HelioPower Inc

I believe Heliopower [HP] to be dishonest and unethical. If you are looking for trustworthy ethical customer service I think you should look to another company. I found trustworthy missing from the lexicon of HP. During April 2017, I obtained a judgment, in Superior Court San Diego, of approximately $6,000 against HP when I alleged fraud, misrepresentation and breach of contract. I proved Heliopower installed a solar system with less KW output than the size I purchased. Because these systems are so ambiguous, and we rely 100% on the integrity of the company, it took me a long time to figure out to simply look at the KW output of the inverter and compare that to the KW purchased. HP refused to fix the system or give a refund to the size they actually installed. After the judgment was entered, HP refused to pay the Superior Court order of damages. HP then declared bankruptcy and discharged my judgment. HP now refuses to provide the lifetime monitoring promised in my contract; basically telling me to pound sand. I believe every consumer should stay away from this company and avoid the aggravation of Heliopower.

The monitoring device was never installed as promised so we couldnt track the generation - when the system started having problems, and got hit with an extremely large electric bill, we saw the true type of company it is. No one is responding, and when they do there is a complete lack of urgency or understanding of our situation. realizing that customer service is everything in this business - and that's why the failing grade.

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They did a good job. A friend recommended them.

We liked them.  They did a good job.  They were quite efficient and helped us get all the rebates and everything.  We never had any trouble with the solar.  We've been pleased with them.  The only problem they're quite a distance from where we are but even if we had a problem with the monitoring system; they came out and took care of it.  The price depends on the panel that you buy.

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I started my process of looking into solar about 2-3 weeks before making my decision to proceed. I interviewed 3 companies and another that would not come to my home so they were out right away. All of the reps that I met with were nice, but the rep from HelioPower named Matt seemed to have a very low pressure approach to his selling. He just laid out my options and guided me in the right direction when I asked for guidance. I ultimately chose them because of their references, the great response time to my questions, price, and the local office/crews that they have.
They ran all the permitting and dealt with my HOA for approvals. Once it was time to have my system installed (about 60 days after I signed up) the crew showed up and everything was and quot;Yes Sirand quot; and were extremely professional. Now a days, you don't always get that type of courtesy. The project went in in a matter of 2 days and they left my place cleaner then when they got there.
Since the time of my installation (almost 2 years ago) I have had an annual bill of around $85 (for the whole year!!). With the rebates and the tax credits that were applied to my system, at this rate my system will be paid off in a matter of just a few more years.
I recommend solar to anyone who has a home with minimal trees around it and is ok with saving a TON of money!
Go Solar!

I received bids from four solar companies before choosing HelioPower. Before I was ready to select a provider, I spoke with my neighbor who had a solar system installed late last year (2012) and he recommended I call HelioPower as he was happy with his system's performance and the service he received from them. I called them and Kris came out to meet with my husband and me a couple of days later. We found Kris to be very knowledgeable and the design and price were comparable or better than the four other bids we received. Kris provided us with six local references to call and all had very positive things to say about their experience. One was a few blocks away and we were able to drive by and see the quality of the work. Both this and my neighbor's system looked well designed and professionally installed, so we signed up.
HelioPower helped us with our HOA paperwork and handled everything with the city. HelioPower's installation crews were professional and clean and the crew lead (Shane) happily answered our questions and painted the conduit to match our house at no additional charge. Kris came by and showed us how to turn our system on and off and how to use our monitoring. Our first electric bill was $1.49! We couldn't be happier with our decision to install solar panels on our home.

HelioPower doesn’t use a valid contract that meets CSLB guidelines and requirements and they failed to perform, failed to complete our job and made MAJOR MISTAKES and demanded payment in full and that I sign the “completion form” when it is still NOT COMPLETED to this date. They agreed to provide a Battery Backup Energy System and Solar PV Panel System to charge it but failed in all aspects of the agreement and set a price for it then demanded double that a month later. Then later said they would “honor the agreement” so we never thought anything when we never got a change order. They failed to commence and complete job in a timely manner and 7 months later it is still not finished and not done correctly according to the building department and other industry professionals. One day we heard the doorbell before 8:00 am and they were here and ready to start installation and putting a sign in our yard. With no notice we had to clear our schedule for a couple of weeks for install! After the start of installation and 100 days after the agreement and they demanded I sign a new Addendum A stating “it replaces the original Addendum A” and demanded payment in full with no notice. Installer came back and said “they told me not to come back without the signature and the check”. All throughout they Installed components incorrectly which made the system unsafe. They had already done the BAIT and SWITCH on the Battery Backup and then they still delivered the wrong inverters. Fortunately I caught this and told them to bring the correct ones and to change the incorrect information on the permit. The permit did not even say it was for a Battery Backup System. They incorrectly installed one inadequate bank of batteries in unsafe manner and failed to plan what was needed for Battery cabinet and required ventilation for it. I caught this MAJOR DANGER and prevented a terrible explosion and house fire!! THIS PROJECT HAS FAILED FINAL INSPECTION FOUR TIMES and THERE ARE STILL CORRECTIONS OUTSTANDING BUT THEY REFUSED TO COME BACK. The Battery Backup System, our sole reason for the purchase, performed very poorly when tested and it ran down right away. It should have lasted 3 to 5 days minimum autonomously. Several Roofing and Solar contractors and the inspectors insist panel installation is done wrong and VERY DANGEROUS and expected lifetime warranty of roof now 2 to 5 years at best. They broke 70 roof tiles!! WRCOG Hero program financing expired after being extended several times and then we had to re-apply. Contractor acknowledges job is not done but insists they won’t come back without payment in FULL. They say we should trust them to complete it and sign it is “Completed to our Satisfaction” so the loan will fund and pay them the rest in cash or that we just pay cash for all of it. They refuse to acknowledge our complaints and the corrections needed. The inspector e-mailed this must be “a NIGHTMARE” for you and all of the other professionals who have come out to see it agree! The latest Correction notice reads word for word: “The building department inspection revealed the following items as deficient regarding specifications to installation of photo voltaic system and the disregard of existing satisfactory condition of roof. The inferior workmanship displayed at the time of final inspection was a failed attempt at replacing field tile with mastic or sealed together, piece by piece. The most appropriate technique is detailed in specifications by the roof tile manufacturer, none of which were displayed at final inspection. A roofing contractor will be needed to verify the proper re-installation of tile surrounding the area that was affect by the system installation. 1. Track underneath tile was not adequately sealed to felt paper. Mastic was placed on dirt underlayment. The seal did not penetrate the dusty surface to seal properly to the felt. 2. No flashings were installed to transition legs of rails and conduit through roof deck. 3. Placement of attachment for all thread through tile was not thought out as to placement in dead valley area. 4. Broken tiles were not replaced as verbally instructed to do by building inspector.” Though HelioPower was notified of the issues and corrections needed, they still refuse to come and correct and just demand payment in full. You should be advised that the other review by “Charles C. of Escondido” with no photo was posted by their sales person. You can find him listed on their CSLB license info that is public information online at www.cslb.ca.gov and you will see it was posted during the time he was already working for them so it is invalid and should be totally disregarded. He was also coincidentally the sales person on our job. Now we have to have all of the Solar Panels removed off the roof and reinstalled properly. This is only one of many things that we must now endure including arbitration, mediation and litigation. They placed a lien on our home and have filed a civil suit to foreclose on our home. Do yourself a favor and select another contractor!

I liked that they backed up their service warranty. The part was not warranted but the labor was. They found the problem and isolated the problem, and were able to repair it. They didn't charge me anything for the service. They only charged me for replacing an out of warranty part. It's been up here for five years and the part had a five year warranty on it. So the warranty on the part had expired but they did the labor for me at no charge. I had to just buy the $1700 part. I will use their services again in the future.

They were responsive and they followed up. They did a really clean installation. They were willing to bend a little on the price unlike the competition.