Maryland Solar Solutions Inc

I’m still planning and haven’t installed anything yet but Emily at MSS has been terrific. She talked me through the entire process with an admirable combination of knowledge, patience, and candor. We discussed the pros and cons of installing panels at my place, designed a system using satellite images of my home that’s appropriately sized to offset my electricity consumption, estimated the cost of my install, reviewed federal, state, and local tax breaks along with anticipated SRECs, and determined my likely payback period. I highly recommend.

Great! Professional, patient and they do outstanding work. Although MSSI was more expensive than the other 3 companies from whom we received quotes, the extra money was more than worth it given their willingness to walk us through the process and respond to our many questions. Although I think I'm pretty well educated, I would highly recommend that a potential solar customer work with MSSI and pay the extra money--it'll save time and frustration in the long-run. An additional perk is that this is a woman-owned, US military veteran-owned company.

I could not be more pleased with our experience to date with MSSI. From the beginning the team has been reliable, highly professional, and delivered on every promise. They are incredibly helpful and responsive.

Great company, that treats customers well, and care about it's reputation. They were easy to work with, and very responsive. I would recommend them to anyone.

We hired MSSI to design and install a solar system for us. From start to finish they've been great with ongoing support when we had questions. Highly recommend

The work was excellent. The owner met with us to discuss the entire process and explained the steps needed to be taken by us and what Solar Solutions would take responsibility for. Crew showed up as scheduled and were professional in installing the panels and related tasks.

Excellent from start to finish. MSSI was not the least expensive but still great value for the level of service, professionalism, knowledge and years of experience in the business.

Was just planning. Very thorough, helpful, and honest.

Although I did not end up going with MSSI for my solar project, I did want to leave a positive review for their customer service during the quote process. I had a lot of questions about the process and the system, and Lizzie patiently answered all of them. The visit from Colette, the owner, was very helpful as she is clearly very knowledgeable and experienced in this field. She brought up certain issues that other companies had not, and checked the structure and electrical of the house herself, which I thought was very thorough. When we asked for adjustments in the quote, MSSI was quick to provide them. And, clearly Colette and her company care about getting people on solar power to help the environment. Overall, it was a pleasure to work with this company! The only reason I am giving them B instead of A is their pricing. As you can read in other reviews, compared to other companies they are more expensive. For me personally, their price differential ultimately was too much to justify, and I went with another local company. But from all I have seen from them, I would expect they would have done a great job!

Smooth and efficient - from beginning/planning to installation to current monitoring

Excellent, MSSI was very responsive to all needs, including special circumstances such as pipes needing to be moved by roofers.

Phenomenal experience! We needed a new roof and wanted to take advantage of the 30% Federal tax incentives for solar since 2019 was the last year. Even though purchasing solar panels is a huge expense we realized leasing panels, which may seem more affordable initially, does not make economical sense after 20 years because the leasing companies get all the government incentives and energy credits. We calculated purchased panels would pay for themselves in 8 years. I am so particular about spending money and getting a quality product /contractor that we reviewed 8 solar contractors and interviewed 4 contractors for estimates. We didn't even realize how many solar panel manufacturer's there until each contractor presented a different product. So we also researched solar panels. After meeting Collete there was no comparison to the other companies, their product or services. Collette from MSSI is the only one who actually brought a sample solar panel (Winaco) to our house to show and explain why it was a superior product. She runs a tight ship and is passionate about her company and her customers. She has total supervision of her staff, thorough understanding of the solar industry and was able to recommend a roofer who knew the in's and out's of applying a roof that would be topped with solar panels. MSSI also provided great support services after installation because there is so much more than just getting the panels on your roof. There is dealing with the BG&E energy grid, monitoring the performance of the system and registering and selling your Solar Energy Credits (SRECs). Collette's staff makes a complex process appear easy. This process was started in April and May with meeting and interviewing roofers and solar representatives. June and early July for searching for and obtaining a home equity loan. Weather delays caused the new roof and solar panels to be installed in August. Our first electric bill was 1/3 of it's usual price! We have a large roof so maximized the number of panels we could place. Not every home can accomodate > 30 panels and not every home owner will want to make the investment.

Great. One of the best companies I’ve worked with. And they continue to monitor system performance and replace any failing components. We’ve saved thousands so far in our electric bills and reduced our carbon footprint.

Installation was a bit more complicated than usual, since electric service in our detached garage needed to be upgraded. They trenched and carefully replaced the grass when they were done, minimizing the grading and seeding needed. Install quality for the array and inverter was superb. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any solar contractor that does a cleaner install. I have a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering, and I can say that Colette is very knowledgable and is an absolute straight shooter. You'll get the blunt truth always from her. The bottom line with MSSI is: you may be able to find a slightly lower bid from someone else, but expect inferior install quality, inferior panels, and expect change orders. MSSI's quote was spot-on, and they held the line on cost. Very emphatic "recommend"!

I had a 15kw system installed by MSSI. I cannot say enough good things about MSSI. Every piece of the planning process was straightforward, and the installation looks great, and the workers left my house and yard cleaner than they found it. Every person I dealt with from the CEO to my project manager to the sales staff has been great.

Colette and her crew did a fantastic job! They were easy to work with. Very professional and courteous. Communications were prompt and provided my with all of the information that I needed in a timely manner. The job looks great, and the system is is top-notch. I am enjoying watching the monitoring system.

BACKGROUND: I was approached in Home Depot several week ago for a solar panel installation quote from a different company. I decided to have the phone call but the company was only interested in pitching PPA, not a purchase option. That prompted me to look further for other solar panel companies. Through my search I found EnergySage.com and that allowed me to get quotes from multiple companies. I received the preliminary quotes based on information I provided through the website. The quotes from 3 different companies varied in production capacity - 48% of my usage, 81% of my usage, and 101% of my usage. It seemed odd there was such a variance. I then found Maryland Solar Solutions on Angie's List. My email inquiry was promptly responded to with a series of detailed questions. I was asked what method of communication I preferred, which is email, and the entire discussion was handled on that basis at my request. After a few emails back and forth, Audrey provided me with a quote that indicated the capacity of the system they would install would only produce approximately 25-30% of my usage. While the number is disappointing, it is what I initially expected. Living in a townhouse I did not expect it would be economically feasible, and in fact it is not. Maryland Solar Solutions was interested in getting all the facts of my situation before generating a quote. The other companies never asked any follow up questions at all to fine tune the quote. Audrey also informed me of all pertinent incentives and tax benefits. She was professional, thorough, and genuinely interested in generating an accurate assessment and quote for the potential production of my house and serving my needs, rather than just "selling" me a system. Had my house had the ability to produce a sufficient amount of energy, I would absolutely have used Maryland Solar Solutions.

Maryland Solar Solutions, Inc. is awesome! We were looking at Solar City (Tesla) and after doing more research we picked MSSI and we're glad we did! Last fall, under almost impossible weather conditions they were able to get our system installed before the end of year so we could get our tax credit in 2019. They installed a 11.2 KW system with the latest solar panel technology along with an LG battery as a backup. We did experience some glitches with the software but they were able to resolve them. The web and mobile monitoring applications are fantastic and have allowed us to see how we can reduce our energy consumption. We highly recommend MSSI!

Hello everyone. I'm a 54 year old married man from Harford Co. MD. with a couple kids and a dog - a normal everyday guy. This was a very large investment for Myself and my wife, so I researched solar power thoroughly for ~ 5 years before pulling the trigger. We had a 62 panel install completed this past December by MSSI. Like most of you, I value others reviews and spent a considerable amount of time reading every MSSI review I could find. I challenge anyone to find a contractor (of any type) with as many 5 star review as MSSI. To me, this fact alone speaks volumes. Sometimes reviewers aren't informed enough to understand what to expect from a company providing a product or service, which complicates the validity of their rating. That fact, in conjunction with this companies voluminous amounts of 5 star ratings should verify to anyone that MSSI continually goes above and beyond to educate their customers. Knowledge IS power, and provides a level of comfort with large investments that, otherwise, would only bring trepidation. Keeping customers of every sort happy all the time is a tall task, yet they do it, day in and day out. They're a close knit company, and communicate with their employees and customers deliberately and professionally. They're prompt, responsive and courteous. They anticipate your needs, before, during and after the process is done. They have answers for any extraneous issues that may come up at any point in time. They have a process that works really well. What else can I say? Colette Hayward and her staff are the most professional small business organization I've ever had the pleasure of doing business with. I highly recommend MSSI for any solar project.

We asked MSSI for a quote based largely on other Angie's List review. First contact was a 2 hour in-home meeting with the owner, Collette. She is extremely knowledgeable about the industry, the legal, tax, and policy issues, as well as the technologies and engineering of available PV products. She answered every question, on the spot, and only offers the very best in PV equipment. She gave us a good price, with a straight-forward contract, and a reasonable payment schedule. The estimated installation start time was just what we expected. Her office staff handled all the paperwork (and there is a LOT) in a manner that made it completely painless for us. They started installation almost a month ahead of schedule and finished in three days. A short inspection on the fourth day and we're done! Now we just wait for BG&E to hook up our net meter and we'll be on-line. And MSSI's standard service includes 5 years of their monitoring our systems for issues. There may be cheaper PV installer but I am absolutely certain there are no better!

The job was exactly as promised, easy and effortless. The crew was professional and pleasant. I also found the job interesting. The system works perfectly, and has begun paying for itself. MSSI uses the best materials available, and I believe that will prove worthwhile in terms of durability. In my case the payback period will be a bit over 8 years. It is surprisingly enjoyable to see the electric meter run backward, and to receive an electric bill for $8 (as I did last month). MSSI handled all of the paperwork involved in state and county tax benefits. One benefit that seems to be negligible is the accumulation of Maryland Renewable Energy credits. MSSI handles the paperwork, but the credits are currently nearly valueless. Hopefully their value will increase in the future, as the credits can be held for up to three years.

Before deciding to go with MSSI, we considered other solar companies with an alternate business model, resisting the “halo effect” of a big name drop (Elon Musk) accompanying one lease model. Several companies we approached at home shows would not even consider installing smaller arrays within AA County, because it did not make good business sense *for them* given their leasing models. We must say: the purchase of high-quality solar panels (with a 25 year performance warranty) outright from MSSI made the most business sense *for us*; in addition to enhancing our property’s value as an asset, we retained the 30% federal tax credit; the Maryland Clean Energy Grant; Anne Arundel County property tax credit; Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), and substantial summertime electricity savings. An added bonus has been BGE’s annual net meter “zero out”, when BGE performs a true-up of net negative/excess balances, converting the amount of net excess energy balance into a dollar value; on 5 April 2016, we received a check credit totaling $37.94. On 6 April 2017, we received a credit in the form of a check for $84.49. Some business models bundle roof replacement with solar panel installation; while we replaced our roof prior to solar panel installation, we contracted this work through a separate company, which MSSI had not recommended. Consumers who go with the “no money up front” options unwittingly forfeit these incentives, becoming essentially cash cows for the companies with which they sign leases, and will only realize their folly when 1) the low-quality panels cease to function optimally, but they still have to pay, or 2) the long-term lease is not conveyable upon sale of a property, creating a property liability. We had in-home consultations with two other companies before MSSI. From the outset, the owner treated us with courtesy and respect. Given several experiences of being treated as “lesser than” based on the prejudice of appearance alone, it was refreshing to work with MSSI; we appreciated the opportunity to develop a rapport, finding salient points of commonality despite our outward differences. MSSI exceeded expectations not just on an interpersonal level, but on a professional one. The solar array installation proposals from the other two companies utilized outdated, obsolete and unreliable solar equipment, and seemed slipshod, amateurish, inelegant and visually unappealing compared to the MSSI proposal. While on site, the owner of MSSI (a solar panel subject-matter expert in her own right) was the only one to inspect the attic space, which resulted in expansion of the initial 15-panel array proposal into an 18-panel one. The MSSI owner patiently and articulately made the MSSI business case, as we reviewed the proposals received from other companies, and asked the questions for which we required answers before making our final decision. While Ohio-based YellowLite may have the same purchase outright business model, MSSI being based within the D.C.-Maryland area was a factor in our decision, as the impressive MSSI staff (not just the owner) was knowledgeable about the incentives available in various Maryland counties, and was able to achieve economies of scale, providing turn-key concierge service, taking the burden of applying for permits; local grants, and interconnection off of us as the homeowners. We also appreciated the MSSI owner being on-site the first day of the installation for seamless, consistent hand-off from the initial experience to the presence of the installation crew in the home. The crew was as professional and respectful as when the owner of MSSI first stepped into our home. As homeowners who work full-time, it was a relief to know we would not be acting as de facto general contractors. All we had to do was tape the construction permits to the window, as the MSSI staff was actively involved, attending to all matters related to the solar panel array installation, before, during, and after. We made the best decision we could, based upon the information we had in 2015. Upon retrospect, the only pressure we experienced was from the 30% federal tax credit that was set to expire in 2015. It was our understanding the newest panel, the WINAICO WSP-305M6, was not available until February 2016. Had we waited until the availability of the more expensive 305M6 modules, we could have missed out on the federal tax credit, for which the U.S. Senate ultimately passed an extension on 18 December 2015. As a result, we went with the 300M6 modules which were available, as quoted within the MSSI proposal we had. We suspect other homeowners may have rescheduled their installations for 2016, while we felt obligated to have our installation move from 29 December, up to 22 December. As things stood, we recouped the majority of the 30% federal tax credit for the year 2015, only receiving an $88 carry-over tax credit for 2016 (so, we could have waited for installation until 2016). Another selling point which has not lived up to expectation has been the Maryland SRECs. The initial projections MSSI provided assumed a thriving market for Maryland SRECs. The market for Maryland SRECs, however, went through a downturn in 2016, a state of affairs which MSSI candidly addressed in a 15 October 2016 email. We have been unable to sell any SRECs yet, and are not close enough to D.C. to sell our SRECs for $490 per on the D.C. SRECs market. With respect to SREC accrual, we notice disparities in the SRECs reflected on the inverter unit (now at 10.398 (1 unit = 1,000 kwh), as of 6/2017); the SolarEdge application (lifetime now at 10.4 (1 unit = 1,000 kwh)) while the PJM-GATS system estimate lags behind at 8 kWh (1 unit = 1,000 kwh), as of 4/2017. Once PJM-GATS creates certificates for May and June we (finally) hope to negotiate the PJM-GATS system, taking our first meager 10 SRECs to market, and selling them for an appreciable sum. Notwithstanding the 20/20 hindsight of our 2015 decision, we concur MSSI deserves the highest rating. The “purchase outright” business model remains a solid investment, compared to the “lease buy-back” or “bundled roof and solar array” business models. Assuming commitment to “purchase outright,” if federal, state, and local incentives extend out in concentric circles, the 30% federal tax credit; Maryland Clean Energy Grant, and Anne Arundel property tax credit are the most immediate, with long-term electricity savings being next, and finally the issue of Maryland SRECs (and the confusing PJM-GATS system) arguably located the furthest out, the rise or fall of Maryland SRECs (and low user friendliness of PJM-GATS) never being within MSSI’s control. Between 2015 and 2016, or the 300M6 and 305M6 modules, we may very well be splitting hairs on what amounts to a “first world” problem. If we had to do it over again, we would still contract with MSSI for solar panel array installation. We will keep MSSI in mind, as we may have the need to install another solar panel array at some point in the future. We wish everyone at MSSI (the owner, office staff, and installation crew) the nothing but the best; their knowledgeable design; quality workmanship, and follow-on aftercare continue to reap dividends.

The installation was flawless.

The crew arrived at down each day, worked, without stopping, were very polite and pleasant in all our interactions. The office kept us up to date on every detail, answered our questions were extremely helpful. It was a great experience from start to finish. We highly recommend MSSI!

They are super, out standing