SunPower Reviews

The system has saved us quite a bit. We started noticing right away in the summer we had much lower energy bills. We've had months that our whole energy and gas from Xcel was $10 a month so we were generating more. I tend to run the air conditioner a lot in the summer because I've got MS and I need to not get overheated. Even doing that, we were generating so much sun power that we were giving back more than we were using for electricity for the whole house. Our overall electric usage for the air conditioner and every other thing we run in the house, we've paid for that and more because it cut into what our gas bill was.

Going with SunPower been a good decision for us. We like using renewable energy and we have gotten a financial benefit from it. 15 years from now, when we sell the house, the panels will be paid off by then or before. It adds value to the home if it has solar. The only downside to it is when it snows, my husband has to reach up and pull the snow off the solar panels. Our next-door neighbor also has solar and he told my husband about this roof rake thing that he has that puts a soft thing up and it hooks it and it slides it down off the panels. He's able to do that when it snows.

It's been a couple of years since I got the system. At first, it was fun to watch the numbers on the app, but I don't pay as much attention to it anymore. If there is ever a difference in the bill that I don't understand, or if the HVAC doesn't seem to be working right, then I call and say, “I don't think it's working right.” They, over the phone even, will look at it and say, “Well, here's what we're seeing.” They check to see and make sure that all the panels are working. We had one really bad storm about a year after we got the panels, and it didn't seem as if they were working as well as they had been. So, I checked, and they had to come out and adjust a couple of things then it was fine.

Now, the company is SunPower and they've been great. Our electric bill is down dramatically. We pay a quarter of what we used to, if not less than that. Other than that, I don't notice any other difference in the way the house is heated. They were able to come into my much older home and update the electrical enough for us to make sure that it would work on the house. They had to change out the inside box, and do some work outside as well.

Overall, I would tell my friends that going with SunPower is saving me money because I paid outright for my panels. So, I don't have a monthly payment and the only thing I pay for is gas plus the fee that the power company charges me to be on the grid. They charge you a certain amount of months just to be on the grid, even though I use my solar energy. They get to keep the excess energy and they said something about putting it in a bank. If I had got my solar a few years before that, they would have bought the excess energy I make because it was grandfathered in. But some people lobbied to have the legislature change the thing that everybody has to be on the grid except for the people that had the solar prior to the law being changed.

I also called SunPower a couple of times because the power supplied was different than what I was expecting. But it turned out that I was just doing my math wrong and they helped me out with it. Initially, I didn't really know what to expect when I decided to go solar and with Sunrun, the transition was easier than I expected. The only thing is, they said the rain washes the panels off and it does. But to get them clean, you still have to wash them. I washed them after two years with a brush and scrubbed them off with water. But that's the only thing that I didn't really think about. As for ease of use, it just sits up there and makes money.

When the SunPower guy first came out, we discussed our options. They usually give you a quote for three months but I went back a full year and did my own math. Then, I did two more panels over what he suggested because I know, ever so often, there's degrading. At the end of the year, I'll lose a couple 100 kilowatt hours because I'm on that PG net metering. So, I'm giving away a little bit of power, but it doesn't cost me any. I've always had a little bit left in the bank at the end of winter when they do my zero-up thing and that works out pretty good for me. Also, I've recommended SunPower to most of my friends.

Going solar works really well in the summer. In the winter, not very much at all, ‘cause I guess we're far enough north that the sun is so low in the southern sky during the winter that it doesn't really do much during that time. There is some. But between cloud cover and rainy days and all that during that part of the year, it isn't too much. But during the summer, I have no electric bill. I am satisfied with my experience with SunPower.

SunPower sent repair crews to my property on two separate occasions. In both cases, the crews refused to perform the repair work because they stated they were not comfortable doing the repair themselves. Despite the company already acknowledging the damage and scheduling repair appointments twice, no actual repair was completed. Now, after acknowledging fault and after two failed repair attempts, SunPower is refusing to take responsibility for fixing the damage caused during their installation process.

What concerns me most is the contradiction between what the company admitted initially and how they ultimately handled the situation. If a company recognizes that damage occurred during installation, customers should reasonably expect the company to follow through and make it right. Instead, I have been left with roof damage caused during a solar installation and no resolution.

Consumers considering SunPower should pay close attention not only to installation quality, but also to how the company handles problems after the contract is signed. Mistakes can happen with any contractor, but accountability and follow-through are what matter most. In my experience, SunPower failed in that regard. At this point, I am simply seeking what should have been provided from the beginning: full repair of the roof damage caused during the solar installation, completed by a qualified professional at no cost to me.

Since then, it has been delay after delay. I had my trees trimmed specifically for this project and was told I would be refunded that money, $1,000 after the tree work was done, which I have received, and the remaining approx. $1,400 once the system is connected which I have not received due to the delays. Additionally, I financed this work under the impression that the project would be completed within a few months; I had planned on paying it off before accruing significant interest. Now the tree is paid off and I had to pay full interest.

The panels are installed, but have been sitting on my roof for a month not doing anything because they have to send in some permit. Ducks are not in a row with this company . One positive is that Customer service is responsive and they are friendly and professional in demeanor. So far, I am only out of money from this process. Hopefully once it is up and running it will be less of a headache and I can update this review to a more positive one.