Future Energy Savers

The decision to purchase solar has been an ongoing conversation for a few years now. When we finally decided to go forward, we considered bids from three companies but decided on Future Energy Savers. It was evident to us from Future Energy Savers Consultant Kevin to the engineer and installers, everyone was knowledgeable about their aspect of the solar equipment and use. Whenever we have an inquiry, we were met with prompt and efficient responses. When we researched the material and presentation of solar panels, we also recognized their superior quality. Since January our energy bills have been considerably lower. We are very happy with our purchase.

During the process of finding the right solar installer I went through several companies to get a feel for what they were offering and to compare, this is where I noticed if they were out just for the sale and not me as a consumer. I learned that it was mostly about them and not you, but I learned a lot about the process, and it gave me a better understanding on how and with whom to contract with, that’s why I choose Future Energy. Future Energy (James) met with us several times until we were ready, and they walked us through the process and explained all the details. The installers were also professional, and I cannot say enough about how clean the work looked and their support thereafter. Today, our energy bill is about $12 dollars compared to one year ago when it was $126, and that does not include the increases PG&E continues to charge us. Also, my bills for electricity were up to $500 this year, so what a relief that I am not giving them my money anymore like before. One thing that I really enjoy is being able to monitor my usage through the GENERAC App, always able to see where my solar energy is being used and the Self-Supply mode, which manages how to distribute power. The nice thing about my system is our backup battery and the whole home setup, no more power outages to worry about. I strongly recommend using Future Energy and James Krohn as the sales representative. He will be willing to answer all your questions. Regards, Valencia-Duncan Family

I've wanted to install solar for a long time but was hesitant until two couples I know installed solar panels using Future Energy Savers and were very pleased. Both have high expectations and would not have been pleased with less than excellent work. One said, "they told us exactly what they were going to do, and then they did it. " The representative I spoke to (Eitan) explained the whole process, the cost, and what I could expect to save. After I signed the contract, the very next day an engineer showed up to figure out exactly where to install the panels on my roof for the best results. There was a short delay while SMUD went over the plan, but once it was approved the panels were installed in less than a week. The installers provided an app to put on my computer or smart phone which shows how much energy is being generated, plus month to date and system to date information. Future Energy Savers not only did all the work, they handled all the coordination with the county and SMUD. The system generates more energy on beautiful bright days, but it even generates some energy when it rains. SMUD estimates that I will generate approximately the same number of kilowatts that I use each year. So, I should save money and help the grid on those hot summer days when every air conditioner in Sacramento is running full blast.

Despite COVID and country inspectors things went very well. Was done as fast a possible despite delays in the permitting system in our county. Everyone was very professional and helpful.

Future Energy Savers presented a very convincing sales pitch about the quality of their solar systems and especially about the 25-year warranty on all the components. It was sold as a worry-free installation that would continue to provide electricity once the initial investment was recouped by lowered energy bills. This was fine until an inverter went out only six years after the system was installed. When I called for warranty service, I was shocked to discover that they wanted to charge me $325 for the service. Nowhere in the original sales pitch, company documentation, or my signed contract does it say anything about a fee for warranty service. In fact, the sales-pitch documentation specifies "Solar Parts and Labor Warranty!" They're now trying to tell me that that statement referred to the original installation only! They have refused to acknowledge that this is misleading and unethical, and now refuse to provide warranty service without the payment of this fee every time they have to come out. I have a total of 34 warranted components on my system (17 panels and 17 inverters). The first went out after only six years, so if this continues, I will be looking at having to pay another $11,050 in service fees over the life of the warranty.

The installation started at 8 am as scheduled and was completed in 5 hours, leaving me a running solar system at 1 PM. The installer explained every aspect of the system that I wanted to know. He segregated my important house circuits and rewired them to the emergency panel which is battery powered on loss of utility supply. He explained the use of the control panel which has 5 operating modes at my control, and the use of the Generac Powerview app which gives the daily energy production, house consumption as well as output to the Utility. I now have near zero utility input on the worst summer day. I feel comfort in the system's backup capability in case of a utility blackout. My battery now covers my house loads and shields me from rising utility rates during peak hours. The components of the system are warranted for 25 years, except the battery which goes for just 10 years. Overall I am very satisfied with the system.

Future Energy Savers Review Sales Rep: Briana Burnette We recently decided that we wanted to go solar as a way reduce our carbon footprint, do something good for our environment and save money in the process. I am not one to go into a big financial decision like this lightly, so I did my research. I started the beginning of May, the first thing that I did was reach out to my network of friends to get referrals as I was not really sure where to start. Future Energy Savers was a referral and one of 4 companies that I had consultations with. I met with each company, complete with a list of pressing questions, I wanted to compare apples to apples, so I asked the same questions to each company. I was so excited about the prospect of solar and I liked each of the companies, but as I learned more, the list was reduced from 4 to 2 contenders. One company was eliminated because they kept pushing the lease option, which is not something that we wanted and the second company had only been in business for 4 years. One of our criteria points was the company be knowledgeable, experienced and not a fly by night company. In essence, we wanted a company that had been in business for at least as long as the warranty they offer, which is typically 25 years. Ultimately, the other company was also eliminated and the last one standing was FES. Below are a few of the reasons that we went with them: • US made panels • 25-year warranty • .33 degradation per year on panels • 10 years of system monitoring • Panels made for extreme weather • Seasonal rain is enough to clean the panels, no extra maintenance required • They are experienced in solar and roofing • They have been in business for 43 years • System is fully upgradeable, so adding a battery or more panels later is an option • They use a PV Link Optimizer, which is newer inverter technology, these are NOT heat sensitive • They have a $15,000 bond for the warranty My sales representative with FES was Briana Burnette, I met with her on 5/29/21, and she was wonderful. She fully explained solar, the process, what to expect, the True Up Statement at the end of the year, etc. She was very patient and even answered questions a few times, if needed, to make sure that I had a full understanding. She also did not mind if I texted with additional questions as I analyzed the information to ensure that we were making the best decision for our family. There was absolutely no pressure, just education to help us make an informed decision on how to proceed. Once we made our decision to go with FES, she came back out to sign all the paperwork, answered additional questions and even re-explained a few things to my husband, who had not attended any of the meetings. The next step was the pre-site evaluation to ensure the system size, number of panels, etc., would work for our house. A few days later, I spoke with Rob regarding this pre-site evaluation. He also answered my questions and emailed me the schematic to show me where the 16 panels would be placed. I wanted to make sure the placement was aesthetically pleasing and that I was fully informed on what to expect with installation. From there, the information was sent to SMUD for review/approval and then on to the permitting process. FES took care of getting all of the permits and it happened very timely. Our installation happened on Friday, 7/16/21. The crew was 15 minutes early, which I appreciated. They were very friendly, knowledgeable and patient. At the end of the install, I was shown how to use the equipment and all of my remaining questions were answered. From my perspective, it was a very smooth install, although, the guys ran into a few issues, but they were very professional and got the job done in spite of this. It is 7/21/21 as I begin writing this review and I have just installed the Generac PWR View app on my phone. It is very basic, so it should not be difficult to learn. The first screen has a visual that shows the amount of solar, in kWh being produced real-time, followed by how much electricity our house is using, and if we are selling excess back to SMUD or if we are supplementing with energy from the grid. There is also a day, week, month and year view where you can see all the details of energy production. This will be a good tool to monitor as we opted not to purchase a battery at this point. Instead, we went with a little bit bigger system that we could grow into. We want to monitor for a year and see if a battery is necessary, we are not expecting to need one, but the system is fully upgradeable if we decide to go that way later. We are waiting for the few last steps to be fully online with solar. There will be an inspection in a few weeks to ensure that everything was installed properly and up to code. I am not worried because I feel like FES is top notch. And, after that, SMUD will need to come out and install a SMART meter so that we can start earning credit on the energy we are producing and not using. Update: Mitchell from FES called on 7/22/21 to set up the inspection. The first attempt did not happen due to a conflict with the city inspector. So, the inspection actually happened on Tuesday, 7/27/21. It was a virtual inspection, so Mitchell came out, explained what would happen and then had this meeting with the inspector. Everything passed without issue. The solar system did need to be turned off, which I was not thrilled with, we just got it and it had to be turned off. This is because it needed to be offline when SMUD comes out to install the SMART meter. I am just disappointed that we are not able to use our solar during the hot August days, but I understand the reasoning behind it. I am just anxious to start seeing the full benefits of our solar system. Hurry up SMUD and contact us to install the SMART meter. SMUD came out on 8/10/21 to install the SMART meter, I then contacted FES and Mitchell came out the same day to turn the system back on for us. While doing this, he noticed that 3 of the 16 panels were offline. As a result, we needed to get on the schedule to have someone come out and look at the system to find out why this was happening. Throughout the course of a month, FES had a repair tech come out three times before our system was fully online and running in peak performance. It was completely fixed on 9/21/21. The first time the repair tech came out, he made some adjustments and according to the Generac app, all 16 panels were performing. The next day when I was monitoring, solar just stopped producing altogether. I called and spoke to Thomas and he contacted Generac to troubleshoot. Apparently, the inverter has a safety mode to protect the system and it kicked into action after the first modification to the system was completed. It was a quick fix and Generac was able to reset the system on their side and we were back producing solar. A few days went by and I did not feel that the system was producing as it should, so I contacted Thomas again. He did review our system on his side and stated that something was still not right with the PV Link, so he sent another repair tech out to fix it. Again, he made a few adjustments and everything seemed to be working properly when he left. I continued to monitor and the system was still not in the kWh range per hour, so I reached back one more time, this time I spoke with Pat. He did some research and confirmed that I was correct and sent the repair tech out that day to fix the issue. He looked at the entire system this time and determined that there were extra clips used in the installation process and that was what was causing the issue. He had to rework the entire system, but when he left the system was fully functional everything has been producing at peak performance ever since, again this happened on 9/21/21. Now, the reason I documented these initial system issues is because I want to point out the great customer service that was provided and the quick turnaround time. Every time I called, if I was not able to speak with someone, my call was returned within 24-48 hours and a repair tech was sent out within 1-3 days each time. I know they are busy, so I appreciated the quick turnaround time. Believe me when I say, I was evaluating the service I received with every interaction because I will not recommend a company to friends and family where I am not completely satisfied. I am confident that I have and will continue to have a solid partnership with FES for years to come and overall, I have been very impressed. Additionally, I have several friends that are interested to see how solar goes for us before they pull the trigger, but I have to say the process with FES was smooth and I look forward to many, many years of reduced bills and protecting our environment. So, if you are interested in solar, what are you waiting for? Call Briana at FES, her cell phone is, 916-412-9354, let her know that Terrie Hammad sent you and she will give a discount. Everyone loves discounts, right? Even though we have not been producing at peak for an entire month yet, here are the % decreases that we have realized on our bills, comparing last year to this year: 07/22/21 – 08/19/21: 37% decrease | 08/20/21 - 09/20/21: 41% decrease If you are still not convinced, there is currently a $300 rebate through SMUD and 26% Federal Tax Credit right now for solar. In the coming years the Federal Tax Credit will most likely be reduced until it is gone, so it is a really good time to pull the trigger. Just saying ….

the company has been a pleasure to work with, I have a new pool and want to be able to use it year round, and I have been heating the pool for two months and still no bill from the major electric company

Very well, they're professional and knowledgeable

Very happy with Future Energy. Timely and efficient installation. Everyone I dealt with was very courteous and responsive. Love seeing these mega savings on my PGE bill!! Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Went well, they explained process well and everything went as expected.

The process from the initial sale consultation to installation was a customer’s dream. There was no stress from scheduling conflicts, unforeseen costs or contractor messes to clean up. The Future Energy Savers’ staff (from salesperson, technical crew and installers) were all professional, courteous and mindful of our property. They went out of their way when a question regarding permitting (due to our home’s electrical panel) was a concern. The permit was processed due to their extra effort. In addition, the solar panels are not lessening the curbside appeal of our house. The conduit/wire was run through the attic and is not visible on the exterior of the house. I would (and have) recommended this company to other people interested in solar energy. I have to admit, we were somewhat skeptical about the initial savings in our utility bill. I have to say after a full cycle in the heat of summer we are smiling. Our bill has reduced significantly and that is with the AC running. Solar energy was the right choice for us and Future Energy Savers was the company that delivered the best product and customer care. Highly recommend this company.

We had put off installing solar panels for the past three years. Our neighbors had told us about using Future Energy Savers as they too were thinking about installing solar and had Kate Newby out to give them a bid. We scheduled an appointment with Future Energy Savers and the company’s sales staff member Kate Newby, came out to our home. Kate showed us the benefits and cost savings with installing solar panels. We also discussed our current energy usage with PH&E and how the costs were going to continue to increase with PH&E. We were sold. The installation occurred about two weeks after signing the contract. The installation was completed in two days by Wade and Matt. Wade and Matt were nothing but professional and took time to demonstrate and explain the product to us. The project manager, Kirk, provided excellent customer service. He kept us informed of the procedures. He took care of everything including handling the permit, dealing with the HOA, and scheduling. Although it took PG&E a couple of months to get us up and running on their solar program, we have seen increasing savings each month. The month with solar our PG&E bill was down $100, our second bill was down still another $100, and our last bill was $0.00. Future Energy Savers is an A+ organization with professional staff members assisting throughout the process.

We had put off installing solar panels for the past three years. Our neighbors had told us about using Future Energy Savers as they too were thinking about installing solar and had Kate Newby out to give them a bid. We scheduled an appointment with Future Energy Savers and the company’s sales staff member Kate Newby, came out to our home. Kate showed us the benefits and cost savings with installing solar panels. We also discussed our current energy usage with PH&E and how the costs were going to continue to increase with PH&E. We were sold. The installation occurred about two weeks after signing the contract. The installation was completed in two days by Wade and Matt. Wade and Matt were nothing but professional and took time to demonstrate and explain the product to us. The project manager, Kirk, provided excellent customer service. He kept us informed of the procedures. He took care of everything including handling the permit, dealing with the HOA, and scheduling. Although it took PG&E a couple of months to get us up and running on their solar program, we have seen increasing savings each month. The month with solar our PG&E bill was down $100, our second bill was down still another $100, and our last bill was $0.00. Future Energy Savers is an A+ organization with professional staff members assisting throughout the process.

We could not be happier with the company and the entire process of installing solar panels in our home. A fair number of companies visited our West Sacramento home but we chose Future Energy Savers for their expertise and professionalism. Our sales representative, Dale Groat, was so thorough, knowledgable, and great to work with. The installation itself was done in about 5 hours and the service transfer to solar has been seamless. Ours was a very positive experience and we will not hesitate to recommend others to Future Energy Savers!

I have to say that Future Energy Savers is a top-notch, professional company! For background, I have been in my current home, which was built in the mid-1980s on an acre sized lot, for a little over two and half years. After my first summer in this home, I knew that I needed solar just as I had on my previous home in Natomas. In the hot months of summer, I had an electric bill (SMUD)l that was near $500 and that was with me keeping the AC at 78 degrees and doing all we could to follow the recommendations of the power company to save money. I knew from previous experience that solar would offset this huge payment during the hot months and I began my search for a local, small business with a good reputation for my solar system. During this search, I had signed up with another company in Sacramento and thought I was happy with the system and price, and then I met Eugene with Future Energy. I quickly learned that Future had the latest technology related to solar panels and their prices were better than the deal I originally signed up for. Future offered me a system that was the same size, but with the ability to expand, to add a battery in the future and was a few thousand dollars less than the other company I originally went with! A hundred dollars would not have made me change my mind, but when I saw the savings of over three thousand dollars and the ability for my system to expand, I was sold. When it came time for the installation, I expected it to take a few days as it had on my previous house. I was totally wrong, the install team arrived at 8:00 AM everything installed and done by 3:00 PM! When the install team was finished, you wouldn’t even know that they had been there. Everything was neat and clean, and the only difference was my new solar panels on the roof along with the necessary panel/box on the side of the house. And of course, my start to saving a lot of money with the new solar system! I am totally happy and completely satisfied with Future Energy, they saved me a huge amount of money, gave me a better and expandable system and have great customer service. I know that there are other companies out there with great people working for them, however if you want to have the same great people and save a lot of money with a better system, call Future Energy!

The salesman who calculated how much I would "save" with solar panels conveniently left out a $20/month charge which misled me greatly. They also give out money for good reviews around the internet, so everything you see is just people saying the good stuff to get the money they were promised. Extremely dishonest. I would not trust.

I had solar panels installed by Future Energy Savers. All the people involved with my contract were very courteous, knowledgeable, thorough, and helpful. At the time of installation, the technicians were on time, efficient, and cleaned up well. Inspite of the delay caused by COVID19, every phase of the project was completed in a timely manner - including the Hayward Inspection Department and PG&E for the Permission to Operate. In my book, Future Energy Savers earned an A+ rating and I would not hesitate to refer friends and family to Future Energy Savers. I close with a big Thank You to the entire staff at Future Energy Savers for a job well done! Fay L Hayward, CA September 14, 2020

We were referred to Future Energy Savers by our niece. We were very happy with the professionalism of the staff and the efficiency of the process. Our battery ready StorEdge Inverter system was turned on in December. Even with the short days and sometimes cloudy weather our electric bill has already been cut in half. We love the Solar Edge monitoring system that allows us to see our KW generation daily. We received a substantial tax credit, and a rebate from SMUD. We also recently had our house appraised and the appraiser was very interested in the solar system. Our house appraised for much more than we expected! We would recommend Future Energy Savers to anyone considering a solar system for their home.

I was referred to Future energy savers by a family friend. After talking with dale on the phone and in person we decided to go solar. Everything from deciding what size system to install was easy for us as future energy took care of all the permits and scheduling of inspections. Extremely happy with the results of our system. Our energy bill was regularly 375 dollars a month. Going solar provided a substantial drop while increasing value of the house.

After a $500 PG&E bill we decided to go with solar! We talked to many different companies before meeting with Briana (our Solar rep) and we loved how much time we spent answering our questions and educating us on the different systems. She was very knowledgeable and really stood out from the other reps who we met with. Not only did she know a lot about the products Future Energy Savers uses she was very educated on their competitors as well. The process was really simple, and all their employees were so nice. They told us the names of the people who would be doing each step. With other companies we were worried about independent contractors being in our home and that was not the case with Future Energy Savers. Everyone works directly for Future Energy Savers and was easily identifiable and very professional. We were excited to have the option of going with the StorEdge Invertor. We won’t ever have to worry about not having power when the grid is down because our system is battery ready! SolarEdge also allows us online monitoring of our system so we can see what we are producing at any given time. We would and already have recommended Future Energy Savers to our friends and family!

In 2018, we were contacted by Future Energy Savers, but we weren't ready to jump on the solar bandwagon yet. They called us back a year later and we had our system installed in November. Every step of the process has been easy and smooth. Everyone has been very knowledgeable and helpful. We are so glad we went with Future Energy Savers!

Amazing!! the installation was very clean and very professional!

After considering solar for the past few years, we have seen companies come and go. My husband and I were apprehensive to even try to go solar. We I was able to sit down with one of their Sales people, Dale, and he was extremely knowledgeable, explained the process and was forthright with any questions I had. I felt 0 pressure and was able to "sleep on it". We decided to move forward and we are NOT disappointed! From application approval to engineering inspection, installation, city inspection to SMUD approval, everything went smoothly! I had no hiccups and every person that I worked with was instantly responsive and very personable. Every person that we talked to knew their business and knew it well. We did not even try to go to another company because of two reasons. 1. They were "on it" they knew what they were talking about and they did not pressure me in any way. 2. This company has seen the rise and fall of the many solar companies and they are still here. I am confident they will be here in 5, 10, 25 years to come to support anything that should arise. I recommend going solar, in todays world and market energy will be a high cost and premium because we are very dependent on it. Things will get more expensive and this you can count on always being the same.

Being new homeowners in the last year, my wife and I were excited about the opportunity to eventually get solar for our home. Glad that FUTURE helped makes that dream a reality. We had heard horror stories about other companies who installed panels but took multiple months for install/connection to grid with PGE. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WITH FUTURE. Everyone from the sales rep, the contractor, the engineers, and the customer support were all vital in making the process as seamless as possible. The prices were fair and they took care of everything with talking to the city/PGE for permits and more. You cannot go wrong with trusting FUTURE with your solar energy needs!