SolarCity provides an option for those seeking a home solar system. At TheBestCompanys, we took at a look at SolarCity and reviewed them to find the good, the bad, and the bottom line.

1. SolarCity
Solar
Company

2. Overview
SolarCity is a top solar provider for residents and businesses across the globe. SolarCity
doesn't manufacture their own module, but they buy wholesale panels from top solar
manufactures, and sell them to buyers with financing and install options set up by
SolarCity.
Solar City, as of 2013, had around 21 percent of the market share, making it the largest
installer of solar energy in the United States. The company rolls all of the services
associated with solar energy under one brand. The company designs, finances, and
installs its brand of solar systems. There are more than 2500 employees in the
company.
Solar City is also on the cutting edge in terms of project financing. These financing
efforts involve Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citi, Morgan Stanley and other leading
financial companies. Recently, Solar City also aligned itself with Google, opening a
$280 million fund to help homeowners finance their solar energy projects with leasing
and Power Purchasing Agreement financing options.

3. The Good
• Solar City has many flexible purchasing agreements for customers that want to
install a new system in their home. We felt that the Solar City My Power was one-of-
a-kind in the industry. This is Solar City’s newest product and allows customers to
purchase their system based upon monthly solar production.
• We also liked the“open book”philosophy at Solar City regarding contracts. Rates
are locked in once the agreement is signed, Solar City will repair your roof in case of
damage during installation or removal, but most importantly, Solar City gives
clients options for selling their home.
• The MySolarCity app probably is one of the most robust, best platforms in the
industry. With this app, we felt like we could discover ways to use less energy in our
home. This feature of the app is called“EnergyExplorer”and describes your home’s
energy consumption. Also, the app lets you track the progress of your installation.
The app also helps you set appointments up to the installation of your system. We
also liked how the system showed energy consumption vs. energy production.

4. The Bad
• A recent report in Forbes reports that Solar City inflates the fair market value of its
solar installations significantly above actual cost. The report also shows that
SolarCity’s average costs per watt in Arizona were 19% over its competitors. It is a
best practice to shop around before signing a contract with one solar provider.
• Though SolarCity offers several ways of contact their company 24/7, there have
been several complaints about how the company follows up with their service. In
most cases, the biggest issue with SolarCity wasn’t about the product, but most
people actually complained about how their system install turned out. Be weary
about who you work with if you decide to switch to solar for your home. Though all
SolarCity installers receive training, there may be features specific to your home or
roof that could affect how the install is done. Get the info on your home ahead of
time. Then you can clearly communicate any install preferences you might have,
and keep your home safe from long term damage or an improper install.

5. The Bottom Line
Here is what we liked about the company:
1. The most flexible purchasing/leasing options in the industry, especially the My
Power option, which lets you own the system from day one while paying based
upon energy production.
2. The“open book”policy about contracts, including options for if you decide to cell
your home.
3. Solar City was one of the few companies that pitched the type of system we’d need
for a particular size of home.
4. The smartphone app, which provides suggestions for how to save on energy use in
your home.
5. Everything is done in-house, which augments and improves the customer service
experience.