Robco Electric

In January (sorry so late for the review), we researched Solar installers since we wanted to add a solar system to our house and take advantage of the Federal tax rebate before it ran out (as well as rebate program in Nevada). After talking w 3 companies and getting estimates, we were impressed w Robco Electric's estimate and chose them. Their estimate was very detailed and their salesman, Kyle J, didn't try to 'hard sell' us on the system. Kyle was very knowledgeable and spent a LOT of time educating us about solar before we made the decision. The other companies wanted us to make a decision quickly. We felt the other salesmen didn't (or wouldn't) take the time to explain many of the system's details to us without attaching a decision to buy their system. While we would've liked to have some other options to work w Robco to pay for the system over time, we chose a route that made it possible for us to afford the system. Kyle made sure the system would provide us w the electric needs we wanted (not 100% energy offset, but 85-90%). Once we put the initial deposit down, the process got started. The timeline was very close to what they told us (and any delays were out of their control w NV Energy or the county). Once the system was approved, the installers came and put in the system. The install team did a great job - they arrived on time, worked hard and got the install done in the time they said. They cleaned up after themselves and fixed the 1-2 tiles that were damaged on the roof during the install w no problems. Once the system was installed, we waited on the inspection and two-way electric meter to be put in. The system has been up and running since late February and our electric bills have been near 0 (NV Energy's taxes/service fees - about $18/mpnth). Robco's online monitoring allows us to check out the system and make sure its running how it should (even though they also monitor the system and will call us if something is wrong so they can fix it). Their panel and installation warranties were also great and transfer to the next owner if we choose to sell before they expire. Overall, we've been very happy w our installation and service from Robco electric. The other bonus to us was that Robco isn't a solar company, they're an electric company that's been in business for years and they also do solar. Their customer service is in the top 10% of any company we've used to do work on our house. Thanks Kyle, Colin and the rest of the team at Robco.

The crew JC, Jared, Matt, and Kyle showed up on time. They proceeded to install the racking system, panels, and electrical. Would have finished as promised if it weren't for a rain storm. They did a great job, even went so far as to get paint to match my house and block wall so everything would blend in nicely. I would recommend them to anyone I know without hesitation. Very professional job. Well done!!!

After the HOA approved the project the crew showed up in 2 days and informed me they would complete the project in 3 days. I was shocked they could do that much work that quickly. 3 crews showed up at 7am sharp and in 3 days the entire project was complete. I was blown away how on time, personable and professional the entire crew was. I would highly recommend Robco Electric and the entire staff.

When we decided to investigate the installation of solar energy, we scheduled 3 estimates. All of the companies' estimates and products were similar, but Robco's Tim Webb was by far the most knowledgeable, and he definitely had the best presentation. Since Robco has received excellent reviews, we hired them for the project. They started the installation on July 6th and finished on July 9th. The stucco repair was completed about 10 days later. We had been warned by Tim and by several others that even though the installation was complete, and the building inspector signed off on it, it might take NV Energy weeks before they came out and changed the power meter. We were pleasantly surprised when NV Energy came on July 30th and set us up. That was only a week after the city building inspector approved the installation. Throughout the process, Tim has been accessible to answer any questions that came up. Robco's crews were professional, and did a good job of cleaning up after themselves when they finished. The stucco repair is excellent. The pattern of the new stucco is almost identical to the original. We were unhappy with the appearance of the "bird proofing" . It looked like it had been forced to fit. Tim came by and took pictures of it, and a few days later, it was fixed. All in all, Robco was really good to do business with. I would definitely recommend them.

Installers were very friendly. Installed panels in 3 days. Cleaned up their mes before leaving. Salesman started project & came when project was complete to answer any questions.

The crew that came to install our system was knowledgeable & efficient. They completed installation in 5 days. The hardest part was signing up, then waiting a month to be put on the schedule!

Mark explained in detail how the process would work and was always available by phone. The men that came to do the work were professional, happy and hardworking. The job was done quickly and they answered any questions I had. Very pleased with the outcome.

Highly Recommend Robco Electric. After interviewing several other companies I selected Robco based on not only price but the complete and total information of sales person Klye Jones. Kyle was able to answer all my questions and refer me to web sites in order for me to confirm the information he presented to me..."I am a doubting Thomas".. .Information such as the type and efficiency of the panels along with its output and how to calculate the number of panels I needed. Kyle also performed a inspection my roof for best placement of the panels .All of this was important to me as when I questioned the other sales persons as to confirming their information they could not do the same, or they would change the type, number or output of panels. That is just Kyle.. as for the staff of Robco..from office staff to installers they are all top notch professionals, they made the paper work easy and took care of all details, the installers were efficient and paid attention to detail along with cleaning up after themselves and even extra cleanup. Robco Electric is definitely a top rated company

Amazing company. I researched several company's and Robco stood out in the knowledge, detail and quality. Artel, or rep, checked in with us regularly to make sure everything was going according to plan. Robco provided excellent, turn-key service and I would recommend them without reservation.

The solar project went very well. Kyle sold me the system and let me know every step in the process. He was/is very professional and was a pleasure to work with. He is very knowledgeable about the solar industry and is willing to share all of that knowledge. I would highly recommend him to anyone that is going to do a solar project. The installation was great. Jacy Sparkman and his crew were scheduled for two days to install my solar project. The team was on time both days and worked very hard and fast. It was finished on time and I would highly recommend them. The only bad part of the project was in the backend. There was some miscommunication with the HOA which could have caused a big delay in the project if I hadn't caught it and got it resolved. There were also some issues with NV Energy and getting them to install the new net meter so the system could start working. I contacted NV Energy and it was magically installed. Bottom Line: I highly recommend Robco but YOU must stay involved. YOU are the project manager. Watch out for anything happening in the backend and follow up directly with your HOA and NV Energy.

It went well. While I liked the company, the price was higher than expected. Due to familial issues the expense was too high at this time. The only disappointing part was a follow-up email I sent that was not responded to. If it was not for the cost needed to cover our all-electric house, I would have used them.

Installation went very well. Crew arrived ahead of time and worked diligently until the job was finished. It took 1.5 days for the install. The final City inspection took place on 12 March and the necessary meter change out by NVEnergy took place on 17 April. During our first full month of production we produced 1425 KWHrs, which is very close to the figures used to determine the size of the system needed. The max daily production has been 57 kWhrs on 27 April (A cloud free day) and minimum was 13.6 on 18 May, a very cloudy, stormy day. The work crew was very professional and did a great job of cleaning up. When they left, the only evidence that they had been there were the 29 solar panels on the roof. Enlighten provides me with up to date information regarding my plants solar production. I am very pleased with all services provided and highly recommend ROBCO for Solar Installation. A great group! I

Very good. I loved the person-to-person contact and prompt responses to questions. I also appreciate the fact they have physical samples of their products they install. Overall, a pleasant experience from start to finish.

After investigating 5 (five) different companys, Robco was the most professional and real close to the lowest price. They did by far the most education of us about solar and how it works, pitfalls and PECs. Lenny CLark did the best follow up and the crews were excellent! Rare in this day & age. Could not have been better!

The Robco installers came as promised, and did the installation very quickly. There was a bit of a miscommunication with Nevada Energy, so it took 1 month longer than it should have for Nevada Energy to come and change the meters. I don't know if the miscommunication was on our side, on Nevada Energy's side, or on Robco's side. At any rate, once all the correct paperwork got to Nevada Energy, they came about 3 1/2 weeks later and changed the meter. Then Robco came a few days later and started the solar production. We are able to see the production on our computer, and it has been producing as expected. We should get our first energy bill after we started producing solar power very shortly.

They were professional and got it done on-time. There's a 20 year warranty.

Robco was accomodating to our schedule and solar installation needs. The system was installed professionally (I am also a contractor), communication was good and I consider myself completely satisfied.

Everyone with Robco was a pleasure to work with. When I first called, I gave them my historical electrical usage so when Mark Rowe (321-693-6369) showed up he had a complete system designed specifically for my house. He had areial pictures with the placement of the solar panels drawn in plus all of the supporting calculations supporting the required size of the system. They use solar panels made in the USA and he was very knowledgable about the various components of the system - he was not just a salesman - he had technical knowledge. The installers and support staff were all very professional and the installation went very smooth. Another company that I talked with proposed a system that was 2/3s the size of what I have and they wanted around $10,000 more. They also simply estimated the size of the system. Had I gone with this company, I would have been screwed. The system is working well and I am looking forward to much lower electric bills.

Robco Electric was great. Very knowledgeable and easy to deal with. Lenny Clark was our sales rep and Justin was our foreman. Robco showed up on the appointed date, handled all paperwork with the HMO, City of Las Vegas and NV Energy. Our home was built in 1998 and Robco replaced all roof tiles (approx. 40) that were broken before they arrived or were broken during the installation and painted the new conduit to match the existing paint. No additional charges. Robco says that they do not need to advertise and all their new business comes through word of mouth. Waiting for HMO approval and for NvEnergy to set the net meter took longer than Robco needed to install the equipment. The work crew was polite and professional. We are very pleased with the job.

They called and ask if they could come a week earlier then scheduled. The workers were polite during the whole process allowed me to watch them and ask questions during the process. They cleaned up along the way to make sure my house stayed cleaned. Robco also took care of all the paper work with the HOA and made sure everything was painted to match my house to make the HOA happy. They also took care of the paper work with Nevada energy for me.

I am very disappointed with this company. I had an appointment with Kyle Poole of this company on Monday, 9/29/2014. He called two hours after the appointment time and said he was at the hospital with a sick child and could he re-schedule. We met the following day at 10:00 AM and he quoted my job as a time and materials project at $75.00 per hour, not to exceed 4 hours and materials of approximately $50.00. He scheduled the work to be performed on 10/6/2014 at 7:00 AM. On 10/6/2014 at 8:30 AM Kyle called to say he had a scheduling problem, but an installer was on his way. At 9:15 AM the installer, Robert Koth arrived. He surveyed the work to be done and said he had to go to Home Depot to buy the necessary electrical parts. He returned about 45 minutes later and needed to borrow my ladder to do the work. I noticed he had Home Depot bags with electrical parts and a new electrical fish tape. At about 11:00 AM I checked on Robert's progress and found him sitting by the side of the garage, eating his lunch. He said he was waiting for a second person to arrive to assist him. At 2:00 PM Robert told me the outlet was installed and working correctly. I inspected the outlet and found that Robert had cut an oversize hole in the pegboard and had mounted the outlet flush in the wall, about 3/4" below the pegboard. The outlet also had a standard 20 amp outlet, not a GFCI. When I questioned Robert about the sloppy workmanship and lack of a proper outlet, he stated that he could only do what was on the work request. I asked him how we could resolve this issue and he said I could pay the $318.81 for the work and he could leave. He said I was getting a bargain because he was only charging me for 3 hours work and not charging me for the second man. I then called Kyle Poole and left a voice message. Robert also called Kyle and talked to him. Robert left and I had a licensed electrician from another company inspect the work. He stated I could repair the outlet by installing a "goof Ring" or expansion box to move the outlet flush to the pegboard. I would also need a 20 amp GFCI outlet and an oversize outlet plate cover for the hole. He also stated that I needed to install nail safety plates on the fire break and top plates where Robert had drilled holes and fished the electrical wire. I received a voice message later in the day from Kyle Poole. He said he was sorry to hear I was disappointed with the work done by Robert Koth. He offered no other resolution. I went to a local electrical supply company and purchased nail safety plates, an expansion box and extended screws for about $10.00. On the following day, 10/7/2014 I went to Home Depot and purchased some Masonite marker board to repair the over sized hole in the pegboard and a 20 amp GFCI for a total of about $20.00. I also used the Time and Materials Invoice inventory of parts used by Robert for my project and found the parts totaled about $45.00. I also saw that a new 65' electrical fish tape sells for $20.57. Based on this inventory, I feel Robert inflated the cost of materials for my job by about $35.00. As a result of this experience, I was surprised when I saw all of the glowing reviews on Angie's List for this company. I thought I might be an isolated event with my small project. I decided to explore this company more fully. By checking the Clark County Recorder's Office, I found that Robco Electric has filed 9 mechanic's liens against individuals and companies since June , 2013. A mechanic's lien is a vehicle by which a contractor places a lien on property because a customer has failed to pay for services provided. I checked some other electrical contractors, some smaller and some larger than Robco and found one solar company with zero liens filed since they have been in business. I also found one of the largest commercial, solar and residential electrical contractors in Las Vegas to have 2 non-discharged mechanics liens sine June , 2013. My overall evaluation is based on the following: Price-Inflated Materials Charge. Quality-Sloppy Workmanship. Responsiveness-Failure to Follow Up to Customer's Complaint. Punctuality-Missed appointment and late arrival. Professionalism-Lack of proper tools and equipment. Lack of concern for customer's complaint. UPDATE On Monday, October 13, 2014 I received a telephone call from Robert Kowalczik, the President of Robco Electric. He apologized for his companies performance and offered to refund my payment. On Wednesday, October 15, 2014 I received a letter of apology from Robert Kowalczik, my voided personal check for $313.81 and a gift certificate to Starbucks coffee.

In brief, everything went great; my wife and I are very happy, and we would go with Robco in a heart beat. (No other companies come even close). If you want details in "fast-forward" mode, it goes like this: I read all the reviews on Angie's List; saw Terry Kniess' review of Robco; read Terry Kniess' blog; corresponded with Terry Kniess via email; met with Bruce Rogol ("guru") and Mark Rowe ("point-of-contact"); got three more bids, one from Solar City and two from local companies; went over to Bruce Rogol's house to check out his 5K system; met with Bruce and Mark at a previous client Don's house; looked at Don's solar system and talked to him at length; and then signed the contract with Robco. Yes, I spent a lot of time researching, but the process of researching itself was very interesting (and even fun, but I'm a "geeky/nerdy" guy who finds physics/energy/electricity fascinating). The installation itself was only a few days. Big hands to Justin who led the crew, and all the crew were polite and respectful. NV Energy was a different story, but I was properly forewarned by my colleague at work; NV Energy indeed took many days before they came out and switched out the meters. Now, the money part: the most important number for you to remember is how much you pay "PER K SYSTEM." Do not pay attention to any other numbers for now. Just pay attention to HOW MUCH PER K SYSTEM. Robco charges $3,250/k system. Solar City charges $5,500/k system. Ener-tech charges $7,000/k system. If you live in a house which is about 1,500 sqft to 1,800 sqft, you need 5 k system. So you will pay $16,000-$17,000 with Robco, $27,500 with Solar City, and $35,000 with Ener-tech. Unlike Robco, Solar City and Ener-tech offer "payment plan." In fact, per my colleague who went with Ener-tech, no payments/interests for the first 18 months!! So I asked Robco how come they don't do the financing program themselves. Their answer was, to paraphrase, "We debated on that for a while...we decided we are solar panel people, and we don't know much about financing, so we shouldn't do it. So we let Nevada State Bank handle financing for our clients." I live in a house that's close to 5,000 sqft for living space. It's a brand-new house with energy efficiency throughout; still, the NV Energy bills are in the $400s in the summer months. Our house required 14 k system, and I paid $45,000 (20% first, 60% after installation, and 20% after NV Energy switches out the meters). The next question you have is most likely, "How much is your electricity bill?" For July and August, I paid about $110 each. My 14 k system generates approximately 2500 kw.hr/month. Assuming the rate remains at 14 cents/w.hr, my system generates about $350/month. During the winter months, our electricity bills will be back in the $100s, during which time the system will generate excess energy which will be accumulated as "credit" with NV Energy to offset the summer months next year. Now, the next question you have is most likely the 30% federal tax credit. This is my approach: since I paid $45,000, I expect to get $13,500 "back." Note that it becomes very helpful if you OWE tax AFTER you file your income tax return. So my wife and I reduced withholdings since June, i.e., we increased our respective tax "table" number from 0 to 2. So, since June, with each pay check, we pay less federal income tax, thereby increasing our respective paycheck amount! So, in effect, although you pay a large sum for your solar panels upfront, you do not have to wait for the federal income tax credit until next year, as you can get it back gradually on your paycheck by manipulating the tax "table" number, i.e., "withholding." Now back to Robco: you will meet Mark as point-of-contact person, and you'll recognize what a nice guy he is. He is a genuinely decent person. Ask to meet Bruce Rogol and Jeremy White, however. They are the solar panel "gurus," who joined Robco (an existing electrical company with a solid reputation) so that they could actualize their dream of installing solar panels for alternative energy. You will recognize that these guys are not in it for the money. I'm glad to have them here in Vegas.

We called Robco Electric for an estimate to have solar panels installed based on the reviews here. In 2007 we had an estimate from another company that was very high, and had heard that the prices had come down. That was an understatement! The price was much less for much more power. The Robco Sales and Design Representative, Mark, explained the system and gave us two options. We chose the slightly larger system. Mark came back with a packet with the detailed estimate, as well as lots of information and the paperwork we needed. He brought some parts along and explained how the system is attached to the roof. We live in an HOA. I gave him the ARC application and he completed his part and contacted and took care of submitting it to the HOA. When the application was approved, Mark scheduled the installation. Robco had already pulled the permit needed and was ready to go. Mark also took care of submitting the Net Metering agreement with NV Energy. The installation took two days, and they finished right on time on Friday. Two days later, on Monday, the city of Henderson came out and did their inspection. We waited for NV Energy to come out to change out the meter and get the system going on the grid. We were told this can take up to 10 business days, but it took exactly 5 days from completion of installation to the NV Energy Inspection. Mark gave us a notebook of information about our system, warranty, took care of all paperwork including our PEC credits, and the installation included a computer website where we can monitor our solar production. I was impressed by every individual involved with the installation, from Mark in Sales and Design to the installation crew, and Jeremy, the project manager. They were always available for questions and answered all of them thoroughly and patiently. (and I have a lot of questions.) We have had many home repair and upgrade projects and could not have been more pleased with the results of our solar installation. We would recommend Robco to anyone considering installing solar panels.

The contractor was a delight to work with. Robco's representative, Bruce Rogol, is extraordinary knowledgeable about solar power as relates to our specific situation and about the field in general. We got bids from two companies we found on Angie's list. The other company submitted a lower bid, but we decided to accept Robco's offer because their initial data package was so complete and they seemed like the best choice. We have no regrets at all. Bruce was readily available by telephone, text and e-mail and answered every question promptly. The installation crew was efficient and neat and completed the job in a single day (with the exception of some minor stucco patching which was completed the next morning). Since the work was done in late July, working conditions were tough. The only delay in completing the project was caused by the local electric utility. Their employee who completes the utilitiy's paperwork was off the job, but that problem was resolved and the final documents were completed. This project was not only not difficult, the whole experience was rather pleasant! I would have no hesitation recommending Robco Electric to friends and relatives. They did a great job (so far today, the system has generated 20.7 kilowatt hours of electricity).

ROBCO just finished installing my 8.25 kW DC solar pv electric system. Wow! What a fantastic installation. Yesterday was my full first day of production and my system generated 52.6 kW hours. Today I am on track to at least equal that amount of generation. From start to finish I have been so impressed by Mark, Bruce, Jeremy, Ed and the rest of the whole crew. Everyone is a knowledgeable professional. Their teamwork is awesome and I commend each and every person who worked on my installation. The quality of their materials, the competitiveness of their proposal and the excellence of the quality of how they install the system on your roof is without compare. This company is simply the best in the area. I cannot recommend ROBCO Electric any more highly. If you want a solar system installed have ROBCO Electric do the work for you.