Earthlight Solar & Energy Solutions Reviews

Earthlight Technologies is a family-run company that began selling energy-efficient products for homes in 2008 and opened its residential solar division in 2012. Since then, it’s expanded its services to include large-scale commercial solar energy systems and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

The company is based in Connecticut and serves customers in the state but also serves clients in Massachusetts (except for Cape Cod and Boston) and Central and Northwest Oregon.

For residential customers, Earthlight offers both roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar energy systems as well as battery systems that store the excess electricity produced.

Earthlight uses solar panels and racking equipment (the mounting hardware that panels are affixed to) manufactured by Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), Qcells and Maxeon. For its energy storage systems, the company is a certified installer for both Tesla Powerwalls and FranklinWH battery systems.

Earthlight was previously a master dealer for SunPower, meaning it exclusively used SunPower’s panels for all its projects. In August of 2024, SunPower filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but Earthlight had already begun sourcing panels from other manufacturers. Maxeon, which used to manufacture and sell panels to SunPower, has agreed to honor all of SunPower’s warranties and is now one of Earthlight’s main suppliers.

If you’re a homeowner interested in a solar energy system, the first step is to request a free shade report. A shade report uses specialized software and satellite imagery to determine how much sun reaches your home throughout the year. If your home scores over 60% (meaning 60% or more sunlight would reach your solar panels over the course of a year), it qualifies for installation.

The next step is a site assessment that takes one to two weeks. Here, a technician measures your roof and determines your solar production capability. After this, Earthlight’s in-house design team creates your unique system and sends it to your local utility company for approval and permitting to finalize connection to the power grid.

The actual installation typically takes one to two days, after which an inspection is performed by Earthlight along with a representative from your regional building department. The local utility company will then come out to install a meter and your system will be activated.

The final step is a post-activation walkthrough to make sure you understand how the system operates.

Earthlight also provides maintenance and repair services for both its residential and commercial customers, but there’s no standard package that comes with a solar energy system. Instead, if you need maintenance help, you can submit a service request through the company’s website. If the issue is covered under your warranties, the work will be free, but other repairs may cost extra.

Earthlight also offers roofing services as well as the installation of snow and critter guards.

Smaller homes of 1,200 square feet or less typically need about 12 solar panels, and these systems start at $16,000. A larger home of around 2,500 square feet will need twice as many panels, and these systems start at $31,000.

Your actual costs are based on the size of the system, the type of panels you use, the complexity of your installation and whether you add battery storage. Costs are also affected by the state and federal incentives for which you’re eligible and whether you opt to finance the purchase or buy it outright.

There is currently a 30% federal tax credit available for residential solar systems installed between 2022 and 2032. This credit can be used on systems that are owned or financed by the homeowner and can be applied to expenses related to panels, mounting equipment, labor and energy storage devices.

Current state incentives are as follows:

• Massachusetts: When installing a residential solar system, homeowners in Massachusetts can receive a tax credit of $1,000 or 15% of their total costs for installing a solar energy system, whichever is less.
• Connecticut: Homeowners can choose between a Buy-All and a Netting incentive to offset the costs of installing a residential solar system. The Buy-All program requires homeowners to sell all the energy they produce back to the electric grid and receive either a quarterly payment or a monthly bill credit.
  
  With the Netting program, residents first supply their own homes with the energy they produce and then sell the excess back to the power grid.
• Oregon: Oregon’s residential rebates are based on income level and can go up to a $5,000 rebate for solar systems and a $2,500 rebate for energy storage systems.

Earthlight Technologies also offers a referral program that can earn existing customers a $500 credit once their referral’s system is installed.

Because the total cost of installing a residential solar system is so high, many customers look to financing options. Earthlight offers 25-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) through its partner company, LightReach. Under a PPA plan, LightReach owns the system, and in exchange, the homeowner agrees to pay a fixed rate per kWh that’s lower than they would pay with their local utility company.

This allows the homeowner to install solar panels and reduce their monthly energy bills, but because they don’t own the system, they aren’t able to take advantage of state or federal rebates. Financing through LightReach is only available in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Customers can also pursue financing on their own through a personal loan, solar loan or home equity line of credit (HELOC), which allows them to use state and federal solar incentives.

Earthlight’s warranties for residential systems are broken into three categories: panels, microinverters (that convert DC energy into AC energy for each panel) and installation.

The panel warranty depends on the manufacturer and ranges from 20 to 40 years. These warranties guarantee the level of power production and cover repair and replacement costs due to product or workmanship defects. Exclusions to the warranty include damage due to misuse, incorrect installation or modifications and repairs done by an unauthorized service technician.

The company also offers a 25-year warranty on its microinverters made by Enphase and a 12-year warranty on the installation.

Earthlight Solar & Energy Solutions performs residential and commercial solar panel installation services in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Oregon.

Solar panel costs vary based on your location and other factors. The map below shows average overall prices in Earthlight Solar & Energy Solutions’s service areas to give you a general idea of what to expect. Your specific energy needs, panel efficiency and other variables could make your costs higher or lower than these averages.

Note: Costs in this table are average costs for the state and do not represent specific company pricing. "Average cost after ITC” reflects the cost after receiving the full 30% solar investment tax credit (ITC). “Estimated net savings” is the average amount residents in that state will save on electricity over 25 years, including their cost of installing a solar energy system.