Sunrun

To future customers of Sun Run I was lied to for 3 months by the liaison I was assigned.  Telling me that the buyer had not done what was needed.  I called and left messages every business day with no callback.  The liaison never returned any of my emails as well.  The only time I received any information was when I happened to get a hold of this individual. The last time I spoke to them was after trying to get a hold of her after 11 business days, and they told me that they were too busy to take my calls, to call customer service.  The last 3 months have been frustrating.  I am on a fixed income, and this is an expense I no longer need.   The salesperson who convinced me to purchase this system should have asked or been in lightend enough to have realized that the home was 2/3 rds gas and that solar would not give me any to little benefit.  The solar should have been transferred to the buyer back in March.  Their policy is that the seller will continue to pay for the solar until the transfer is complete.  They have no incentive to make this process quick or easy.  They get paid no matter what.   If you fail to pay or it fails to transfer to the new homeowner Sun Run can demand all payments from the seller upfront, as well as the cost of removing the solar from the home, the lost credit they receive from the government, and any other fees they deem appropriate.  There is a cancelation that lets the homeowner cancel the contract.  The only cancelation period is the first 10 days after signing the contract. 

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SunRun is one of the worst communicators on the market.  Given the intense competition for solar panels Id look elsewhere unless you like waiting and waiting to get problems addressed.
Every time we have a problem we log it on the website and typically we receive an email promptly. This we like.
Our panels tend to stop producing electricity  once or twice  a month.  Sometimes SunRun contacts us via email to let us know.  I don't have a baseline for how often panels should not work, but the fact that they let us know is good.
The problem breaks down from here. We are always told "someone will contact us" and a few times we do hear from a service provider,  5 days later.  Imagine waiting 5 days to hear about a broken pipe or phone line - completely unacceptable.  When we do hear from them we are told "gee we can't seem to identify the problem."  For this reason I try to let them know as soon as possible when our panels are out, but they take so long to respond that the panels seem to correct themselves a few days later.  I try to explain that the problem is intermittent but apparently this is not a concern for them.
Now it is to the point where they dont share the progress of the service with the customer - a fatal flaw in my opinion.  They sent a tech out and we never heard from him.  They close our case and never tell us.
When we were negotiating the contract, I always received a prompt reply.  Now that we signed on the dotted line we are of secondary importance.  It seems their concern is to get new customers rather than service the ones they have.
Im all for their growth but if they cannot give a pleasant user experience to the customers they already have, I think that is a very bad sign.
I would defiantly not recommend them and would search elsewhere for better service.

They're very nice. We interviewed many, many people and they're very, very good. They were neat, they were tidy and they fixed what they broke. The salesperson was not defensive as the people that come to our house. We interviewed at least 6 companies and some of them were really obnoxious and pushy. They stayed here for hours and 1 wouldn't speak to my husband unless I was in the room. They didn't do that. The representative called back and checked in with us. He was a very nice young man, very polite. Our dog gets nervous with the strangers in the house but she was fine and sat next to him and bought treats. That was kind of a very smart and their prices were better than some of the others. I can't remember the exact quotes of the others but this one was cheaper and we do own them, it's not rented.  They've been excellent. They were here when they said they would come and they were fast when they did it. They did what we asked. They were professional and we surely would recommend them to our neighbors.

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Sales person did an on-site visit and provided proposal based on location and electricity usage for last 12-mo. Decided to purchase instead of leasing due to low rates with Silicon Valley power. Net cost after rebates and tax credits = $5,200, ROI ~ 7 years.
Installation was done quickly over 2 days, crew was very quiet, knowing we had a newborn in the house. Inspection passed on the first visit and they system have worked flawlessly since then. Total electricity bill for 9-month period = ~$150 (including 3-ton AC over the summer) - amazing!

Could not be happier with REC. I worked with Steve Gross on the contract - he answered a lot of (probably dumb) questions for me and was very responsive. Paperwork was simple, as was the purchasing through Costco. When it came time for installation, a 3-person crew led by Guy Dixon showed up. They arrived every day at exactly the time they said they'd be there, and were extremely professional. I climbed up on the roof each day after they left to check out what they had done. They did great work, from matching the mounting brackets to the roof color to using custom mounting brackets to hold conduit off the roof surface to putting nice end caps on the mounting rails so that the ends weren't visible from the street. I listened in while the building inspector came by for the final inspection - he made several comments about how well done the work was.  PG&E came a few weeks later to give the OK to turn on the system.
Three months later the system has been operating just fine. The maximum system capacity is around 3.2kW (14 panels) and in early May I tend to see a peak production of around 2.8kW in the middle of the day - we'll see where it goes in the middle of summer. My electric bill is around $10/month now.
Honestly I went into this project expecting problems, especially after seeing my neighbors get a solar system installed which took over 3 weeks to complete.  To come through this project with ZERO problems was really surprising to me - a pleasant surprise.

Began searching for solar panel installing in fall of 2012.  After a lot or rearch, I picked REC solar based upon two criteria: 1.) Angie's List reviews, 2.) Knowledge and responsiveness of their rep (Ben Chates).  Contract was signed in Jan 2013.  REC was honest that installation would not begin for 8-10 weeks due to work backlog.  Work started in March 27 and was finished on March 29.  I found their installer (Charles) and project manger (Melissa Alcordo) to be very easy to deal with.  Now I'm just waiting on PGE to switch out my meter to start enjoying my panels. 
To show just what of company REC Solar is...On March 26 (1 day before scheduled install), I received an email from my employer (City and County of SF) that REC had a program with the City to provide installation at a 20% discount.  Despite the fact that already signed for the agreed (non City program) amount, REC honored this programs, and cut almost $2,000 off my install bill.  Couldn't be happier.

We checked out 8-10 solar companies, hosting their sales reps in my home and getting their pitch, over about four months before my wife and I made our decision.  We fairly quickly narrowed it down to three comanies, of which REC Solar was one.  From there I did more in-depth research into company reputations, customer comments, and the science and testing behind each company's solar panels and inverters.  In the end, REC Solar (which has deals and support contracts in place with Costco - yes, that Costco) came out on top.  Their representatives were knowledgeable and they showed a commitment to customer service, not to mention that their panels and the inverters they recommend are, by all independent research I was able to locate, top-notch in the home consumer market.  I went to their local office to discuss a couple items, and they gave me a tour of their shop/warehouse and explained the different phases of the process and the panels in particular.  Every question I had, they answered it; this is a MUST for me if I am dropping $15k on something.  It made sense for us to go with a Pre-Paid Power Agreement, via Sunrun, with REC as the provider. We obtained a system at a little over 5 kWh, as we are a family of 4 and addicted to electronic gadgets; under our PG&E rate plan we were averaging ~$200/month on our electric bill.  Once all the contracts were signed, it was a bout 4 weeks (if I remember right) before all the plans were approved, the permits were pbtained, etc., but I think that is pretty standard.  When the installers showed up, they were friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient, wrapping up the install in two days.  Our only hiccup was actually getting the system turned on. Once we received the approval to operate from PG&E, it was about another month before everything was worked out and we were actually producing solar power (something about a disconnected wire or some such on the roof, and it took a bit between Sunrun and REC before someone came out to take care of it). But, other than that, it was a great experience. Everything is now operating at peak efficiency and we are very happy.

The company rep was very professional. He came over, did an evaluation of our needs and gave us a quote. Due to job stability reasons, we could not pursue with the quote. Essentially, I spent $99 to get a quote for solar panels. I could have got a quote from other companies. There would be a discount if I actually installed the solar, but I could not afford it.  The company rep was very professional, etc. I do not find fault with them. But I see a problem with the deal. To have to spend $99 just to get a quote for solar does not make sense.

They handled all the installation issues including rebates and permits.  Installation was clean and was completed ahead of the estimated date.  They cleaned up after themselves.  The city inspector approved the installation on the first visit.  About a year after installation, the inverter failed.  REC responded immediately to diagnose the problem and had a new inverter installed with 3 days.  The system has functioned flawlessly since then.

See comments above.

REC Solar has been very responsive in handling the complete installation including building permits and was able to complete the installation within about 3 weeks from the initial contact.  PG&E just installed a bi-directional meter this past Monday and we were able to turn the system on.  It apprears to be producing about 80% of its maximum power which is what would be expected for this season of the year based on the sunny days we are having.  The REC Solar system uses enphase micro inverters on a per panel basis to transform the DC power generated by the solar panel into AC power which is fed into the main AC power lines from PG&E.  The advantage of this system is that tree shadows on individual panels only affect the panel in shadow and have no effect on the remainder of the system.  A side benefit is that individual panel outputs can be monitored on my computer via the enphase WEB site which shows me on a time lapse basis each day how the individual solar panels are performing as well as the solar system as a whole.  I cannot speak highly enough regarding our whole experience of working with REC Solar and their outstanding personnel and the solar system they provide.

Their installation crew was incompetent.  It was a disaster. The work had to be done three times to get it right.  I contacted the general manager and he declared it a disaster. He said “the work was unacceptable.”  He did a lot of the repair work himself. There is no way I would recommend them to anyone.  I could have done a better job with the installation.  The product was of good quality.

Their service was great.  They were very helpful and provided 1 on 1 support.  We were always showed the designs and what was going on.  We had two glitches, one was that the designs were wrong when the engineers came out to do the install, but they had a solution within 2 hours and it did not delay anything.  The other glitch was just an understanding of the document details and they explained that timely too.  The install time was faster than the time they had quoted, they were done in two days and we were quoted a week.

I thought their service was very good.  When there was a problem they corrected it.  It was reasonably priced.

We met an REC salesman at our local Costco, in Novato, California.  We called and made an appointment, to find what it would take to install a system on our Petaluma, Ca. home.   REC showed up on time, had all information we wanted, were polite and easy to work with.  Prior to signing the contract, I asked for copies of the warranties so I could review them in advance and received them the same day.  We gave them 2 years worth of our PG&E bills and let them know we wanted to cover as close to 100% of our energy usage as possible.   They quoted the price and we signed the contract.

They sent another man out within a few days to measure our roof and to discover where we might have problems with shading that would effect the amount of energy each panel produced.  
 
 The office e-mailed us a design to fit the panels on our roof, however, as it is the front of our house, my wife was picky and wanted a very clean design.  REC gave us no problem as they redesigned the system in a way that would look nice, however, it would require a variance from the city.   The did not charge us extra for the re-design or for obtaining the variance.  

We had a problem with our electrical panel and had called an electrician who said the replacement would be about $2,000.00 .  I called REC to discuss the problem and they said they could do the work if we liked.  It seemed smoother that way, so we had the work all done together, but REC charged us a significantly lower amount to do the work.

Work began not long after they obtained the permits and variance.  The workers were always on time, efficient, respectful, never left a mess and were quite easy to have working around our home.  Tim, who ran the project, was a gem !  We felt very comfortable with his work and he was always willing to answer our questions as the project went along.

Included with the purchase was an on-line monitoring system which tells us how much energy each panel is producing and keeps track of all that has been produced.  We really like watching this to see how much energy we are making.  I can even pull it up on my Smart phone !  This system also lets us see if any individual panel is having a problem, so we can get it fixed immediately and not have to purchase energy from PG&E.   We haven't had any problems, but it's nice to know we could spot it quickly and easily if we ever do.

I want to note that the price quoted above was for the solar installation and the electrical panel, and used the Kyocera and Enphase products which we have found have very good reputation for being superior products.   The price quoted above is not reduced by the 30% rebate from the federal government, the approx. $2,000.00 rebate from PG& E, the $500.00 Costco card they gave us, or the 2% rebate we will receive from Costco on the panels or the 1% rebate we will get from using our American Express cards to buy the panels.   With all of that included, our price was approximately $29,000.00 , not the pre rebate amount  of $43,000.00.

We have been very pleased with the services of REC Solar and would definitely recommend them.

They were very efficient and they responded quickly.  We had a good experience with them.

Installation of a complete solar system.  Everything went fine.  The only glitch happened when the installers misplaced a piece of hardware  called Envoy which let me see on the web how the solar system is working but eventually they found it and everything went fine.

Great looking and performing system. Electrical usage and bill dropped the anticipated 80-85%.

Puntual and polite crew.

I got them through Angie's List. We were very happy with them. I would recommend them and use them again in the future. They were very professional, they came did the work and cleaned up after themselves. My husband has been monitoring daily to see whether we were spilling power back to PG&E or whether we are using the solar power. Everything seems to be working fine; it's been working the way they indicated it would. We are very happy with them. I think their price was pretty standard. I wasn't familiar with what the pricing was for panels. We did check with a couple of places and they were in the ball park so I think their pricing was fine. I didn't know them until I went to Angie's List.

They did make a couple mistakes but they corrected them.

I was personally very interested in solar because our household output could be $500 a month during certain months of the year. Our heat is gas, but we have a pool which requires a circulating pump and at the time an elderly parent was with us, who ran an electric heater in her room, 24 -7. We have TVs, computers and I think are pretty good with turning off lights etc. But when we have guests, they stay in a part of the house heated by electricity, so holidays pushed the usage and costs up dramatically. Anyhow, at Costco one day, REC solar was presenting information and I talked with the sales rep. Dan Camacho and set a date for him to visit my husband and me at our home. We were not a hard sale because I personnally believe that if you are able to invest in an alternative source of energy, then we should help ourselves and our community in this manner. Our good intentions will definitely pay off financially in the end, because our system, which supplied 75%of our annual use during 2009, cost $54,000. After a PG&E rebate of $11,400 and a tax rebate of $12,000 for 2009, the system ends up costing us about $30,000. Our electric bill for all of 2009 was about a quarter of what we spent the previous year. We will have recouped our expense in less than 10 years with our system then providing most of our electricity for free. The amount of carbon dioxide that has not gone into the atmosphere because of one household using solar for one year is an unbelievable 10 tons. I was so pleased with our encounter with REC Solar that I arranged a neighborhood meeting and from our association of 42 homes, 6 other homeowners signed on with REC. The entire experience was very smooth and professional taking about 4 weeks from start to finish. The system has been operating for over a year now and there have been no problems. I did need to have some tiles replacedl on my roof, which may have been damaged during the installation. The roofer was very impressed with the installation and remarked that it was the best looking installment he had observed. I was glad to hear this, but I had looked at REC photos of other installations and I thought they all looked fine. I recommend soalr panels and I highly recommend REC Solar as a company to work with.