Sustainable Energy Systems LLC review

Positive reviews:

“Tara, my customer service rep, answered all my questions before, during, and after installation quickly. The rest of the Sustainable Energy Systems team kept me informed of applications and permitting to the county, state, and local utilities. It truly was a turnkey operation. There was one equipment communication issue at turn on, and the company took care of it before I made my final payment.” – llapiana2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ May 20, 2022

“I’ve had nothing but a great experience with Sustainable Energy Systems, as have two good friends that hired them too. Incredibly competitive price, great customer service, clear communication and expectation setting, and pro recommendations and installation. My array has been producing for just about 10 months, and I couldn’t be happier with the system. Make sure you give the folks at Sustainable a chance to win your business. You won’t be sorry.” – dbelmandc ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ March 21, 2022

Negative reviews:

“Sustainable proposed a string inverter solution. I’ve read multiple articles that micro inverters are a superior solution in terms of reliability and throughput. So, I rejected this vendor” – frankhnewman ⭐⭐☆☆☆ April 4, 2024

“The installation and operation of my residential unit went great. The unit has been operating for about 4 years now and generating estimated KWH. However, when ever I’ve reached out to Sustainable energy for follow-up service, I need to installed ‘cirtter gaurds’ to prevent squirrels from nesting under the panels, they have been IMPOSSIBLE to get a hold of. I recevied an estimate fo rthe work in Decemver of 2022, it is now May of 2023 and they have not returned any phone calls (voice mails) , emails, or submissions via their website.” – Sander.Zaben ⭐⭐☆☆☆ May 9, 2023

Positive reviews:

“I contracted with SES through a Virginia co-op which allowed me to get a discount on buying in bulk with other households. The process took about four and a half months to complete (from the time I signed the contract to the time Dominion approved my system). There we some technical difficulties with modifications to the contract, but Stuart worked through them with me and I am pleased with the process. I am no monitoring production to see how the calculations I was presented fair in the real world.” – Fredy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ January 10, 2019

“The entire team at Sustainable Energy Systems went to bat for me. I was fighting to get panels on my roof and had several companies bidding for my install. Sustainable not only took my proposed installation seriously, but went the extra mile to make sure i was getting the right system for me, but also came up with solutions – not excuses on how to get the job done. My roof was ‘slightly’ higher than most, and required a little extra effort to perform the instal. Sustainable Energy Systems exceeded my expectations in every way. I will absolutely recommend them to anyone that asks.” – Erik Reichenbach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ August 31, 2016

Positive reviews:

“I work in the energy/sustainability industry and a coworker recommended SES for the installation of a solar PV system at my single family home in DC. I talked to SES and a couple other companies. Prices were similar but I liked the pressure-free approach of SES. While there were some delays on Pepco’s end, the SES install and interconnection teams were always available either by phone or email when I had a question. My system is online and I’d recommend SES to anyone considering installing a solar PV system. Note: If you’re reading this in 2025, I recommend you read up on the upcoming changes (elimination, as I understand it) to the solar tax credit.” – Joey S. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ July 12, 2025

“Glad we worked with Kurt Zwally for our solar install — he was honest, straightforward, reliable, and answered all our questions. And, now we watch the solar production on the monitoring app, love our near zero (Dominion won’t go to zero) electric bills, and just got our Fairfax County property tax credit! That’s on top of the 30% federal tax credit! Hope everyone takes advantage of that while they still can!!” – Mary Ellen O. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ July 11, 2025

Negative reviews:

“SES installed my solar residential system, but was unable to help when 3G service shutdown, rendering it unable to report credits to Dominion Power only three years after it was installed. So .. I now generate solar power but still pay the utility company for power I generate. SES was unable to offer me a 3G modem upgrade. They referred me to 365Pronto, who is unable to order parts. The equipment manufacturer referred me back to SES, who is still unable to help. They never mentioned this issue on installation. Do not use this company. Their warranty is only for defects in installation, not for actually making this system work as advertised.” – Heidi M. ⭐☆☆☆☆ September 1, 2022

“Our first installation failed Inspection and the Inspector remarked that the workmanship was terrible. Our panels needed to have all the wiring redone. Sustainable would not call for our final inspection so we finally called ourselves. After the inspector was here, Sustainable was required to come and they were visibly angry with us for calling ourselves. After a bad storm 6 months ago, one of our panels was damaged. I have called them more times than I can count. I always get voice mail and no one ever calls me back. I do not recommend this company. The customer service is non-existent and the workmanship is poor. Don’t waste your money on this unreliable company.” – Danielle F. ⭐☆☆☆☆ May 9, 2022

Positive reviews:

“They were wonderful .Took care to protect my deck and garden, They made every effort to address the mold issues I was worried about. They trimmed out the inside of the skylight so that it matched the interior trim. Above and beyond just replacing the roof the skylight. I am very pleased and will use them in the future.” – JoAnn Z ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ February 1, 2024

“Couldn’t be happier with the quality of the install. We did a 2 array 26kwh rooftop install on 3 roof surfaces. Super clean installation, conduit has clean lines and there in none visible on the rooftop. Project was on time and spot on budget (despite some unplanned interconnectivity charges). SES took care of everything including permits, interconnection, and SREC monitoring and brokerage. When the sun is out this system cranks!” – Andy C ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ September 25, 2023

Positive reviews:

“We recently had a solar panel system installed on our house by Sustainable Energy Systems. The quality of their work is top-notch and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy contractor. Kenny Tompkins and his team were very impressive with their professionalism and attention to detail throughout the entire design, permitting, installation and start-up process. We evaluated six solar panel contractors and they came out on top in regards to cost, references and expertise. Kenny Tompkins was always available to answer any questions we had and made sure that we were completely satisfied. Thank you Sustainable Energy Systems for a job well done!” – Deborah M. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ August 2023

“SES was fantastic about scheduling, communication, and helping me build my knowledge and understanding so that I could make the best decisions possible along the way. Very happy with the outcome.” – Sam P. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ December 2019

Negative reviews:

“In the beginning, they were very responsive and helpful. However, once the work started, it became a chore to keep following up with them and making sure they were going through all the right steps to make sure we could be operational. During the process, they ‘lost our paperwork while they were moving offices’ which had our personal information. It was very concerning, but we resubmitted everything. In the install phase, we had requested (and paid upfront) for a critter guard, but on install day, they forgot to add them! It took two weeks of following up with them for the guards to be finally put up. Still, we had to keep following up with them to make sure they were following up with the county and utility as needed. Once we paid the full balance, they didn’t even tell us they got the check or give us the tax documents so we could file the reimbursement. Even now, we are having problems with our monitoring system, they did not help us with diagnosing the issue. We had to look through the technical manual and are still waiting for a response from SES. Overall, they were the cheapest vendor, but you get what you paid for in service quality.” – Marie N. ⭐⭐☆☆☆ August 2016

“The installation was fine. The follow up, however, was not very good. I didn’t get good support from them. They called me about a month ago asking to give a referral and I wanted to reach them to let them know that I couldn’t give them a referral because they wouldn’t support me in the aftermath. When you get solar panels on your house, they assured me that I would get kickback from the electric company and that my energy bills would be reduced and that the electrical company would pay me. My energy bills have not been reduced and I have not received any kickback. I tried to contact them to try to figure out why this was happening and they won’t answer my calls or return my calls. If they can come to me now years later wanting me to give them a referral, they should be willing to come to me to ask how the product is serving me.” – Michelle P. ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ August 2017

Positive reviews:

“I first moved into my home in 2021 I knew I wanted solar but I know there were several companies. At first, I was going to give my business to Tesla but I do not like how everything is done remotely and they really do not have a local office so I decided against them. I reached out to at least four other companies comparing pricing and what they were going to give me. At the end of the day, I went with Sustainable. They treated me well, they walked me through the process and I felt very comfortable. Kurt Zwally is one of the best sales guys out there. I highly recommend this company!” – Anton Attard ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 months ago

“Used Sustainable Energy for our solar system a few years back and have been nothing but happy with our system. We went through Kurt Z over there and he quickly and expertly helped us get the best system in place. When we had a small issue with the reporting through the app, Kurt came and immediately fixed it. Great company and always recommend you go through Kurt. My experience was so good that I recommended it to my neighbor and he had his system installed as well, they’re extremely happy with the results. Highly recommend!” – Yasha ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 months ago

Negative reviews:

“They improperly installed the solar panels to my roof a year ago and caused a MAJOR leak in my roof where I had to get my roof replaced and they refuse to take accountability even though photos show where the damage was the installation.” – C. Blackman ⭐☆☆☆☆ a week ago

“We contracted with ses to install our solar array which went live in early 2020. Their sales staff are friendly and quick to work with you on quotes. The installation crews performed quality work though a tad slow with scheduling. It just gets worse from there. Post installation support is horrible, communication is almost non existent. Most recently, in April 2022, we had a failure in one of the modules which took down the entire array. Zero response from their support after multiple calls and emails. I ended up having to contact the manufacturer directly for replacement parts then pay out of pocket to have it installed professionally. I get that the solar install business is booming and companies struggle to keep up with demand, but this is horrible. Find someone other than ses for your solar needs.” – Michael Prosise ⭐☆☆☆☆ 3 years ago

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Average Performer

Sustainable Energy Systems LLC gets the Average Performer badge and works in 4 states, but their third-party ratings don’t go above 4. Local community trust isn’t their strong suit either – their score is 3.9 in our evaluation. This badge means they are somehow reliable, but you need to pay more attention to what they have to offer. While Sustainable Energy Systems LLC may not lead the pack, they are certainly recognized for their capacity to meet a broad range of solar installation needs with commendable customer satisfaction. When considering this solar installer, you can add Sustainable Energy Systems LLC to your list as a lower priority and one that requires additional research before you decide to work with them.