CB Solar Review

Residential, farm and commercial solar installerBased in Des Moines, IowaProfile updated October 13, 2026

Is CB Solar a good choice?

CB Solar fits Iowa homeowners, farms and small businesses that want a local turnkey installer. It says its team has designed and installed over 550 projects since 2013 and that it was the first Iowa company to specialize in solar for agriculture. Its site publishes no workmanship warranty and no payment plans; its financing page only says to call. Ask for the workmanship term and financing options in writing.

Price
Quote required; no system price on the company pages we reviewed. Costs
Coverage
IA: based in Des Moines; offers site visits in Iowa and across the Midwest. Service area
Warranty
Cites maker warranties: 10+ years on parts, 25 years on power production; no workmanship term published. Warranty
Request a solar estimate Check the warranty
On this page
  1. Why choose it, or not
  2. CB Solar reviews
  3. Cost and ways to pay
  4. Warranty
  5. Service area and licenses
  6. Compare installers
  7. Before choosing
  8. How we researched

Why choose CB Solar, and why you might not

What CB Solar does well, and where to be careful, compared with the installers it competes with most.

Reasons to choose CB Solar

  • It does farms and small businesses tooCB Solar puts solar on homes, farms and small businesses. It says it was the first Iowa company to focus on solar for farms. 1 Source Solar and Eagle Point also do farm work.

  • It has done many jobs in IowaCB Solar says its team has designed and put in over 550 projects since 2013. Its site shows homes in towns across Iowa.

  • Owners praise clear, calm helpIts head-office Google listing shows 4.9 from 32 reviews. Owners praise clear help from design to the new power meter, and no pushy sales. One says it fixed its own design mistake at no extra cost.

  • It shows the brands it works withCB Solar shows logos for panel makers such as Silfab and Panasonic, and Enphase and SolarEdge equipment. The list has no date. Ask which brands it uses today.

Reasons to look at others

  • It lists no warranty on its own workCB Solar publishes no warranty on its own work or for leaks where the panels are bolted to the roof. Wolf River lists 25 years for both. Get every warranty in writing before you sign.

  • It does not say how you can payIts financing page only says to call. It names no lender and no rent or PPA plan. Ask who the lender is and whether you will own the panels.

  • We found no Iowa license recordWe searched Iowa’s license lists on October 13, 2026 and found no record for CB Solar. Ask for its license number and check it with the state.

  • One owner says a promise proved untrueOne negative review says the owner was told the power company would credit the extra power the panels make. It says that proved untrue. Ask CB Solar to put in writing how your power company pays for that power.

CB Solar reviews: what customers say

Each review site shows its own score; we read them on October 12 and 13, 2026 and do not combine them or add our own rating.

  • Google4.9 / 532 reviews · Des Moines, IA office listing only, not company-wideRead reviews

The five positive reviews below praise clear management from design through the utility meter swap and no-pressure sales, and one says the company caught its own design mistake and upsized the system at no extra cost. The one negative review, from 2023, reports being told the system would be net metered and says that proved untrue. These are issues to ask about, not a measure of how often they happen. Ask CB Solar to confirm in writing how your utility will credit exported power.

5 recent 5-star reviews
  • 5 of 5 · Sep 16, 2026

    “Everyone was kind and professional.”

    Matt W. · Read on Google

  • 5 of 5 · Aug 13, 2026

    “Very helpful and knowledgeable Great company to do business with.”

    David H. · Read on Google

  • 5 of 5 · Jul 10, 2026

    “They're friendly, professional, and efficient.”

    Lynne P. · Read on Google

  • 5 of 5 · Jun 16, 2026

    “CB Solar was great to work with: knowledgeable, adaptable to our budget and site needs, and excellent, open communication throughout the whole process.”

    Rebecca G. · Read on Google

  • 5 of 5 · Mar 20, 2025

    “When I wanted to get a solar system at my place, I researched a lot of companies and ended up choosing CB Solar, and I was happy with their service.”

    Monte M. · Read on Google

1 recent 1- and 2-star review
  • 1 of 5 · Jan 30, 2023

    “After it was installed and we paid for the system, turns out that was a lie.”

    Mitch A. · Read on Google

How we picked these: the five newest 5-star and the five newest 1- or 2-star reviews with written text on Google and Trustpilot, as of October 2026 (32 reviews read, back to Feb 20, 2017). We found no Trustpilot page for CB Solar on October 12, 2026. Each quote is one sentence, word for word. Picking the highest and lowest ratings shows the range of experiences; it is not a representative sample, and we did not verify what reviewers describe.

How much does CB Solar cost?

CB Solar does not publish a price for your system; its quote page offers a free site visit and quote. Ask for an itemized quote showing the cash price, system size, equipment models and, if you finance, the lender, APR, fees and financed total. Its specials page shows an old sample system offer; treat your written quote as the only price that counts. For state price ranges, see our solar panel cost guide; for how the plans compare, see loans, leases and PPAs.

Financing (not named)

Ask who owns it

The financing page says to contact CB Solar for current options and names none. Ask who the lender is and whether you own the system.

From CB Solar’s financing page, read October 13, 2026. No loan, lease or PPA is named.

CB Solar’s homepage shows logos of suppliers it says it uses: Boviet Solar, LG, Panasonic and Silfab panels; Enphase, Fronius, SMA and SolarEdge inverter equipment; and Dynoraxx, EcoFasten, Performance Line Products and SnapNrack mounting. Some of these brands may no longer be offered, since the list has not been dated. Your written proposal should list the exact panel and inverter models, the system size in kilowatts (kW) and the forecast yearly production in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

What does CB Solar’s warranty cover?

Warranty terms CB Solar publishes, by type of coverage
Coverage
What CB Solar publishes
What to confirm
Solar panels
Maker’s warranty; the company cites 10+ years on parts
Confirm in your proposal: the panel maker, model and its product warranty term.
Panel output
Maker’s warranty; the company cites 25 years on power production
Confirm in your proposal: the output guarantee in the panel maker’s datasheet.
Inverter
Not published
Confirm in your proposal: the inverter model, its maker’s term and who pays labor to replace it.
Battery
Not published
Confirm in your proposal: the battery maker’s term and who services it.
Labor and workmanship
Not published
Confirm in your proposal: the workmanship warranty term and what it covers.
Roof penetrations
Not published
Confirm in your proposal: who repairs and pays if a leak starts at a panel mount.

Terms as listed on CB Solar’s about page, read October 13, 2026. It has no warranty page. Your signed agreement decides what applies.

Where does CB Solar operate, and which licenses were checked?

CB Solar says it is based in Des Moines and serves Iowa. Its residential page shows homes in Walford, Milford, Elkader, Lake Panorama, Washington and Orleans, Iowa, and offers free site analyses “in Iowa and across the MidWest” (read October 13, 2026). It names no other state. A listed town does not mean every address qualifies or that EcoGen can connect you with CB Solar there.

Showing Des Moines, IA (headquarters)

Office address (1)

Address from CB Solar’s website, read October 13, 2026.

Licenses

We found no record under its name in Iowa; ask for the license number. Check the license yourself under the exact business name on your contract. A license check confirms registration, not workmanship quality.

Iowa2 recordsNo record found, Oct 13, 2026
  • License
    Electrical Contractor
    Number
    —
    Registry check
    No record found in the Iowa Electrical Examining Board (Iowa Department of Public Safety) search, checked October 13, 2026
    Note
    Searched business names ‘CB Solar’, ‘C B Solar’, ‘CB’, and ‘Solar’ within Polk County and statewide IA: no CB Solar record (only unrelated CB Grain Solutions, Simplified Solar, RAM Roofing and Solar). Ask the company for its license number.
  • License
    Contractor registration
    Number
    —
    Registry check
    No record found in the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (contractor registration) search, checked October 13, 2026
    Note
    Searched ‘CB Solar’, ‘C B Solar’, ‘cbsolar’, ‘5425 Lower Beaver’ in the active roster: no match. May be lapsed rather than never registered. Roster = DIAL ‘Active Iowa Construction Contractor Registrations’ (data.iowa.gov dataset 1052, active registrations only). Ask the company for its license number.

CB Solar’s homepage says it has been on Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractors list every year since 2014. This is a company statement; we did not verify it.

CB Solar compared with three other installers

Every alternative shares Iowa, CB Solar’s only state. 1 Source Solar and Eagle Point also do farm work, and Wolf River is a large electrical contractor in the region. Every fact comes from the company profiles linked below.

CB Solar compared with three installers that serve the same states
CB SolarThis page1 Source SolarEagle Point SolarWolf River Electric
Best forIowa homes, farms and small businessesIowa and Missouri homes, farms and businessesHomes and farms in IA, IL and WISolar and electrical work across the Upper Midwest
Head officeDes Moines, IAAnkeny, IADubuque, IAIsanti, MN
States shared with CB SolarIts only state1: IA1: IA1: IA
RoofingNot listedNot listedNot listedNot listed
Ways to payFinancing (lender not named)Buy, loan, PPALoan, home equity lineBuy, loan
Labor warrantyNot listed5 years5 years25 years, parts included
Roof leak warrantyNot listedNot listedNot listed separately25 years
Brands namedSilfab, Panasonic, Enphase, SolarEdge, others (undated)TeslaMany logos, none for a typical homeREC, Q CELLS, Enphase, Tesla (homepage logos)
Google score*4.9 (32 reviews)4.7 (74 reviews)4.5 (201 reviews)4.9 (960 reviews)

*Each Google score is for the company’s head-office listing only, read October 12 and 13, 2026.

Full profiles: 1 Source Solar · Eagle Point Solar · Wolf River Electric

Before choosing CB Solar

Ask for these in writing:

  1. An itemized quote with the cash price and the financed total, including the APR and all fees.
  2. The exact panel, inverter and battery models, the system size in kW and the forecast yearly production in kWh.
  3. The warranty documents for your payment plan: panels, inverter, labor and roof penetrations.
  4. Your local service contact, and who handles utility approval and warranty claims.
  5. The exact company on the contract, such as CB Solar Inc., and its license for your state.

Before you sign, read the quote line by line and bring our questions to ask a solar installer.

Ready to compare proposals?

Request a solar estimate

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How we researched this profile

We read CB Solar’s own pages on October 13, 2026: homepage, about, financing, residential projects, system specials, free quote and contact. We did not check its license in a state registry. On October 14, 2026 we also checked CB Solar’s Google Business listing. We did not buy a system, request a quote, visit an office or interview customers. CB Solar did not review this page.

Our installer methodology explains what we check.

Sources (8)