ION Solar Reviews

I've been using the system since April and so far, I get charged with the grid fee but I still get charged for extra usage. We had the pay stubs from the electrical company and how many amp hours I use. So, the ION guy came up with 18 panels. I had other companies quote me at 13. So, I thought that 18 was a bit much. But I decided to go with ION, so 18 panels went up and apparently, that wasn't enough, which doesn't make sense to me because I've been quoted from other companies 13 panels. I called ION and I also called Mountain View Electric, which is my electrical company. They both said I just used over, which I'm very curious on how. All in all, I would recommend ION Solar just so I can get a a few 100 bucks. But that's because I've already went with them. Other than that, it's the same thing everywhere.

Since the panels were installed, we have a lower utility cost. We use the app all the time and we love it. It tells us what we need to know. So it's user-friendly. I'm not savvy with technology. So if I can use it, anybody can use it. We had done some research with other companies and liked what ION was offering as far as the panels themselves. And even the look of the panels, what they were offering as far as critter guards. Then, the research we did on ION was good reviews as well. So we are pleased. We financed it, so we're still paying that. And then, we're getting a good, nice, good tax and credit on next year's taxes for doing solar.

The installation was seamless. I was at work the entire time. My wife was there, but she said that they only asked her to open up the garage door so they could access our panel. Other than that, she heard a bit of noise on the roof. And they were done within a day. There were some permits that needed to be done to get the system hooked up to the grid. That took another three or four days. All in all, the installation process was a month, which included a slight delay from my HOA and processing the paperwork.

My payment for the solar panels are the bare minimum to cover interest only. It is not making any payments on the principal to bring down the loan. The rep told me that my payment would be a certain amount, but he didn't clearly state I would only cover the interest. So, if I don't pay any more than what is on auto pay, I would keep paying this amount for the rest of my life.

That needs to be drawn out for individuals like myself who don't crunch numbers so well so they understand that if I don't pay any more than my minimum payment, I would never pay this loan down. So, I will do what they recommended, which is something with the taxes. They give $15,000 back. Pay that down so that I would begin to start paying the loan down. But if someone else didn't do that option and chose to keep that $15,000 as a tax break, he would never pay that loan down. He would just keep paying that money, thinking he was paying it down. Three years would go by, he would look at his loan amount, and it would be the same $40,000 he started off with.

It was just a lack of questions on my part. The rep gave me the answer to the question I asked, “What would my monthly payments look like?” But I didn't ask, “Does this include the principal? Is this a standard payment or is this just covering the interest?” I didn’t ask that question. It would help out other consumers out if they stated that upfront. Also, I wish we would bring our power bill down a little more. That way, we have no power bill. But our power consumption is high, especially with the AC going all day. Other than that, I'm very satisfied with my solar panels.

During the first phase of the installation, the technicians came out to survey the home. The two guys went throughout to check the attic to make sure that there was no water damage or leaks, and to make sure that the group was in good condition. They took pictures and sent us all the information. They emailed it to us for our records, showed us all the pictures and answered all our questions. Once I got everything straightened out with the HOA and they approved it, there was another technician who came out. There was also a Dominion Energy representative who looked at the box, to make sure everything was accurate, that Dominion was able to turn off the power on the current system and that everything was good and connected with ION Solar.

I received the approval probably two days after that review by the Dominion Energy representative and also ION Solar. Three days after that, I saw the email saying that everything had been approved and I could energize my system. So, I turned it on. I downloaded ION Solar’s app and I go through and review the amount of power that the house is using as well as the power that the house has put back into Dominion Energy's system. The only thing with the app is, it is only set up for one person. I'm the only one who has this app and my wife is not able to upload the app on her phone so that she can set up her own password and use the same user ID. But it’s not a big deal. She has all of my passwords so I’d just give her the password and explain it to her.

As far as the install, they had to go through a lot of stuff. From the time we signed to the time they installed, it took two months max. It took about a month and a half to get through the utility company. There were four other things we had to go through. They did most of the installation in one day, and then it got too hot. So, they said they would come back the next day to finish. They sent me a photo of my panels. One of the guys that installed it took a photo.

I saw all the stuff on the side of the house when I went to activate it. The activation was easy. They had a step-by-step with images of what to do. I just had to go out there and switch off something and switch on something. Then I installed the app on my phone and it immediately started showing me the kilowatts. I've only used it a few times because it only gives me like kilowatt information. So, I'm just waiting on bills, which I just got today. I'm gonna call them about it because I don't think I should have gotten one because we've been live for a couple of months now. The bill is the same as it used to be. So, there's a mistake somewhere.