Neil Kelly Solar

Very happy with the Neil Kelly Solar and the work they did. The entire process from the initial quote to project completion was quick, painless, and professional. Took care of all the details - detail Ed drawings, permits, rebates, incentives, inspections - and performed a top quality installation. The system performs flawlessly with power production exactly as expected.

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Had to re-roof one side of my personal residence, the side with a 30 yr old solar hot water heating system.  Mr Sun Solar removed the system from the root prior to re-roofing and then came back out the following week and re-installed our system.  Checked for leaks, pressure tested everything and installed new pipe wrap on all external exposed pipes.  Service team of Josh and Jason were familiar with our system since they serviced it about 5 years ago.

We had a tiny gasket wear out and I knew we were leaking somewhere on our top tank. He was able to find right away. Even went om the roof to check the panels.

To fix a bad leak caused by overheating of the water, they replaced a plastic pipe that they had installed previously with copper  This had been an on-going problem that was finally corrected.

Mr. Sun Solar did a very nice job.  They removed our hot water solar panels, we got a new roof, then they reinstalled the panels.  They were accommodating in their scheduling and did an excellent job.  The suggestions they made to replace our holding tank at that time was a good one.  They had to cut and solder in new pipes, and did a very nice job on the soldering - it looks really nice and clean.  The pump was also replaced.  They went through how the new pump works and how to maintain the system.  I would highly recommend them to anyone.

In general, I thought these folks were very easy to work with. I rated the overall experience an "A" because - in the end - I'm happy with the result, the responsiveness to problem solving post bid, and the general professionalism of the entire team. Once you're in their queue they really are responsive and hard working. Love my new system. I gave some specific grades that I explain as follows:
1.) It did take some time and some phone tag to get someone out to bid and get my job in their queue; Hence, I rate their responsiveness just above average. I dealt with better vendors during my bid cycle and I dealt with one vendor I couldn't get to return my call. So, these folks were somewhere near the middle.
2.) On price I rated them a "B" not because they were particularly higher priced than anyone else (I found them to be lower priced or in line with other vendors when you take into account that they only sell US manufactured panels...which was important to me), but I expected a bit more of a per panel price break as I started to add panels beyond a certain system size. Not much willingness to negotiate on that point and I was mildly annoyed. On the flip side, this is a challenge with the whole solar industry...there are so many tax incentives and credits right now you don't seem to get the flexibility on price from the vendors. It's something for them to pay attention to as the incentive structure changes.
3.) A ding on quality because I had to ask them to come back and fix a problem with the cut-off box severely shading a panel in the afternoon. Felt like something they should have caught up front. That said, they are coming out to fix it and there was no back and forth on whether they would. Much appreciated.

Having the perfect southern exposure (litaerally) we decided to go solar on our roof top we had just replaced when moving into this 1953 constructed house.  We chose Mr Sun Solar without checking references simply because they were chosen for the Solarize Southwest Project (which we were not a part of).  I really should have checked Angie's List and talked to people who had used them recently.

Scheduling an estimator was a pain because they are so busy.  Actually, kind of understandable.  The estimator was nice but was not able to answer a lot of questions which resulted in several calls to their office to try to track some one down with answers.  We bought into the 4800w system and it was kind of a crap shoot on when installation would occur.  Not sure why.  Had to have "the electrical guy" out twice before it could begin for some reason that no one could explain which took time out of my day.  Install finally occurred and the guys were slightly goofy and slightly unprofessional, but I've seen enough electricians and contractors on commercial job sites not to think much of it.

About a week later when I was fortunate to come home early from work on a beautiful sunny summer day I noticed my system was generating about 900-1100 watts at this prime time.  I called and as had been my experience got the run around to my simple question of "how much do you  think my system should be generating roughly during prime time?"  I was able to get the same techs out a few days later and they checked the system and told me that "who ever wired it forgot to wire over 1/2 the panels to the main" which was off because THEY WERE THE ONES WHO INSTALLED IT.  They then proceeded to tell me that I would never get above 4000w on my system (I never expected you could get the full 4700-4800 because it is theoretical) but it should be working better now.  They left and about a half hour later I went to the garage and it was throwing off 4,400 watts.  Thus their credibility is so far flushed down the toilet it is irretrievable.

Then it took MONTHS (like 3) to get paperwork from them for the tax credit filing.  Not that it was time sensitive but I called twice to check to see when it was coming only to get the complete runaround.  It is a dozen pages of computer/software generated information that would take most people less than 5 minutes to print and mail.

The sad part is that when I was in the installation phase and started asking people about their systems they all advised against Mr Sun Solar for similar problems that I had.  Like I stated, I should have done more research to make sure I had a better (and less costly in terms of time) experience.

We did have to play phone tag for a few days, but once we made contact things went pretty smoothly.  We spoke to Greg on Monday and he made an appointment on Tuesday.  He was running a little late (1/2 hour) but called to let us know.  He diagnosed the problem quickly and replaced the part.  Also, while he was here we asked him to check the entire system, which is one of the older (1970's) solar hot water systems.  We were assured that it is in good condition and is an old reliable model.  He took the time to explain how the system works and showed us where the shutoff and bypass valves are.  Our system is happily chugging along again.

From the initial call to ask for service, through John's personal calls to report status were excellent. The cost was very fair for the time required.

We will be working with Mr SunSolar on other solar projects in the near future.

Quick and perfect!

Overall, we were very pleased, and continue to be, as the solar panels are working even on cloudy days. I gave a C for responsiveness because it sometimes took a few days for them to return calls while we were waiting for the work to begin. I realize, though, that as the sole contractor for the Solarize Southwest Program in Portland, they were overwhelmed with work.

The price was reasonable. They were prompt. The solar panel has been holding up fine.

It was a good experience. It was fast, I felt they knew what they were doing and I saw the product before installation and it seemed like it was nice quality. I haven't had any problems so far.

Mr. Sun is extremely busy at this time with clients taking part of a program with energy trust of oregon. My experience with them has been frustrating, there have been some real problems. They did a good job originally bidding the solar system contract, taking extra time to advise us about a good location for the system. They have been saliently difficult to contact, and have not been reliable about returning calls. At one point, our contract was changed, without our knowledge, to specify different equipment than originally promised/specified. The installation itself has taken longer than originally we had been told, and it was difficult to get specific dates for installation set. Various delays now have now added 8 additional days to the the original estimate for completion time (originally we were told two installation days). Some quality control issues are apparent. No single person is overseeing the project, so often crews need to be updated by the homeowner as to specifics of the installation that were discussed at the time that the contract was initially bid. Some oversights have occurred, including one crew bringing a pivotal part of the system that was disparate from what was on the contract. Mr. Sun is so far fulfilling their work on the system, but not without frustrations, delays, and problems with lack of oversight. Update: The project, we discovered, had not even been permitted with the city. Mr. Sun had FAILED TO OBTAIN A PERMIT for this project until 8/26/2010 ! The project failed the first inspection by the city. Another oversight has occurred, the racking system that was originally installed had to be largely reconstructed, some holes through our roof patched up, this has been very unimpressive in terms of their own internal organization

I was very impressed and thought they did a great job. We have a 2 1/2 story roof and it is very steep and very hard to get up on. Once you are on top of it, you are 30 to 40 feet off the ground. It really scares me. They brought in a crane, which they rented. They had two guys on the roof and anchored it to the roof and the crane held it. I didn't know how they were going to get it up there and I was like wow. They did a great job. We have been talking about doing solar electricity with them because they do both. They were one of the best vendors I've had. For the product the price was good. They were johnny on the spot. The county inspector came out and found out that the plumber forgot to put in a gauge. Everything worked fine but they sent a guy out the next day and he came at 8 am and was done by 9 am. We had checked them out before we used them.

I am happy with them and I would use them again.

Mr. Sun Solar was hands-down the most professional and best of the companies who bid on this project. The sun charts for this house were difficult to produce; Mr. Sun took the time to get this right. The technicians were consistently professional and informative. The company provided all the necessary paperwork for the state and federal tax credits. The company also sent a representative to the house when it was featured in Portland?s Green Building Tour in 2008. Altogether a first class act!

They did an excellent job and I am very pleased.

This has been a nightmare! Mr. Sun Solar was recommended by my architect. I signed the contract (estimated cost $9000) in December 2005. In April, 2006 I called to say the plumber and electrician were ready for the water and solar power. He said he couldn't come until July. He finally showed up for the first time in October 2006 but didn't start until January 2007. All work was stalled at the cabin because he had the road dug up for 6 months. In December 2007 he walked us through the supposed finished product. However it still doesn't work. Even on the sunniest days the batteries only charge 30%, even though we've had 3 service calls. To encourage him, I have paid him $9000 but he is dunning me for $5500 more!! We cannot get final inspection of cabin without water and electricity! He says he is too busy now to work on this project.

Andy arrived on time in the morning and worked on the system continuously. Late in the afternoon, Steve joined him to help finish up. Both were professional and diligent about focusing on the work and solving the problem.

They were friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. They even returned to make adjustments at no extra charge. They are swell. Very happy! A+.

Dave Baasch the salesperson is extremely courteous, honest and willing to spend time to educate the homeowner on the pros/cons and ins/outs of the various systems. He is very frank and advised me against installing a solar system at one location due to excessive shading. There were some communication missteps regarding scheduling of my installation, but once on the job things went very smoothly. John Patterson, the owner installed our system. He is very knowledgeable, professional and hard working. He worked almost 14 hours consecutively one day. He is very attentive to the homeowners needs and concerns: aesthetics, cleanliness, organization.

Jeff was very helpful in answering the many questions we had about how attic fans operate and what is involved in installation. The installer (Steve?) was professional and good-natured.