Sungate Energy Solutions reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
This company's early work speaks for itself, but something broke. We found two customers from 2011 who say they were promised net-zero bills and instead pay $200 to $500 per month to their utility, 13 years later. One paid for 12 panels specifically so the utility would owe them money. That never happened. Meanwhile, reviews from 2013 paint a completely different picture: one homeowner dropped from $450 monthly bills to $1.32 after Sungate built a custom ground-mount structure and handled all the permitting. Another saw their system pass inspection within a week of a one-day install. The gap is stark. We noticed 25 mentions of solid workmanship and courteous crews who color-matched conduit to trim and left jobsites clean, but 2013 is ancient history in solar. Panel efficiency, inverter tech, and monitoring systems have all evolved dramatically since then. If you're weighing a quote from Sungate today, ask pointed questions about current system performance, what monitoring hardware ships with every install, and whether anyone from 2011 ever got their bills resolved.
If you want proof that a company will stand behind 10-year-old promises when tech underperforms, look elsewhere. The recent track record is too thin and the oldest complaints remain unanswered.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
Kay H. had a home solar system installed by Sungate Energy Solutions in 2011. Sungate originally advised she needed nine panels but ended up installing twelve with the expectation that SDGE would owe her payments; that payoff never materialized. She now faces SDGE bills as high as $500 a month, considers the installation a failure, and holds Sungate responsible for the unmet promise and ongoing utility charges.
Charlene lives on a horse ranch where electricity always pushed her into the fourth and often the fifth usage tier. She rebuilt the house four years ago and checked into solar back then, but it proved too expensive at the time. With utility prices volatile and a letter from the Energy Commission as a nudge, she called a Sungate salesperson and got the process underway. They chose to mount the array on a south-facing bank, which required pulling a permit for the supporting structure — Sungate handled the permit and the whole installation. The mounting platform fits the roof perfectly and looks well engineered. In the first month on solar her typical $450/month bill fell to $1.32, well beyond the modest goal of escaping the higher tiers; that tiny bill is the detail she keeps coming back to.
John Sparger hired the company for a residential solar install in Ramona, CA and watched them move fast — crews began work two days after he signed and secured county sign-off within a week. He appreciated the team's technical knowledge during the sales process but felt a definite push to close; he only signed after researching the company and the manufacturer. Over the nine months since activation, the array has produced power even on cloudy days and has reduced his SDG&E bills, but not as dramatically as he expected — monthly bills still climb above $200, which he suspects comes from constant pool filtration. He discovered he has almost no visibility into how much energy the system produces: the inverter or system doesn’t report monthly output and SDG&E’s billing doesn’t show production, so he’s effectively operating “blind.” When he asked Sungate Energy for a readout, they shipped an interface device and told him to hook it up himself; lacking electrical know-how, he doesn’t expect that to happen soon. Because monitoring and professional hookup weren’t included, he’s now hesitant to add the three or four additional units he had been considering. Fast install and reliable on low‑
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 56
No Red Flags
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 14 years
Among the longest-standing installers in the market.
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
Kay H. had a home solar system installed by Sungate Energy Solutions in 2011. Sungate originally advised she needed nine panels but ended up installing twelve with the expectation that SDGE would owe her payments; that payoff never materialized. She now faces SDGE bills as high as $500 a month, considers the installation a failure, and holds Sungate responsible for the unmet promise and ongoing utility charges.
Kay H. signed up with Sungate Energy Solutions in 2011 for a rooftop system sized so that, she had been promised, SDG&E would end up owing her money. That expectation never materialized — SDG&E never paid her, and her monthly bill still runs about $200–$300 or more. She lives alone, is away at work most of the day, and does not use heating or air conditioning, so the high bills felt especially frustrating. In the end she regrets the purchase and wishes she had avoided the company; the lasting image is a 2011 install that failed to deliver the promised bill credits, leaving a low-usage household with surprisingly large monthly charges.
Robyn Fulcher contacted Sungate for a residential solar unit and, from first outreach through final completion, experienced consistently prompt, efficient service. Her salesperson stayed professional and congenial, guiding her through every step so the system could be acquired. Scheduling and installation crews arrived on time, worked cleanly, and delivered high-quality workmanship — they even did touch-up painting so the conduit blended with the house and trim. She ended up with a neatly finished installation and a clear impression that the team cared about the small details as much as the big ones.