Palmetto Solar Review: Costs, Quality, Services & More (2025)

EcoWatch Reviews Methodology

I’ve spent the last four years researching and writing about renewable energy, reviewing solar installers and gathering data about individual solar companies and panel manufacturers. I’ve interviewed industry leaders, pored over panel specification sheets and read through hundreds of real customer reviews to get a sense of how different companies and solar system components function in the real world. I also used what I’ve learned to convert to solar in my own home, so I have firsthand experience regarding what is and isn’t important when it comes to choosing a solar provider.

In addition to my industry expertise and personal experience, I’ll be using EcoWatch’s solar company scoring system to rank Palmetto Solar and compare the company to other providers in your area. The internally developed ranking system uses dozens of data points to compare solar companies. It considers factors such as services offered, available financing, the company’s environmental impact and sustainability, the quality of the equipment offered, company reputation and the level of customer service the installer typically provides.

I’ve also contacted Palmetto Solar as a secret shopper to see what the quote process is like and how the company treats prospective customers. Overall, this review will include everything you need to know before deciding if Palmetto Solar is the right installer for your needs.

Palmetto Solar: Best Social Impact

What I Like About Palmetto Solar

There are a lot of good things to say about Palmetto Solar, but the positive impact the company has on the solar industry and solar community is what sets it apart most from the competition. First and foremost, the company takes an education-first approach to solar sales, which, unfortunately, is increasingly rare in the industry. Palmetto’s representatives are not only knowledgeable about solar and renewable energy, but they’re also known for taking the time to ensure their customers understand the ins and outs of solar conversion and achieving long-term savings before they commit to installing a system. This alone speaks volumes about the company’s commitment to contributing socially through solar education.

Additionally, Palmetto avoids some of the common negatives other large solar providers are known for, including high-pressure sales tactics and even misrepresenting savings and incentives. Some direct competitors, like Sunrun, have a history of overpromising and under-delivering, which, in my opinion, puts a sour taste in consumers’ mouths regarding the solar industry at large. Palmetto’s honesty and integrity are key to the solar industry realizing the positive impact it promises.

Palmetto also makes charitable contributions to eco-friendly organizations through its “Get Solar, Give Solar” program, including a $5 million donation to Solar Sister, which aims to bring solar to developing countries. This kind of commitment to do good paints the company’s reputation in a very positive light and lends credence to its mission statement — to lead the way to a clean energy future. It also cultivates a positive working environment, as the CEO, Chris Kemper, discusses briefly in the following video.

What I Don’t Like About Palmetto Solar

The biggest drawback to going with Palmetto Solar is that you’ll be at the mercy of one of the company’s “partners” in a dealer network when it comes to the installation labor. Like most large solar installers, Palmetto contracts out all installation labor to third parties. Palmetto vets those companies, but having a third-party installer can lead to communication issues and a higher risk of the two companies pointing fingers at each other if a problem — such as a roof leak or panel damage — crops up, which can cause delays in resolution.

Another thing I’m not crazy about when it comes to Palmetto is the labor warranty, which is only 10 years. This is about half the industry average, and it really pales in comparison to the top players such as SunPower and NRG Clean Power, which both cover labor for 40 years. Workmanship warranties guarantee that your system and roof won’t suffer damage as a result of poor installation quality, so getting a lengthy warranty is a big deal that can save you money and frustration.

Palmetto also has a decent array of services to customize your system above and beyond just installing panels, but it loses quite a few points in terms of extra services offered because it doesn’t handle roof repair or replacement, and it doesn’t provide access to energy efficiency upgrades that would help further reduce your carbon footprint.

Palmetto Solar Installation Process and Timeline

The time it takes from signing a contract with Palmetto to the time your system is commissioned and starts producing power for your home will typically be between one and three months, which takes in the initial inspection, system design, permitting, equipment delivery and installation. Palmetto claims on its website that its timeline from contract signing to activation is about a month shorter than that of competitors. In most cases, Palmetto’s installers will complete the actual installation in a single day, although it can take two or three days, depending on the system size and complexity.

Below is a breakdown of the process from start to finish, along with some insight into the speed of Palmetto’s pace each step of the way.

• Initial property inspection. The first step in the solar conversion process is a property inspection, which involves assessing shading on your roof, taking roof measurements, inspecting your water meter — for the electrical ground — and electrical panel, and completing a thorough inspection of your roof to determine the condition and remaining lifespan. This inspection should always be done in person. Less reputable installers will rely on satellite imaging, but this doesn’t provide accurate information about roof quality. Thankfully, Palmetto always conducts in-person inspections. It’s also remarkably fast during this phase and can usually get a rep out to your home in just a few days.
• System design. After the inspection, a representative from Palmetto will begin designing your system. The design process includes figuring out where and how panels will be arranged on your roof, where electrical conduit will run and where batteries and other add-on products will be mounted, if applicable. Palmetto is also quick here and can often turn around a completed design in a few days, although most solar providers are fast at this point. If you approve the design and sign the contract for installation, Palmetto will move on to start pulling permits and ordering equipment for your solar project.
• Securing permits: All municipalities will require building permits before you can legally install solar panels on your roof, so this is an unavoidable step in the process. Palmetto’s team will pull the permits for you, which is standard in the industry, and you’ll have to wait for your building department to approve them before any work can continue. It’s at this step where installation timelines can vary quite a bit. Some local governments have processes in place to expedite solar permits, in which case you’d likely only wait a few days for approval. In other areas, especially where demand for permits is high, you could wait two to three weeks or longer. Delays at this point aren’t a result of Palmetto’s representatives dragging their feet.
• System installation. Once permits are approved, Palmetto will order the equipment for your system, and following delivery, they’ll schedule your installation. Palmetto is a larger company with a busy calendar, so you could wait a few weeks to get an installation date, but this is no different than if you went with a direct competitor such as Sunrun, Momentum Solar or Trinity Solar. The actual installation is usually fast and only takes a single day for most homeowners. There is the possibility of delays on the part of the third-party installer Palmetto assigns to your project, so it could take additional time.
• Final inspection and activation. The final step before activating your solar array is an inspection from your utility company to confirm that the connection to the grid was made safely. Some installers with in-house installation teams schedule this for the same day as the installation for a streamlined activation. Since Palmetto uses a third-party installer they don’t have direct control over, this is unlikely when you choose Palmetto. Scheduling the inspection after the installation does mean waiting a few days, in most cases, for your panels to start producing power, but this would be the case with most of Palmetto’s direct competitors, too. The exceptions would include small, local installers that use in-house teams or Blue Raven Solar — one of the only nationwide companies that uses an in-house installation crew.

---

Advertisement

Best for Leasing

4/5

Broad lineup of solar panelsNear-national coverageRelatively low pricing & flexible payment methods

Get Free Quote

Best Solar Financing

4.5/5

Great warranty coverageExperts on local policiesConcierge Service

Get Free Quote

Solar Veteran

4/5

Outstanding customer serviceOffers products from leading manufacturersGreat warranty coverage

Get Free Quote

---

Palmetto Solar Standard Services & Financing

17/25

Palmetto falls a little short when it comes to the range of standard services it offers, although it does offer some decent perks that other providers don’t normally.

As mentioned earlier, Palmetto doesn’t complete installations using an in-house team and instead relies on third-party installers in its network for the installation labor. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it often promotes shortened installation timelines. However, it can also lead to spotty customer service and brings in a slightly higher risk of poor installation that could lead to roof leaks and underperforming panels. Palmetto does vet members in its dealer network, but still, I typically prefer to see in-house installations. Palmetto’s use of a third-party installer network is understandable, though, based on its size.

The next-largest downside when it comes to services is that Palmetto doesn’t install solar batteries, which is a pretty big deal. Solar batteries were once seen as a luxury because the primary purpose was to provide emergency backup power, making them more or less unnecessary in most areas provided blackouts weren’t terribly common. However, the solar industry has been going through a major change over the past year since California rolled out net metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0), which is less favorable to solar customers than prior versions.

Net metering is a policy that dictates how electricity is passed back and forth between your home and the grid when you have solar panels installed. When the sun is shining, your panels will usually produce more electricity than you’re consuming, and the excess either goes toward charging a solar battery or gets redirected back to the grid. In areas with favorable net metering policies, you can call on any power you send to the grid at a later time at no cost. That means you can overproduce during a sunny day and then continue to use your generated power at night for free when your panels aren’t generating electricity.

While net metering is a great policy that helps boost solar savings, the policies are being downgraded in many states, following California’s lead to the detriment of homeowners now converting to solar. In some cases, net metering is being abandoned altogether, while in others, the rate at which you earn credits is lower than the retail rate, meaning you might need to generate 1.5 times the power you’d normally need or even more to eliminate your electric bill. Solar batteries remedy this by storing solar generation and allowing you to use more of your own produced power for free.

In California and the other states that are enacting NEM 3.0, batteries are all but necessary if you want to maximize your savings on your electricity bill, so I’d really love to see Palmetto add solar battery purchase and installation to its services in the near future. For now, you can always install a solar battery after your panels have been put in place, but you’ll miss out on potential savings, as you can only claim the federal tax credit that applies to solar installations (the investment tax credit or ITC)  one time. The typical $10,000 solar battery could effectively cost closer to $7,000 if you installed it along with your panels and were able to claim the credit for the entire system.

Palmetto provides access to your solar system performance via its own mobile app. You can track production and grid usage as well as long-term savings. You’ll have similar access to a mobile app with most installers, usually offered by the panel manufacturer, inverter manufacturer or the battery manufacturer if you install batteries. Palmetto’s app doesn’t offer anything particularly special, but it’s a nice feature to have.

Finally, Palmetto works with panels manufactured by Q Cells and REC. These are both outstanding panel brands and rank well in EcoWatch’s solar panel reviews — both appear in the top five solar panel brands—and should provide decades of good performance. I’d like to see some additional options just for the sake of variety and allowing homeowners to choose based on budget or performance needs, but I can’t complain too much about a company that uses tier-one panels with robust warranties — more on panel quality later.

Cost and Financing Options

Palmetto Solar doesn’t publicize its pricing information, and it states that prices vary widely based on location, power needs, system size and more. Based on reading hundreds of Palmetto Solar reviews left by customers, I’ve gathered that prices are about average. Our own research and calculations suggest that the average cost per watt for a solar array is around $3.33, putting the typical 9 kW solar system at $29,970 before any incentives or $20,979 after the ITC. I think you can reasonably expect Palmetto’s pricing to be in this ballpark, but the best way to get an idea of what your system will cost is to get a free quote from Palmetto.

One thing I always look for when assessing solar providers is the number of financing options a company makes available to customers. Solar is expensive, so having a variety of financing options is best to make access to renewable energy as inclusive as possible. Virtually all solar providers accept cash purchases and solar loans, but I also like to see no-money-down options including solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs). 

Palmetto accepts all four of these primary options (cash, loans, leases and PPAs), which is outstanding. Palmetto’s PPA option is called LightReach, but it functions the same as a PPA — the company installs panels on your home at no cost, and you agree to buy electricity that they generate rather than pull from the grid.  More important than having these options is the fact that Palmetto doesn’t appear to push solar leases or its LightReach program on its customers like some less-reputable installers such as Sunrun.

Although it’s good to have options, I strongly recommend you choose a cash purchase or solar loan over a lease or PPA if you can make it work. With a cash purchase, you’ll have the highest cost up front, but you’ll avoid interest and rental payments, which means your panels will pay for themselves in the shortest amount of time possible — an average of 11 years, based on our own data — and your long-term savings will be maximized. By our estimates, you stand to save an average of $31,513 over the life of your system if you pay with cash, and that’s after the panels pay for themselves.

With a solar loan, you’ll still own your panels over time, but having to pay interest on your loan will delay that payback period, which ultimately reduces your solar savings. Our internal data suggests that you’ll pay an average of around $5,000 in interest over the loan term, which would bring your effective net savings down to around $26,500.

With a lease, you never own your panels and instead pay a monthly fee to rent them. You should still see savings, as you get to use the energy they generate to offset your electric bills, but the monthly fee never goes away, so your savings will be closer to $5,000 total, based on our data. That’s around $21,500 in savings you’re passing up as compared to a loan and $26,500 compared to a cash purchase.

A PPA works a bit differently. Rather than paying anything for your panels, the panels go up for free, and you instead agree to pay for the electricity they generate rather than buying power from your electric company. PPAs tend to save a little less than leases, based on our data, usually somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000 over the life of the panels.

One last point about PPAs and leases is that they don’t lead to panel ownership, which means you can’t take advantage of the federal tax credit. That perk provides a credit to your income taxes in the amount of 30% of your total system cost, which is, based on our data, an average potential savings of $8,991. Some states also have tax credits and rebates that don’t apply to leases and PPAs, so your actual savings by going with a cash purchase or loan could be even higher.

To be fair, leases and PPAs come with the massive perk of not requiring a down payment, making them affordable and accessible for just about all homeowners. I do love that Palmetto offers these options, even though I wouldn’t recommend them, and it’s great to see that the company doesn’t incentivize them like Sunrun and some other national companies.

Palmetto Solar Extra Services Offered

2/5

While Palmetto Solar covers the basics in terms of equipment and services offered, it falls short when it comes to add-on services like roof replacement, energy efficiency upgrades and even EV charger installation.

Most solar companies don’t handle roof replacement or repair in house, but those that do make it much more convenient for homeowners to convert to solar. Prior to installing solar panels, a tech will inspect your roof to make sure it’s in good condition and has enough useful life left to make installing the panels worth it. If your roof is nearing the end of its life and you install panels anyway, you’ll just have to pay to have them removed and reinstalled in a few years when the roof replacement is necessary. It’s more cost effective just to replace your roof early.

Solar providers that provide roofing services make switching to solar more convenient because they can inspect the roof, repair or replace it and then install the panels, all without you having to coordinate with another company. To be fair, this is an uncommon service in the solar industry and should be considered a “nice to have.” Some of Palmetto’s competitors, like Momentum Solar and NRG Clean Power provide roofing services, though, so we deducted some points here.

Another nice-to-have service includes other energy efficiency upgrades for your home. The actual services can vary, but they all help boost your home’s efficiency, ultimately reducing your energy consumption and maximizing the value and savings you get from your panels. Companies such as Sunrun install smart electrical panels for remote control over and monitoring of your electricity consumption, and other providers may go so far as to offer new insulation, windows or doors to boost efficiency. Palmetto doesn’t offer any special energy efficiency upgrades like this, so it loses points for that as well.

Another commonly offered service Palmetto doesn’t provide is electric vehicle (EV) charger installation. EVs are becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States, which means chargers are going to be in higher demand in the coming years. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), hybrid, EVs and plug-in hybrids accounted for around 16% of all new car sales in 2023, and that number has been on the rise since around 2015. Once again, you could install an EV charger after your main solar installation, but you could also include the charger cost in the total for the ITC if you install them at the same time. With an average charger cost of $2,000, that’s a potential effective savings of around $600 if you installed an EV charger as well.

With all of that being said, Palmetto does offer monitoring for solar systems. Most installers will give you access to see your system’s production, your grid usage and battery storage information via a mobile app, typically provided by the manufacturer of your panels, batteries or inverters. These apps let you check your consumption and production so that you can identify potential issues with your system over time.

Palmetto provides this same service, but it also offers company monitoring, which means its own technicians monitor your system remotely so that you don’t have to. This is a pretty rare offering in the industry, and while I don’t think it’s essential, it is nice to have.

Palmetto Environmental Impact & Sustainability Practices

7.5/10

Having solar panels installed on your home will always reduce your carbon footprint, and usually to a significant degree. At EcoWatch, we believe that’s a positive thing, but we also try to go a step further by promoting companies that use sustainably made panels to begin with. By considering the entire lifecycle of a panel from manufacturing through its estimated 25 to 40 years of useful life, we get a much clearer picture of how sustainable installing solar panels really is.

Without a doubt, the emissions you’ll offset with an appropriately-sized solar array will more than make up for any emissions produced during the panel manufacturing and recycling processes, but it’s still something we think is important to consider.

You can check out the video below for a comprehensive look at the sustainability of solar panels and why the lifecycle of the panel matters when considering how green this renewable energy solution really is.

In an effort to promote the most sustainable solar installers and manufacturers, we look at four primary factors related to the panel manufacturing: whether or not recycled materials are used in the production process, the end of life (EoL) recycling program offered by the manufacturer, where the panels are manufactured and assembled and whether or not the manufacturer has a history of issues with slave labor, child labor, poor working environments, unfair pay or social inequity.

Palmetto Solar works predominantly with REC and Q Cells, which are both tier-one panel brands that bring a ton of value to the table.

I’m happy to report that both REC and Q Cells use recycled materials in their production processes, and both have EoL programs that recover materials from old panels for use in other products.

Neither panel brand is manufactured or assembled predominantly in the United States, so they both lose some points there. REC is headquartered in Norway and has production facilities in Sweden, Norway and Singapore. Q Cells is headquartered in South Korea and Germany, and while it recently opened a manufacturing plant in Dalton, Georgia, most of its production still takes place in South Korea and China. Production in the United States isn’t always a guarantee that your panels are more sustainably made, but since the United States has stricter regulations than many other countries regarding emissions and product safety, we’ve taken away points for production outside the country for both REC and Q Cells.

Thankfully, neither REC nor Q Cells has a history of slave labor, child labor, or other issues related to social inequity or poor working conditions.

Palmetto Solar Equipment Quality & Reliability

17.85/25

A solar panel’s performance and longevity will determine how much value you get from your system, as well as the savings you see in the long run, so we put a lot of weight on the quality and reliability of the panels that each installer provides. Ultimately, the better the equipment you install, the longer it’s likely to last, and the more power it will generate for your home, which means more of your electricity bills being offset.

We look at 18 different metrics to compare solar panels, and nine of those are critically important to your experience and savings. I’ll briefly explain those nine main specs below so that you know what you’re looking for in a panel brand.

• Average efficiency: Most panel manufacturers offer a few different panel models, and the average efficiency we look at is the efficiency ratings across all models, averaged out. Efficiency rating tells you what portion of the available sunlight your panel can transform into usable electricity, so it’s directly responsible for determining your production and savings. The higher a manufacturer’s average efficiency is, the more likely you’ll maximize long-term savings no matter which model your installer actually works with. A higher average efficiency rating also suggests that the manufacturer always optimizes efficiency, which suggests better performance overall. We give perfect scores to manufacturers with average efficiency ratings of 22% or higher.
• Max efficiency: Max efficiency is the highest efficiency rating achieved by any panel offered by a given manufacturer. This rating tells you the best performance you’ll get when choosing a specific brand. Again, the higher the max efficiency rating, the more power the best panel from that manufacturer will produce, and the more you’ll likely save over time. Max efficiency helps compare the best of the best among different panel brands. A max efficiency rating of 22.8% or higher scores perfect marks in this category.
• Power tolerance: Power tolerance is a specification for solar panels that tells you how far above and below the stated efficiency rating your panel will swing in real-world conditions. It’s expressed as a negative number followed by a positive one, so a panel with an efficiency rating of 20% and a power tolerance of -5%/+5% can deliver real-world efficiencies of between 19% and 21%. Ideally, we like to see a negative power tolerance of -0% and a positive power tolerance higher than +5%. A panel meeting those high standards gets a perfect score in this category.
• First-year degradation: Solar panels naturally lose efficiency over time, but you’ll see the fastest degradation rate in the first year your panels are on your roof. Therefore, manufacturers separate degradation rates into first-year and subsequent-year rates. We ideally want to see a first-year degradation rate of 1% or less, in which case we’d give the brand a perfect score. The average first-year degradation rate is 1.45%, but up to 2% is typical with tier-one panels. The lower the degradation rate, the better, and the higher your long-term savings will be due to maximum production over time.
• Subsequent-year degradation: After the first year of operation, your panels will continue to degrade and lose efficiency, but they’ll do so at a much slower rate. The subsequent-year degradation rate tells you what percentage of the starting efficiency they’ll lose each year after the first. Again, the lower the degradation rate, the better, as it means higher levels of electricity generation over time.  The average subsequent-year degradation rate is around 0.33%, but values for tier-one panels range from 0.25% up to 0.55% in most cases. We give perfect scores in this category to panels with a rate of 1% or lower. Keep in mind that you should consider both degradation rates in combination with the starting efficiency. A low rate of degradation won’t mean as much if the starting efficiency is below average to begin with.
• Max wind load: The maximum wind load — expressed in Pascals (Pa) — tells you how much upward force your panels can handle without sustaining damage, which tells you what wind forces they can last through. The average max wind load rating for tier-one panels is around 3,500 Pa. Using this wind load calculator, that would translate to panels being able to resist winds reaching over 150mph. Panels with a max wind load of 3,000 or more get perfect marks in this category. Keep in mind that this metric may not be as important for you as it is for other solar customers. If you don’t live in an area that sees hurricanes, tropical storms or tornadoes, chances are you’ll never experience wind speeds that high. Panels with a max wind load of 2,000 Pa (wind speeds up to 127 mph) are “below average” but still should suit most homeowners.
• Max snow load: Similarly, max snow load is the force — also measured in Pascals — that your panels can support, which tells you how much snow they can hold up before sustaining damage. The average in the industry is around 5,800 Pa. We give perfect marks to panels with ratings of 7,000 Pa or higher, which could support up to around 10 feet of snow. If you live in an area that sees heavy snowfall, this is going to be an important metric to consider to avoid damage to your panels. If you live in a southern state that doesn’t see significant annual snowfall, it might be a non-issue.
• Equipment warranty: All tier-one solar panel manufacturers include an equipment warranty with their products, which protects you from issues related to manufacturer defects. With advances in panel manufacturing and improved standards, defects are exceedingly rare, but they’re still possible, and having a solid equipment warranty provides peace of mind. Most high-quality panels include a 25-year equipment warranty, but some of the best panel brands — such as Maxeon — have warranties that last an incredible 40 years. Equipment warranties are important, but in my opinion, they’re not as crucial as the efficiency warranty you get (also from your manufacturer) and the labor warranty (from your installer).
• Efficiency warranty: The efficiency warranty for a panel guarantees that your panels won’t lose efficiency at a faster rate than is stated on the panel spec sheet, both during the first year and beyond. Most efficiency warranties for tier-one panels last for 25 years, but some of the best panel brands — such as Maxeon, which Palmetto does not offer — have coverage for up to 40 years. Again, you should consider the efficiency warranty length as the starting point for assessing coverage. You also need to consider the starting efficiency and degradation rates. A warranty that lasts for 30 years might seem above average, but if the starting efficiency is low and the degradation rates are above the industry average, the panels as a whole won’t be as good as a brand with a shorter warranty, higher starting efficiency and lower degradation rates.

Now that you understand all of the metrics we use to assess how good a solar panel brand is, we can take a look at how the brands Palmetto offers — including REC and Q Cells — compare to industry averages. Note that the values represented below include the best Palmetto offers for each individual value. For example, the lowest possible first-year degradation from Palmetto is 1.5% with Q Cells panels, but the lowest subsequent-year degradation rate from the installer is 0.25% from REC.

• Average efficiency: 21.62%
• Max efficiency: 22.6%
• Power tolerance: -0%/+10%
• First-year degradation: 1.5%
• Subsequent-year degradation: 0.25%
• Max wind load: 4,000 Pa
• Max snow load: 8,100 Pa
• Equipment warranty: 25 years
• Efficiency warranty: 25 years

In terms of average and max efficiency ratings, Palmetto’s panel options are just about perfect. REC panels from Palmetto top out at 22.6% and have an average efficiency of 21.62%, so it has options for homeowners looking for peak power production. Maxeon is still a bit better with 22.8% max efficiency, but the difference is minor. It offers best-in-class power tolerance ratings (also from REC), first-year degradation rates from QCells, subsequent-year degradation from REC and max wind and snow loads that exceed industry standards. The efficiency and equipment warranties are in line with the industry averages.

Overall, I’d recommend REC panels from Palmetto if you’re looking to maximize your power production. Q Cells panels are around $0.20 less expensive on a per-watt basis, according to our research, so that’s likely your better option if you’re looking to keep your installation costs as low as possible. You can check out our QCells panel review and our REC panel review for more information on both brands.

Warranties and Guarantees

When you go solar, I recommend you pay attention to three different warranties to cover your solar project: equipment warranties and efficiency warranties from your manufacturer, as well as a labor warranty from your installer.

The equipment and efficiency warranties come from the panel manufacturer, which for the REC and Q Cells panels Palmetto offers is 25 years. This is in line with the industry average and shorter than just a handful of brands — for example, Maxeon covers both for 40 years, and LONGi, Jinko Solar, Canadian Solar, JA and Silfab have 30-year efficiency warranties. Still, 25 years is plenty to get outstanding savings and longevity from your system.

One important thing to note here about Palmetto is that, in addition to the efficiency warranty you get from the panel manufacturer, the company guarantees that you’ll get 95% or more of the electricity from your panels that your representative estimates your system will produce if you upgrade your coverage through its partner, Omnidian. If your panels underperform beyond that 5% allowance, Palmetto will pay you the difference on your electric bill.  This is an outstanding promise that I really wish other installers would offer, and it’s a testament to how committed Palmetto is to transparency and honesty.

However, I believe the workmanship warranty is the most important coverage to think about, as it protects you from property damage and roof leaks that stem from poor installation techniques. When you’re choosing an installation company for your system, this is what you should be paying the most attention to, as it sets the stage for great service and problem-free installation or utter chaos, frustration and major repair bills.

Palmetto includes a 10-year workmanship warranty for its labor, which is about half of the industry standard. It’s far better than companies that don’t include one at all, and in all honesty, most problems stemming from poor installation are going to pop up in the first ten years anyway. Still, I’d really love to see Palmetto bump up that warranty a bit.

On the other hand, Palmetto also provides a roof leak guarantee that lasts for five years, which guarantees that your home won’t sustain water damage from a roof leak that’s caused by the roof penetrations made to attach your panels. Most installers don’t offer this coverage at all, so I’m thrilled to see that Palmetto does.

If you go with a lease or PPA through Palmetto, you also get free solar panel maintenance, although there’s little that you’d need in the way of maintenance that wouldn’t be covered by the other warranties mentioned above.

Palmetto Solar Company Reputation

20.5/25

Palmetto Solar has been in business since 2010, giving it well over a decade of experience. Experience and longevity are good things to consider no matter what professional you’re hiring, but it’s more important in the solar industry than most others. With such a high demand for solar, I’ve seen tons of companies pop up, promise the world, turn a profit and then go out of business just a few years later.

The problem with that is that your labor warranty is usually voided if your installer goes out of business. We give perfect scores in terms of experience to companies that have been around for a decade or more. That doesn’t guarantee they’ll continue to remain in business, but it’s a good benchmark for weeding out the less reliable companies.

We also put quite a bit of weight on company reviews across a few different platforms, including Google, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot, as these represent real customer experiences. Palmetto has an A+ rating with the BBB, and, more importantly, a 3.52-star (out of 5) customer rating on the same platform. This might seem average, but the typical customer rating on the BBB for solar installers — especially of this size — is usually closer to 2.0. The ratings overall indicate that Palmetto is likely to provide good customer service. Palmetto doesn’t have a Trustpilot score yet, which isn’t a bad thing — it just means we can’t use that as a metric to assess the company’s reputation.

In addition to ratings, Palmetto is NABCEP-certified, which means your system will be installed by a technician certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, which is dedicated to proper training and certification for renewable energy system installers. This doesn’t guarantee a solid installation free of issues, but it does suggest that that’s what you’ll get. Palmetto is also a Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) member. This doesn’t prove anything other than a commitment to the industry as a whole, which, in my opinion, is still a good thing.

Finally, Palmetto operates in 19 states, making it one of the larger solar panel installation companies in the country. We give perfect scores in terms of service area to providers that service 40 states or more. Of course, a smaller service area doesn’t mean you won’t get great service in the states a company does operate in, but it does mean it’s less likely to be able to serve you.

Below are the states Palmetto services:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Virginia

Consumer Reviews and Testimonials

In the previous section, I mentioned that EcoWatch looks at third-party review ratings for each solar provider we evaluate, but I think even more important than that is the reason why customers give the ratings they do. For example, I’ve seen customers give 1-star ratings on the BBB and TrustPilot because they didn’t like how persistent a company was with door-to-door sales. I understand that, but it’s also not fair to dock points for a company just because of its sales strategy.

I’ve read through dozens of Palmetto Solar reviews to see what customers were saying and where, specifically, the company was falling short, causing them to lose points.

Positive Palmetto Solar reviews frequently mentioned the following:

• Positive customer service experience
• High performance from panels matching the initial estimate
• Fast and professional installation
• Great communication throughout the entire process, from initial contact to system commissioning

Here are some positive reviews that I believe provide a good cross-section of the reviews as a whole:

“I had a great experience with Palmetto. Everyone from my sales girls through installation and inspection were very knowledgeable, informative, friendly, and made the entire process completely stress free. They handled everything and kept me informed on every process. I would definitely refer others to Palmetto.” — Denise M. via BBB

“The installation process unfolded as expected. No issues. Very happy with the process and results. Production of the system is on par with the predictions. The 30% tax rebate made the purchase a profitable and environmentally friendly plan.” —Jeff L. via BBB

“Amazing company! There was absolutely no pressure to buy and the informational meeting was very well done. It was a no-brainer to go with Palmetto! The installation was quick and easy and we were kept well informed along the way. Our solar was up and running before the time frame quoted. We have not had one problem with the system. Our system is actually producing more than we were quoted! Can’t beat a $0 electric bill.” — Jenny B. via BBB

Of course, no company is without its fair share of negative reviews, and Palmetto is no exception. A few things seem to come up most often in negative Palmetto Solar reviews:

• Failed inspections post-installation leading to delays in system activation
• Production trailing well behind initial estimates
• Issues with getting technicians to fix problems
• Unfulfilled promises related to costs and savings

Below are some negative reviews I found on the BBB’s website that I believe sum up the dozens of negative comments about the company.

“DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! The follow up with customer service is not existent. They failed local inspections 3 times!! The solar production has been 33% of what they promised / sold us that it would be! BAD EXPERIANCE do not use them!!!” —John K. via BBB

“I’m extremely dissatisfied with Palmetto…Just two months after installation, I started receiving emails about communication issues with my panels. Despite being told to reset the box, the problem persists…It’s frustrating that Palmetto uses outdated equipment and expects customers to foot the bill for issues that were known to them. Moreover, my electricity bill has skyrocketed despite having panels that are supposed to cover 100% of my usage.” —Tiffany C. via BBB

“I’m going to keep this short: I was promised 22,000 kwh a year, I get 14,000 kwh a year. After a year, they still haven’t taken this tree down that they promised. Everything that the sales man Zedan said to me has been a lie. It should be a 0 star review.” — Alex A. via BBB

Palmetto Solar Customer Service

8/10

Our last company scoring metric is related to customer support, and it’s based on our editorial opinion of the company as a whole. We look at the specific issues mentioned in customer reviews, as well as the overall quality of the system and service you get.

I’ve taken off just two points here, mostly because of the negative reviews Palmetto has received over the years. It’s worth noting that there are some direct contradictions between positive and negative reviews, which you can see in the reviews I’ve chosen to include above. Specifically, some customers mention that their actual production meets or even exceeds their initial estimate, and others say it falls short by over 60% in some cases. Similarly, some customers rave about Palmetto’s service and communication, and others cite a lack of communication as a reason for a poor review.

I believe these contradictions have a lot to do with the third-party installers, which Palmetto would likely work to hold responsible for problems with the installation. Coordinating through a third party can also lead to communication breakdowns, producing the perception of poor communication overall. This is a big reason why I generally recommend companies that tackle installations with an in-house team. It’s usually easier during the installation process, and companies with in-house teams are often easier to hold accountable if you ever have issues and need to call on your warranty.

Additionally, I called Palmetto as a secret shopper to see what its front-end customer service was like. The representative I spoke with was very congenial and seemed helpful in answering questions even before discussing the quoting process. This is a good sign, in my eyes. A company that’s committed to customer service before any contracts or money changes hands is more likely to provide high-quality customer service as things progress.

My opinion is that Palmetto, in general, is a good company when it comes to customer service, but it really comes down to which third-party installer is assigned to your project.

Palmetto Solar Comparison

Here’s a table that compares Palmetto with two other similar-sized solar providers serving the same areas.

Who is Palmetto Solar Best For?

Palmetto Solar is an outstanding solar company overall, and it’s a great option for homeowners who want to support a company that makes a positive difference in the solar industry and the world at large. Palmetto makes charitable donations and is committed to the clean energy movement, as evidenced by its conservation and clean energy partnerships with organizations like Solar Sisters.

Palmetto is also a great option for prospective solar customers who want guarantees that go above and beyond what’s standard for the solar industry. Palmetto may not have the longest workmanship warranty, but it does offer a roof leak warranty, which most installers don’t include, and it gives customers the option to upgrade its warranty coverage to include an added production warranty that guarantees the system will generate 95% or more of the electricity per month on the company’s original estimate. This type of promise is very rare and all but ensures you maximize your long-term savings and return on investment.

What’s Next? 

Even if you think Palmetto Solar fits your needs as a solar customer perfectly, I strongly recommend you continue your research and get quotes from at least three companies, including at least one smaller local company. Having quotes from multiple installers gives you the opportunity to compare and choose the option that fits your budget and meets or exceeds your expectations.

I suggest you read our SunPower Solar review, as SunPower is one of our most highly recommended installers. I also suggest you check out our Blue Raven Solar review if Palmetto’s cash or loan options seem too expensive for you. Speaking of which, it’s a good idea to dive deeper into solar financing options to see which you can afford and how the benefits over time compare, as well as researching solar incentives in your area and how the ITC works before you sign any contracts for the installation.

Once you understand the process of going solar and the incentives available to you, you can reach out to Palmetto and at least two other solar providers to get estimates. Compare the estimates carefully, taking your time to review system size, equipment quality, warranty coverage, your financing arrangement and more. Finally, choose the company that you believe best suits your needs and has a history of positive customer service.