Sunrun

In Oct 2019, we contracted with Sunrun to install and maintain LG solar panels on our roof and a Tesla Powerwall battery. There were multiple problems with the installation, including contacts that were not tightened down where the main comes into the panel, causing arcing and the possibility of fire. It took three trips back before the all the problems were corrected. Most recently (Jan 2022), the Tesla battery stopped taking a charge from the solar panels, and this was with a scheduled 8-hour power outage coming up in 2 weeks. We placed a service request with Sunrun and were told at best they would get to us in 3 weeks. After making a fuss and escalating to a higher level, they told us someone would call to schedule service within 48 hours. Didn’t happen. We called back and got the same message from a supervisor. Again they didn’t call. The power outage was now one week away, so I made a LOT more noise and was able to get a tech out to the house with 4 days to go. He made some changes and told me he had fixed the problem, that the battery would start charging now, then left. The battery did not charge. Then luck intervened and a forecasted windstorm triggered a battery Storm Watch, which caused it to recharge from the grid and we got through the outage. In the mean time, I called Tesla and they determined that an early January firmware update to the Powerwall had likely caused it to stop charging. They fixed that remotely, but told us the changes Sunrun had made had caused other problems which Sunrun would need to come back out to correct. As I’m writing this (Feb 2022), I’m still waiting for Sunrun to fix the remaining problems. Needless to say, due to the experience described above, I would never, ever recommend Sunrun for any solar installation.

It's all here and installed, They finished patching the stucco yesterday. I'm just waiting for the e-mail from Southern California Edison, so I can turn it on. So it's all in, it's done, I just need the ok from the utility company now. The true cost of them; the one company that loaned me the money, I pay interest only for the first 18 months, Then my payment is $127 a month after that. My electric bill is $150-$250 every month. That was with no money down, nothing. They put in new service panels for me. Trey moved some vents on the roof where we could put these panels in. They did all that stuff and they haven't seen a dime yet. My bill went down $50 a month. After 12 years, I own it, then my electricity is free. I couldn't find anything to say no to. I have a pool, the pool pump costs a lot of money. So I go from $200 to $127 basically. I'm very happy with the whole thing. They were great at it. At one time I had 5 Sunrun trucks out in front of my house. There was some early work done. They had to move the vents and put in the panels and stuff electrically. They had to replace the service, because I had an old 80 amp service and they put in a 200 amp service . So they had to cut in to the stucco, put the new panel in, get it all wired, get it all inspected, do all that stuff. The installation of the panels was one day. Boom, done. The electrical stuff and the inspection, that took a little more time. They kept in touch , let us know when they were going to do it, are you available this day? They were really, really good at it. Really good. I wasn't really worried about it that much, because it wasn't costing me anything out of pocket. No out of pocket, with the 12 year contract and I own it. I get a 30% tax credit on it, which is almost 6 grand. There's not downside to this whole thing. So far, from what I can see, they did a great job putting everything in. Everything looks neat and tidy. They cleaned up after them selves after every time they came and went. They were here when they said they would be here. Sometimes a little early, waiting outside in the truck. There was a little disconnect between the guys on the ground and the some of the people sending the e-mails. It went swell. They did a great job. If you have anything over $150 or so, it's worth it. I've been looking at it for 2-3 years. Before, it was always going to cost me some out of pocket if I was to buy it. This one checks all the boxes. I own it, the terms are great. It's only 12 years and I own it. I pay less than I was paying before. Hard to beat.

From our first contact with this company at their booth inside Costco to the sales consultant to the installers and inspectors, we had one of the most professional, problem-free, easy, comfortable and pleasant experiences we have had with a company in recent memory. Every person we interacted with was well informed, friendly, easy to understand (as far as the technical information), prepared to do their job and did it well. We have nothing but praise for this company and the entire process from sales to installation. It is too soon to be certain that the system we bought and had installed will perform as we have been told. We'll see about that part but we are happy with our interaction with this company and it's representatives.    
We are also happy with the speed and efficiency of this project. They have a "step" system so that each component of the operation follows a planned procedure. We were informed clearly and promptly and things happened exactly as we were told.
Installation happened in one day. They were clean, neat and respectful of us and our home. I can only repeat once more that each and every person we met did their job well and with a great attitude and friendliness. I wish I could remember all their names to give them all a thumbs up. Great job to all of you!!! 

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Very professional and punctual. Joe the salesman promptly answered all the questions and e-mailed back various proposals and changes in a very timely manner.REC Solar has some association with Costco for the sale of the panels. Joe even met us at Costco on time to pay for the panels. They also do a leasing program with Sun Run doing the billing and servicing later. The permitting process went without a hitch with Christie ( who we didn't meet) , promptly e-mailing, calling, and keeping us updated on the process.  Paul, Quinten, and Jeffrey, the installation crew, showed up on time, professionally installed the rails and panels. Very friendly, but more importantly, they were organized and very clean. They setup professionally and cleaned up very-well at the end each day. Any hitch, problems, or objection they took care of in a professional manner. The jury is still out on the quality, since the panels were just installed and production is ramping up. Will have to wait to see how totally effective they are throughout the year. But, so far so good.

A few weeks after they took my deposit they sent another field team out to confirm that they didn't want to install their modules on my roof.  (I have Country Manor Shakes--aka Alcoa Cedar Shakes, aka, an aluminum roof).   Apparently, they don't install on homes with metal roofs (or tiles, or slate, for that matter.  Of course, they never told their salesmen about this little issue.  But their salesmen were told to collect a deposit.
When I learned that they had issues with metal roofs I contacted the roof manufacturer in Ohio, spoke to their engineering staff, and they provided their solution to installing photovoltaic (PV) modules (panels) on their type of roof.  REC Solar rudely told me that they didn't want to work with me.  They were suggesting that the modules go on the ground.  I had to escalate the issue to their director of operations to get an adult to talk to, whereupon I learned that installations on 'difficult' roofs is not part of their business plan.  They chose only to work on typical tract homes with composition shingles.  Since that's 80% of the homes out there that's fine, but how about telling your own sales staff about this?  And how about returning the deposit?  They took the deposit in May, confirmed that they didn't want to honor their contract by June, and I had to call and call many times to get their attention about refunding my deposit.  Had I not done this I doubt that I would see it again.  I finally received the deposit amount after more than 100 days.  
Interestingly, I contacted another PV company (Quantum Solar) and they not only surveyed the roof, ordered the special aluminum stanchions, installed the entire system, and finally activated it--all before I ever got my refund from REC Solar!  
There are many solar installers out there.  Do you homework thoroughly before you sign.  REC Solar wants the easy work.  Also, REC Solar won't pay their sales staff unless the system is installed.  Thus, the salesman who did all the hard leg work was denied his commission.  This is a nasty way to run a business, because the company isn't out any money.  It's all win win for them.
See my very positive review of Quantum Solar elsewhere.

unknown

First off, let me state that I am one of THOSE customers that is NEVER impressed nor satisfied, and frequently disappointed with the service I receive at a restaurant, from a contractor, at a hotel etc.   Yes, I am one THOSE annoying people that you stand behind in line at Starbuck's, the grocery store, hotel that constantly asks, "Why does this take so long and why doesn't the cashier bother to make eye contact with me?'
Regarding contractors and their subs, don't get me started as I am always amazed how it's acceptable in that industry to just show up when you want, not bother to call if you're late, or simply change the price because "you didn't tell us about "XYZ" beforehand.
So, consider the above background, super high expectations, and type A flawed character I have when reading the review below.  
REC SOLAR ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I looked at 14 different Solar panel companies, considered doing it myself (ebay, etc) , but after meeting Joe Hawley and checking on multiple customer references in the area (please do this before buying any solar panels as there are nightmare stories out there!),  I decided to choose REC Solar.   
The biggest factor is that they BUILD the panel, the SELL the panel, they INSTALL the panels, and they SUPPORT the panels. There are many companies that do piece parts of the above, but no one does it all.  And they did it at a GREAT price, had it up and running in 1/3 of the time that the other folks would commit to.  Remember, it's their panels and their crew, so they have complete control.
While the other guys said they could get it done in 2 months, I said "Great, I will pay you a bonus of $1,000 for every week you get done before that, but for every week you are late, I expect you to pay me $1,000".   Needless to say, they got quiet and no one took me up on it.  
For example, SunPower makes a sexy 327 watt panel, but they use dealers and overseas support.  Also, when I pressed them on the time frame to get it installed, it was 6 months minimum!  Plus, SunPower's technology doesn't handle shade well and their price is way too high, so you should look at the cost per Watt, as that's why most people do this.  All the other guys (Solar City/Verengo/whatever) have limited control on the entire process, REC has COMPLETE control.
The bottom line is that I am seldom (read never) impressed with ANY company, but REC Solar blew me away from the sales, through the installation, to turning it on.  
Oh, and I've waited several months before writing a review as I wanted to get two electric bills before doing so.  And, although I designed the system to remove 85% of my electric bill, the last two months bills have been $1.32, and $1.77 respectively!  Prior to that, my bill was $260+.
How is that for under-committing and over-performing?
Like I said, REC SOLAR ROCKS and you will be happy!!!!

I would like the "Powers that Be" at REC solar to know about the team that installed my solar energy generator. Neptune Maree was the leader and was, by far, the most meticulous, detail oriented, and careful contractor I have ever dealt with. I wish Neptune worked on the side. I'd hire him because I know it would get done RIGHT!
Greg Anderson, James Drummond, and Freddy Romero also deserve some seriously high praise in this as well. I have a dog. He's a retired police dog. Not that he bites, let's just say... He's insistent. All of the team not only handled themselves above and beyond what could have been expected of them around my old partner, my dog actually misses them. These guys were great!
Now let's get down to specifics. They were neat, they cleaned up (major points in my eyes), and they respected not only my property and dog, they respected the roof.
I not only would recommend these guys and your company again, I already have.

We interviewed several solar companies, and REC was by far the most professional.  They were knowledgeable and weren't pushy.  Their design proposal was better than the competition's.  While they didn't offer the lowest price, they were within a couple thousand dollars of the lowest bid, and they did negotiate the price based on their competitors' proposals.  They were very easy to work with, and they recommended the utility pay options to optimize our savings.  We had an independent roofer inspect their work during the installation, and he was really pleased by REC's panel supports and flashing to ensure that the roof wouldn't leak.

Rather than purchasing the system, we went with their SunRun pre-pay lease, which meant that 1) we didn't have to wait until tax time to receive the state/federal rebates, 2) they guarantee the energy production for 20 years, 3) they maintain and repair the system (including inverter, which only lasts a decade or so), 4)  they provide free monitoring of the energy production for 20 years, and 5) they insure the system since they own it.   On net, I think the cost of purchase and lease are quite similar, but the lease is hassle-free and provides peace of mind.  If you're interested, SunRun will sell you the system at the end of the lease at the depreciated cost (which likely won't be much after 20 years).