Sunrise Solar Solutions LLC

This is a follow-up to my initial review from April 2015. I noticed in early July '18 that 2 inverters died without getting an email notification alert even though I have it set to receive them. I never heard from Sunrise until I contacted them in mid July when the new inverters were about to be delivered. I had called Enphase prior and found out both inverters went down in late March and replacement ones were ordered in late June by Josh Heinz/Production Manager. Also, Enphase informed me that Sunrise's monitoring system is more sensitive than a homeowner's which is why I did not receive an alert. Josh delayed my new inverter installation. Instead of emailing me, he claimed he called me to set up an appointment but it was to a wrong # with a different area code and different from the one he provided to Enphase in my replacement inverter order and printed on the shipping label which I provided to co-owner, Doug Hertz. If Josh had indeed called the number, he would have heard the answering machine message, "you have reached the Wong residence," realized the error and emailed me but that did not happen. A week was lost as a result. I asked him about this but he ignored my question. Then he kept pushing my appointment back. Originally, set on Wednesday for Friday afternoon but cancelled as the weather forecast had a 40% chance of rain in the pm that did not occur until after 5pm. Instead of immediately setting up another appointment, he waits until the following Monday and pushes me to Wednesday. Because of rain, inverters were finally installed Thursday morning in early August but I noticed right away that they still were not reporting so I emailed Josh; no response. I called him Friday mid day (see photo) and the receptionist said he was out of the office. He finally responded on Monday and ignored my asking him why it took 2 days to reply. Not only is Sunrise's customer service lacking, they are expensive. It was the highest for me even with their "thousands less" discount. A neighbor's system from another solar firm, Green Hybrid Energy Solutions in White Plains, NY, uses the same brand panels and inverters, and has better khW output despite it being an older system. He paid a few hundred dollars more without any discount, had trees cut down, full warranty, a platform built to tilt the panels and 1 more panel than my system. With another neighbor, Lee's estimate was the highest out of 5 solar installers (they went with SunBlue Energy/Sleepy Hollow, NY and their 27 panel system has great output with no problems.) For top dollar, one would expect stellar customer service and that has not been the case. Josh ignored my questions about the cause of delays, discrepancy between the phone number he called vs. the one he gave Enphase, choosing to deflect them. I don't want an apology as I would find it insincere esp. since co-owner Doug was cc'd in all my email correspondence with Josh. The only time he chimed in was after my first email offering an apology and reimbursement for the lost khw outage but it didn't account for the extras Con Ed charges based on khw usage. If everything aforementioned was not done in retaliation against my first review, then let Sunrise explain why my failed inverters went undetected for almost 4 months, why I wasn't contacted immediately and why is it acceptable to ignore customer's questions. Let them respond here to the questions Josh ignored about my phone number discrepancy, why he took 2 days to respond to my email, and have them state, by full name, how many staff are dedicated to monitoring customer's systems. Let's see how transparent and forthcoming they are. Customers have a right to know. This way potential and existing customers will know if Sunrise Solar is the right solar provider for them. They weren't for me...

A worker came buy and diagnosed the problem. Since it required removal of panels, which needed two workers, they came the following day to fix the problem. Since under warranty, no charge, Excellent responsiveness.

Sunrise Solar provided a customer-oriented, worry-free experience from start to finish. Every employee who worked on our project was completely professional and courteous. Brad Meyer was a knowledgeable, no-pressure sales consultant. All installers showed up on schedule, used safety equipment when necessary, cleaned up thoroughly, and worked well as a team. Heather Lowry and Maria Teplensky kept us informed all along the way. They coordinated the permitting, all the work, the inspections and obtaining the certificate of occupancy.

Great. The minor issues encountered were quickly resolved.

They were amazing. Very organized, dedicated, professional, punctual, and very helpful and informative. From their on site people to solar engineers, to the office team. Everyone was outstanding. Even after it was installed and live, they come  back and explain everything to you, show you how to monitor the production of the panels on line, sent all necessary paperwork for tax credits etc. They were just a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is considering going Solar. On a side note, my friend used Solar city which was installed in May and they still are being given the run around by them. They now just want the panels removed as they are getting no where with Solar city.

I installed Sunrise Solar on Earth Day and have never been happier from the initial introduction by salesperson, Brad Meyer to Scott and Heather and the rest of the installation team. I solicited 3 bids from other companies and chose Sunrise due to their professionalism AND price, but their professionalism is what won them the job. I would be happy to serve as a reference for anyone that might possibly be considering taking the jump. Now is the time...just ask Consumer Reports!

Gymnastics City is a 15,000 sq. ft. facility located in Cortlandt Manor, NY. Our Con Edsion electric bills were very high. Therefore, we decided to investigate solar energy. We got Sunrise Solar Solutions off the internet, and their representative, Kevin O’Neill, met with us and explained in detail exactly what they would provide. He come up with a very comprehensive proposal, explaining everything, including the Federal and New York State tax credits. Kevin is a real professional. Great job, wonderful people. We were mostly impressed by the level of attention and professionalism of everyone involved, from our first phone call for an estimate, to the last day of the job. This is the way a business is supposed to be run. Sunrise Solar Solutions gets an A++. Highly recommended. [member name removed] Gymnastics City .

The initial education meetings were outstanding.  Doug Hertz their president explained how solar works so I was an educated buyer.  The sales process was quite involved but I did not have to do much except answer some basic questions as their sales person was sharp when it comes to solar and put the questions in terms I could install.  The installation was done very professional.  I would highly recommend them so Solar energy.

The process went flawlessly.  They handled all of the work from start to finish with out any problems.  The people in the office kept me informed along the way and filed all of the necessary paperwork.  When my concerns were raised a simple call to Heather would quickly resolve the issue.  I would strongly recommend them to install solar on your roof

We are very satisfied with the solar system that Sunrise Solar Solutions installed for us.  We have an 86 panel system on a mostly south-west facing roof (some south facing).  It has been generating a significant amount of electricity and cost savings for us.
We got proposals from a few companies.  In terms of pure economics, it was difficult to evaluate proposals because there was an apples-and oranges component.  We wanted all black panels so they would blend into the roof, and we wanted maximum efficiency.  One of the key selling points was the system that Sunrise proposed, which basically permits one to determine the efficiency of each and every panel, and also to determine whether there is a problem in any one panel.  (We have had the system for three months, and there have been no problems).  Sunrise explained that this type of system was a bit more, but would produce more electricity, and be easier to maintain and upgrade.  In addition, we have used Sunrise Building (their affiliate) to do a substantial renovation of our home, as well as replace the roof, so we knew them to be reliable and trustworthy.
After agreeing on the design, specifications and contract, it was necessary to get a zoning variance, in addition to the usual permit.  The reason for the variance was because Briarcliff Manor has an old law limiting the maximum square footage of a solar system, and our proposed system was more than double the maximum size.  (Solar panels used to be quite ugly, but not
anymore).  The contract with Sunrise required that they obtain the variance, and Sunrise was able to obtain it for
us.
Because of the time taken to get the variance (not Sunrise?s fault, and we knew about it at the outset), there were new and improved panels, and Sunrise and we agreed to go with new-and-improved (and aesthetically better looking), and they just charged us the additional cost (with no mark-up).
The installation process went smoothly, as well as coordination with Con Ed, and the building and electrical inspectors to get
everything approved and installed.  
Special thanks to Lee (who was the original representative),Matt & Doug (who dealt with design, contract and permitting and overall supervision), Sam (the project manager) and Conte electric (which did the electric work).
We would highly recommend Sunrise Solar Solutions for your solar needs.

My solar panel system was installed on Dec 16, '14 and I was supposed to have my Operations manual dropped off 1-2 weeks after the mid January '15 ?building inspection. ?It's now April and I still don't have it despite emailing Sales Rep, Lee and Production Coordinator, Matt back on 2/26/15 and again to Lee on 3/25/15. ?? In late February, Lee responded: ?"OK Cary -- I'll look into it and get it to you. ?It's a binder with a few different things for you."? Also, in my late March email, I mentioned that I had 4 "production issue" email alerts from Enphase during the first week of March but no one from Sunrise Solar contacted me or came out to check on things. ? No response from Lee. Now, ?I question if I chose the right solar firm as Sunrise is supposed to proactively monitor and service my panels and I am now stuck with them for any future problems with my system for the next 20+ years. ? With their recent marketing campaigns; Let's Solarize Cortlandt/Croton, Bedford/Mt. Cisco and Mamaroneck/Larchmont, I guess they've more concerned with developing new clients vs. servicing existing ones. ?I wonder how responsive and proactive they will be with a bigger client base? Also, twice, there were mistakes with the figures in my contract so luckily I checked before signing. I probably should have gone with a national company, like Verengo Solar or NRG Solar, the route my neighbors are taking. In fact, my 17 panel system's best producing day has been 28.7kHw whereas my nearby neighbor's 18 panel solar system, using a different installer (Green Energy Hybrid Solutions, White Plains, NY) produced 35 kHw. ?Moreover, despite my getting a ~ 10% discount and opting for the less expensive 5 year warranty over the 25 year one on my system, my neighbor's better-producing 18 panel system with no discount only cost him a couple of hundred dollars more than mine. ?So, without any discounts/reductions, my system would have cost more and produces less less than my neighbor's. Last thing, I'd only give so much credence to "Hilary M's" 1/16/15 Yelp review.... linkedin.com/profile/vie? Update: Lee spins it that he didn't respond to me because he was waiting for gift tote bags to come in...un huh....not a very trustworthy person so don't be fooled by him. In fact, I doubt I received any discount on my system. Initially, my proposal was for a 27 panel, then revised ~ months later to a 17 panel system yet Lee told me he?s charging thousands less than they normally would. If this is true, Sunrise is overcharging as evidenced by my neighbor?s 18 panel system. Also, Lee told me that the SunEdison panels had increased in price?uh huh, again?. Last piece of advice: have your electric provider make your year end reconciliation date to be early Spring (eg., April) or at least past March so that you don't wind up paying for any electricity during winter months when the panels produce the lowest kHw. ? If you start your cycle during the winter and the panels underproduce, you'll wind up paying for the any electricity your provider puts out. ?My neighbor's solar company gave him this advice not Sunrise Solar.....