responsive throughout the process, and the installation crew arrived on time, worked cleanly, and demonstrated clear expertise. The job ended with a powerful, attractive solar system that matched the economic case that first drew him in. The detail that stuck with him: among eight options, Simms delivered the best combination of output and value, and the crew left the property tidy.
Rachael C. hired Simms Solar to install solar on her home and found the whole process smooth and fast — a straightforward install from first contact through final hookup. She encountered polite, professional crew members at every step, and the panels and wiring went up cleanly and in a way that looks good on the roof. As a Realtor and property manager, she kept Matt’s number after the job was finished and leaned on him repeatedly for other solar and electrical work and for sporadic questions about listings and rentals. He even stepped in to fix a couple of jobs he hadn’t originally installed, rescuing situations that might have become headaches. Because she can rely on his knowledge and professional approach, Matt has become her go-to resource whenever a property needs solar or electrical attention.
Robert shopped extensively and discovered this company offered the best value he could find for a residential solar installation. Owner Matt took a hands-on approach, clearly invested in doing a professional job and walking him through every step. The team answered a long list of technical questions with confidence and installed the system carefully, leaving the roof and yard clean and undisturbed. He ended up very satisfied with the final system — so much so that his brother, who works in the solar business, couldn’t believe the deal he got for the quality delivered.
Jim O. turned to Matt Simms and Simms Solar to put a ground‑mount array on his property and found their expertise immediately evident. They beat every other bid on price by a wide margin, handled the installation professionally, and stayed exceptionally responsive through the process. Once the panels began producing, the actual energy savings tracked the original forecasts almost exactly, so the numbers matched the promises. He ended up with a well‑installed system that delivered the projected savings without surprises — the detail that stuck with him most.
Dave S. needed a quick inspection of an existing solar array on his Oceanside home that wasn’t installed by the company he called. When the scheduled inspector couldn’t make it, owner Matt Simms drove all the way from Ramona to Oceanside to handle a 20–30 minute job himself. He moved through the system professionally and courteously, taking time to point out shoddy work and several trouble spots the original installer had missed. The visit proved more than a cursory check—Matt’s practical advice felt like a tremendous help. He wishes he had found Matt’s company before his original installation and plans to hire him for any future solar work. What stuck with him was that the owner personally made the trip for a short inspection and still flagged problems others had overlooked.
Elaine J. chose Simms Solar to install her residential solar system and found the owner's hands-on approach decisive. Matt worked with her directly, answered her many questions, and responded quickly whenever concerns popped up. She found everyone on his team professional and courteous. Having interviewed five companies, she picked Simms because his proposal made the most sense and offered the best price. What stuck with her was the direct access to Matt combined with a clear, well-priced proposal — the detail that made the decision straightforward.
Jenny C. hired Matt Simms in 2023 to install solar panels on her home. Early on she discovered the crew wasn’t familiar with her city’s permitting and interconnection protocols — information she had to pull from the city’s website herself. What followed was more than six months of chasing paperwork and making repeated calls and emails before the system finally went live. In November 2025 the panels lost their internet connection; she texted Simms for help and was promised a technician the next Wednesday. That appointment passed with no visit, a second promise that Simms would come the following day also went unmet, and he stopped responding to her messages. The lasting image is long delays to get the installation right and then unresponsiveness when routine maintenance was needed; she won’t hire them again for future solar work on any of her properties.
Long-term Satisfaction
Recent customers rate Simms Solar Electric 4.5 ★
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.