Southern Energy Management - Raleigh, North Carolina

Marci Loiselle

We are thrilled with Southern Energy Management! We had installation of a Tesla battery and panels. Prior to the work, we talked to other top local installers and received competitive quotes, but quickly realized Southern Energy was the best of the group. They were not pushing us to make a sale. They didn’t “over panel” our house (as a lot do). They truly value their mission, work to educate the public, and care about what they do. I never felt pressured to make a decision—I felt they wanted us educated and comfortable first, rather than signing a contract to hand over money. It was also clear they put a lot of pride in their services from quote, design, installation, permitting, project management, demonstration of the system, etc and stand behind their work. They do all the work—even with HOAs and permitting—and all we had to do was provide access. I also realized they give back to the community (installing donated panels on Habit for Humanity homes, for example)—further attesting to their dedication to the community and their mission. Their employees all seem very happy and invested—and were all incredibly responsive and educated with a lot of years in the business. The last point I’ll make is I know others in the solar industry who work for competitors and they told me they’d personally choose Southern Energy to install their panels. Highly recommend!

Parker

Very seldom do I find a company that truly excels and earns a complete 5-star rating - SEM is one of those companies.

Our process through this started off very coincidentally - we wanted to install solar for some time now, and as we were getting some electrical work done to the house, I noticed a very small sticker in the bottom of our breaker panel that had SEMs logo on it, and it said, 'This house is solar ready!' So I called, and we got paired up with Randy, our sales representative, who gathered all the necessary documentation and then had a presentation for a system + battery on a Friday afternoon. After this presentation was over, we agreed on a time to follow up (he wasn't pushy and allowed us to take the time we needed to process), but by 9 AM Monday morning, we had our answer - we were getting solar and SEM was going to install it.

After that, it was signing all the necessary documents; we had Davison, our construction manager, come out and snap some pictures and get some information on how everything would be run. We already had an existing install done for a 240V car charger, and I wanted to match the existing conduit look, not just do the shortest length, I wanted it to look clean. He absolutely delivered though when we got his photos with the markup and examples on how everything was going to look, and all that we had to do was wait for the install date (and update Duke Energy and get the plans back from the engineer), but Sarah, our project manager, handled everything that was thrown at us. I barely had to lift a finger during this process.

She kept in good communication with us - letting us know the status of Duke Energy's endless requests; ultimately, we did have a minor delay in the installation of the system, but given that they had guys installing solar systems on roofs in NC mid-July heat, I wasn't going to complain one bit - however, that did not deter SEM from sending out a care package with some delicious tea to ease the tension of having to wait. Don't tell SEM because I've already drank the tea, but it wasn't that big of a delay, and they didn't have to take care of us like that.

Install came around, and all the guys that worked on the roof and in the garage did an amazing job, they nailed the match to the previous install so well that you would have thought they were done at the same time, by the same person - they matched the material used, I'm pretty sure down to the supplier, that's how close it was. And when the breaker panel cover was removed and it removed a small bit of paint around it, they used some touch up paint to make it look new again. Even when the installation was wrapping up, they were using a magic eraser to scrub the wall where the previous owner had scuffed it. During this time Randy dropped by as well, to put up a well-deserved yard sign to keep the solar-solicitors in the neighborhood at bay, but also to drop off some SEM-branded merchandise, which we constantly fight over who gets - no throw-away trash here. Everything is so thoughtful, from the very nice reusable water bottle to the pollinator seeds, to even their door hangers being made out of seed infused paste that allow you to plant them after you read them.

We had our final orientation last week, and it was like closing the cover on a very good book, they had done everything we had asked for, and more - there are still positive things that I left out of this review for brevity sake, and it's several hundred words long; But if you're on the fence about installing solar and want a good, reputable company, that not only takes care of its customers, its employees, and also the planet - look right here at SEM, this is a five star company, through and through.

Houseman

Super organized and professional team all around! They walk you through all the entire process and after installation service has been outstanding. I've struggled with construction of my homestead over the last couple of years and this company has truly been blessing to work with. I purchased the Tesla Power wall and 7.2KW of solar. Everything works great and simple to monitor and change configurations. I highly recommend Southern Energy Management!!!

Stephen kicklighter

We used SEM for our solar installation, Tesla battery, and EV plug in Beaufort, NC. The team was very professional and supportive through both the design and installation phase. I would say that we were misled about being able to get a rebate on the EV plug (make sure that you currently have an EV and it is registered to the address of the installation otherwise you will not qualify). Also, the rebate process with Duke was confusing/delayed and we could have used more after install support to make sure that that process went smoother. Further, more 'hands on' help with the Tesla app to assure that it is appropriately set up and perhaps a 6 and 12 month FU consultation to go over how our system is doing would have been appreciated. We still would recommend them for solar installation and we will be using them for another install on our primary home in Raleigh in the near future.

dan rosso

From start to finish Southern Energy Management were very professional, knowledgable, and easy to work with. I felt very confident during the entire process and the result is we have a solar system of panels and a Tesla Powerwall 3 battery that gives us a bit of energy independence and will provide power during any power outage.

David DeMarini

Southern Energy Management was terrific. They explained their proposed work to me clearly and concisely, and they provided the necessary information for me to make a decision to go forward with solar panels with them. The installers of both the panels and the inverter were outstanding. They were highly professional and efficient. The mangers of my project were always available to answer my questions and to keep me informed of next steps. I always knew what was happening. The end result is that I have had working solar panels for nearly 3 weeks, and they are generating 50% more power than my house is using. Thus, this was an excellent investment, and the staff at Southern Energy Management was outstanding.

Catherine Chamberlain

We love our new panels and battery! We could not recommend Solar Energy Management enough. They were very professional and considerate throughout the entire process and, despite being very busy, were very efficient. If you’re thinking about solar, definitely reach out to these folks!

Scott Whitman

Had a great experience with SEM. Installed solar and Tesla powerwall 3 uneventfully Helped me navigate the process, including optimizing rebate and incentives. Efficient, good communication, helpful. Didn't oversell. Highly recommend!