WARNING !! DON'T!! This is not a 5 star this is a 0 Star rating. I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Solar Bear Energy. While the solar and battery system was installed, the project has not been properly commissioned or verified, and repeated follow-up attempts have gone unanswered. The battery backup did engage during a grid outage, however no on-site testing, load verification, or simulated outage test has ever been performed. As the homeowner, I was never shown or provided written confirmation of: * Which circuits are backed up * Expected battery runtime under load * That the system performs as designed during an outage I have sent multiple emails over several weeks requesting basic commissioning and verification, including a simple on-site test. These requests have largely gone unanswered or received minimal responses that do not address the issues. A solar and battery system is a major investment. Proper testing, communication, and follow-through should be standard -- especially before considering a project complete. Unfortunately, due to the lack of responsiveness and failure to properly verify the system, I cannot recommend Solar Bear Energy at this time. ALSO DONT USE THE FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION THEY USE TO GIVE YOU A LOAN its all a scam!! read more

PLEASE READ: Solar Bear Energy installed our solar and battery system, but the project was never properly commissioned. Despite multiple follow-ups, they failed to perform a simulated outage test, clearly confirm which circuits are backed up, or provide written verification that the system works as designed. Communication eventually stopped. Very disappointing experience for a project of this size. I don't recommend anyone to use their service. Note: they will sell it as if they know what they are doing and half of the time you are the one telling them what to do. They outsource the work and you basically become the project manager. Don't waste your time or money on this company. I don't know how this company can have good reviews. Don't fall for it. read more

highly recommended Dan and his team are wonderful, great time an experience everyt worked out as I hoped

We had an outstanding experience with Solar Bear from start to finish on our home solar installation. We loved their honest and transparent pricing, strong communication skills, and efficient project management. We found Solar Bear through Angi (the old Angie's list). They responded to us promptly and were able to produce a detailed proposal using some basic photos of our home and past electricity bills. Dan, their rep, came out to our house and walked us through the proposal page by page at our dining room table. The heart of Solar Bear's pitch is that we could buy the panels and installation with $0 down, and that the monthly payment on the panels would be lower than our current electric bill. With electricity costs projected to rise in coming years, our savings would increase over time. The loan we took out to cover the project (via Mosaic), also contains the flexibility to let us lower our monthly payment by paying the note aggressively during the first 18 months -- including using federal and state incentives that would knock down a significant chunk of the sticker price. The numbers made sense in part because Dan patiently answered all of our questions with clarity and detail. We especially appreciated that while Solar Bear is based in Pennsylvania, they know all the ins and outs of New York's solar incentives. Installation was smooth and well under deadline. The loan approval was quick straightforward. As promised, they took care of all the permits with the town and NYSEG, our electric utility. They also worked directly with our HOA on their permitting process. All of the paperwork was digital. Contractors and communication skills don't always go together, but I got regular text updates at every step of the process. Because this project was for our vacation home and we were away from the house much of the time, I really liked having a clear sense of what was going on at our property. Since we just had the panels installed, I can't yet speak to how the energy generation and savings lines up to Solar Bear's modeling. But part of their package includes linking the panels to an app, so we'll be able to track the panels' performance. We really couldn't have asked more of Solar Bear, and I wish every contracted project at our home ran as smoothly as this one did. We love our new panels, and we're so grateful for the opportunity to work with a family firm that values honesty, transparency, and a personal touch. read more