Lumina Solar Review (Costs, Services & More in 2024)

Is Lumina Solar a Good Solar Company?

Based on rave reviews given by almost all of its customers, it can be safely said that Lumina Solar is a great company to go solar with.

Among Lumina employees, there is something called the “Lumina 2.0 Solar Pledge.” This pledge entails “offering better products, newer technology, and the best customer service possible.” In just a few years, Lumina has become one of the highest-rated solar providers in the mid-Atlantic. This indicates that its teams are adhering to the pledge.

Pros and Cons of Lumina Solar

Lumina Solar Rating

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Outstanding Regional Installer

4.5/5

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Regional Service

What Services Does Lumina Solar Offer?

Lumina offers residential and commercial solar installations. It also installs solar batteries, notably the Tesla Powerwall solar battery. In fact, Lumina was the first solar company in its home state to become a certified Powerwall installer. Here’s an overview of a typical installation experience when you go solar with Lumina:

Solar Installation Experience

1) Consultation and Design: In the first step, once you have submitted your address, phone number and energy bill data, the Lumina team creates a preliminary design and pricing. This is followed by a proper site survey to collect information about the roof and other aspects of your home. This information is passed to the design team to prepare a final design.

2) Permitting: In this step, Lumina will assign you a personal “Customer Success Manager” to handle the permits and paperwork needed by your city and local utility company. This representative will also help apply for any solar incentives or tax credits you are eligible for. Your Customer Success Manager will be available throughout the whole process to answer any questions you have.

3) Installation and Activation: Finally, Lumina’s technicians and electricians install the solar panels, inverter and other equipment on your property. The company claims to install a solar system in just four to six hours, which is much faster than the industry average. Once that is done, your local utility and municipality will grant “Permission to Operate” (PTO) for your system. After this, you are all set to save money and enjoy your energy independence with solar.

See what an example of a finished product looks like below.

Lumina Solar Customer Service

Since the very beginning, one of Lumina’s most important goals has been “providing the best possible customer service.” A large number of Lumina’s reviews point out its impressive customer service. The company not only answers every question during the entire process, but it also addresses any concerns that may arise after the installation.

This is a big deal in the solar industry. Unfortunately, we see a lot of complaints from customers about aggressive and pushy sales tactics and, even worse, poor customer service or design services that leave customers pay more than they should for their solar equipment and sometimes waiting months to get their systems activated. These issues are more or less non-existent with Lumina, which is great to see. The large majority of customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive across many review sites.

Outstanding Regional Installer

Lumina Solar offers fully integrated solar technology to help its customers make a practical leap to new levels of energy efficiency, conservation and independence.

4.5/5

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Best Social Impact

Palmetto Solar offers a wide variety of solar services and products while leading the charge on charitable efforts and partnerships across the nation.

4.5/5

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How Much Does Lumina Solar Cost?

Lumina Solar is not the cheapest solar installer in Pennsylvania or the DMV, but it is also not among the expensive ones. When it comes to solar energy, the cheapest is not always the best. Lumina offers some of the highest-quality solar panels, inverters and batteries on the market.

Several customers state “fair pricing” as one of the traits of the company. There are clean energy companies in the country that charge much lower than Lumina, but we think its remarkable service quality justifies slightly higher costs.

It’s difficult to say where your system cost will fall with Lumina, but based on average prices and the fact that Lumina customers have stated that the pricing is about average for their area, we can estimate the price you’ll pay for solar conversion through Lumina. The cost will vary by the state you’re in, and the table below includes a quick breakdown of some rough estimates.

The company also has a referral program through which it gives $500 to the referrer when a referred customer gets solar panels installed.

Lumina Solar also provides a variety of purchasing models. Let’s take a look at those.

Financing Options Through Lumina Solar

While a cash purchase is the best option when buying a solar system, it is not always feasible. Keeping that in mind, Lumina Solar offers four purchasing models: cash purchases, solar loans, solar leases and power purchases agreements (PPAs). Generally speaking, we don’t recommend leases or PPAs, and cash purchases will provide the greatest savings over time.

With that being said, we’re happy to see Lumina providing access to solar loans, even if they aren’t using in-house financing. The team members work closely with all customers to help them find a loan product that benefits them the most.

We expect solar loans to become even more popular than they already are in the near future, largely because net metering policies are changing for the worse. California recently just put NEM 3.0 into place, which decreased the credit for exported electricity and reduced the overall value of solar equipment. Solar batteries are going to become more valuable as a result because they provide effective net metering at the full retail value per kWh.

Batteries can add tens of thousands to your system costs, which are already high. A single battery averages around $10,000, and many homeowners opt for multiple batteries to boost savings even more. As more states decrease their net metering policies and batteries push up average installation costs, we expect companies like Lumina with solid financing options already in place to shine.

Here’s a table showing all four options and how they differentiate from each other.

Choosing the correct purchase model when going solar may feel like a difficult task. Check out our comprehensive solar financing guide for complete clarity before getting your solar panels.

Lumina Solar Panel Warranty

Lumina’s website might not have much information on the kind of warranties it provides, but the company offers warranties as per the industry standard. The individual components it sources from other companies come with their original warranties, such as 25-year warranties on panels and 25-year inverter warranties.

Aside from the above, Lumina offers a 10-year workmanship warranty on every installation. Lumina also offers a Solarinsure 30-year extended warranty. This is one of the longest, most extensive coverage options in the industry. It covers the cost of parts, labor, roof penetrations and ownership transfers.

How Do Customers View Lumina Solar?

The one thing that separates Lumina Solar from almost all other solar energy companies is its staggering number of 5-star reviews! Here are a couple of examples.

Positive Reviews of Lumina Solar

Most of the positive customer reviews for Lumina Solar highlight the company’s transparency, low-pressure sales approach and excellent customer service. Take a look at these examples:

“I am very satisfied with the process; it was smooth from the beginning till the end. Super friendly staff and ready to explain whatever question you have. I will definitely recommend it. It is a 100/100 for me.”

– Sogbade Y. via Yelp

“We had a wonderful experience with Lumina! … [My representative] came over and was able to explain everything very clearly for us, and it was not high-pressure sales, which I appreciated… Overall, the team was quick, efficient, professional and met every expectation I had. My wife and I would recommend them to anyone interested in solar, especially if they need a new roof as well.”

– Gary E. via BBB

Negative Reviews of Lumina Solar

In what is a rare occurrence, we could not find any negative reviews for Lumina Solar. The young company has (so far) managed to achieve the near-impossible with its game-changing customer service.

How Does Lumina Solar Compare to Other Leading Providers?

Going solar is an important decision. A typical system lasts over 25 years, making it crucial to choose an installer that is perfect for you. This means you can never rely on just one consultation when getting your system — it works best if you explore multiple companies before narrowing it down to one. Take a look at this chart where we have compared Lumina Solar with two other companies serving in similar areas and having similar services.

The cost information presented in this article is derived from a comprehensive analysis, incorporating data from multiple industry sources. The average cost per watt per state was calculated based on figures from Consumer Affairs, Energy Sage, and Berkeley Lab’s Electricity Markets & Policy Department. Additionally, monthly energy consumption and the average monthly cost of electricity were sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, ensuring a well-rounded and accurate representation of the information presented.