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

EcoWatch Reviews Methodology

To create this comprehensive review of Freedom Forever Solar, I drew from my years of experience analyzing solar companies as an industry expert. I researched all aspects of Freedom Forever’s business using public data, analyzing it through the lens of my own experience as a solar consumer and an expert in the renewable energy space. I examined the company’s products and services, documenting its equipment specs and reviewing its installation practices.

As part of my review, I acted as a secret shopper to get firsthand experience with Freedom Forever’s quote and consultation process. I evaluated the knowledge and professionalism of the company’s representatives and gauged the responsiveness of the company’s support infrastructure.

One data point isn’t enough to measure an entire company, so I supplemented my experience by reading dozens of customer reviews of Freedom Forever Solar on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Reviews, and Trustpilot. I used those customer reviews to detect patterns in how the company deals with its existing customers and how it responds to support requests.

I packaged all of that information into digestible sections using EcoWatch’s proprietary solar company assessment criteria. Each section below has a score that reflects Freedom Forever Solar’s performance in a critical area. The areas I cover are standard services and financing, extra services, environmental impact and sustainability, equipment quality and reliability, company reputation, and customer service. The final result is an unbiased score for Freedom Forever Solar, which I then use to compare the company to other solar providers.

Freedom Forever Solar: In-Depth Review

What I Like About Freedom Forever Solar

One positive thing about Freedom Forever Solar is its 25-year production warranty, which guarantees that your system maintains a certain fraction of its initial performance for at least 25 years. This guarantee is separate from your equipment’s manufacturer’s warranty and offers additional protection against anomalous degradation, which helps keep your savings high as your system ages. Most solar companies offer some type of performance warranty, and while the terms vary quite a lot from one installer to the next, the production warranty you get from Freedom Forever is in line with the industry average, so it’s really nothing that stands apart from the rest.

I also like that Freedom Forever’s installations are typically speedy. A common theme throughout the customer reviews I analyzed was that the company’s installers were timely and efficient. One caveat is that your experience will depend on the subcontractors in your area since Freedom Forever contracts out its installations to third-party installers, but more on this and why it’s not always ideal later.

Freedom Forever offers all of the major financing options I expect to see from a national solar company, which is another positive. You can pay for your system in cash, take out a solar loan, or enter into a lease or PPA. I’ll cover why I don’t recommend leases or PPAs later, but I still appreciate that the company offers these options for people who can’t afford to pay cash or get approved for a loan. It provides easier access to renewable energy, which, at this point, is what the solar industry should focus on to make the biggest impact. 

A less meaningful advantage of Freedom Forever Solar is that it has locations in 33 states, which means there’s a better than 50% chance that the company operates in your state. Of course, having a wide coverage area won’t matter to you if the company doesn’t work in your area, so this is only a minor factor in our scoring.

What I Don’t Like About Freedom Forever Solar

My primary issue with Freedom Forever Solar is the company’s inconsistent customer service. Customer reviews reveal a concerning pattern of unresponsive or unhelpful interactions with Freedom Forever representatives, especially after the installation is completed. Many customers — far too many, in my opinion — report problems getting the company to address underperforming systems or honor its warranties and guarantees. This undermines the praise I gave in the previous section for the company’s performance guarantee. What good is a production warranty if the company doesn’t uphold its end of the deal? I understand that the scope of Freedom Forever’s business is bound to create a few disgruntled customers, but the sheer volume of complaints is concerning.

Another thing I don’t like about Freedom Forever’s business model is its reliance on third-party installers. Companies that contract their installations out to third parties tend to have more complaints than companies that use in-house teams. The reason is simple: Juggling multiple points of contact is more likely to lead to confusion and delays than having your project managed by one representative from a single company. It also can be a challenge to get someone to take responsibility for an issue if there are multiple companies to point a finger at, which could contribute to some of those negative reviews mentioned above. I recommend at least considering going with a company that uses in-house installers whenever you can because your odds of having a problem during installation are lower.

Freedom Forever’s selection of products and services is more limited than what you can get from other installers. For example, the company doesn’t install electric vehicle (EV) chargers, perform energy efficiency upgrades, or carry out roof repair/replacement before installing solar or provide company monitoring for your panels to uncover production issues early. While these aren’t strictly necessary, they’re nice options to have, and more high-quality solar companies are offering them now.

You probably already get the sense that I’m not much of a Freedom Forever solar fan, but I’ve saved the most egregious problem I have with the company for last: Freedom Forever doesn’t offer a workmanship warranty. Not offering a labor warranty is unacceptable because it gives you no recourse to repair any damage that occurs as a result of shoddy workmanship during your installation. 

By not offering a labor warranty, Freedom Forever is essentially saying that it doesn’t guarantee that its technicians won’t damage your home during installation. For a company that outsources all of its installations in the first place, this is a major downside that prevents me from recommending Freedom Forever in good conscience.

Freedom Forever Solar Installation Process and Timeline

Most Freedom Forever customers report a relatively quick and painless installation, although your experience may vary depending on where you live. In general, Freedom Forever Solar’s installation process is similar to what you’ll get from most other installers.

The following outlines Freedom Forever’s installation timeline:

• Initial consultation and site assessment: Freedom Forever typically schedules initial consultations quickly, so you likely won’t have to wait long for your site assessment — usually just a few days. During your initial visit, a sales rep from Freedom Forever will come to your home to take measurements and ask you some questions to determine whether your home is a good candidate for solar panels. The representative will need access to your roof to take measurements and inspect it to see if it needs repairing or replacement before your panels are installed. Since Freedom Forever doesn’t offer roofing services, you’ll need a third-party company to conduct the repairs if you do need them. Freedom Forever will also need access to your water meter to check for proper grounding, as well as your electrical panel to ensure your system can handle the load placed on it from your solar array. Be prepared with copies of recent electricity bills, which the company needs to design your system to meet your home’s energy usage. If you want to include solar batteries in your system, your representative will also need access to the area where you want them installed.
• System design and contract signing: After your initial consultation, Freedom Forever will use the information it collected to design a system tailored to your home. The design step typically takes a few days, which is about average in the industry. Once the company finalizes your design, a representative will send you the design documents along with an estimate of the total cost. If you decide to go with Freedom Forever Solar, this is when you’ll sign your contract and choose your financing option. Freedom Forever offers all major financing options, including cash purchases, loans, leases, and PPAs.
• Permits and approvals: After you sign your contract but before Freedom Forever can install your system, it must obtain permits and approvals from your local government. The company will apply for the permits on your behalf, so you won’t have to manage dealing with your local government yourself. Again, this is the standard in the industry, so it’s not a case of Freedom Forever going above and beyond. This step of the process can be time-consuming, and delays of weeks or months are not uncommon. If you encounter delays at this stage, it’s usually not Freedom Forever’s fault since how long you wait depends on how swiftly your local government can process permit applications. Once Freedom Forever gets approval from the local government, a representative of the company will reach out to you to schedule your installation. Freedom Forever customers say that the company schedules installations quickly — one benefit of using third-party installers — so you might not have to wait more than a few weeks for an installation date. Keep in mind that your experience may vary. You might have to wait anywhere from a few weeks up to a month or more, depending on how backed up your local installers are. Generally speaking, though, this part of the process with Freedom Forever will be fast.
• Installation day: The vast majority of Freedom Forever installations take just a few hours, so you’ll most likely have your system completely installed in just one day. If your system is pretty standard and only consists of panels, a rack, wiring, and inverters, it will almost certainly take only a few hours to complete. More complex systems that include batteries will take slightly longer. Many customers praise Freedom Forever for having a quick, efficient installation, but your experience will depend on the subcontractors the company hires to perform your installation. Single-day installations are nice, but again, most major companies tackle installations in just one day.
• Interconnection and final approval: Once your system is installed, it still needs to be inspected by a professional electrician from your power company. Once they sign off that your system was installed correctly and is safe to use, your system will be connected to the grid, and you can start pulling power from your panels. It is unlikely that you’ll encounter problems at this stage, as the installers Freedom Forever uses are certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), which is an independent organization that trains and certifies clean energy system installers.

Your solar system will be fully operational once it’s connected to the grid, but an inspector from your local building department will still come by your home to make sure the installation is up to code. You don’t need to do anything to prepare for this inspection if you just installed panels, so it’s just something you should be aware of so you’re not surprised by a visit from the building department. The only thing you might have to do is provide access to your solar batteries if your system has them, which usually involves scheduling an inspection with the inspector.

Overall, Freedom Forever’s installation process is similar to what you’ll get from most large, national solar installers. Customer reviews suggest that the company might be a bit faster at scheduling its initial consultations and installations than some other solar installers, but it really depends on the demand and availability when you’re looking to schedule your appointments.

Freedom Forever Solar Standard Services & Financing

22/25

Freedom Forever performs well in this category, losing only three points for relying on third-party installers instead of using in-house installation teams. I recommend going with an installer that uses in-house teams since you’re less likely to encounter delays and issues when the installation is managed by the same company that sells the equipment. It’s much more likely for communication to break down when you’re dealing with two companies, which could lead to confusion and frustration for you.

Freedom Forever Solar offers all of the standard services and equipment I expect a major solar installer to offer, including solar panels, solar batteries, and system monitoring via your phone. The company recently started installing its own Freedom Forever Solar Panel brand, which appears to be a white-labeled NE Solar panel. I’ll discuss panel options more in a later section. For now, all you need to know is that the company’s selection is limited. It gets the job done but doesn’t offer any room for customization.

Freedom Forever also offers standard system monitoring via the Enphase or SolarEdge app, depending on the type of inverters your system uses. Enphase and SolarEdge are the two biggest manufacturers of inverters used in residential solar systems in the U.S., and they’re the only brands Freedom Forever uses. This limited equipment isn’t a big deal, as these inverters are, by far, the most prevalent, and most installers exclusively use these brands. If you choose to include one or more Tesla Powerwalls in your system, you can also use the Tesla app to view your system’s performance and change your storage settings. All three apps are available for free on both iOS and Android.

Surprisingly, the company offers a better selection of solar batteries than panels. You can choose between Tesla Powerwall batteries or LG Chem batteries, according to the company’s website, although LG Chem created a separate company (LG Energy Solution) back in 2020 to handle battery research and production. Both battery options are reliable options for providing a means of storing any excess power your system generates and acting as an emergency backup during outages.

It’s worth mentioning that solar batteries are becoming more beneficial and even necessities for maximizing solar savings over time as states repeal and revise their net metering — also called net energy metering or NEM — programs. Net metering allows you to route any extra electricity your panels produce back to the power grid for a credit. You can use that credit to pay for electricity later when your panels aren’t generating enough to meet consumption, effectively saving you money and smoothing out your savings over time. Basically, net metering lets you take advantage of the energy your panels produce on sunny days and use it at night or during cloudy weather.

Net metering programs used to pay you at a one-to-one rate for the energy you produced, so your credit for one kilowatt-hour (kWh) was equal to the price you would pay your electric company to pull one kWh from the grid. That meant that you’d always get the full retail value for your produced solar power, regardless of when you used it. Recently, California changed its net metering program from NEM 2.0 to NEM 3.0 and, in the process, reduced the credit you get for selling your electricity by 75%. Unfortunately, many states follow California’s lead when it comes to solar policy (as many did when the state moved from NEM to NEM 2.0), so I expect other states to follow suit and reduce the rates they pay solar customers for the energy their panels generate. Many are already starting to do so.

If you live somewhere without a net metering program, solar batteries are an ideal investment and might even be necessary to see significant savings over time. However, if your state has net metering, I recommend forgoing solar batteries since the benefit you get from them — really just backup power during outages — won’t justify the additional $11,000 you’ll have to pay for them, on average.

Cost and Financing Options

Freedom Forever offers all four of the financing options you typically see throughout the solar industry: cash purchases, loans, leases, and PPAs. I like the flexibility that Freedom Forever provides, even though I don’t recommend leasing your solar panels or entering a PPA. Let me explain why.

To put it simply, leasing solar panels or entering a PPA severely limits the amount of money you can save. Based on our research, the average homeowner who purchases a solar system saves $31,513 over 25 years, not including the money that goes into paying back the system’s initial cost, which is an additional $29,970 on average. The savings you get from owning your solar system come from reduced — or zero, in some cases — electricity bills every month for 25 years. Keep in mind that these savings are based on our calculations using current electricity rates, and with rates on the rise, actual savings are likely to be higher.

Now, I understand that most people don’t have $29,970 on hand to purchase a solar system in full up-front. However, financing your panels with a loan will still save you roughly $26,513 over 25 years after paying an average of $5,000 in interest, based on our data, which again is after the panels pay for themselves.

On the other hand, your lifetime savings will be limited to around $5,000 if you lease your solar panels or between $4,000 and $5,000 if you enter into a PPA. You’re effectively leaving $20,000 to $25,000 on the table if you lease your panels instead of buying them.

If that’s not enough to convince you to pay cash or take out a loan, there’s more. The federal government offers the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which lets you claim 30% of your solar system’s total cost to reduce your federal tax burden for the year when you have your system installed. For an average-priced $29,970 9-kW system, that amounts to an additional $8,991 in savings. Here’s the catch: you’re only eligible to claim the credit if you own your system, which means that you have to pay cash or finance with a loan to claim the tax credit. If you don’t owe enough on your taxes to claim the entire credit, then this is a moot point, but it’s definitely worth considering before you decide which financing option is right for you.

Unfortunately, Freedom Forever Solar doesn’t make its financing rates or terms public, so you won’t know the rate you can get until you see the company’s proposal. The company’s website says that you may qualify for a solar loan with a credit score as low as 600, which is unusually low. Most companies require a credit score of at least 650 to qualify. Freedom Forever partners with Mosaic and Sunrun for financing. Both of these companies require around 650 credit scores, so it seems Freedom Forever may have worked out a deal with both to serve people with lower scores. This is a plus, in my opinion, as it helps make solar more attainable to people who might otherwise need a lease or PPA.

Freedom Forever scores well in this category, but, unfortunately it’s all downhill from here.

Freedom Forever Solar Extra Services Offered

0/5

Freedom Forever Solar doesn’t offer any of the additional services that I think are the most important. The nature of extra services is that they’re not essential — which is why this category is only worth five points — but the best solar companies stay ahead of their competition by offering their customers more.

Freedom Forever Solar doesn’t install EV charging stations, which means you’ll have to buy one separately and have another company install it if you decide to add one to your system. Since electric vehicle popularity is increasing, installing EV chargers is becoming less of an optional add-on and more of a requirement for solar companies. Plus, if you have an EV or know you’re going to buy one in the future, I recommend choosing an installer who can include a charger with your solar array. That way, you can lump the cost into the total system price and get a higher federal tax credit, meaning greater potential savings for you.

Other modern services that Freedom Forever doesn’t offer are energy audits and energy efficiency upgrades. Solar installers like Trinity Solar will assess your home’s energy usage and help you improve its energy efficiency by recommending energy-efficient upgrades. These recommendations usually include replacing old appliances with Energy Star-certified appliances and replacing leaky doors and windows with new, better-insulating options. These upgrades can save you money on your solar system since you’ll need less electricity and, potentially, fewer panels to meet your needs. Of course, having a more energy-efficient home will save you money by lowering your electricity bills even if you don’t have solar panels, so I love to see installers offering these perks.

Some solar companies also provide roofing services, which makes it easy to fix any issues you need to address before you install a rooftop solar system. Freedom Forever Solar doesn’t have an in-house roofing team, so you’ll have to hire an independent roofing contractor to fix any issues that Freedom Forever could uncover during your initial inspection.

Finally, Freedom Forever doesn’t monitor your solar system itself, so it’s up to you to monitor your system’s production and catch any problems. Some companies monitor your system remotely, which can help detect problems before they get out of hand. While solar panel systems are relatively robust, it’s not that uncommon to encounter an issue at some point in your system’s life. A faulty panel or malfunctioning inverter can reduce your performance, and if you don’t notice right away, you’ll lose some savings. Remote monitoring is still relatively uncommon, but it’s a nice perk that I expect to see more companies offer in the coming years.

Freedom Forever Solar Environmental Impact & Sustainability Practices

2.5/10

Freedom Forever Solar installs its own brand of panel, dubbed the Freedom Forever Solar Panel. As far as I can tell (more on this later), the panel is a white-labeled version of the 370-watt (W) panel from New East Solar (NE Solar). These panels are manufactured outside of the U.S., which makes it much harder to know whether or not the manufacturing supply chain used to make them meets sustainability standards.

NE Solar doesn’t have a panel recycling program, and it’s unclear whether or not the company uses recycled materials to make new panels. Waste is a big problem for the solar industry, and more companies are addressing the issue by offering end-of-life recycling programs that make it easy for customers to dispose of old solar panels responsibly. 

I have to be transparent here and note that it’s not entirely obvious that the Freedom Forever Solar Panel is a white-labeled NE Solar Panel. Some reports online suggest that they’re rebranded QCells panels, and others suggest that they’re rebranded REC panels. QCells and REC both have much better sustainability scores, as they use recycled material and have robust recycling programs. Since it’s unclear which brand Freedom Forever’s panels really are, you’ll have to take this score with the understanding that it could be higher. It doesn’t change my overall opinion of Freedom Forever, though.

Freedom Forever Solar scores some points in this category because the company is aware of its environmental impact and at least pays lip service to the idea of upholding sustainability standards.

For example, Freedom Forever is committed to educating the public about the benefits of residential solar installations and dedicates an entire page on its website to the positive impact rooftop solar systems have on the environment. In the company’s ten years in business, it has installed enough solar systems to offset over 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. That’s a tremendous positive impact on the environment that’s only going to grow as Freedom Forever expands its service area to bring solar to more homeowners.

Another positive is that Freedom Forever’s CEO, Chad Towner, hosts a podcast called Solar Disruption Theory. In it, he discusses topics like how to finance the clean energy movement and the future of solar policy with other solar industry experts. The podcast is an excellent source of up-to-date information about the solar industry, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. If you’re interested, I advise starting with the episode on solving the supply chain issues that plague the solar industry, which I’ve linked below. This dives into sustainability problems with solar panel production.

Freedom Forever Solar Equipment Quality & Reliability

11.7/25

I mentioned in the previous section that there is some uncertainty about what panels Freedom Forever installs. Before I get into the details of assessing a panel’s quality and reliability, I want to explain why the situation with Freedom Forever Solar isn’t as cut and dry as some of the other solar installers we review.

On its website, Freedom Forever says that it installs its own brand of solar panel called the Freedom Forever Solar Panel. The problem is that Freedom Forever isn’t a solar panel manufacturer, which means it is most likely white-labeling a panel from a company that makes photovoltaic (PV) panels. Unfortunately, Freedom Forever doesn’t disclose what manufacturer it uses, which makes it hard to know the specifications and ratings of its panels.

An unverifiable claim made on Reddit suggests that the Freedom Forever Solar Panel is made by NE Solar. That post uses the label on a Freedom Forever panel to deduce that the panels are most likely the NESE 370-60MH panel based on the similarity of the two panel’s specs. I agree with the analysis and will assume that Freedom Forever installs the NESE 370-60MH, acknowledging that I’m not 100% certain that it’s the case. Transparency is a major issue in the solar industry, and companies like Freedom Forever Solar could do themselves and their potential customers a great service by simply disclosing the equipment they install.

With that out of the way, I want to explain the criteria I use to rate solar installers based on the panels they install. The following list explains the various categories I use to rank a company based on the specifications of the solar panels it offers:

• Average efficiency rating: Some energy is lost when solar panels convert sunlight to electricity. How much energy gets converted to usable power is called a panel’s efficiency rating. A typical efficiency rating for a tier-one residential solar panel is between 20% and 22%. Panel manufacturers usually make a range of solar panels with different efficiency ratings. A panel manufacturer’s average efficiency rating is the average efficiency of all of the panel options it makes. Companies that install panels from manufacturers that make panels with average efficiency ratings above 22% receive a perfect score in this category, as higher scores mean you’re more likely to get a panel that meets or exceeds your production, even if you don’t choose a specific brand offered by the installer.
• Maximum efficiency rating: This category is similar to the average efficiency rating, but it instead measures the maximum efficiency panel that a company installs. The maximum efficiency rating is useful for comparing companies if you’re looking for a high-efficiency panel for maximum power output since it quickly tells you which company offers the panel with the highest efficiency rating and production capacity. A company must offer at least one panel with an efficiency rating of at least 22.8% or higher to receive full marks in this section.
• Negative/positive power tolerance: These tolerance ratings tell you how much lower or higher a solar panel’s power output may be compared to its listed energy-generation value. The average tolerance rating across the solar industry is -0%/+5%, which means that a panel will produce at least as much power as the manufacturer states (-0%) and up to 5% more (+5%). To get a perfect score in this category, a panel must have a negative tolerance of -0% and a positive tolerance of over +5%. Lower-quality panels tend to have lower positive tolerances, for example +3%, and lower negative tolerances, for example -5%.
• First-year degradation: Like any type of technology, solar panels degrade over time. They lose efficiency over their entire lifespan but lose the most in the first year after installation. The first-year degradation rate measures how much efficiency a panel loses in its first year of operation. You should look for panels with low degradation rates since they’ll maintain their performance for longer than panels with higher degradation rates. It’s possible for a panel with a higher efficiency rating to save you less than a panel with a lower efficiency rating if it has a higher degradation rate, so this is a crucial factor to consider. We give panels with first-year degradation rates of 1% or lower the highest score possible in this category.
• Subsequent year degradation: Solar panels continue to lose efficiency after the first year at a rate of around 0.33% each year. We consider panels that lose less than 0.25% per year to be excellent, and we give them the most points for this metric. We consider panels with degradation rates between 0.26% and 0.35% to be good since they will produce enough power after 25 years to be worth buying. Panels with degradation rates above 0.35% can still be great options, but depending on the starting efficiency, you might be better off buying a panel with a lower degradation rate instead.
• Max wind load: This category is extremely important if you live somewhere that regularly experiences high winds. A panel’s max wind load rating measures how much wind force it can withstand without damage. It is usually measured in units of pressure (Pascals), but you can convert Pascals to an effective wind speed using this wind load calculator. Solar panels with a max wind load of 3,000 Pascals (Pa) or greater are the most durable and can withstand wind speeds up to 156 mph, which is good enough to make it through most hurricanes. A wind load rating of 2,000 is still good and indicates that a panel can withstand wind speeds up to 127 mph, which should be enough for all but the most extreme wind storms. You might be able to get away with lower max wind loads if you don’t live somewhere that gets extreme wind storms, like hurricanes, tropical storms, or tornadoes, but I still suggest optimizing for this metric a bit, just to be safe. Panels with a rating of 3,000 Pa or higher score the highest in our ratings and should perform well regardless of your location.
• Max snow load: This rating is similar to the max wind load rating, but it tells you the maximum pressure your panels can support safely, specifically for snow loads. A panel’s max snow load is also measured in Pascals. A max snow load rating of 7,000 Pa or greater is considered excellent and means that a panel can withstand between 9.5 and 10 feet of snow safely. If you don’t live somewhere that gets a lot of snow, you should be fine with panels with a max snow load rating of between 2,000 and 3,000 Pa, although somewhere around 5,800 Pa is considered the industry average.
• Equipment warranty: Solar installers typically pass the manufacturer’s warranty on to their customers, which means that the equipment warranty you get depends on the panels you choose. Longer equipment warranties are better, but 25 years is the standard length for equipment warranties throughout the solar industry. Companies that install panels with at least a 25-year equipment warranty score the most points in this category. It’s important to understand that the equipment warranty doesn’t cover labor or efficiency, which are both covered under separate warranties provided by your installer.
• Efficiency warranty: Efficiency warranties guarantee that your panels will continue to produce at a given capacity after some time frame, typically 25 years. These warranties protect you from suffering underproduction if you happen to get a faulty panel. In general, longer efficiency warranties are better, but a longer efficiency warranty that guarantees low performance may not be as beneficial as a shorter warranty that has a higher efficiency guarantee. You need to look at both the length of the warranty and the degradation terms (for first-year and subsequent-year degradation).

Now that you understand what each category means, here’s Freedom Forever’s panel stats, again, assuming that it’s the NESE 370-60MH:

• Average efficiency rating: 20.31%
• Maximum efficiency rating: 20.31%
• Negative/positive power tolerance: NA/+5%
• First-year degradation: 2.5%
• Subsequent-year degradation: 0.55%
• Max wind load: 2,400 Pa
• Max snow load: 5,400 Pa
• Equipment warranty: 12 years
• Efficiency warranty: 25 years

Let’s start with the acceptable parts. The NE Solar panel sits at the low end of the typical efficiency rating range with a 20.31% rating. It has a solid positive tolerance score, but the spec sheet for the panels doesn’t list its negative tolerance, which is frustrating. Instead, the positive tolerance is listed as 0 to 5w. This isn’t even the proper way to list tolerances, and it should include a percentage of the given efficiency, not a figure in watts.

The panel’s max snow load rating is also good, although it’s not the best if you regularly get large snowfalls. Its max wind load rating is acceptable as long as you don’t live somewhere prone to extreme winds.

Unfortunately, the panel’s degradation rates aren’t great. Both the first-year degradation rate of 2.5% and the subsequent-year rate of 0.55% are higher than the solar industry average by a decent amount. When you combine higher-than-average degradation rates with low starting efficiency, you get a panel that starts out with average performance but quickly becomes worse. After 25 years, the performance guarantee is just 84.3%, which might sound good, but that’s significantly lower than the industry average — around 90% — which means your panels won’t generate as much electricity as most other panels after 25 years.

The bottom line is that Freedom Forever installs low-quality panels. The efficiency rating starts out low and gets worse faster than similar panels from other manufacturers, which means you’ll save less money in the long run than you will with panels from another manufacturer. 

Warranties and Guarantees

Freedom Forever’s panels come with a 12-year equipment warranty provided by NE Solar. The average length of equipment warranties in the industry is 25 years, so you get less than half of the coverage period if you go with Freedom Forever Solar. If you encounter any equipment-related problems after 12 years, you’ll have to pay to handle them yourself, which, in my opinion, is a major downside.

The company’s power-production warranty is better and lasts for 25 years. The level of production that’s guaranteed is lower than I’d like to see at 84.3% after 25 years, but the coverage period is average.

While neither the equipment warranty nor the production warranty you get from Freedom Forever Solar is exceptional, a bigger problem is that the company doesn’t offer a general workmanship warranty. You do get 10 years’ worth of roof penetration protection, provided your roof is in good condition. This is a big deal, and it’s a perk that most installers don’t offer. It’s strange to me — and unfortunate — that Freedom Forever provides this but doesn’t include any other type of issue related to labor.

Freedom Forever’s warranty coverage pales in comparison to the coverage you get from other national providers like SunPower and Blue Raven Solar. Even Freedom Forever’s production warranty (which is the best warranty it offers) comes with a low-efficiency guarantee that makes its impressive-sounding 25-year coverage period less relevant.

Freedom Forever Solar Company Reputation

19/25

Freedom Forever Solar has a reputation that I would characterize as average by solar industry standards. Even reputable solar companies collect negative reviews over their time in business because people who encounter problems — which are unavoidable over hundreds and thousands of installations — are more likely to write reviews than people who don’t have problems. With that said, having more negative reviews than average can be a sign that a company doesn’t support its customers.

Freedom Forever maintains a B+ rating with the BBB and scores 3.51 out of 5.0 across 1,140 reviews on the BBB website. The B+ rating is decent but indicates that Freedom Forever has had customer complaints. On the other hand, the 3.51 score in more than 1,000 reviews is actually quite good compared to other solar companies. Most companies have average scores between 2.0 and 3.0 on BBB reviews.

However, the company’s rating on Trustpilot is just 1.8 out of 5.0 in 60 reviews. The discrepancy is hard to explain, but as you’ll see in the next section, the trends and patterns found in customer reviews paint a more concerning picture than the scores suggest.

Freedom Forever was founded in 2011, which means it has 13 years in business. Companies with more than a decade of experience get full marks in this category because 10 years is more than enough time to get a feel for a company’s reputation. Performance over longer time periods is more impressive than performance over shorter spans, especially when the solar industry sees a lot of companies popping up and going out of business within just a few years. Longevity is important in this industry.

Freedom Forever’s website mentions that it is a NABCEP-certified company and that its president is NABCEP-certified, so it gets full marks here. NABCEP provides standards for solar companies to uphold and only certifies companies that meet its quality checks. I recommend going with a NABCEP-certified installer because your installation will most likely go more smoothly than it would with a company that doesn’t have certification. 

The company is also a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which is the national trade association for solar companies in the U.S. This helps establish the company’s relevance in and commitment to the industry as a whole, although it doesn’t, by itself, suggest quality installations or service.

Freedom Forever’s coverage area is also better than average. The company has locations in 33 states, and its website says that two new locations are coming soon, one in Minnesota and one in West Virginia. We give perfect scores to companies in 40 or more states, but Freedom Forever still gets half points in this category.

Consumer Reviews and Testimonials

The following sections showcase a selection of Freedom Forever Solar reviews that I believe to be a fair representation of the company’s overall reputation. I broke up my review analysis into separate sections for positive and negative reviews. I also start each section with an overview of the common themes and patterns I found in my analysis.

Positive Reviews

The most common patterns I found in the positive reviews of Freedom Forever Solar include the following:

• Stellar customer service
• Knowledgeable staff during the initial consultation and installation
• Quick issue resolution
• Satisfaction with the installation quality and efficiency
• Representatives going above and beyond to help

And here is a sample of reviews showcasing some of those themes:

“[Representative name] from Freedom Forever was helpful, polite, and kind. When placed on hold, [they] continuously checked to make sure I was still on the line and we didn’t get disconnected. Took the time to explain things to me.” – Ann A on 5/13/2024 via BBB

“Knowledgeable, quick to answer questions, great listener! Great customer support person!” – Mark B on 5/9/2024 via BBB

“Great phone assistant. Resolved my concerns Thank you Great job” – Doug S on 5/9/2024 via BBB

“I have had excellent service with the installation of my solar panels. The customer service via phone has been great and [representative name] and the Mountaineer team from [location] Maine were efficient and respectful during the installation.” – Cheryl C on 5/10/2024 via BBB

“[Representative name] at customer support was great and helped me understand how to use the customer portal with my newer android phone…. She was very pleasant and understood what I was having a problem with and gave me the correct way to access the portal….. Thank you for your help.” – William M on 5/9/2024 via BBB

Negative Reviews

Some common themes I found throughout the negative reviews include the following:

• Difficult cancellation policy for solar projects that haven’t been finalized
• Roof leaks and damage during the installation
• Lack of communication about delays or issues
• System underperformance
• Long-standing unresolved problems despite numerous attempts to contact the company

Here are some reviews from customers who experienced some of these issues:

“Getting my project canceled was very difficult, over two months and several phone calls. At first Freedom Forever had several roadblocks and a slow process to cancellation. This may have been from the installers, Apricot Solar, or their complex method. However, once I was able to speak to [representative name] the project was canceled quickly. Too bad I was not put in contact with [representative name] earlier. [representative name] was amazing and accommodating. For anyone having difficulty canceling their project for whatever reason make sure to ask for the cancellation department. This advice was not given to me at the onset of my journey and it cost me some $$$.” – Tom Z on 5/13/2024 via BBB

“This would be zero stars if there is an option. I signed up with [company name] in 2019 for solar installation and services. From what I now understand, they subcontracted the installation to Freedom Foreve,r who broke my roof during installation. The damage led to my roof caving in on me. Freedom Forever has refused to repair all the damages that resulted from this and blatantly refused to finish the ceiling drywall they started. The manager I was assigned to was rude and didn’t return calls. I am now in the process of CSLB process.” – Adesuwa O on 5/13/2024 via BBB

“According to them, my annual production is supposed to be 16k kwh, and if the system doesn’t produce the promised annual production, they would reimburse me for any lost energy cost. For the past three years, the system hasn’t produced the 16k kwh and I just heard excuse after excuse from them. As mentioned at the beginning of my complaint, I regret 100% doing any business with Freedom Forever!” – Ray D on 5/13/2024 via BBB

“The entire lack of communication from Freedom Forever is a VERY 0-star feeling. Keeping info from the customer until the very last second, to then upselling the panel size and not matching the inverters to the new 25% bigger panels leads to “wait 90 days before we can talk to you.” We’ve been ready, willing, and able to pay off the loan for the past two months now, but you’re going to make me stop payment entirely with the continued “we have nothing to say for 90 days.” – Anthony M on 5/8/2024 via BBB

Freedom Forever Solar Customer Service

2/10

Overall, I think Freedom Forever Solar’s customer service problems outweigh the good experiences. The type of problems customers seem to have — trouble getting responses, long delays for service, postponing service visits, and upsells — are patterns I often see from disreputable companies. You shouldn’t have to worry whether or not your solar provider will respond to a service request or uphold its warranty, and you might if you go with Freedom Forever Solar.

The only personal experience I have with Freedom Forever Solar is my discussions with them as a secret shopper. I didn’t personally have any issues, and everyone I spoke with was professional and courteous, but I don’t think my small sample size outweighs the countless critical reviews of the company on the internet.

Freedom Forever Solar Comparison

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

Who is Freedom Forever Solar Best For?

I don’t recommend Freedom Forever Solar for most people looking to make the switch to solar. The unfortunate truth is that its panels are low-quality, but they don’t cost less to make up for it. The starting efficiency is on the low end of what I deem acceptable, and the degradation rates are higher than I like to see. You’ll very likely see lower-than-average production over your panel’s lifespan if you go with Freedom Forever Solar, all else being equal.

One of the company’s only strengths is that it provides flexible financing and installs solar batteries. If you can’t afford to purchase a system in cash or get approved for a loan, Freedom Forever offers leases and PPAs. While I don’t recommend leases and PPAs because you’ll only save a fraction of what you will if you pay cash or take out a loan, it’s nice to have the option for people who have no other choice. Still, many other major companies offer these financing options, so I’d sooner recommend you go with a company like SunPower if you need those low-cost options.

The company’s mixed reviews are full of red flags that make me hesitant to recommend the company. Installation delays are one thing, but poor communication responding to issues that should be covered by a warranty is very concerning. While you wait for the company to maybe get back to you, you’re effectively losing money. It’s unacceptable and all too common in the solar industry.

What’s Next?

If you think Freedom Forever Solar might be a good fit for you despite my warnings, I recommend reaching out to the company’s local branch and scheduling a free quote visit. Even if you’re leaning toward going with Freedom Forever Solar, it’s still a good idea to get quotes from other installers in your area to ensure you get a fair price. The solar market varies from one place to another, so the companies in your area are the best source of information about the type of system you need and can advise you on what a typical system costs where you live.

If you’re not sure where to start looking for other companies, I recommend checking out some of our company reviews and head-to-head comparisons. We have reviews of SunPower, Trinity Solar, and Blue Raven Solar, just to name a few, and have dedicated articles comparing companies, like SunPower vs. Tesla and Sunrun vs. SunPower.

We also have a solar savings calculator that can help you figure out how much money you could save by installing solar panels. It’s a good idea to do some homework before your consultations so that you can tell when something doesn’t sound right. Being a well-informed consumer is the best defense against getting taken advantage of by a shady salesperson or scam company.