A1A Solar Contracting Inc

Very well. A modification was suggested and made to the system which resolved a problem.

Great work! The system was built to the specifications that I desired to include equipment placement. The workmanship was absolute quality and I have had no rework or failed components in 20 months of operation. The system has produced about 21.55MWh in that amount of time which equates to about a 14 year payoff. This is a small data set though and I would expect it to fall to about 13 years as 2018 has been an exceptionally poor solar year as compared to 2017. Zero issues through hurricane Matthew and Irma with sustained very strong tropical storm force winds. I am very pleased with this purchase and would recommend A1A again.

EXCELLENT very excited to start producing electricity

unknown

Excellent experience. A1A are experts in the industry and they stand by their work. They offer a quality product. They have been very responsive to my needs and to the needs of other neighbors that have done solar installations. I'm very happy with the results of my solar installation and the experience that I've had with A1A Solar and would recommend them to anyone who is considering going solar. Keep up the great work!

Excellent experience. A1A are experts in the industry and they stand by their work. They offer a quality product. They have been very responsive to my needs and to the needs of other neighbors that have done solar installations. I'm very happy with the results of my solar installation and the experience that I've had with A1A Solar and would recommend them to anyone who is considering going solar. Keep up the great work!

The installation team showed up on time ready to work. The job was planned for 3 days to complete. The team rolled in with 3 trucks, and at least 10 people doing everything from electrical work to panel and conduit installation. The 3 day job was completed in one day (8 hours). I had 22 panels installed that estimated to generate 5.8Kw/h After the initial inspection, safety inspection and meter switch, I was able to turn on the system about 5pm which is close to sunset. On initial startup, the system generated 1Kw back to JEA and literally stopped my JEA usage in its tracks. Over a 6 day period, the system generated 5.0Kw/h sending 130Kw to JEA with my JEA useage to 76Kw. I normally used about 133Kw over 6 days. I am happy and now the wife can run the A/C without me complaining.

Excellent experience. A1A are experts in the industry and they stand by their work. They offer a quality product. They have been very responsive to my needs and to the needs of other neighbors that have done solar installations. I'm very happy with the results of my solar installation and the experience that I've had with A1A Solar and would recommend them to anyone who is considering going solar. Keep up the great work!

unknown

After doing extensive research from Solar Laws to reviews on companies that install solar panels for residential homes, We learned that A1A Solar rated #1 in both categories. The salesman was awesome in providing detail information on from how the solar panels worked to the financing breakdown. After the paperwork was finalized, A1A Solar went to work on our roof. We had 22 solar panels installed.  The Installers were friendly and very knowledgeable in giving us insight on how the installation process is performed and answered any questioned we had. The salesman and even the accounting department kept in touch with us to make sure everything from the install to the performance of the panels was to our satisfaction. Who could imagine going from a $200-$225 electric bill to ZERO?? We were very glad to have made the decision of choosing A1A to perform the installation. Just from the visual of our installation, many of our neighbors have decided to investigate the benefits of solar panels. So far, 3 more families in our neighborhood had panels installed on their homes by A1A Solar!.Thanks again!

The contract was signed on 10/22/2015 and the final inspection done on 2/1/2016.  Installing 28 panels is not a big job.  Actually, the panels were installed before Christmas.  It took less time to build my entire HOUSE!  Granted, Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years slowed the process, but there were several mistakes/oversights made which delayed completion.  I will say that every time I called A1A Solar, they were very courteous and helpful.  As best as I can tell, the quality of the work is good; just wish it had not taken so long.  If you decide to use A1A Solar, plan to be very patient.  They do offer a military discount, which is a plus.

unknown

Except for rain everything went smoothly, the arrived when they said they would, installation took somewhat longer than the original estimate due to rain. There was a delay in the installation of the electric panel due to my scheduling conflicts, which they worked with graciously.  Everything was cleaned up and they have been checking back with me to ensure that it all went well. Overall very pleased and I would recommend them to friends and neighbors.

An installation that was to take 3-4 days ended up taking 3 weeks.
Showed up first day and worked 2 hours due to a light drizzle that lasted 10
minutes. Came back worked the next day and didn't show up the third day as
someone forgot to order the inverters. They came back the following week to
finish the panel install and electricians installed inverters. Then they
had to reinstall the solar panel as they were wired incorrectly. Several other
delays and 3 weeks later we week finally ready for inspection. All in all,
communications with the customer and with the crews was flawed or nonexistent. They
need to work on that.

Work went very well.  Well planned, communicated and executed. These guys are real professionals. I'd think twice about using anyone else (I got 3 quotes and interviewed all 3 solar companies). 
The "A" rating on price is not so much they were cheaper than any one else, as they were very competitive on price but I think the quality of the work and professionalism of the company/employees was very, very high, which at a competitive price, gets them an "A".   However, Solar Systems in general are still just really expensive.

unknown

They were very professional, courteous, and timely in all interactions. The installation team was great and very efficient, they were done in a little more than a day for 16 panels. The only complaint I would have with the installation process was that all steps along the way - there were several more inspections and steps along the way after the actual installation than I expected. For example - I didn't know that the plumber for the hot water heater would be a different person than the installation team for the panels and that JEA would need to look at things 3 times before the switch got flipped. All of this makes sense, but  A better, written out understanding of this up front would have helped plan time needed off from work. That said - they were very good in getting these steps done, I just didn't quite expect it to be so much.

As for the panels themselves, so far I have no complaints but time will tell if the value is what I expected it to be. So far 3 months in, I have not quite broken even with regards to generation vs. usage in total as I had expected, but have done better as we get further into spring, so I won't know until I have a year of data - hence the B for price. If I do get better results after a year, that may change to an A.

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The system was installed on south facing rooflines with no trees to the south, with 17 total panels on a 1st story garage roof and 13 panels on the 2nd story roof.  We decided to hire A1A after obtaining quotes from 2 other companies that recommended we install solar hot water systems but not solar PV systems for other power needs.  We paid almost $40K for the system, which tax credits and rebates brought down to a net cost of about $27K.
We were new owners of a house that we bought out of foreclosure, which had been vacant with no utility service for a year.   After 6 months in the house, we estimated our average annual energy costs including hot water heating to be approximately $200 to $225/mo.  The pre-solar system bills for this 2800sf home built in 2006 closely mirrored the bills of my other house, at 1250sf  which was built in 1942 and therefore had far poorer insulation and older windows.
At the time we decided to purchase the solar system, the sales manager told us the following:
(1)   We could finance the purchase so that our average monthly energy costs with the system (JEA + financing bill) matched our average monthly energy costs prior to the system installation (JEA + propane bill).  We financed the system for 12 years, with payments of $225/month.  The system has a life expectancy of 30 years.
(2)   That the system would perform at its peak in the spring and summer seasons.  
(3)   Specifically, we were told that the installed system should generate an average of approximately $200/worth of electricity per month (> in summer, when we could expect to receive a higher credit than the JEA bill; < in winter, when we would apply credits earned in the spring and summer).  In reality, the system has only generated between $12 and $45 per month in credits that actually appear on the JEA bill.  The system generates additional power that is used in real time, and this real-time production/usage does not show up on the JEA bill at all as a credit because it is not sold back to JEA.  Our average energy costs over the past 10 months are actually $45/month higher because the system is not generating enough power to truly pay for itself in the 12 year financing period.  Over the full useful life of the system (30 years), we expect the system to pay for itself and to eventually lead to savings, but this will be difficult to calculate as the system is expected to lose 20% of its full production capacity over its useful life.
(4)   That we did not need to cut the mature live oak tree on the east side of our house.   When we asked to meet with the sales manager and owner to meet with us at our house 4 months after installation because we were only receiving $40/mo. in credits to the JEA bill, we were told that the15 PV panels and 2 water heater panels were only producing at 70% of capacity due to the morning shade from the tree to the east and that in order to increase production, we should substantially trim the tree.  However, the majority of the morning shade to the east is produced by a 100+ year old live oak tree that is wholly on our neighbor?s property, so trimming our tree will not substantially improve performance.  We asked if the panels over the garage (the ones receiving substantial morning shade due to trees to the east) could be reinstalled at higher elevation to maximize sunlight? possibly even on rack type systems like systems we have seen elsewhere, with the other panels over the 2nd floor.  A1A was not receptive to that idea and told us that we had to work with the roofline that we had.
(5)   That the panels needed to be cleaned once per year and that A1A would send someone out once a year to clean them.  However, 4 months later, A1A told us that to improve system performance, we should clean the panels MONTHLY and that A1A no longer sent people out to clean panels.   The owner of the company added that even small twigs or leaves on the panel surface can substantially diminish energy production.  We probably would not have installed the PV panels at all, and definitely not on a roof location near an oak tree, if A1A had been honest with us at the outset that the panels needed to be cleaned monthly.
(6)   That 6 months after installation, A1A would host a ?solar wine tasting party? at our house so we could invite our friends over to discuss the system performance.  Nine months later, we still have not received any word from A1A about this promotion, presumably because of our expressed concerns 4 months after system installation.
We placed at least 8 service calls to A1A to deal with numerous installation problems that occurred within the first few weeks.
1.      Hole in living room drywall made during installation of system in attic over garage ? A1A quickly responded and repaired the drywall after our call.
2.      4 or 5 calls about the hot water tank leaking small amounts of water on the garage floor ? A1A responded to all of our calls, and eventually the leak was repaired.
3.      Water pipe from the hot water heating panels to the hot water heater in the garage burst 1 to 2 weeks after installation ? A1A Solar responded quickly to our report that water was streaming down through the garage ceiling.  They patched and painted the drywall ceiling after the pipe was repaired.
4.      Loss of power to downstairs HVAC thermostat due to wire being pinched in attic during solar system installation ? A1A quickly responded and repaired after asking for a full explanation of the problem and when it occurred.
5.      Inconsistent delivery of hot water to upstairs bathroom, especially on days after rain (water went cold after 5 minutes) ? When we called A1A 4 months after installation, they immediately replaced the thermostat in the hot water tank.  It has worked fine since then.
By the time we had no fewer than 8 service calls to the house within 2 months after installation, we were beginning to have doubts about the system.  Fortunately, A1A was always quick to respond, and the past 4 months have gone without incident.
We are adjusting to the slightly increased energy costs over the next few years.  We may have installed the entire system if we had received more truthful and complete information from A1A at the outset.  However, we probably would have decided to only have a solar hot water system installed (at 1/3 the cost, and as recommended by the other 2 contractors we spoke with) in the near term, and in a location on the roof that received the most direct sunlight.  If A1A had been honest with us about the impact of the tree to the east of our house on maintenance requirements and system production, we either would not have installed the PV panels or we would have researched more options for installing the entire system above the 2nd story part of our roof.

From the very start Pete and the A1A Solar crew were professional, courteous, and punctual. The quality of the work and attention to detail they put into the job is very impressive.  They answered any and all questions we threw at them. We are very happy with the system and its performance.
We would (and have) recommend A1A Solar Contracting to anyone looking to "Go Solar".

It works great. They worked with us in the course of the project.

We interviewed 3 different companies for a solar water heater system, and liked A1A the best.  We were going to go with a less expensive company, but that salesperson was dragging his feet, promising a written quote and kept forgetting to give one and changing the terms.  With A1A, even though we spent a little more, it was worth it as the staff were great and did excellent work.  Our electric back-up actually didn't turn on initially, and one of the installers came by on a Sunday to fix the problem, and make a few other fixes.  After that we have had no problem.  The owner is very approachable and has bee responsive to our questions, and we would definitely go with this company if we had to do it again.

From start to finish the installation was quick,professional and very pleasant.  When I researched this process I was afraid it was not going to afford it and I would have ugly solar panels on my roof.  After the initial presentation I was so impressed and was even given resources to obtain financing.  The installation lasted only 3 hours and I was not inconvienced at all, and the installers were VERY friendly.