2024 Colorado Solar Incentives Guide (Tax Credits, Rebates & More)
By Dan Simms /
In this ION Solar review, you’ll learn:
In 2017, two Utah solar companies, Vision Solar of Provo and Zing Solar of Draper, merged. The new company was named ION Solar, and it has become one of the fastest-growing and arguably one of the best solar companies in the U.S.
Ion Solar has installed thousands of systems in eight states. This review will cover the company’s offerings, pricing, customer reviews, and more.
Within just a few years of its founding, ION Solar has installed a whopping 100-plus megawatts (MW) of solar systems. Thanks to its explosive growth, it has been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Plus, with an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and largely positive customer reviews, we can say that ION Solar is a good solar company to choose..
Resulting from the merger of two solar companies, ION Solar is a full-service provider of solar systems, with in-house designers, surveyors and installation technicians.
ION Solar has been featured on several lists of fastest-growing companies, including ranking 24th on the Inc. 5000 in 2017. It claims to be the fourth largest residential solar installer in the country.
Through its ION Earth program, it is also involved in community service work, donating a solar system for a home, business, school, or shelter in need for every two MW of panels it installs.
ION Solar Fast Facts | |
Year Started | 2017 |
Service Areas | CO, NV, NM, NC, OR, TX, UT, VA |
Services Offered | Solar panel installations; energy efficiency upgrades; maintenance and repairs; electrical work |
Types of Solar Equipment Offered | Trina Solar, Enphase |
Certifications | Enphase Platinum Installer; North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals (NABCEP)-certified technicians; member of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), American Solar Energy Society (ASES), Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA); BBB-accredited |
Better Business Bureau Rating | A+ |
Average cost
Pros
Cons
ION Solar primarily offers residential solar power systems but also installs commercial solar solutions. The company also provides energy efficiency upgrades and electrical work. According to ION Solar, a typical solar installation process takes 60 to 90 days from start to finish. Below is an overview of the steps involved in going solar with ION Solar.
A chat with an ION representative helps you discover if solar is right for your home. The salesperson will answer any questions you have and lay out the solar options available to you. ION Solar stresses that its support staff will be with you every step of the way.
If you choose to proceed with a solar system with ION, its engineering team will design a system customized to your home and specific energy needs. It incorporates premium components into your system design.
ION Solar will walk you through your system design to ensure you’re satisfied with it. The rep will go over the equipment to be installed, and with your approval ION’s permitting team will work with your jurisdiction to secure necessary permits. ION will also help apply for available incentives and rebates in this step.
ION’s installation team will arrive on-site and install your system. Once it’s complete and you have your jurisdicion’s approval to commission (activate) your system, you are ready to enjoy your clean energy.
Each ION Solar customer is assigned a dedicated customer service representative to handle any issues that arise throughout the process. Although some customers report less-than-ideal experiences with ION, most say they’re satisfied with the quality of ION’s customer service.
ION Solar has an EcoWatch rating of 4.0 stars for its costs and financing, which means the company’s systems are neither expensive nor cheap. In most cases, ION’s costs for a system sit near the average across providers in the U.S.
Accounting for the premium equipment offered by ION, the pricing represents sufficient value for money.
An important benefit of choosing ION Solar is the availability of the full range of payment options: cash payment, loan, lease and power purchase agreement. Take a look at the table below that shows all four purchasing models and their respective attributes.
Cash Purchase | Solar Loan | Solar Lease | Solar PPA | |
System Ownership | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Maintenance Included | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Upfront Cost | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Added Property Value | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Eligible for Tax Credit | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Payment Due to | Solar Installer | Loan Provider | Solar Installer | Solar Installer |
There are many factors to consider when buying a solar system, and choosing the right purchasing option can feel daunting. Check out our solar financing guide to learn about each option in detail to help make the right decision for you.
ION Solar offers two types of warranties. The first is the equipment warranty, which ION passes along from the original manufacturer. Solar panels generally come with a 25-year warranty, while inverters generally come with warranties of 10 to 25 years.
The second type of warranty ION provides is the workmanship or labor warranty, which usually covers 10 years from the date of installation. An added perk is ION Solar’s roof warranty of 10 years from installation. This secures your roof from a faulty solar installation that may have caused leaks or other issues.
ION Solar claims to provide a premium solar experience from sale through installation, and most customer reviews indicate that ION takes this promise seriously. There are, though, some negative reviews highlighting aggressive door-to-door soliciting and some instances of poor communication. Below are some examples of both positive and negative ION solar reviews.
“Our experience with ION Solar has been professional from the beginning. The original presentation was clear and the installation went as planned. Our inspections passed and as soon as our meter was switched out, our panels were producing. Communication has been perfect. We have been pleased with every step in the process.”
– Glenn P. via Best Company
“My initial meetings with ION put them on the top. They went through the whole process showing the material used which was great to research the products […] They did all the legwork with my city for permitting and met with them on the inspection […] quick and simple turn-on procedure when we received permission to operate. Once operating you get the Enphase software to monitor your system […] it’s exciting to see it in action.”
– Alan M. via Yelp
“Had a young man from your company come up my walk today. When I said I was not interested and wished him luck, he did not immediately leave. I had to tell him to leave several times. He was just this side of rude. Why would I want to do business with a company with pushy salespeople (who are lying to start with, saying they just want to ‘share information’ and who do not respect ‘no soliciting’ signs) and bad reviews?”
– Beth H. via BBB
“[During] the pre-installation process the staff were very attentive and contacted me not less than three times a day, sometimes for things that needed to be done but once the installation was scheduled and performed that all changed […] they had the panels on my roof my house was torn up inside and I couldn’t get hold of anyone for over three weeks until after daily calls they finally returned my call.”
– David S. via BBB
Here’s a look at how ION Solar compares to some regional competitors:
ION Solar | Fluent Solar | Tesla | |
EcoWatch Rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Year Started | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Services Offered | Solar panel installations; energy efficiency upgrades; maintenance and repairs; electrical work | Solar panel and solar battery installations; energy-efficiency upgrades; maintenance and repair services | Solar panel, solar battery, solar roof shingle and EV charger installations |
Service Areas | CO, NV, NM, NC, OR, TX, UT, VA | UT, ID, CO, KS, TX, AR, OH, PA, NC | Nationwide |
BBB Rating | A+ | Not rated | C |
Payment Options | Cash, loan, lease PPA | Cash, loan, lease, PPA | Cash, loan |
If you have specific questions that aren’t answered here, reach out to our team of solar experts at solar@ecowatch.com.
ION Solar is a premium solar provider that has been serving customers in eight states for around five years. It is registered with the relevant authorities as a solar contractor, and with over a hundred MW already installed, it is definitely a legit company.
ION Solar offers most of the things that qualify a company as a good deal for homeowners. For instance, it has affordable pricing, plenty of purchasing optIons, and uses equipment from reputed brands that come with excellent warranties.
Using a solar system installed by ION Solar will definitely reduce your electric bills.The company uses top-quality solar panels and inverters and qualified staff to install them.
One of the reasons ION Solar has experienced enormous growth in solar sales is its reasonable pricing. We’ve rated its costs as 4-star, which means its systems are usually not expensive. ION also offers a $200 referral bonus when you refer your friends or relatives to them.
ION Solar LLC is a renewable energy company headquartered in Provo, Utah (the phone number is 1-888-781-7074). It also has offices and operations in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.
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