Southwest Solar reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
We don't recommend Southwest Solar. While roughly half of customers had smooth installations and report good communication upfront, the post-sale picture is troubling. One homeowner discovered their system was never turned on for six months after install, racking up bills the whole time. Another had panels up but not producing energy for a year while Southwest went silent on troubleshooting. We found 23 reviews describing post-sale support breakdowns, including customers who can't reach the company when inverters fail or panels stop working. The installation process itself drew 30 complaints about project management, often involving third-party contractors who had to return multiple times to fix code violations. One reviewer's main panel was moved twice, leaving their patio torn up for six months, because the contractor ignored LADWP's placement instructions. Even customers who had good early experiences report that response times crater once the install is done. The company sometimes charges $200 just to send someone to diagnose a problem with equipment they installed.
If you're weighing Southwest Solar, know that strong early communication doesn't predict reliable follow-up. Too many customers report systems that don't work as promised and a company that becomes hard to reach once the panels are up. You're better off with an installer who treats service calls as part of the job, not an upsell.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
During a home renovation about two years ago, Rodrigo R. had Southwest Solar install panels on his ranch-style roof. At first the system seemed to work, but over time he noticed his electric bills climbing instead of dropping, so he decided to have the array checked. He called Southwest Solar only after a struggle to get them on the phone and learned they'd charge more than $200 just to send a technician. His contractor — who stopped using Southwest Solar after repeated problems — sent a different solar company to inspect the system. That inspector discovered the panels were producing zero energy and that Southwest Solar had installed commercial-grade optimizers where residential ones were required; the two were incompatible, so failure was inevitable. Rodrigo and his contractor contacted Southwest Solar multiple times, but the company refused to fix the mismatched installation. The detail that stands out for any buyer: an installer put the wrong type of optimizers on a home system and declined to remedy the error, leaving the homeowner with no production and rising bills.
Matt B. bought a residential solar panel system three years ago hoping to cut his electric bill, but the experience turned into a string of frustrating discoveries. At first everything looked fine, then he found out the installer had never turned the inverter on — leaving the array inactive for at least six months so he got no benefit during that period. He also learned the system was deliberately undersized so the company could undercut a competitor on price; that cheaper upfront deal left him with much higher ongoing bills than he expected. Three years on he still pays about $275 a month for electricity — the panels help, but far less than he was led to believe. His contract guaranteed the option to buy additional panels later at the same price as his original purchase, but the company refuses to honor that term and the salesperson who sold the system stopped returning his calls. Now he’s forced to add more capacity to really offset the bill, and the biggest takeaways are the months of lost production from the inactive inverter and the company’s refusal to stand behind a written contract.
Mei-Ling booked additional solar panels for her ranch-style Los Angeles roof after an upbeat sales rep promised the system would drive her electric bill to zero and that the loan payments would be less than her typical monthly utility cost. The crew mounted the panels in a matter of days, but the project unraveled at the LADWP inspection. Inspectors required the mains panel to be relocated because it sat at the top of stairs near a door; Southwest Solar agreed to move it and was given exact placement requirements to meet code. That’s when coordination collapsed. Southwest relied on a third‑party contractor whose communication with the company broke down. The contractor first installed the mains a few feet from the location LADWP specified, then cut a hole in Mei‑Ling’s brand‑new roof and dug up the entire back patio to try to fix it. The work had to stay exposed until LADWP signed off, and the initial photos Southwest submitted failed the inspection — forcing a second relocation. The repair process stretched into roughly six months and left behind large cracks in the patio, holes in exterior walls, and mismatched spot‑painting; the damage eventually got fixed, but only after many
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 66
No Red Flags
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 9 years
BBB Rating
Not BBB rated.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
Contractor License
License information could not be confirmed.
What You Can Expect
Mei-Ling booked additional solar panels for her ranch-style Los Angeles roof after an upbeat sales rep promised the system would drive her electric bill to zero and that the loan payments would be less than her typical monthly utility cost. The crew mounted the panels in a matter of days, but the project unraveled at the LADWP inspection. Inspectors required the mains panel to be relocated because it sat at the top of stairs near a door; Southwest Solar agreed to move it and was given exact placement requirements to meet code. That’s when coordination collapsed. Southwest relied on a third‑party contractor whose communication with the company broke down. The contractor first installed the mains a few feet from the location LADWP specified, then cut a hole in Mei‑Ling’s brand‑new roof and dug up the entire back patio to try to fix it. The work had to stay exposed until LADWP signed off, and the initial photos Southwest submitted failed the inspection — forcing a second relocation. The repair process stretched into roughly six months and left behind large cracks in the patio, holes in exterior walls, and mismatched spot‑painting; the damage eventually got fixed, but only after many
During a home renovation about two years ago, Rodrigo R. had Southwest Solar install panels on his ranch-style roof. At first the system seemed to work, but over time he noticed his electric bills climbing instead of dropping, so he decided to have the array checked. He called Southwest Solar only after a struggle to get them on the phone and learned they'd charge more than $200 just to send a technician. His contractor — who stopped using Southwest Solar after repeated problems — sent a different solar company to inspect the system. That inspector discovered the panels were producing zero energy and that Southwest Solar had installed commercial-grade optimizers where residential ones were required; the two were incompatible, so failure was inevitable. Rodrigo and his contractor contacted Southwest Solar multiple times, but the company refused to fix the mismatched installation. The detail that stands out for any buyer: an installer put the wrong type of optimizers on a home system and declined to remedy the error, leaving the homeowner with no production and rising bills.
Kelly J. pursued a residential solar install and ended up with a ruined roof after the install crew worked on her house. She fought for a year — including legal action — just to get the roof repaired, and during that time the company rarely answered calls or returned messages. Two years on, she still didn't have the promised monitoring system; she finally hired an independent solar technician who discovered the system had been wired incorrectly, so the app-based monitoring the company had promised was never possible. The standout takeaway: after property damage and a year of legal wrangling, she still had to pay an outside pro to diagnose a wiring problem that should have been fixed at installation.