Stellar Solar

I highly recommend Stellar Solar. I met with representatives from five companies...and there are plenty more out there...and though most did a good job with their proposal, Zac Dowell of Stellar Solar did the best. He addressed my questions with his presentation, recommended the best panels in the market, a great roof layout, and the best price. Most importantly, Zac, Ismael, and the rest of the team answered the phone and returned calls/texts/emails within minutes before and after the sale, throughout installation, and all the way to final inspection. Their dedication to customer service is rare these days - most companies stop returning calls after they make the sale - not Stellar Solar. The purchase was financed over 10 years at a very low rate and the panels will produce way more electricity for the same monthly amount I have been paying SDG&E. The installation was seamless and aesthetically pleasing with low profile panels, non-visible pipes, sub-panel and monitoring equipment. The installation crew was very professional and friendly. They went out of their way to address all of my concerns. Like I said, there many solar companies out there, but Stellar Solar should be at the top of the list of companies to consider.

I started solar company research 4 years ago. I quickly canceled my research because all the companies ****** me off. It seemed like a complete scam/hustle. Then this year I started my research again. Solar power is too important, so I got back into the ring to, this time, pull the trigger and get it done. I have issues with getting the best quality at the best price. I got three quotes and then went full on into third party solar panel comparisons, all available for free online. I plugged in the exact panels each company was quoting me. SunPower was off ALL the charts in quality, production and warranty/lasting production. Absolutely, by far the best product. But that’s not my only criteria, I expect very good customer care. My salesman Marc got me dialed in and permits acquired with very little effort on my part. I had an old roof, and asked a roofing friend to quote me replacing prior to solar install. Except I prefer all warranty work under the same company, so I contacted Marc to see what Stellar could do. He matched the roofing cost AND upgraded the singles to “Cooling Series” for no additional cost. Sorry for such a long review, but the best is yet to come. The installation crew. Luis, Ken, Robert and Matt. So way above and beyond in every task. Painted all my vents to match the brand new metal trim they installed. Replaced dry rot wood panels, took care of my dog Bowser, cleaned up better than when they arrived, and were the most friendly, accommodating, efficient and fun crew I could ask for. Complete 24 panel system, with brand new roof, installed to perfection AND cleaned up in 5 days!! I’ve done your research for you. This company is your best option! Feel free to hit me up with any questions. This company is worth it!

I am very happy with my solar panels and my solar set-up. Dave Gersz and Mario and his crew were all very courtesy and professional. I interviewed several different solar companies and I was most impressed with the Stellar Solar Sunpower system and pleasantly surprised that they were on the low end of the estimates I received. Great team, great outcome.

Met with Dave Gersz at my home to learn about SunPower Panels. no pressure, just facts and how it would all progress should i move forward with Stellar Solar. of course after he left, i went down my own rabbit hole of internet research which only confirmed what he told me earlier in the day. Dave was there every step of the way, (before and after signing the contract) checking in and answering any questions i had. the install team: everyone was professional and friendly. it was obvious that aesthetics and the quality of the install were important to them...i particularly appreciated having the crew respect my home and have a sense of responsibility to get it right. we've been nonstop at this house since we moved in so i've been dealing with plenty of contractors, tradesmen etc, and these guys have been top notch...and quite frankly a breath of fresh air. once the panels were up, they scheduled the inspection and even though they told me it could be up to a week for SDGE to give us our Permission to Operate green light, i got mine the day after the inspection. everything was handled by them and i just had to field emails or phone calls to set up times i would be home, which was simple because i work from home. the onsite tech walked me through how to login/use the monitoring app and how to flip the breakers on once we received PTO. seamless, professional and simple. there's a lot of solar installers out there, which, if you're reading this review, you know. Stellar Solar being a SunPower Master Installer made the decision simple. i suppose it's a personal decision whether you want SunPower or Panasonic or LG or whatever panels. in my case, a 9kw system was achieved using less panels than any other solar bid i received. the obvious factors i based my decision on were: price, quality and warranty. efficiency was sort of important to me, but not a limiting factor. a 9kw system will produce the target numbers regardless if it's 26 panels or 30 that gets you there. quality and especially their warranty, easily brought SunPower to the top...which unfortunately also puts their price point into the 'premium' category. if you've come this far, my final suggestions is to really look into the specifics of the warranties on your bids: who will be answering the phone on the other end, and who will be responsible for fixing any issues you have with your system.

I had a fantastic experience with Stellar Solar. Connor always answered my calls and emails promptly and the on-site crew was terrific. I would definitely recommend Stellar Solar to anyone considering the installation of a solar system.

Stellar Solar replaced the communication module. It worked fine for a couple of months and now seems like it is not working. Called Jose and he said a tech would call the same day. I keep sending emails and leaving messages on his voicemail without any response. They just abandon their customer.

Smoothly. My sales rep was patient and not pushy, but willing to provide as much additional information as I needed. The installation team was friendly and efficient. The inspection rep was effective at working with the city inspector. All in all, good experience so far. Sunpower panels are not the cheapest, but they are reputed to be among the best, so expect to pay a bit more than elsewhere. I ended up paying about 6% more than the best deal I got for LG panels from a different reputable installer.

Beware. This is an updated review. The coordination and installation of my solar panels by Stellar was great. However, upon completion of the installation I was notified by SunPower and their finance division, Mosaic, that my loan had closed with a rate and term higher than Stellar represented to me. I was promised by Stellar that I would receive financing for 10 years at 2.99%. This was in writing and I have numerous correspondences with Stellar confirming the rate. All proposals and projections were done using this term and rate. Notwithstanding, once the installation was complete I received a statement from Mosaic that my financing was closed and that the rate was 3.99 at 20 years. I immediately contacted both SunPower and Mosaic and they presented an agreement from Docusign which they claimed I signed showing the higher rate. I showed them all of the documentation and emails about financing and while Stellar agreed that we had agreed to the lower term they could not figure out why documents issued by Mosaic were issued with different terms. Since Mosaic presented documentation with electronic signatures from DocuSign, which I do not remember signing, I was bound by the terms of the document. Seems like a classic bait and switch. Stellar has tried to work with me but Mosaic will have no part of it so I am stuck with a lawsuite. My recommendation is to find a dealer that will honor their word and also to stay away from SunPower and Mosaic Financing. They are simply the type of company that would rather play the legal card rather than honor the representations of their installers.

Answered a million email and phone messages we left promptly. Never bad mouthed other companies. The crew was professional. No foul language, respectful of our property. cleaned up everyday. Job was done in time frame quoted. Would recommend Stellar to anyone and would use again if needed. No roof leaks!

Everyone at Stellar Solar was professional, courteous and responsive. It initially seemed odd that you don't actually meet with someone during the sales process - but that turned out just fine - phone and e-mail conversations were adequate. Their information was the most thorough of the 4 contractors I interviewed and options were clearly lined out. The most important thing was their willingness to work with our demand that they coordinate with out roofer (new roof was installed 2013) to insure that our existing warranty was not compromised. That was no easy chore. Roofer specified certain stanchions and their staff to be onsite at the time of installation. Stellar had the most productive panels available which meant less roof space required. Mario on the install team was the most kind, patient and professional team leader I had ever met - and I have been working in property management for over 30 years. They also have the best financing option out there. My payments will be less than our monthly electrical portion of current bills. I'll be saving money from the start and avoiding SDG&E future rate hikes. Looking forward to running my A/C next summer to my heart's content.

From start to finish the process went smoothly.

Zac and his team did an exemplary job, from beginning to end. I heard of Stellar from a previous customer who I knew had very high standards, and her experience was warranted. I only received one other estimate, and Stellar's was comparable, with virtually no difference in cost. From beginning to end, Zac and his team spelled out every step that would take place in the process, how long it would take, if I needed to do something, and next steps. It was all done in easy to understand language. The team was professional, and the actual install only took a day. When it was time to show me the monitoring with SDG& E and the production of electricity, the gentleman went through it very detailed and clearly. I appreciate the time, attention, and professionalism from Zac and the entire Stellar Solar team. I would enthusiastically recommend them to anyone.

I got five different estimates and Stellar's and one other were the best in terms of price and product. Of the two companies, Stellar had the best financing package. From start to finish, Connor Smith with Stellar was there every step in the process. I signed the contract in 2015 and was told the installation could not take place for several weeks due to SDGE's backlog. I also needed a new roof and I had my own roofing contractor so there was some coordination (and waiting on the weather to cooperate) that needed to be done. Stellar was professional and accommodating throughout the process. Once they got approval from SDGE, the installation took no time at all and the Permission To Operate was received the day after the installation was completed. The whole process was quick and painless. So happy to be using solar power!

I could go on and on about what a great job they did, but suffice it to say this is one of the best companies I have ever dealt with. I was kept fully informed of the process by Mr. Mihelich, the salesperson, the various crews coming to our house were on time, polite, clean, and efficient. In general, the project went way better than I would have ever expected. I just can't say enough good things about Stellar Solar and Mark Mihelich who was not just a salesman, but stuck with us throughout the project. In summation: Wow! I wish I could use them again.

We are so pleased that we chose Stellar Solar to install our solar system. From start to finish, our experience was fantastic! Kenny Rutherford, our salesperson, did an excellent job educating us and thoroughly explaining all of our options. He was in constant communication with us throughout the project, and was always quick to return any phone calls or emails. Because of an odd-shaped roof with multiple angles and less than optimal sun exposure, we chose to have our panels installed on a ground-mounted structure at the far back of our property. Stellar constructed an amazingly sturdy steel structure that looks like it could withstand a category 5 hurricane. The distance from the house required that a 450 foot, 18" deep trench be dug to run the conduit to the electrical panel. It also required that they tunnel under a sidewalk and a concrete wall. The crew worked so quickly that the turf they had to remove was undamaged and now, a week after completion, you can't even see where the trench was. Here is the most amazing part of the job--the timeline. Having been told by other companies that it would be about 3-5 months to complete our job, and that our chances of getting in under the current net metering agreement were slim, we were encouraged when Kenny told us that there was a good chance they could get the job done more quickly. Within 2 days of signing the contract, Stellar had secured the permit from the county, and they began work the following day. We had a (double) crew of 8 men with shovels digging the trench and laying the conduit, which took several days. While waiting for the inspector to sign off on that portion of the job, the crew began erecting the ground mount and installing the panels and inverters. Another small wait for county inspection, and we were done! Start to finish was two weeks! (All we have to do now is wait for SDG&E to get around to giving us permission to turn on the system.) With the 30% Federal tax rebate, 1 to 1 net metering, and the amount of power that this system should generate, we will most likely pay off our investment in under 5 years. The only question is, why didn't we do this sooner? Thanks again, Stellar Solar! You really are an incredible company!

I contacted a several solar companies in preparation to install solar at our house. Stellar solar stood out from the rest with the quick install and great customer service. I worked with Marc and he seemed to be available 24/7 to answer my questions and go over my quote, often after work. Other companies seemed to be 8-5 and took a while to get back to me. Stellar provided great customer service and follow up on the project. They indicated a 30 day install on their website, I was skeptical but they did as they promised and installed on less than 30 days, granted the approval from the SDGE took a few weeks. Other companies were at least 2-3 months before they could commit to an install date. I've heard of a lot of other companies leaving customers waiting after they signed the contract and not getting back to customers for months. Stellar sent be updates frequently on the progress of the project.The install went quick and took a day with another day to follow up and finish up some minor details. The price was inline with the competition, Stellar Solar may have been a little higher but they've made up for it in service. I would recommend Stellar Solar for their quick install and customer service.

From start to finish, all went better and faster than expected. Stellar Solar under promised and over delivered. I wasn't expecting our system to be installed until May. Our solar system was turned on March 26. What stood out the most about this company was their customer service. Any time I made a call or sent an email, it was answered within a couple of hours. When I needed extra information, it was researched and given. I researched reviews, licenses, insurance, length of time in the business, and the BBB. We had 5 companies come out to the house. This company was not the cheapest nor was it the most expensive. We liked all presentations. We did have one company that had a more professional presentation booklet, but that wasn't the most important thing to us. With our house being partly in the shade for part of the day, using individual inverters made the most sense. I received lots of phone calls and emails detailing who would be at the house and what they would be doing. There were more steps to this process than I thought there would be. Then installation day came. A team of 5 cheerful people came and worked 12.5 hours to get the system installed in one day. We wanted to be able to see how each panel was performing, so we paid a little bit extra for the monitoring system. I recommend it. Though we won't be watching every day, it is nice to know that we can. All employees were friendly and professional. They treated us well, and I will probably vote for them too this year.

They had to get the job done before the end of the year, and they did, so I was quite happy with it.

David, who is the person that came to my house, was just really knowledgeable and he told me how to compare my quotes so that I understood what I was looking at. They installed it on Christmas Eve and finished it the day after Christmas and did a wonderful job.

The workmanship in fantastic. My panels were installed on a flat-pitched, tar-and-gravel rooftop and they look great. To be honest, they are kind of hard to notice because of the layout of the house. My breaker panel, on the other hand, is very easy to see - a sloppy installation would have been very noticeable. Luckily, the Stellar solar team did an AMAZING job making sure it looked very nice: the conduit and stucco were carefully matched to the rest of the house. With solar installation, there is a lot more to do than simply installing the hardware at the house. Thanks to Stellar Solar, I didn't have to do any of it. They took care of the permits as well as the net metering agreement with SDG&E. Easy. I always felt like they had a team of people working together and with me to make sure that my project was completed quickly. I was pleased with how well the team communicated with each other as well as with me. Before I was referred to Stellar Solar, I had no idea how cost-effective it was. I contacted Zac Dowell and he did a quick analysis of my needs and presented me with a proposal and a cost analysis. The best (and most amazing) part is how LOW PRESSURE the whole sales pitch was. This is a big contrast from a lot of other solar companies. I couldn't be more pleased with Stellar Solar. Thank you.

This is a very professionally staffed and run company. Working with Kristen, I got several options quoted (different size systems and panel) so I could make an informed decision regarding the best system for me. Stellar competed with 5 other companies offering quotes. I personally eliminated 3 of those companies because they used subcontractors. I also required an electrical panel upgrade which Stellar performed as well. (I didn't want to have an issue with the roof/system where two entities blamed each other so having one company do it all gave me great peace of mind). Every one I dealt with was a Stellar employee and were extremely professional. They coordinated all permits & inspections and kept me well informed as each milestone in the project was reached. The system installation started and finished earlier than estimated for my project. The install started on a day I happen to be out of town on business. My wife was apprehensive not being familiar with the project but the install crew made her feel very confident in their work. As the project finished I noticed some broken roof tiles and they were fixed immediately. This is one of those times I was glad I paid a little more for a big investment to get the system and installer I wanted!!

Several months ago, we noticed many of my neighbors had solar panels installed on their roofs. We knew nothing about the process, how long it would take, how to pay for it, etc. We started asking our neighbors about who did their installations. Our electricity bill was averaging around $350.00 a month and with all of the news about rates going up, we decided that it was time to do something about it. We contacted five different solar companies. After talking to all of them and listening to the different ideas such as power purchase agreements, leasing or purchasing, we decided to purchase a solar system through Stellar Solar. Our Stellar Solar contact person was Mark Mihelich. Mark came out to our house and we reviewed our electricity usage for the past year. He recommended a system size to match our needs. Mark was very professional, readily available, and easy to talk to. A system was designed and a price was agreed upon. The whole process took about three months from start to finish. Everyone with Stellar Solar did a great job. Joe Bowden the Project Coordinator answered all of our questions and provided us with a schedule from start to finish. The installation crew was professional and very polite. It took about three days to install the whole system. Great job Stellar Solar! We are now enjoying watching our electric meter spin backwards. Thank you Mark, Joe, and the whole team at Stellar Solar.

Working with Stellar Solar was literally one of the best experiences I have ever encountered with a contractor. Their customer service from start to finish was excellent. Our initial appt. with Zac for the quote was very impressive. He already had detailed info on pre-printed quotes for various panels and all the info for our past electrical usage. The cost for the system was comparable to another quote we had but the customer service turned out to make all the difference. They did everything they said they would do from replacing broken roof tiles to stucco repair and painting around the newly installed panel box. They explained every phase of the project, arranged everything from rebates to permits. I can't tell you how many questions I had regarding a solar install! They were more than happy to take my calls and spend the time needed. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to install solar panels on their home!! Thank you all - Joe, Zac, Danny, Dave, Javier - a great team!

From the first meeting to the final inspection Stellar personelle were professional, informative, and always responsive. They kept me informed as to what was going on at any given time. What we should expect and always showed up when they said they would. They paid attentiaon to details and made the install blend in as much as possible. They handled all the licensing and inspections. I was very pleased with the result and am looking forward to lower energy bills. I highly reccomend them.

We received multiple estimates from several companies for a small solar PV system of approximately 3kW DC to go on our roof. Of the providers that we viewed as reputable, Stellar was initially in the middle of the pack for price, among comparable systems. The salesman/designer that we worked with was Zac, and he went through many options for us, including considering a new inverter (SMA 3000 TL-US) that was coming to market at about the time we'd be going forward with solar. This new inverter had a few new features (a power outlet that would work in case of grid failure, while sunny, and an option for an ethernet port instead of the much more expensive SMA webbox for monitoring), and Stellar was amenable to us dropping the webbox, going with the new inverter, and waiving the monitoring through Stellar (I monitor the system myself, very easily, that is what the ethernet part of the inverter allows). In my particular case, this worked and saved about $1000 (every situation is different, of course, but the fact that Zac was even open to this as a possibility was a big plus for me). This, and the fact that Stellar would do the main electrical panel upgrade for a completely reasonable price made Stellar an easy choice for us. Now on to the work. Everyone we've worked with at Stellar was very professional, helpful, etc, and the process went very smoothly, with the solar turned on and running slightly ahead of schedule. We went back and forth with Zac for a few days getting all the options settled on, and the initial design drawn up, and the contract signed, the first week of June (Zac was very helpful in this process, responding to my large number of questions, etc...). The process was supposed to finish by the end of September. After the contract was settled on, and the system was designed to our specifications, we were handed off to Joe Bowden, who kept us apprised of the process the whole way. After permits were drawn up in early July, they were issued on July 15 or so, and the system was up on the roof on July 17, well ahead of prediction. The crew that installed it did a great job, and all the electrical conduit runs are hidden under the panels and in the garage, for a very clean looking install. Next came the electrical work (electrical panel and grid-tying). This involves SDG&E, which causes some delay, but this was finished August 13. At this point, they found a short in the installed inverter, but swapped it out with the manufacturer quickly. Final inspection took place without a hitch on August 23 or so, and SDG&E gave the OK to turn it on on August 28. I think that the stucco repair for the electrical panel upgrade was probably subcontracted out, but this is the only part that I believe was subbed out (though I am not positive on that). There really wasn't anything I wasn't completely satisfied about the whole job. They were reputable (not at all sketchy), professional and responsive. They were flexible enough to let me choose a setup that saved us money (which means a quicker payoff time), their work was great quality, and their electrical work was reasonably priced. And when the one problem did come up (the inverter not working out of the box), they worked with the manufacturer to replace it in a matter of a few days. And, from contract signed to solar running (and with almost a month of data, it's producing as expected) was less than 3 months. I heartily recommend them.