Freedom Forever Solar Review (2024 Cost, Panels & More)

What We Like About Freedom Forever Solar

Freedom Forever Solar has a few things going for it, including wide availability and accessibility. The company services 28 states, which is more than most companies and even better than a lot of other national companies cover. That means Freedom Forever is available to most prospective U.S. solar customers.

Freedom Forever also accepts cash purchases, solar loans through Mosaic, solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs). While we only recommend cash purchases and loans, leases and PPAs do help the company appeal to and remain accessible to just about every homeowner in the nation.

Additionally, Freedom Forever includes a 25-year equipment and production warranty. These are about average in the industry, but Freedom Forever goes above and beyond to guarantee that it will compensate you for energy savings you might miss out on due to issues with the power production, provided they are caused by installation problems. This does provide some additional peace of mind that the company will help maximize your energy savings.

What We Don’t Like About Freedom Forever Solar

Unfortunately, we believe the downsides outweigh the benefits of Freedom Forever.

One of the most significant drawbacks to working with this provider is the potential for poor customer service. There are a lot of negative reviews about Freedom Forever, many of which mention long delays in the company responding to warranty claims and some that went totally unresponded to.

In most reviews, customers mention good customer service to begin with but a slew of problems if you ever run into an issue with your system. This makes the company’s warranties and production guarantee far less valuable overall and could lead to frustration and lost savings if your system experiences issues after the installation process.

The company also doesn’t offer any workmanship warranty, which is a bit concerning. Most reputable companies will include some kind of labor warranty to ensure customers that their installation team is highly trained and reliable.

You just don’t get the same peace of mind with Freedom Forever. We assume the company cannot guarantee the workmanship because it outsources the installation. This isn’t inherently bad, but combined with a lack of a labor warranty, it suggests that your system installation might not be high-quality.

Finally, Freedom Forever’s pricing averages around $3.00 per watt, which is much higher than the industry average of $2.66. If the quality of the equipment and service were worth the investment, we wouldn’t take much issue with the price. However, we feel that the cost isn’t justified, given the lack of customer service.

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Freedom Forever Solar Panels

Freedom Forever Solar carries and installs panels from a few different manufacturers with which it has partnerships, including Solar Edge, Trina, Panasonic and QCells. These are all outstanding tier-one panel brands that boast above-average efficiency ratings and performance specifications, so we have no issues with the equipment brands offered.

If you’re looking to get the lowest installation price possible from Freedom Forever, we suggest going with the Solar Edge panels, as these have the lowest per-watt pricing of the bunch. If you’re instead optimizing panel efficiency and want the best chance of offsetting or eliminating your utility bills, we recommend the Panasonic panels. These have the highest efficiency rating of the brands offered at 22.2%.

The table below includes a quick look at how the panel brands offered by Freedom Forever Solar compare to one another when it comes to some of the more important solar panel specifications.

Does Freedom Forever Solar Offer Any Other Solar Products?

In addition to installing solar panels, Freedom Forever Solar also offers solar battery installations. Unlike many other national providers, the company does not install electric vehicle (EV) chargers or offer any other energy efficiency home improvements. We’ll include some information about its add-on services below.

Freedom Forever Solar Batteries

Freedom Forever recognizes the high demand for solar energy storage, particularly in areas where net metering is not available. To meet that demand, it installs two battery options: the Tesla Powerwall and the LG Chem battery.

The Powerwall is the most popular solar battery on the market. It has above-average per-battery and total storage capabilities, above-average power output to meet high energy demands and a below-average cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of storage.

The LG Chem battery is another popular option, which includes a higher round-trip efficiency than the Powerwall. That means less of your solar energy is lost in transition to storage and from storage to usable electricity, so this battery makes better use of your solar production.

Solar batteries like these can help save you money over time by offering effective net metering, keeping energy costs down at night and on cloudy days when your solar array can’t offset your consumption. Batteries also let you maintain electricity through power outages, so they’re common in places that see frequent blackout conditions.

How Much Does Freedom Forever Solar Cost?

The cost of a solar panel system from any provider will vary based on many factors, including your home size, the amount of energy you consume monthly and the system size you need to be installed, among others.

While there’s no way to say with certainty what your system from Freedom Forever Solar will cost without having the installer inspect your home, we can offer some average pricing to help you figure out if this provider is likely to fit into your budget.

The average cost per watt for Freedom Forever to install photovoltaic (PV) panels is around $3.00 per watt. For the average U.S. resident who consumes 893 kWh of electricity per month and needs a 9.5 kilowatt (kW) system, that’s a total cost of $28,500 before the federal credit or $19,950 after the credit is considered.

Overall, this is a higher price than you’ll see from most other installers, which averages around $2.66. The typical costs from other providers would be $25,270 before the credit or $17,689 after the credit. On average, Freedom Forever Solar will cost $3,230 above the industry average before the credit or $2,261 above the average if you can take the full credit.

Freedom Forever Solar Financing Options

While Freedom Forever is on the expensive end, it does accept all of the major solar panel payment options, including cash purchases, solar loans, solar leases and PPAs. We don’t recommend all of these options, but the wide range does help keep its above-average pricing as accessible as possible.

We suggest a cash purchase if you can swing it because that leads to the shortest panel payback period and the highest savings overall. A solar loan is the next best option. Loans will have interest that drives up your system cost, but they still let you take the federal tax credit, which holds an average value of $7,182.

A lease is a decent option for property owners who can’t afford a cash purchase and won’t qualify for a loan. However, we generally don’t recommend leases because they lead to much lower savings, don’t lead to panel ownership and preclude you from taking the federal credit.

A PPA is the least beneficial option. While it’s highly accessible, it saves a little less than a lease and still doesn’t let you take the federal credit.

How Can You Save Money with Freedom Forever Solar?

With the cost of solar panels from Freedom Forever being well above the industry average, most customers will look for ways to save money on their solar conversion projects. There are a few things you can do to bring your upfront and long-term costs down, which we’ll discuss in the following sections.

Pay In Cash If You Can

One of the easiest ways to save on your system is to pay in cash. A cash purchase does demand payment in full upfront, which is out of the question for many property owners. However, you’ll avoid the interest of a solar loan, so your all-in system price will be lower.

Paying in cash also means the fastest payback period and immediate panel ownership. Once your panels save you enough money on your power bills to pay for themselves — which takes an average of 11 years — you’ll continue to see energy savings that should total a little over $22,000 over the panel lifespan.

We should mention that these numbers are averages, and if you have any issues with panel production, there’s a chance your savings will be lower. Unfortunately, problems like this are more commonly overlooked by less reputable companies like Freedom Forever. Still, though, paying in cash should bring down your system costs over time.

Consider a Solar Battery Carefully

Freedom Forever installs Powerwalls from Tesla and LG Chem batteries, both of which will drive up your system costs by $10,000 or more. However, depending on where you live and the solar incentives in your area, the batteries could end up saving you money.

If you have access to net metering, chances are a battery will cost you money in the long run. Net metering is a policy that lets you bank excess energy production and call on it later when you would otherwise pull energy from the grid and pay the retail rate for it. If you don’t have access to net metering, your electricity charges will climb at night and on cloudy days, when your production is likely insufficient to offset consumption.

Even without formal net metering via your inverter, a battery can provide the same benefit. You can store excess power and then call on it when your panels fail to produce, thereby saving you money. Over time, a battery could end up saving you thousands of dollars on energy costs.

Take Advantage of Solar Incentives

Finally, you can take advantage of solar incentives in your area, which are designed to make your system more valuable and more affordable.

All solar customers in the U.S. have access to the federal investment tax credit, which provides a credit to your income taxes equal to 30% of your system costs. This single perk should give you potential savings of over $7,000.

You might have access to local incentives as well, which might be offered by your state, city, town or electric company. You can check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) for more information on local incentives and rebates.

We should mention that you might have to file for these perks yourself. Solar panel installation companies that are reliable and reputable often file for these incentives for you. Unfortunately, since Freedom Forever has a history of poor service, there’s a chance the company will miss out on perks for you, especially at the local level.

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4/5

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4/5

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Freedom Forever Solar Installation Process

Going solar with Freedom Forever Solar will involve a similar process to what you’d see with most other providers. However, there are some potential differences in the quality of service and communication you’ll see along the way. We’ll detail the steps you can expect to take below.

Step 1: Property Assessment

The first order of business when you contact a sales rep from Freedom Forever will be a property inspection and assessment. At this point in the process, Freedom Forever is usually very quick to respond to secure your business, and the company often gets a salesperson or rep out to inspect your roof, your electric meter and other areas for add-on product installation within just a few days.

Step 2: System Design and Free Quote

After the property assessment is completed, your sales rep will pass your project to the design team, which will begin designing a solar power system that is customized to fit your roof and meet your energy demands. The design phase should only take a few days, and Freedom Forever is usually very quick to get this part of the process done as well.

Some customers have mentioned delays here in reviews, but most get a proposed design and formal solar quote shortly after the inspection.

Step 3: Permitting and Scheduling

If you choose to sign the contract, the company will begin pulling permits for your rooftop solar system, which are required by your local building department. The permitting and preparation process can take weeks in some cases, and although some Freedom Forever customers noted delays here, the likelihood is that they were caused by building departments being backed up.

While we don’t fault Freedom Forever for this, we should mention that companies with better customer service are typically communicative throughout this process to illustrate that the delay is caused by a third party. Freedom Forever is known to have lapses in communication.

Step 4: Installation

Freedom Forever Solar will schedule the installation for your system, but the actual installation work will be outsourced to a third-party company. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that the company has less control over the quality of the installation and the professionalism and responsiveness of the installation crew.

On the day of the installation, your team should arrive in the morning and wrap up the installation that afternoon or, in some cases, the following day. You should plan on being home for the entire installation process, as the technicians will need access to your house to connect your system and install your batteries, if applicable.

Step 5: Inspections and System Connection

Once the installation is completed, Freedom Forever will take back the reins and schedule final inspections with your building department and your electric company. The building department inspection is required to close out your permits, and the energy company inspection is necessary to activate your system and connect you to the grid.

Unfortunately, this is another area where some homeowners experience delays on the part of Freedom Forever. Reliable companies often have these scheduled in advance on the day of the installation, but a system installed through Freedom Forever could sit for days or even weeks without being activated.

Step 6: Solar Monitoring, Incentives and Warranty Claims

Once your system is activated, you’ll be responsible for monitoring it going forward. More hands-on companies will help you set up solar monitoring apps, if applicable, but, depending on the installer assigned to your project by Freedom Forever, you might not get that luxury.

Additionally, some of the best solar system installers will apply for incentives for you to help you save money. The post-installation communication from Freedom Forever is often said to be lacking, so there’s a good chance you’ll be on your own to file for some of the perks available.

Finally, reliable companies have fast response times to warranty claims, but Freedom Forever is known to have delays here as well. Some customers have complained that their systems sit for weeks or even months with reduced levels of production and decreased savings waiting for Freedom Forever to resolve issues covered under warranty.

Freedom Forever Solar Warranty

When you go solar with Freedom Forever, you get a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty from the panel manufacturer. This protection plan covers manufacturer defects, which could cause dips in efficiency and production. This is standard coverage among most tier-one panel brands, and it’s available from all of the brands offered by the installer.

The panel manufacturers also offer a 25-year production warranty, which guarantees a maximum efficiency degradation within the first year, as well as a per-year degradation in each subsequent year. The degradation rates vary by manufacturer.

The only coverage that’s actually offered by Freedom Forever Solar is a standalone production warranty, which lasts for 25 years. This coverage ensures that your panels generate the energy the company claims on your solar proposal. Most importantly, Freedom Forever claims that it will pay you for any lost energy savings if you do run into an issue.

Unfortunately, Freedom Forever has a history of warranty claims going unresponded to, so there’s a chance you might not actually get the promised service. If you do, you’re likely to run into delays on Freedom Forever’s part, as many customers have noted in their reviews.

Another downside to Freedom Forever is that it doesn’t include a workmanship warranty. These coverages help ensure your installation is done properly and safely, which can help avoid problems with panel damage caused by the installation team, as well as roof leaks.

Without a workmanship warranty, you don’t get the same peace of mind you would from an installer that does offer one. The industry average labor warranty lasts for ten years, so Freedom Forever definitely falls short here.

Overall, the panels installed by Freedom Forever Solar should last for between 25 and 30 years, which is average. Still, it would be nice to have more robust coverage and for the provider not to have a poor reputation for responding to warranty claims.

Does Freedom Forever Solar Offer Any Other Services?

Freedom Forever Solar installs solar panels and solar batteries, which are common services offered by solar panel installation companies. The battery options include Tesla Powerwalls and LG Chem batteries, both of which provide great value for the money.

Unlike many other companies, Freedom Forever Solar doesn’t install electric vehicle (EV) chargers, nor does it offer other add-on services, like roof replacement or repair, insulation installation, window and door replacement or other energy efficiency home improvements.

If you’re looking for a company that can tackle panels, batteries and EV chargers, we suggest checking out SunPower. You can read our SunPower review to see if this is a better company choice for your solar project. In most cases, local or regional installers will have a wider range of services.

Where Is Freedom Forever Solar Available?

Freedom Forever Solar is currently available in 28 states, which is more than most providers, even considering those that operate nationally. We’ll include a list of the states the company currently services below:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Wisconsin

Freedom Forever Solar also notes on its website that it’s actively working on expanding to three additional states, as well, including the following:

• Michigan
• Washington
• Wyoming

Freedom Forever Solar Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are one of the best ways to determine how well a company treats and serves its customers in real-world applications. On paper, Freedom Forever is a decent company, but a lot of negative reviews suggest otherwise. Overall, the provider has more negative reviews than a lot of other national companies, including SunPower, Blue Raven Solar and ADT Solar.

Since we’ve read through dozens of Freedom Forever Solar reviews, we’ll explain what positive and negative comments we’ve seen most often in the following sections.

Positive Reviews of Freedom Forever Solar

Some customers are pleased with the service they receive and are happy with the response time, communication and attention they got from the installer. Quite a few customers mention how fast the company is to respond, get a property inspection done and provide a formal solar quote, which helps speed up the initial steps of the solar conversion process.

A lot of reviews also mention that they feel the quality of the system they get is outstanding, specifically noting that they see immediate energy savings and, in many cases, eliminated electric bills.

Many customers are also pleased with the professionalism and timeliness of the installation team, although it’s important to keep in mind that installations are done by third parties, so your experience may vary.

Negative Reviews of Freedom Forever Solar

Unfortunately, the negative reviews for Freedom Forever Solar outnumber the positive ones.

One of the most common complaints we saw about Freedom Forever was about delays in the installation process and long periods of no communication, sometimes to the point of customers calling the company a scam and urging others to stay away. Some customers have even mentioned multiple hits on their credit reports, although this is unsubstantiated.

It’s clear that your experience is largely based on the third-party installer assigned to your project, which means you can never be sure what your service is going to be like.

Quite a few customers also mention that they’ve had issues with Freedom Forever not responding to warranty claims or taking a long time to respond. This is a big red flag, in our opinion, and it immediately calls into question the professionalism and trustworthiness of the company.

The company currently has a notice on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website about a history of complaints from customers regarding partially installed systems or systems that aren’t connected or working properly. BBB also notes that there are significant delays in getting warranty claim responses and resolutions.

Lastly, some customers complain about the cost, which is not surprising, given the price of a Freedom Forever system is well above the industry average. More importantly, customers feel that the service they get for the money isn’t worthwhile.

Freedom Forever Solar vs Other Solar Providers

Generally speaking, we recommend avoiding Freedom Forever. With above-average prices and a lack of warranty coverage and good customer service, we feel your money will go further with a better and more reliable installation company.

If you’re looking for the positive aspects of Freedom Forever — like wide scale availability and a wealth of payment options — but you also want better warranty coverage and customer service, we’d recommend checking out SunPower. The table below includes a look at how Freedom Forever Solar compares to other national companies, including SunPower.

Bottom Line: Will Freedom Forever Solar Work for You?

Overall, we don’t recommend getting a solar panel system installed by Freedom Forever. The company has above-average pricing, which isn’t always a bad thing, but we feel the quality of the service you get doesn’t justify the price. The company doesn’t offer any workmanship warranty, is known to cause delays in the installation process and has a long history of failing to respond to warranty claims.

We would strongly recommend getting quotes from other providers, like SunPower and ADT Solar, as these providers have a better reputation and superior warranty coverage, and they are more likely to provide excellent customer service. You can use the tool below to get multiple quotes from reliable installers in your area.

Methodology: How We Reviewed Freedom Forever Solar

When we review solar companies, we do hours of research and read through dozens of customer reviews to make sure we only recommend companies that are likely to meet or exceed your expectations. Solar is expensive, and we want to make sure you have a quality team behind your installation. We rank companies based on six main criteria, which we’ll explain below.

• Reputation (20%): Since there are so many solar companies that operate across the U.S., we first prioritize a company’s reputation among customers. We read through dozens and sometimes hundreds of reviews to see where a company shines and where it falls flat. Freedom Forever lets us down in this area, as a lot of the customer reviews are negative. More importantly, the complaints are commonly about serious issues, like a lack of response to warranty claims and severe delays in the installation process.

• Cost and financing (20%): Solar equipment is expensive, so we prioritize companies that maintain average or below-average pricing. Alongside price, we consider the quality of the equipment, service and warranty coverage you get. Unfortunately, Freedom Forever is quite expensive, and we don’t feel you get the quality you pay for. We also look at how accessible a company keeps its services. Companies that accept a variety of payment methods help bring solar to more customers, and Freedom Forever does shine here by accepting all four common payment options.

• Services (20%): Next, we look at the services offered by each installer. Companies that can couple panels with solar batteries, EV chargers, energy efficiency home improvements and more rank higher because they appeal to more customers and provide more system customization. Freedom Forever is slightly below average in this arena, as the company only handles panel and battery installations.

• Installation process (20%): We put a lot of weight on the installation process, including the timeline for installation, the professionalism of the installer and any delays or complications caused by the company. Freedom Forever has a history of long delays and a lack of communication throughout the installation process, so it definitely lost some points here. Additionally, the company outsources installation to third parties, and while this isn’t inherently a bad thing, it does lead to spotty customer service during the installation in the case of Freedom Forever.

• Customer experience (10%): Next, we read through customer reviews to get a sense of the overall customer experience. Unfortunately, Freedom Forever has a lot of negative reviews from customers who have had poor experiences. There’s also a note to potential customers on the BBB website that states that the company has a history of complaints and poor customer experience. As such, Freedom Forever lost quite a lot of points here.

• Availability (10%): Finally, we consider how widely available a company’s services are. Providers with a wider service area will naturally appeal to more customers, and since Freedom Forever is in an above-average 28 states, it does quite well in this category.