Solar panels on a roof in Arizona, one of five states Elevation operates in.
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The installers that work for Elevation are all in-house employees.
A piece of advice homeowners interested in installing solar often hear goes something like this: Make your home as energy efficient as it can be before going solar.
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The next component is the Curb smart energy monitor that is installed to monitor real-time household energy consumption. The device doesn’t actively control any appliances, but rather, provides insights on what Bramson calls the “human behavior side of consumption” and also helps to identify devices that hog energy.
Curb users can also compare their energy use with thousands of other users.
“It trims consumption by 8 to 12% just through driving awareness,” Bramson said.
The third part of the package is installing home solar panels.
Elevation customers aren’t required to go through the energy efficiency process or install the Curb monitor. The company can also unbundle the package components. About 20% of customers request just a standalone solar energy system installation.
For any package that Elevation offers, you can purchase panels, lease them or enter into a power purchase agreement. The company also offers a wide variety of financing options.
What solar equipment does Elevation install?
Elevation installs a handful of brands of tier one panels, including its most popular model by far: Qcells 400-watt black panels with Enphase microinverters, although customers can opt for affordable string inverters to save some money, Bramson said.
For customers who want to add solar batteries, multiple brands are also available, with Tesla Powerwall and Enphase options being the most popular in a variety of sizes.
What warranties does Elevation offer?
Elevation relies primarily on manufacturer warranties for equipment, which are typically around 10 years for batteries and 25 years for panels and inverters.
Qcells’ 25-year warranty guarantees that your solar panels will be operating at at least 86% of their rated capacity at that point in time. Enphase microinverters come with a 25-year warranty, but string inverters typically come with shorter 10- to 12-year warranties, although solar companies often offer extensions.
Tesla’s warranty on its Powerwall is for 10 years and guarantees 70% of its original capacity at that point. Enphase batteries come with warranties that guarantee 70% capacity after 10 years or 60% after 15 years, depending on the model.
Elevation offers its own 10-year warranty on installation work and roof penetrations. These are fairly common terms for these warranties, though some companies, like ADT Solar, offer 25-year versions standard.
Elevation also sells a “bumper-to-bumper” extended warranty through a third-party insurance company that extends all warranties to 30 years, including for the panels, inverters and roof penetrations, as well as an energy production guarantee for the entire system.
Bramson said about 80% of customers opt for the extended warranty, the price of which is pinned to the size of your solar panel installation.
The installers that work for Elevation are all in-house employees.
anatoliy_gleb/Getty Images
Does Elevation operate in my state? How do I order?
Elevation operates in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Texas. The company typically does about 5,000 residential installations a year, according to Bramson.
If you opt to go with Elevation, the first step in the ordering process is a consultation with a salesperson, usually done remotely via a screenshare, but in-person consultations are also an option. The session will include a review of recent electric bills going back as far as a full year to understand the energy needs of the home. A company representative will try to ascertain the condition of the home to determine if any inefficiency issues might justify Elevation’s efficiency improvement service.
Next, the company creates a proposal for a system or package that fits your situation. The proposal includes tax credits and other incentives that may apply and both purchase and financing options. Then comes an installation agreement and a site survey at the home.
Bramson said there may need to be revisions to the installation agreement following the site survey while any loans are being approved. Once there is a final installation agreement and loan approval in place, the company will schedule an installation date for the job.
“That process takes 30 to 45 days for us to get out to the home,” Bramson said, during which time Elevation takes care of needed permits from local authorities and utilities.
Interested homeowners can get started on the website by plugging an address and some basic information about energy bills into a tool that will provide a preliminary proposal in advance of a live consultation, although you’ll have to give up some contact info. Another tool also provides an estimated “energy score” based on some basic information about your home and how its energy efficiency is likely to compare to others using the Curb app in exchange for some contact info.
Elevation reviews: What are customers saying?
Elevation gets an A+ from and is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau. Customer reviews there give it a 3.97 star rating out of a possible five.
There’s been a bit of a run on one-star reviews in the past few months, but keep in mind that customer reviews are specific to individual circumstances. Definitely give them a look, try to take note of certain trends and identify any questions you’d like to ask your installer, but don’t take them as the gospel truth.
Here’s a sample of the good and the bad from recent customers. Each review has received a response from the company.
Five-star Elevation reviews
“I had Elevate (sic) add insulation in the attic of my 19-year-old house. They did a leak test on the duct system, sealed openings in the ductwork and around pipes going into the walls, and increased the insulation level from 6″ to 14″. The 3-man crew was very professional, friendly, and courteous. They showed me before and after pictures of the attic when they finished and did a very good job cleaning up. Excellent job for an excellent price.” Don S. 3/30/23
One-star Elevation reviews
“They are terrible! They installed our solar panels 4 months ago and have not connected them yet. We have called and called for the service we are still paying for and have received no response. The telephone operators promise they will call but they never do.” Ellen M. 5/17/2023
Is Elevation the best choice?
While we’ve done our best to profile Elevation here, make sure to always do your own research and definitely get multiple quotes from local installers before making any sort of decision on a solar system.
It’s also important to note that CNET does not directly test the solar equipment mentioned here and has not gone through the ordering or installation process with Elevation. Instead, we rely on detailed conversations with a company representative, our own research and knowledge of the industry.
With all that in mind, Elevation’s unique approach which includes an emphasis on energy efficiency and home monitoring will appeal to certain customers looking to maximize their energy savings. Its score puts it just inside the top half of companies we’ve reviewed so far.
Pros
All in-house installers and employees; no subcontractors
A holistic approach to energy conservation including efficiency
Comprehensive home monitoring option
Offers a price match
Cons
Warranties are basic, complete extended warranty costs extra
Complaints about the latest versions of monitoring apps
How we evaluate solar companies
Reviewing solar companies in a hands-on way is difficult. Accounting for all the differences from project to project is impossible. To provide a helpful review, we focused on what we can measure and meaningfully compare among companies.
We focus on three buckets of criteria: equipment, warranties and service.
Within the equipment category, companies receive scores for the panels, inverters and batteries they install. Warranties include guarantees on the panels, workmanship and weatherization against leaks. Companies earn points for service if they offer a price match, a meaningful level of price transparency and a well-rated app for monitoring solar production. They lose points if there are major issues pertaining to customer service (lawsuits, investigations or clear reputations for shoddy service). These issues will always be detailed in the review.
We don’t consider the average price of a company’s installations in their score. This information is difficult to find and hard to compare across service areas (and even roof-to-roof). Companies are often slow to disclose it, too. We also leave out easily found but not useful information like how many states a company operates in.
Elevation FAQs
Elevation was founded in 2014 as an energy services provider for single-family rental homes and has since expanded to service other homeowners.
