Standard Renewable Energy

unknown

Horrible. We had been using SRE originally to install solar panels in 2009 and their service/sales was awesome. Since then, they were bought out by Gridpoint and now they have rebranded back to SRE3 but without any of the original great managers, sales people, service people, etc. We had been using a field tech since we had an a/c meltdown (maybe in 2012) (and after they rebranded). The service tech seemed to consistently unplug the a/c to make the furnace work in the fall and then switch back in spring (we didn't realize it at the time). The last fall, it was getting cold so time for a check-up and to get the furnace working...only that particular field tech was no longer with the company. They sent someone else who didn't know what they were doing with our setup and they ended up having to call a different service provider out who did fix the problem. But then much later we got a bill (~$120) from SRE3 stating that the heating equipment was not under warranty. There was nothing wrong with either the heating equipment, nor the a/c equipment...it was their faulty electrical updates that was the problem. We contacted their office and the billing/support person was not polite and did not return our call regarding our reluctance to pay. We finally called back to pay the bill since they were not going to remove it...just so it wouldn't go to collections and to never have to deal with this company again. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with our solar panels or our a/c equipment that they originally installed, but we will be going with someone else that doesn't try to nickel & dime someone who has spent nearly $30K on products & services.

During a storm about 8 months later I found that I had a leak under one of the panels. Someone came out to fix the roof, but not the drywall damage until they were sure the leak was repaired. Due to the lack of rain, it was a long time before I could determine the leak was in fact repaired. When I called to have the sheet rock repaired and ask for the monitor, I was told it would be taken care of,but was not. The company then was bought out and I could no longer reach anyone. This spring when I found out that SRE was again operating under the Standard Renewable Energy, I called to try to get someone to respond. When I got a call back and explained my problems they said they would investigate and get back with me. Never heard back. You can imaging my surprise when I got onto Angie's list to find another solar provider and found SRE!

We really like them. They are very responsive. Aaron, our service guy, does a great job! He is really customer focused and he does whatever it needs to be done. He is very responsive and answers the phone when you call. We are very, very happy with their service and their service model. We always feel like whatever they are doing is fair and we are not getting ripped off. He is just really great.

They were very thorough. They covered everything. They had recommendations for a broad range of things; it wasn't just one or two improvements. They recommended changes related to the ceiling, air ducts, attic, insulation, window film, etc.

I was looking for a solar panel to supply my home with energy. The panel that they would have been able to install, with rebates, would have been $8400 and would only have SAVED me $50 a month. The plan was not feasible.

The corporation itself was extremely disorganized so there was all kinds of confusion regarding the billing because they have been taken over by like three different companies. They have been really difficult from that side. The service we got was good but dealing with their billing department has been really frustrating. They lose our information and they call again. It has been really frustrating. The price was fair. We would not use them again.

This company is VERY disorganized. It took them weeks to get back to us. Weeks to get the report. Weeks to get the work done. Everything was done in pieces. Finally after months, the last item was to have the insulated blankets put on the hot water heater. The technician only brought one although we have two hot water heaters and paid for two. After several more phone calls trying to get them to bring the second one, we just gave up. it wasn't worth the hassle.

It took 1 week for me to get the report. A thorough report was given to me showing the improvements I could make and an estimate of how much my energy bills would go down. They do provide the services that they recommend, but I could use someone else if I wanted. I did notice that their solar panel estimate was about 10% less than an estimate I had done 3 years ago from another company. Note: I listed Air Duct cleaning, but what they recommended was having the air ducts sealed so that I'm not cooling or heating the attic. I didn't see air duct sealing as an option. There are more thorough energy audits that can be done using an infrared sensor and a blower test, but I went for the least expensive audit since my energy use is already rather low.

The salesman apparently wasn't very familiar with the equipment and had to change model numbers a couple of times. Because they were short-handed, the Company sent a sub-contractor to perform the installation. The sub-contractor apparently wasn't completely familiar with the equipment. As a result, the initial installation took 1 1/2 days instead of 1 day. In addition, two follow-up trips from different Company repair crews were required to correct the deficiencies in the originally installation. "Hosting" the delays and follow-up trips cost me time from work. If I had not read the installation manuals and identified the 8 - 10 problems with complying with the manufacturer's instructions, the Company would not have known that the system was not performing according to its potential. Quality supervision seemed poor. The Company also did not provide copies of the technician's licenses and bonding certificate on the day of installation, even though these were promised. Even though I was promised that the crew would be NATE certified, the quality of the work would suggest that they were not adequately trained or certified. In the end, I am pleased with the performance of the Lennox equipment that was installed. But the time consumed and coordination required was far more than expected. I will not refer HVAC work to this company in the future.

They did a good a job in my opinion. We just bought a new house and moved in the 1st of June. Our home was exceptionally warm. They came in and made some recommendations in terms of insulation and things like that. That really made a dramatic change in our electric bill as well as comfort in the house. I would use them again in future.

The installation of the insulation went fine. However, the installers were not aware that they were supposed to do the other two jobs. They would not call the office to get authorization to do so. I have had trouble getting the company to come back out and finish. Then they screwed up the billing and sent me a bill for the attic tent which has not been installed. I'm very unhappy with the way things have been handled.

There were two phases to this endeavor. First, a tech comes out to do an assessment and generate a report, and second, a person visits subsequently to present the report along with recommendations, approximate costs and a list of contractors. At least that is what I understood. Phase one was impressive as the tech explained to me some things that stood out immediately. Phase two is where things totally fell apart. The tech that laid out the report left out a couple of items that were mentioned in phase one, such as solar attic fans and solar energy. I had to prompt him for these, and the solar energy information was just a sales sheet on solar energy which tells how it works, etc. Nothing specific. Lastly, the report contained no list of contractors for the recommended work and quotes for work that is offered directly through the company was incomplete. The tech promised to email me with updated quotes and contractors. That was Monday Morning. Today is Thursday afternoon. No email.

They did a good job but it took them five weeks before I got the report. What I was unaware of, was that they sold everything that they recommend. They took so long and they wanted to come out to talk to me about it but I had them send it to me instead because I felt that they wanted to sell me their services. They are pretty costly but they did find the leaks.