3 Best Solar Companies in Montana (2024 Guide)

SunPower acquired Blue Raven in 2021. The company now offers SunPower’s high-efficiency solar systems and energy storage options. Blue Raven uses in-house installers to complete its projects, resulting in better communication throughout the installation process.

Blue Raven offers unique in-house financing options to make a move to solar economical. Customers can pay for their system in full or select the BluePower Plus+ loan, which provides 18 months of free solar energy with no up-front costs. The first five years of the loan payments are locked into a fixed rate through the SmartStart program.

Warranty

A Blue Raven Solar system comes with a 25-year warranty, 10-year workmanship warranty, and two-year production guarantee.

Financing options

✔ Full purchase

✔ Loan

The Orem, Utah-based company was founded in 2014. Seven years later it received two awards at the 19th annual American Business Awards. The company earned a Gold Stevie Award for Energy Industry Innovation of the Year and Company of the Year in the large energy categories. In 2022, the Utah Business Magazine’s annual Fast 50 Awards recognized Blue Raven Solar as one of the state’s fastest-growing companies for the fourth year in a row. Blue Raven also appeared on the Inc. 5000 list in 2021 for the third consecutive year.

Blue Raven Solar strives to achieve rewarding experiences for its customers and employees. The solar company won awards in back-to-back years at the Comparably’s Brand Awards, a site known for its comprehensive company culture and reputation reviews. Comparably recognized Blue Raven for Best Operations Team 2022, Best Sales Team 2022, Best Product & Design Team 2022, Best Places to Work in Salt Lake City 2022, and Best Company Outlook 2022. The 2021 wins include Best Company for Diversity 2021, Best CEO 2021, Best Company Work-Life Balance, and Best Career Growth 2021. Blue Raven Solar ranked No. 20 on Glassdoor’s Best Place to Work in the USA in 2021.

Blue Raven Solar partners with Give Power, a non-profit organization committed to providing clean water to water-scarce regions.

The company is accredited with the BBB and currently holds an A rating. We noted that customers praised the knowledgeable staff and prompt installation but warned of poor communication after projects were completed.

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Venture Solar specializes in installing systems that are perfectly symmetrical and have no visible wiring or mounting devices. This design provides a simple, stylish look tailored to your roof’s appearance. Additionally, Venture offers comprehensive financing options similar to Sunrun, making solar energy more accessible to homeowners.

Venture earned 4.2 out of 5 stars. It gained most of its points due to its flexible financing options paired with an in-house financing department. It also provides plenty of solar services to match most customers’ wants and needs, though it lost points for lacking roofing services, energy audits, and EV charger installations. 

• Solar Equipment and Services (16 out of 25 points): Venture offers solar panel and battery installation with active monitoring. The company lost points in this category because it doesn’t provide EV chargers, solar roof installation services, energy audits, and roof repairs.
• Warranty and Performance Guarantees (25 out of 25 points): The company features excellent warranty perks with 25 years on labor, products, and performance. It also includes roof leak protection. 
• Brand Reputation and Professional Certifications (13 out of 15 points): Venture has a great reputation. It features high ratings on its BBB profile with an accreditation and no active issues like lawsuits.
• Financing Options (14 out of 15 points): Venture provides financing options through an in-house financing team and works with every payment method except PPAs. 
• Industry Experience (7 out of 10 points): The company holds only eight years of experience in the solar industry.
• State Availability (7 out of 10 points): Venture has a limited service area of only three states.

Warranty

Venture offers a 25-year bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers workmanship, products, and power output. 

Financing Options

✔ Full purchase
✔ Loan
✔ Lease

Available in: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

Venture has an A+ rating and accreditation on its BBB profile. According to customer reviews, the company provides high-quality workmanship on its solar panel systems and good customer support. However, some customers have raised concerns about the pricing and quoting process. They found it confusing to determine the total cost of their system and experienced frequent back-and-forth over pricing.

Some customers also noted that Venture focuses on premium products, leading to higher pricing even when unnecessary. We found several Reddit threads discussing Venture where other solar customers and installers mentioned similar experiences.

Solar Energy World (SEW) is one of the most robust and well-regarded solar installation companies. It boasts several impressive features, such as its 30-year manufacturer’s warranty. Its service area is limited, and it doesn’t offer energy auditing services. We like that SEW discloses what solar panels it primarily works with and that the panels are from trusted, quality brands such as Qcells and Silfab.

Roughly 11% of our surveyed solar users purchased their system from Solar Energy World.

SEW scored 4.4 out of 5 stars according to our methodology. The company received many points because of its warranty, which is longer than most other solar companies’ warranties. SEW offers a 30-year manufacturer’s warranty on all its solar panels and inverters, whereas many providers only offer 25-year warranties.

• Solar Equipment and Services (18 out of 25 points): The company is an ideal option for many basic solar products and services, such as solar panels and battery installation. It lost points because it doesn’t install EV chargers or perform energy audits.
• Warranty and Performance Guarantees (19 out of 25 points): SEW’s manufacturer and labor warranties are standout features, but the company doesn’t include any production guarantees with its work. 
• Brand Reputation and Professional Certifications (15 out of 15 points): The company’s reputation is one of the best, with high BBB and Google Reviews ratings. We also found no active alerts or lawsuits.
• Financing Options (13.5 out of 15 points): SEW offers all possible solar payment options but doesn’t provide an in-house financing department. 
• Industry Experience (8 out of 10 points): The company has been in business since 2009, so it received most of the points in this category.
• State Availability (6 out of 10 points): SEW limits its service area to eight East Coast states.

Warranty

SEW offers a 30-year manufacturer’s warranty on all purchased solar panels and inverters. However, coverage varies by brand, and the company doesn’t guarantee them with every panel option. 

Financing Options

✔ Full purchase
✔ Loan
✔ Lease
✔ PPA

Available in: Washington, D.C, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia

The company landed on Solar Power World’s 2023 Top Solar Contractors List in the No. 10 spot.

The BBB accredits SEW, and the company holds an A+ rating. Former customers praise the company for its professionalism, assistance with applying for financial incentives, and smooth installation process. However, some reported discrepancies in finances and scheduling.

Sunrun offers four financing options, including a monthly lease, full (prepaid) lease, monthly loan, and full-system purchase. The company’s unique full lease option allows you to prepay for 25 years of service, locking in savings for the rest of your contract. 

Leasing contracts have full-service coverage, including protection from damage, theft, and degradation. Sunrun will fix your system at no cost if its efficiency decreases. These services are included for loan and full purchase through an added Protection Plus service. While reviewing the warranty details, we discovered that full-payment and loan customers don’t receive the same benefits and must add the Protection Plus Service for an undisclosed fee. 

Its solar systems include panels from leading manufacturers, such as LG, Trina, and LONGi. Its signature Brightbox home battery includes either the Tesla Powerwall or LG Chem. Homeowners can pair an EV charger with their system for added benefits.

Warranty

Sunrun backs its systems with a 10-year comprehensive warranty which includes product, roof penetration, and workmanship coverage.

Financing options

✔ Full purchase

✔ Loan

✔ Lease

✔ PPA

Since 2007, Sunrun has served over 100,000 customers across the country. It has retail partnerships with national brands such as Best Buy, Comcast, and Costco. The company earned DroneDeploy’s 2022 Guardian of Safety Award for incorporating drone technology in its site assessments. In 2021 and 2022, Sunrun was recognized by Comparably with 14 awards. Its accolades include Best CEOs for Diversity 2022, Best Company Culture 2021, and Best Company for Women two years in a row.

Sunrun currently holds an NR rating with BBB. The company profile is being updated. Customers praised the comprehensive coverage for leased systems but complained about delayed installations and poor customer service.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.