Jason Simpson | Beaverdam, Virginia | 01/23/2024
Solar Panel Installation
Southern Exposure Solar was recommended to me by my brother who had them install a solar array on their house. From the initial call with Grayson all the way through the installation of the solar panels, I had a great experience with them. Since the completion of the project, I have only paid the base fee for connection to the grid; my old power bills are a thing of the past! If you are in the market for solar, you should give Southern Exposure Solar a call. You will not be disappointed.
Wagging Tails Kennel | Moseley, Virginia | 12/18/2023
Wagging Tails Kennel
Wagging Tails Kennel is a family owned business located in Chesterfield,Va. We provide pet boarding and grooming services. We have 111 indoor/outdoor kennels with heating and AC. Our electric bills in the summer 2022 were over $1000 per month! We have wanted to add solar power to the business for years. Now, with the tax rebates from the Federal government and the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC), it’s actually a very good investment. I was contacted by a solar panel installation company out of Phoenix, AZ 16 months ago about putting solar panels on my house. I did some checking on that company’s reputation and decided I needed someone else. I looked online for who was local and had a good track record and found Southern Exposure Solar. I sent them a message over the weekend and was pleased to get a reply first thing on Monday morning. Grayson impressed me immediately with his knowledge and honesty. Southern Exposure Solar evaluated my home and both of my business buildings and recommended against installing panels on my home and one of the business buildings, but the other building was an excellent candidate. Unfortunately, that is the building that uses the least amount of electricity. Grayson explained that the meters for both business buildings could be combined so that the solar panels on the west building could offset the usage of the east building also. If we could get enough panels on the roof of the east building, Wagging Tails Kennel would have low or no electricity bills for the life of the system (25 - 40 years). It turns out this is a lot more complicated than I had expected. Chesterfield County’s permit process is difficult for any contractor, but the county put extra hurdles in place for commercial installations. We are a facility that cares for over 150 pets during our busiest weeks. We needed the installation done when the west building was empty. Oddly, the fire department requirements for businesses is higher than for homes! Fire access cut into the available square footage on the roof. Maximizing the number of panels on one building so that it could produce electricity for both required careful design - Southern Exposure Solar managed to get over 60 panels on a single story building. The attic space in the building was already crammed with heat/AC ducts so there wasn't much space to work or add equipment. Dominion Power was in the middle of a major grid upgrade - solar panel installations were not a priority for them. We were especially difficult because of the aggregated meters (Both meters are summed into a single account so it acts like it is a single building. This requires a special meter, but the excess produced by the west building is credited to the east building at RETAIL rates which is a really big deal!). Southern Exposure Solar worked with Chesterfield County and Dominion to meet all my requirements. Grayson kept me updated on problems and installation options. They beat the schedule that we had agreed to. They stayed on budget - there were no last minute unexpected costs. When the system was online, they showed me how to use an app on my phone to see the daily production - how much electricity is being imported and exported. The crew was great and made sure that there was no negative impact to business activities. We have been producing solar power electricity for 8 months now. I looked at the year to date stats and the new system has generated 24 Megawatt hours of energy. (SES predicted 30 Megawatts per year and we are slightly ahead of schedule.). In mid-December it is still generating about 80 Kilowatt hours on a sunny day (about ⅔ of the amount it generated in the summer which surprised me because the days are so much shorter).
Jonathan S | Ruther Glen, Virginia | 06/24/2023
Positive experience
Grayson and Fred are very knowledgeable and attentive to customers' needs. They take the time to educate on how the solar system works and solar in general. No high-pressure sales tactics. The system has been highly reliable. When we had a couple of issues with connectivity, Fred or someone from the install team came out quickly to resolve. For the 15 months I've gone solar, I have only been paying the minimum to stay connected to my utility. I can see a day when I could potentially go off grid with future battery storage. My brother recently purchased a system for his house and he is also highly satisfied.
Jack | Mechanicsville, Virginia | 05/04/2023
Very Personal Experience
We had a great experience working with Grayson at Southern Exposure. He came out and did a personal site inspection and review, walked us through the design process and considerations. We decided to go with a larger-brand competitor but ended up being disappointed with the lack of attention during their process. When we contacted Grayson again, he was supportive, and helpful at assessing new regulations going into effect and offering to honour his original system quote. The Southern Exposure build team was fantastic, efficient, and friendly. Cannot recommend this group enough.
Stephane M. | Mineral, Virginia | 04/25/2023
Great solar install
Very happy with my solar installation through Southern Exposure Solar. The team was very easy to work with, efficient and handled all aspects of permitting.
David | Callao, Virginia | 04/21/2023
Solar installation on older house
Southern Exposure installed our solar panels on our 19th century house 4 months ago and we are very pleased with the results. Our electricity bill has gone down to less than $20 per month. Grayson was a pleasure to deal with. He gave clear, honest advice, did not oversell, and was always responsive to phone calls and emails. When we had an issue with a small part of the installation (due to our aesthetic concerns) Southern Exposure stepped up and fixed the problem, and shared the cost. We always think you can judge a good company hy how they fix problems or mistakes - so we enthusiastically recommend Southern Exposure.
Garry | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 04/18/2023
Best of the Best!
I had a 12.9 KW system installed in August 2021 at my home in Virginia Beach. I have NO regrets at all! Grayson, Britney and the whole crew were nothing short of the best of the best. You will read and hear about all these horror stories from Wavy 10 on your Side and other outlets about these solar contractors ripping people off. You will definitely NOT get that with Southern Exposure Solar. Grayson will tell you everything upfront with no sugar coat and will price the entire system fairly with the end product as solid as it can be. I even got one of my neighbors to have his solar installed with Southern Exposure Solar and he is just as happy as I am.
David Wray | Moseley, Virginia | 04/12/2023
No-BS, great install, great value
After extensive research and reviewing 6 bids, Southern Exposure won my business with their straightforward approach, no-BS pricing, and knowledgeable pitch. Installation was top drawer as was their clean up when done. My electric bill last month was $7.71 (that’s 93 cents over the Dominion fee to be connected to the grid!). Great experience front to back with Southern Exposure. And I’m happy to do business with a deserving veteran-owned company.
Ryan R | Stafford, Virginia | 04/11/2023
Most trustworthy solar company I met
I had five different quotes for our roof, the lowest and highest priced systems were the exact same setup. This didn't sit well with me and the whole thing started to seem like a scam. Then I met with Grayson, he was the most trustworthy and least pushy rep I met with. He actually downsized our system after seeing it in person and worrying that we wouldn't get a good return on our investment. The other guys were trying to put on as many panels as they could even on parts of the roof that wouldn't actually collect much sun. Southern Exposures quote ended up being the best priced quote after fitting the panels to the roof in person. The install was fairly quick, I think four days in total (because of rain they were delayed a day). The system has only been active for two months and the first full month of use dropped my bill to $30.This month is going better, currently producing a surplus with the smaller system in spring. I am interested to see how it will do this summer with the days getting longer.
Ron Ford | Glen Allen, Virginia | 04/11/2023
8 months ago Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value Grayson, Fred, Britney and the installation team at Southern Exposure delivered on every aspect of our new system, exactly as promised. We've been up and running for 2 months now and the 19-panel array is producing well, the tracking … More Photo 1 in review by Tim P Southern Exposure Solar (Owner) 7 months ago Tim and Family, it was a pleasure working together and we look forward to being here as your teammate into the future! We're proud to always deliver as promised and thank you for your public vote of confidence! Great picture too, if you ever decide retirement isn’t for you, your roof walking skills would be welcomed at SES! Jennifer 1 review a year ago Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value We had a wonderful experience with the people from Southern Exposure from our initial meeting to final completion. A significant factor in choosing Southern Exposure was that they had engineers involved in looking at our roof to determine … More Southern Exposure Solar (Owner) a year ago Hi Jennifer, Thank you so much for sharing your experience with others to let them know that your quality approval stamp has been given to our team! Your family's project was an interesting one as not many homes have the same style of rafter/roof structure as yours. That said, we're glad to have gone the extra mile of securing engineering approval before diving too far into your project - as we wanted to ensure that expectations were set and met, to guarantee a positive outcome :) We look forward to seeing your system produce for the decades to come and if you ever need us, know we're only a phone call away. SolarReviews https://www.solarreviews.com › sou... Southern Exposure Solar reviews Jan 4, 2023 — Southern exposure solar was amazing. They have competitive prices, good products, an excellent warranty, but what really sets them apart is ... 4.6(19) EnergySage https://www.energysage.com › sout... Southern Exposure Solar - Profile & Reviews - 2023 My experience with Southern Exposure has been nothing but clean, honest, and efficient. Grayson adds a real nice personal touch, cutting out any nonsense sales ... 5.0(28) Facebook https://m.facebook.com › southernE... Southern Exposure Solar - A CertainTeed Master Solar Installer Southern Exposure Solar - A CertainTeed Master Solar Installer. 393 likes · 1 talking about this. With the Nation's leading solar warranty, independently... Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org › profile › sou... Southern Exposure Solar LLC | Better Business Bureau® Profile This organization is not BBB accredited. Solar Energy Contractors in Ashland, VA. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more. Southern Exposure Solar https://www.southernexposuresolar.com Southern Exposure Solar A home run from start to finish. Southern exposure solar was amazing. They have competitive prices, good products, an excellent warranty, but what really sets ... TrustAnalytica https://trustanalytica.com › reviews Southern Exposure Solar Southern exposure solar was amazing. They have competitive prices, good products, an excellent warranty, but what really sets them apart is their customer ... People also ask What direction should you face solar panels? Where is the best place to put solar panels on a roof? Should solar panels face east or west? What state is leading the way for solar demand? Feedback SolarEmpower https://www.solarempower.com › so... Southern Exposure Solar Review 2023 - VA Solar Specialists? Jan 31, 2023 — The company is dedicated to the customer experience and prides itself on high-class customer education. Southern Exposure Solar gained over 20 5 ... BuildZoom https://www.buildzoom.com › south... Southern Exposure Solar | VA | Read Reviews + Get a Bid Their BuildZoom score of 107 ranks in the top 6% of 131,387 Virginia licensed contractors. If you are thinking of hiring Southern Exposure Solar, ... EcoWatch https://www.ecowatch.com › solar 14 Best Solar Companies in Colonial Heights, VA (Mar 2023 Reviews) Installing solar panels is an exciting project that many homeowners find beneficial for their wallets, communities and ... Southern Exposure Solar LLC logo. 4.8(24) Sponsored Solar-Estimate.org https://www.solar-estimate.org › solarcalculator Before You Go Solar In 2023 - Use This Solar Calculator Calculate What System Size You Need, And How Quickly It Will Pay For Itself After Rebates. Find Out What You Should Pay For Solar Panels... Rating for solar-estimate.org 4.6(194) Ron Ford 3 reviews·65 photos 2 minutes ago NEW We had our solar installed in January and became active in Feb. Our first power bill which only had 3 weeks of solar and one week of not having it on was $15.00. Our first bill that was 100% solar was $7.28 which included the minimum fees. Greyson was extremely easy to work with. He kept in touch throughout the entire process and returned all my calls without delay. Every stage of the process was completed on time with no delay. We did not get battery backup and it looks like it wouldn't be necessary because of net metering (unless power is lost). Using computer and knowing our kilowatt usage from previous electric bills, enough panels (19) were installed to cover all electric needs. The thing that really sold us on Southern Exposure was the guarantee. Everything is guaranted by CertainTeed located in Pennsylvania. Even if Southern Exposure goes out of business the guarantee would still be honored. We like the idea of this guarantee and the fact that Southern Exposure is a small locally owned company by two guys who really were willing to honestly help throughout the entire installation. I highly recommend this company.
