KumuKit

Sales rep (Tanys) was very good, and the installation went well, with only minor issue that were resolved to our satisfaction.

It went great. They did a fine job.

unknown

They fly over to come and talk to you and then they hire a local electrician to come and take care of the electrical installation. We love those guys. We're praying that they come back to do the next piece because they are wonderful. They're really great. So far we've been extremely fortunate to have them. I would use this provider again in the future.

Had this company work simultaneously with company installing new roof so all would be on the same page. Price and specs were agreed upon with sales rep, Sonny Leandro and deposit given. After roof was on and work on PV started we were informed an additional $4,688 would be required for and quot;66 ..pipe boot flashings over Fast Jacksand quot; installed by Kumu Kit (of course). Otherwise they could not guaranty the integrity of the roof would not be damaged.
Later, when new construction was planned, removal and storage of some of the panels was quoted at $1500. When time for this arrived,
the price was 4 times the amount initially quoted and we were told new footings/and quot;bootsand quot; would now be required - the old ones Kumu insisted were required (and for which they charged $4688) were the wrong type of boots.
On top of this, it took 1 1/2 months of constant calls to the office before they admitted the rep was no longer with Kumu Kit. They also stated they had no intention of honoring his quotes/terms.
This was a disreputable company and no way to do business. I am warning anyone I know who is interested in solar/PV that, while Hawaii is the perfect place for this technology, this is a dishonorable company and you'd be wise to stay away. There are some very good companies here - just not this one.

I would not recommend this company for solar installation. The first day of the installation a worker didn't place his ladder correctly on my gutter and the ladder crashed into my living room window. The company did replace the window within two or three weeks. Calls to the office are not answered promptly, and it seems like there are communication problems between staff regarding your situation. my electric bill only went down once as promised. I paid full electric bill mostly since this installation. I am still waiting to get a solar system as promised by this company, I wound not recommend this company,

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I was very happy with KumuKit/Hawaii Energy Connection, with the process overall, and with my sale representative, Rony Yurong. It has been noted by other who have used HEC/KumuKit that the sales reps provide low pressure / no pressure interactions and all the information you could possibly want or need.
Buying solar can be a very complex process. The consumer must either be an engineer or place a great deal of trust that the sales person is providing accurate and trustworthy information. I did my own engineering calculations and then called HEC/KumuKit. A representative from KumuKit called me to arrange for a sales person to visit, informally survey my home, and provide an estimate. HEC/KumuKit sent Rony Yurong. I found Rony and the information and data provided by HEC/KumuKit to be accurate. The data he provided matched my own calculations, and, two months after the system has been installed, actual system performance EXCEEDS predicted performance (currently 107%).
My high rating for HEC/KumuKit is based on (1) no pressure sales rep; (2) quality, accuracy and completeness of information provided, with high level of correlation between predicted and actual system performance; (3) good, solid and competitive price point; (4) top-quality components; (5) excellence in system design and engineering; (6) top-notch installation by trained and competent employees; (7) smoothness of process overall; (8) financing partners (HNB); (9) after-sales follow-up; (10) complete and utter lack of surprise. Everything went more or less exactly as advertised.
Financing: HEC/KumuKit is connected to two excellent financing programs provided by Hawaii National Bank (Synergy Loan) and American Savings Bank. Applying for financing was very simple and transparent process. HEC/KumuKit does not (at this time) offer a lease option.
Cost per watt: Some advertisements for solar talk about number of panels. But number of panels isn't useful. What's useful is how much power is generated overall, and how much you'll pay for the total installation. HEC/KumuKit came in with a cost of about $4.76/watt. So a 5200 watt (or 5.2 kW) system was estimated at just under $25,000. I thought this was an excellent price point at the time. Note that this price point will vary related to the price and efficiency of solar panels. Also note that this cost does not take into consideration any tax rebates.
Central inverter or micro-inverter: The inverter converts the output of the solar system (direct current or DC power) to alternating current, which is what is delivered by HECO. There can be either one or two central inverters to cover the whole system, or a small, and quot;micro-inverterand quot; attached to each panel (so 20 panels means 20 micro-inverters). My going-in preference, based on my own research, was for micro-inverters. HEC/KumuKit uses Enphase microinverters (and note: Enphase micro-inverters are VERY common among solar installers). With Enphase, I can monitor my solar system from my computer and from my smart phone.
Permits: HEC/KumuKit handled everything: permits with my home-owners association; building permits with the county; and the Net Metering agreement with HECO. The entire process was ultra-smooth from beginning to end.
Timing: This is not an overnight process. For me personally it was about a 3 month process from beginning to end (installed system). Timing is everything -- miss a few days in returning paperwork, and a critical milestone (such as home owners association review) can be delayed a month, and with it, installation of the system. Actual installation by HEC/KumuKit was two days and completely uneventful. The installation of the net meter by HECO, and not actual installation determines when your system is turned on. In my case, HECO installed my net meter a week prior to installation, and HEC/KumuKit was able to turn on my system as soon as the process was finished.
I am very pleased with the work HEC/KumuKit has done.

They were great! I got quotes from five different companies, and they were really great.

Hawaii Energy Connection (Kumu Kit) did a great job with installation
and follow up. Sasha Mason was my sales agent and she was always
available when I had questions. My electric bill has fallen from a high
of $580 per month to this month of $30.00. I have a swimming pool with
two pumps running most of the day. four refrigerators as well as two
kitchens with electric appliances.