Southern Exposure Solar Reviews

Our solar system was installed by Southern Exposure Solar and turned on a little over two years ago. We found Southern Exposure Solar through EnergySage. I interviewed six different companies, but Grayson and Southern Exposure stood out. Grayson spent a lot of time answering all of my questions – our first two meetings/calls were each well over an hour long. I got the sense that Grayson was really listening to my concerns and wasn’t just trying to give me the answer I wanted in order to get me to make a purchase (I got a different vibe from the reps from some other companies). Grayson also recommended a contractor who was able to relocate our plumbing roof vents, allowing us to fit a couple additional panels on the roof. The actual installation went smoothly and the everything looks good on the roof. I especially like how the conduit coming down from the roof follows the contours of the house instead of dropping straight down. There have been no issues with any part of the system since it was installed. And, lastly, Southern Exposure did nearly all the legwork required to get us set up to sell SRECs.

We ultimately chose Southern Exposure because 1) their price was the lowest of all the companies we talked with, 2) the warranty through Certain Teed is strong, and 3) Southern Exposure is a local company. If we move within the area and need solar again, we’ll reach out to Southern Exposure again.

I should add that my five-star review means “I highly recommend them!,” not “They are perfect!” During the install process, there were some hiccups. There was some sort of miscommunication with Dominion, so our system wasn’t turned on as quickly as it could have been. Also, there were some challenges with getting the electricity consumption monitoring hooked up. While, of course, it would have been nice if these issues hadn’t come up in the first place, I was pleased with how they were handled by Southern Exposure.

Even before my system was complete and powered on, I was recommending Southern Exposure Solar to neighbors and friends. I am a super-researcher and had interviewed 10 solar install companies before choosing Grayson and Fred at Southern Exposure. Most of their competitors were larger operations, had a “sales” guy/gal who were a little pushy and/or lacked what I sniffed out to be full transparency, integrity and passion for solar that Grayson and Fred had in spades. The other big reason for choosing SES was the product = CertainTeed. Again, I did my homework on the company and products. Since I needed a new roof (who knew I had hail damage?? Enough for a full replacement compliments of my homeowners!) I chose a CertainTeed high-end shingle, then the choice for a complementary CertainTeed solar system seemed a no-brainer. SES’s pricing was not the absolute best/lowest, however, close enough, plus the financing (yes, I needed financing) was definitely the best deal. The CertainTeed solar combined with the quality of the micro inverters and all the other jazz and amazing warranty set-up with one transfer to a new homeowner sold me. The install went smoothly with Tyler, Snow and Eric; they were professional, clean and friendly. The county inspection went off without a hitch and after 3-weeks, my power company gave the green light to power up! I am excitedly staring at the Enphase charts, watching the production numbers … I am thrilled with my decision to hire Southern Exposure Solar and imagine you will be, too.

What can I say, Grayson Goodstein is an outstanding guy. Extremely professional, genuine, down-to-earth and easy to work with. In my opinion, he’s one of the most trustworthy people you’ll ever meet. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the entire Southern Exposure Solar team.

I am sure most other companies can do a great install. My personal opinion is that a really company is determined by when there is a problem. And I have a problem that has been going on for a year and a half.

Slightly less than 2 years after install I had three of my twenty one were producing significantly less power than the others. After a couple trips out and some monitoring for several months we addressed the warranty from Certain Teed. I found out that the 370’s on my roof were not available and no longer being produced. Certain Teed them completely honored the warranty. During this timeframe Grayson and I discussed resolution to the problem since Certain Teed honored the warranty since I still had 3, now 4 panels that are bad. We discussed design and pricing but in October last year Grayson did not want to anything until after of the year. Supposedly a couple 370′ s were found and adding one or two panels was also discussed. After the first of the year I sent a good faith payment and he wanted to draw up a contract. Since then, I have heard nothing but crickets. So at this point, a for profit business as a dedicated installer for a major manufacturer of solar panels that installed defective panels wont show up for a fix, but can take my money. We discudded this Grayson, part of the reason I got out of the construction business was because contractors were not doing the right thing. Fix my panels or send my money back.

Grayson was amazing. He went through everything step by step, explained what would need to happen to give us the best result, and then gave us his honest opinion – we should not get solar right now.

He could have very well told us this was a good thing to do and move forward, but he was more concerned about us and what our goals were than he was about making a buck. I went through several places and felt like they all just wanted to get my money, but he was down to earth and honest every step of the way. I would highly, highly, highly recommend him and his company for your solar needs. He will steer you right.

Great company, worked with Jason who seemed very knowledgeable and was very helpful throughout the entire process. We did a deep dive on going solar and discovered this company through word of mouth. Upon researching, it was one of the very few solar companies that had a reasonably large number of reviews but no bad “horror story” experiences. That was hard to find in such a saturated field.

SES proved to be a reputable, trustworthy company with a great product at a competitive price. I highly recommend engaging with them on your next solar project.

I had to get my panels off for a roof repair. Grayson was very friendly, professional, and compassionate. They did a great job with a very good price. 💯💯💯

We had a phenomenal experience with Southern Exposure, from beginning to end. I found them through EnergySage, and was delighted to land on a local company with such great expertise and people. Their pricing was competitive with other offers we solicited, but what set them apart was their level of service. They were the only company willing to do a site visit prior to signing an agreement, which gave me a higher level of confidence in their estimates and projections (given some concerns I had about the impact of the treeline behind our home). When he visited, Jason didn’t put on the hard sell, but walked through all of my questions and concerns, talked candidly about pros and cons, and captured drone imagery to improve the accuracy of the model. Throughout the process, he was extremely patient with my (many) questions and always highly responsive. We ended up having some plumbing vents rerouted to make more space for panels; SES doesn’t do that type of work themselves, but recommended a great contractor and provided models/estimates both ways so I could evaluate the ROI and make an informed decision.

When it came to the installation, Tyler and the team were professional, impressively quick, communicative, and easy to work with. SES prides themselves on keeping the visual impact of the system as minimal as possible — and they didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t our highest priority, since everything is on the back of our home; but a few days after install I asked my wife how much she was noticing the changes, and her response was, “Oh, I haven’t noticed at all. I keep meaning to look but forgetting it’s there.”

Other selling points/positive aspects of the experience include how seamlessly Britney handled all the paperwork on our behalf; how well the SES team communicated internally (I never felt like I was being bounced around from sales to install or anything like that); and the CertainTeed warranty, which was superior to any other offer I reviewed.

Our system is only recently up and running; I’ll plan to edit and share the results after our first year, but given how things are going so far, and how much due diligence SES did, I’m confident that it will deliver.

Southern Exposure Solar was recommended to me by my brother who had them install a solar array on their house. From the initial call with Grayson all the way through the installation of the solar panels, I had a great experience with them. Since the completion of the project, I have only paid the base fee for connection to the grid; my old power bills are a thing of the past! If you are in the market for solar, you should give Southern Exposure Solar a call. You will not be disappointed.

The SES team is a first class operation. From the Sales presentations to the actual installation process,

the experience as been exceptional. The solar panels are doing what they are designed to do and my electric bill has been less than $7 for the last three months!

I soke with Jason and had a very informative conversation about what i am looking to do with a solar system for my home, he was very upfront with me about the cost and procedure to install a system, although we could come together with a system for me, he was very professional and i appreciate his effort, sounds like a great company to do business to with for anyone who is looking.

Background:

Wagging Tails Kennel is a family owned business located in Chesterfield,Va. We provide pet boarding and grooming services. We have 111 indoor/outdoor kennels with heating and AC. Our electric bills in the summer 2022 were over $1000 per month! We have wanted to add solar power to the business for years. Now, with the tax rebates from the Federal government and the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC), it’s actually a very good investment.

Choosing an installer:

I was contacted by a solar panel installation company out of Phoenix, AZ 16 months ago about putting solar panels on my house. I did some checking on that company’s reputation and decided I needed someone else. I looked online for who was local and had a good track record and found Southern Exposure Solar. I sent them a message over the weekend and was pleased to get a reply first thing on Monday morning. Grayson impressed me immediately with his knowledge and honesty. Southern Exposure Solar evaluated my home and both of my business buildings and recommended against installing panels on my home and one of the business buildings, but the other building was an excellent candidate. Unfortunately, that is the building that uses the least amount of electricity. Grayson explained that the meters for both business buildings could be combined so that the solar panels on the west building could offset the usage of the east building also. If we could get enough panels on the roof of the east building, Wagging Tails Kennel would have low or no electricity bills for the life of the system (25 – 40 years). They installed CertainTeed solar panels which have an excellent warranty.

Design and Planning:

It turns out this is a lot more complicated than I had expected. Chesterfield County’s permit process is difficult for any contractor, but the county put extra hurdles in place for commercial installations.

We are a facility that cares for over 150 pets during our busiest weeks. We needed the installation done when the west building was empty.

Oddly, the fire department requirements for businesses is higher than for homes! Fire access cut into the available square footage on the roof.

Maximizing the number of panels on one building so that it could produce electricity for both required careful design – Southern Exposure Solar managed to get over 60 panels on a single story building.

The attic space in the building was already crammed with heat/AC ducts so there wasn’t much space to work or add equipment.

Dominion Power was in the middle of a major grid upgrade – solar panel installations were not a priority for them. We were especially difficult because of the aggregated meters (Both meters are summed into a single account so it acts like it is a single building. This requires a special meter, but the excess produced by the west building is credited to the east building at RETAIL rates which is a really big deal!).

Installation:

Southern Exposure Solar worked with Chesterfield County and Dominion to meet all my requirements. Grayson kept me updated on problems and installation options. They beat the schedule that we had agreed to. They stayed on budget – there were no last minute unexpected costs. When the system was online, they showed me how to use an app on my phone to see the daily production – how much electricity is being imported and exported. The crew was great and made sure that there was no negative impact to business activities.

Results:

We have been producing solar power electricity for 8 months now. I looked at the year to date stats and the new system has generated 24 Megawatt hours of energy. (SES predicted 30 Megawatts per year and we are slightly ahead of schedule.). In mid-December it is still generating about 80 Kilowatt hours on a sunny day (about ⅔ of the amount it generated in the summer which surprised me because the days are so much shorter).

Just had a solar system installed by Southern Exposure Solar. This is an outstanding company! Everything went smooth from initial sales contact though connecting the system to the grid. All staff are extremely knowledgeable, professional, and honest. They really kept me informed every step of the way. Highly recommended!

Rooftop solar just makes sense. It doesn’t require the grid infrastructure upgrades that solar farms need and it’s mostly consumed at the point it’s generated, reducing transmission loss. I started researching on EnergySage (a great resource), put out a request for bids and reviewed 5. I picked SouthernExposure because I was impressed with Jason’s knowledge and willingness to inspect our attic. After I signed and applied for a permit to our HOA, SES really shined. Our HOA initially rejected the permit because some of the panels were visible from the street. They demanded an analysis from a certified engineer not affiliated with SES as to how much output would be reduced if the street-visible panels were eliminated. VA state law requires an HOA to approve plans unless requested modifications would reduce output by less than a certain percent. Jason obtained that independent analysis and the HOA approved the original design. BTW, a neighbor of mine was going thru the same process with a vendor who will remain unnamed, and they just eliminated the street-visible panels and resubmitted the permit application.

Bottom line – SES is a great company to work with.

These guys are great to work with! Responsive and friendly with great communication. I’d highly recommend them to anyone looking for a quality solar system.

High Quality service from Southern Exposure

We dealt with several companies before selecting Southern Exposure. We were limited by our HOA to installing solar panels on our back roof (western facing with numerous trees). Several companies told us they could deliver 100% of our energy needs. A little research told us this was an obvious lie, as we wouldn’t get enough sunlight most of the year. However, we were pleased to deal with Grayson Goodstein of Southern Exposure. He assessed our situation and said we would likely get 66 to 70 percent of energy costs covered. With current prices it would take us maybe 16 to 17 years to recover our costs. Grayson said his recommendation was NOT to get a system, if were thinking of it purely financially. We thanked him for his honesty, but decided to get the panels anyway. We expect energy prices to rise and hope to be in the home for 20 years or more. Installation went very smoothly. Our own electrician came by and was impressed by Southern’s work. He said most installs he’d seen from other companies were shoddy and unprofessional. In the six months since installation we have had zero problems with any of the equipment, which our research showed was made of high quality components. Everything functions as it should. Grayson also helped us with all the necessary paperwork to get up and running. To sum up: an excellent experience. Southern Exposure delivers what they promise.

From beginning to end, our experiences with Southern Exposure Solar were wonderful. On the first call Grayson explained the proposal, options, and timeline. On the site visit he confirmed measurements, even crawling through our very hot attic to verify the soundness of our roof structure. The installation crew was a delight – always friendly, on-time, kept us informed about progress; now we have a lovely productive solar array. The Southern Exposure Solar team met every commitment, answered every question, and took care of the entire process. Now we REALLY enjoy watching daily production numbers.

We had Southern Exposure install panels a little over a year ago in May 2022 and so far everything has lived up to our expectations. The system has worked well and there have been no surprises or unexpected issues. The one time there was an adjustment needed, the response was quick and effective. Grayson and the team were very helpful in the process, and gave honest and insightful information about making decisions. They were willing to spend as much time as was needed with the sales process, and did not try and pressure us into anything. They also gave accurate recommendations for our benefit even when these were not going to earn the company the highest profit, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Southern Exposure.

TRUE 5 STAR COMPANY!!

It has been a year since we went solar, and I am truly grateful to Southern Exposure Solar (SES) and their team for their great work! I have saved my review until now to ensure I was able to fairly rate SES and their installed solar system. I received multiple quotes from Energy Sage as well as companies that visited my home. SES was the most reasonably priced and the least pushy sales pitch I received. Grayson took his time explaining all aspects of the installation as well as what to expect before, during, and after installation during his visit. He designed an array that is aesthetically pleasing and still has room for growth. The panels and inverters used are top quality. So far, no issues to report on any of them after almost a full year. SES had my system start producing solar energy within 75 days of signing the contract. These installations go through several permits before and after the installation with the County and Power Company. They were on top of everything, explaining the process as it was moving, making all proper follow-ups, and ensuring it was not a pain for me. Their installers were TOP NOTCH!!! They planned for the worst (4 days installation) but performed at their best and the installation was done in two (2) days. The installation was very clean inside the house as well as outside the house. If it’s not because of the solar panels and the two extra boxes next to the meter outside, you can’t tell there is a solar installation at my house. Every conduit is well hidden, not like some I have seen in other houses that go across the middle of the house from top to bottom. When the system started, we had some issues with the readings in the Enphase app during the first few days (not SES fault), but Grayson, Britney, and Fred were on it. The system was producing, just not reading correctly. In less than a week after the installation and after constant monitoring by SES, Fred was able to figure out what was wrong in the app and corrected the issue. For those that are looking to see the results, SES installed an 8.03KW system with a first-year estimated production of 9.727KWh (all based on the estimated sun my house would receive) with a minimum of 9.435KWh. With still a little over a week until the full year the system has already produced 9.8KWh!!! If thinking about going solar, SES should at least be considered. Having no subcontractors was a plus as it gave me piece of mind that I would only have to deal with only one company if anything went wrong. Of course, the SES family made sure NOTHING went wrong!! Thank you, Grayson and team, for the awesome job you did!!

Grayson and Team did excellent job with Solar installation, and they have provided precise estimations for the number of panels needed to meet the consumption. I have had the solar system since 2 and half years now. I had no issues with Solar panels and they have been producing energy to meet the demand.