SunPower Reviews
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About SunPower
SunPower Inc. is a residential solar and battery provider serving customers across the U.S. The company offers system design, installation and financing through a network of dealers and in-house brands, including Blue Raven Solar. SunPower supplies panels, inverters and storage systems for homeowners seeking customized energy solutions.
- High-efficiency solar panels
- Battery storage systems
- Affordable payment plans
- Some equipment failures
- Frequent communication issues
SunPower Reviews
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Reviewed Feb. 10, 2021
Our installation and the team sent was very professional and worked hard to get the install done in one day. They came back the following day to finish and test the system. They show me how to access the monitoring tool and the warning lights on the system. I would definitely recommend this firm for future installations.
Reviewed Feb. 10, 2021
I am very please with SunPower and their Sales Person Jonathan ** who was very knowledgeable. Not only did he explain things well at our Virtual meeting and visual effects but with my questions of researching Solar and also comparing with two other companies. Once we started from beginning (Jonathan) to end (Ops Dept and the men putting up solar), it all ran smoothly. The Panels look great and in February I'm taking in more kWh than what I'm using. I love SunPower's long time guarantee and NO upfront funds out of your wallet. The Government Credit % is great and SunPower's financing of 1.49%. J.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2021
I had a solar panel system installed by a local contractor, Harvest Solar, using the SunPower equipment. It went well and it's working well. I'm happy with it and I’ve told a number of people about it. Some people have asked a lot of questions and gotten in contact with Harvest Solar to get their own quotes.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2021
We received the initial quote from the rep of Cosmic Solar and it was perfect. My wife and I talked about it over the evening and then I got back to him the following day saying to do it. He drew up the numbers again and all of a sudden, the price increased, to which I was not thrilled. He couldn't figure out what was going on. I told him that I wanted the exact quote he gave me before. Come to find out, SunPower changed their pricing overnight and he could no longer honor the initial pricing that was quoted to us the night before because it was the end of the month, then the new month started, and they changed who their lender was. There were now a bunch of lender fees that were incorporated into the loan which why the cost jumped and the APR was gonna be different for the financing.
We went back and forth several different times. We ended up coming to an agreement that we did the increased price for the same exact system, with a lower APR. Once we were locked in with that, we never heard from him again. He told us he would show up on the first day when the installation was, and already told us when the installation about the time frame that it was going to occur. He said it was gonna be installed by only 60 days out. Then I reached out to Cosmic Solar directly to their front office. It had been about 30 days at that point and I haven’t heard from anybody. I asked them what's going on with our install.
All of a sudden, one day, I got a phone call from an electrician saying he's on his way to do the panel upgrade. I asked him who he was. He said that Cosmic Solar was supposed to reach out to me and tell me that he was coming. So, no communication from Cosmic Solar at all. He showed up and did the panel upgrade. I got more information from him than anybody else on the entire project. I reached out again to Cosmic Solar and asked when the install date would be as it was supposed to be done 30 days ago. They said I was scheduled for two weeks from that day. I also asked if there was anyone gonna tell me that anyone was coming. Then they said they have an opening the following week and they could fit me in that time and I said okay. So, the rep that told us that he was gonna be here on the first day of the installation never showed up and we hadn't heard from him at all.
During the discussion of the whole thing, my wife was joking around about wanting to change the tiles on our roof because there was moss in them. He said he'd just power wash them for us. My wife asked how much it would cost to do that. He said not to worry about it and if that would make or break the deal, he would find a way to get it done. When I found out the installation was gonna occur, I emailed Cosmic Solar and asked if they would still power wash the roof ahead of time. They said they don't do that due to liability and it could break the tiles. I told them that their rep said it was gonna get done. They said it was not written in our contract. I felt that was again bad business practice.
I absolutely love the system it's producing. I like being able to monitor it and see exactly what's going on with it. I also love the monthly update with how much energy is being produced. I would just never use that salesperson again. In fact, the email that I sent to Cosmic Solar regarding the business practices was forwarded to him. He sent a scathing email back to me, he didn't like that I called him a liar. But I truly felt like he was that. He said something that was gonna happen, but couldn't follow through with it. No contact, didn't show up when he said he would, and the price changing overnight. I was not thrilled with it. I would not recommend Cosmic Solar. But I would recommend the system to other people.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2021
We had been living previously in Hawaii for 20 years. I had a SunPower solar system installed in Hawaii early on because of the very high electrical cost. The highest kilowatt per hour cost in the United States is in Hawaii. There's a lot of sun in Hawaii. So, that was one of the smartest moves I made. I had about a four-year return on investment. It certainly made the installation go very well.
I had researched the SunPower panels. They've even gotten better since the system I put on years ago in Hawaii. They're American-made. They're extremely efficient and they have an excellent warranty. I researched what companies carried the SunPower panels and there were two here locally. I selected Green Convergence and was very happy with all of their work in installation. The house we bought had a roof that was already 15 plus years old. So I packaged it all, a roof and solar power deal.
The only challenge that we ran into was my Wi-Fi and its location. The current Wi-Fi that I have is through Spectrum and its current location did not feed well to the monitoring system location. They had to add a Wi-Fi extender, which was a little device they plugged into a wall and then worked with it. But other than that, I absolutely love my system, the work that they did and sketching out where the panels went. They're not particularly visible from the street view, so it didn't hamper the look of my house at all. The project manager for the roofing was a super gentleman and the lady who was the project manager for the solar was texting or calling on the progress of that frequently. I was kept informed all the time of how things were progressing. I was very pleased.
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2021
We wanted to go solar to save energy and conserve resources to help protect the environment. Over time, we also know we will be saving money and it's a great investment and value add to our house. Sun Power is a great company and helped make our decision easy. Our sales rep, Federico, is awesome and made the decision very easy.
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2021
I researched SunPower on the internet for American-made company that has the highest production per panel. SunPower was coming out with that 400-watt system. Enrolling was really easy and simple. Their people came out, they measured, checked it out and we got the ball rolling. So far, everything's been great. We had two representatives. One is Daniel and the other one is Reiner. They've both been excellent. Every single time I text them, they get right back to me. I drop an email, and they give an immediate response. Since going solar, we don’t have an electric bill anymore. We only have the $19 service charge from the company for line upkeep. The solar panels produce enough power for our house.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2021
The enrollment process with SunPower went pretty well. The only issues were on the side of the power company then getting it connected to the grid. It took a couple of months. My understanding is they were backed up because of COVID and demand, getting the new meters installed, and then actually doing the connection process. But BlueSel, the company that we worked with to access the SunPower products, has been good about the process. We've had snow, which has covered the panels for the better part of February so far. But in January, we generated about 80% of our power and that was in a bad month for New England. We won't get our bill until the process is done but the estimate of what we would have saved is that we would have saved a considerable amount. I'm happy with the product, the inverter and the installer.
Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021
I really liked the product from SunPower. But I wanted to go with somebody that was more local so I ended up finding PurePoint. Things took a while because they had to go through these permitting things and they had to wait for the utility to do things. I actually had to get involved at one point and contact the utility myself because they weren't being responsive enough. So, there were some hiccups that had nothing to do with PurePoint or with SunPower. So, overall, the experience was fine. It was easy, especially working with PurePoint. They were great.
My wife was worried that the panels were going to ruin the aesthetic and they were ugly. But they have this weird effect of modernizing the way your house looks. We get compliments on how the panels look on our house, which is not something I've expected. The app shows a picture of what's coming in from solar and what you're using from the grid. When I checked it, I was exporting a bunch to the grid. I love seeing that. This is the most useless time of year so I'm not even expecting production to be very good right now, so I'm thrilled if I get a couple of hours here and there.
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2021
SunPower seemed like a good idea and investment. The enrollment with them was pretty easy. I got their rep's phone number and I called him. He sent me an email with all the information. Everything went really smoothly and the setup was no issue at all. I'm very satisfied. Getting solar is a good choice for your house and for the environment.
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2021
Green Convergence did a whole video presentation and it looked like SunPower was going to be a better deal for me. The installation went very well. My husband is a do-it-yourselfer. He was right there with the installers and doing some things and asking a lot of questions and they were very amenable to him. But it took a while for the state to totally get it switched on to the SunPower system. The whole meter and everything was in there, but I wasn't getting credit for the excess electricity that I was generating. Overall, I'm really very happy with the experience. I've had one bill that has been sent and then I'm anticipating getting another bill in another week, so I can compare it.
Reviewed Jan. 29, 2021
I'm overall happy with the product. There were some hiccups along the way, but I'm happy and we're getting batteries too with the same company as well. The installer was 10 out of 10 because of the quality of the finished product. My last PG&E bill was for $9.
Reviewed Jan. 29, 2021
The installation had a slight hiccup on the paperwork as far as everybody lost track of what was happening with the HOA approval. But once it was recognized, it was pretty quickly resolved, and we got things moving forward, and the installation went well. I'm completely satisfied. I've only had it for a month so my savings have only been $20.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2021
We have some friends who put SunPower on their home and they seem to like theirs. So we thought we'd just come over and see what it was like, and we liked the presentation. We’re very satisfied. The installers were terrific. It took them a couple of days to install and it was good. As a result this year, if there was a true-up at the end of the year from the power company and our bill was $17.82 for the entire year. That was all we had to pay. We've already told other people about it and we've gotten a little refund in the mail ourselves as a result.
Reviewed Jan. 25, 2021
I had been thinking for about a year that it was a good idea to check into solar to save some money and to help with the environment, and because a lot of ads on tv. I had a few estimates, some very high, and luckily I ended up in the market place and a salesman from a non-affiliated company to you in SD spoke very highly about SunPower panels, quality durability and a one shop supplier. Estimate was good for me and all the steps went fast and efficient.
Reviewed Jan. 23, 2021
Previously we had Sunworks in Sacramento. We sold that house and moved to Visalia and we got three quotes. One was from Sunworks and though they were really good to work with, they were $6,000 more than SunPower. We got a better system from SunPower and the installation went well. But, the person who comes out to sign off on the permitted work wouldn't sign off. We had to redo some wiring.
Reviewed Jan. 22, 2021
The installation team was very good. It took them a day to install my panels. But, I was a little disappointed because I really need more panels than they said that I needed. I'm planning on putting at least five more up.
Reviewed Jan. 21, 2021
We had a lot of roadblocks with the enrollment because of COVID but under normal circumstances, the process was pretty easy. The SunPower salesperson was great. He was with me every step of the way and walked me through everything. MPower did the installation quickly and they were very efficient. Their team was amazing. Everything was pretty straightforward. The rebates and incentives are very nice as well. I wouldn't refer anybody just based on that, but it's a nice bonus. A lot of people are into that. Overall, going solar with SunPower has been awesome. I love it already.
Reviewed Jan. 20, 2021
My son works for Jeff Periera Home Energy. My son explained SunPower really well, and that was what got me interested, and I've already referred five people already. But originally, I had heard about them through Sun Solar. That was the one that Jeff Periera and his partner own together and then they split off. I have SunPower now for a couple of months. I’ve seen the lowered PG&E bill so I'm waiting to see how it goes.
Reviewed Jan. 19, 2021
The fellow who spoke to me about SunPower and I had mutual friends. I would recommend SunPower. I have talked to other people.
Reviewed Jan. 18, 2021
There were three things that led me to sign up with SunPower. First was an infomercial I happened to see on TV and second was that infomercial indicated some rebate or incentive. And the final thing was that I had a neighbor that had SunPower solar panels installed on their house, so it reinforced the thought of going with SunPower. Getting things set up with them was a pretty smooth process. I knew that I was going to be coming into some extra cash, so financing was helpful for me because it allowed me to do things quicker. I would have had to have waited until December in order to make the decision but with the financing, I was able to make that decision a month in advance. It was also helpful for me for the distributor to be able to assist with the financing.
Aside from that, I couldn't say enough about Brian and Hooked On Solar. He was in regular contact and I was a motivated. So far, I'm still trying to quantify the returns that I'm getting from the system and I've only gotten one bill since getting online. So, I called Brian about it and he walked me through it. Right now, I'm content with what I'm seeing but I'm hopeful that things will be better. Nowadays, I'm using a lot of electricity when the sun is not out and as we get into longer days and warmer weather, that's going to change.
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2021
Be careful before you take any decision. I have in my house and I am paying every month but I am not getting any credit of solar on my electric bill. I called so many times to Sunpower. The CUSTOMER SERVICE is very, very poor and they are very rude. They didn't resolve my problem and I am still struggling. BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU TAKING ANY DECISION. This is the most worst company I ever saw.
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2021
I looked into different companies and SunPower's panels were one of the best ones out in the market at the time. The enrollment was easy. The company that was installing it did all the legwork. We just had to sign stuff and wait for the power company to grant us or to approve the panels being placed. The customer service reps explained everything and how everything went. Everything ran smoothly and had been great so far.
Reviewed Jan. 16, 2021
The panels were fine. The electrical part was not. SunPower sent three different electricians out and the last one that came seemed very upset by what one of the prior ones did that was not right. It took three months between that and the inspector, and the city inspector actually failed it. They had to come back again. It was very upsetting for me. But then the representative that came out was excellent.
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2021
So far Sunpower service has been GREAT! The installation was only 2 days, there was NO mess, and the service man was very friendly. I would HIGHLY recommend Sunpower. Through the entire experience I felt very confident with Sunpower and look forward to a dependable product.
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2021
Mr. Ambrose from Ambrose Solar recommended the panels from SunPower when we did our assessment of what I needed for my house. Our experience enrolling was the best. Everybody that showed up from Ambrose Solar was knowledgeable and friendly. They said when they were gonna do it and they did exactly what they were gonna do. I recommend Ambrose Solar and the SunPower panels.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2021
I went solar both to save money & help the environment. However, I wish I had been told about battery backup (I actually thought it part of the package). Now, I don’t have funds to buy them. Also, I had to have roof replacement due to storm damage. Now it’s taking far too long, in my opinion & my wallets, for my panels to be replaced. $200.-$400. Monthly is outrageous when you have solar panels stacked in your yard.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2021
I really liked the product and the warranty from SunPower. I also like the variables that they have and then the Tesla battery option. I'm getting my battery installed today so Ambrose is not done with the project yet. But I've had a great experience with SunPower.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
Solar wanted to cut cost on electricity and Sunpower is at the top of their business. Have solar two years and just ordered and had setup a Tesla Powerwall. The company I used was great setting up the racking system on my roof.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
I did a lot of research with 3 other solar companies. SunPower had the best panels, technically and a great track record backed by a very good warranty. We are very pleased with the system. It makes running our 4 new split system air conditioners much easier knowing they are powered by the solar system. I would recommend SunPower to prospective customers. They made the entire process so easy!
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
It just made sense to go Solar because of electric energy costs and we are located in sunny Arizona. Current return on savings money is near zero and the investment in solar power gives me a significant guaranteed return on my money.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
We decided to go solar to reduce our electric bill & for preparation of installing a pool. We researched many companies and I ended up choosing SunPower based on all the great reviews I read. Our experience from start to finish was great! Everyone kept us fully informed on what was going on, someone was always in contact, and I was always able to get my questions answered. The only issue I had with the whole process was the installers smoked constantly on my property while installing the panels, right from the minute they arrived, and there were cigarette butts all over the end of my property. I don’t have curbs or sidewalks, so it was just a really crappy thing to do. Otherwise, the rest of the experience I have no complaints and I would still recommend SunPower.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
Wanted to cut cost and also create a better tomorrow. We got a inground pool last year and the cost went thru the roof so wanted to be more efficient! The thought of going green was also very important in this decision that we made for the family.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
It was the right time. We wanted to take advantage if the tax credit before it goes away. The salesman Brian ** was great as was the installation crew. They were credible and professional and had an excellent panel—I had read comparative data of SunPower panels vs. the competition. It was an easy choice and we have been very happy with the performance of the panels.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2021
A friend said he really appreciated SunPower and he gave us the phone number to contact. Their reps are fantastic and everything has been great. The panels are up there and all the wire, except for the generator part of it. We have no power right now because of the high winds we had. So PG&E shut us off with the power. Without the generator, we got nothing. We've been waiting for six months for the generator and it's taking forever. That's the only problem right now. We've recommended SunPower to another friend and they're also getting the solar panels put in.
Reviewed Jan. 12, 2021
The sales guy was really helpful for me to kind of learn more about SunPower, how it works, and what I should expect. Everybody was friendly and communicative. Every step of the way, they sent me emails or called me. Whatever they promised happened a little faster than we expected but everything went smooth from start to finish. It took 2 weeks 'cause we had to wait for the permits. With SunPower, there's quite a difference in the payments. They reduced by quite a bit. The last charges were only $10 and we usually would be between $250 and $300. One of my friends is gonna look to install from SunPower as well.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2021
They did a great job of putting the panels up and everybody was really wonderful. But then they disappeared. I've been writing for a month asking when they're gonna finish up, get the system hooked up, and get it started working. They told me that they would get connected with the city and somebody would come out. Then, they would walk us through how to read it and how to care for it. But we've never heard from them again and the system is not working. I’d really love to have it working. Unfortunately, I've fully paid for it because they told me they had done the final meeting with the city and that it was all operational, which is not true.
Hello Diane, I've reviewed our records and discovered that you are working with an authorized independent contractor and not directly with SunPower. We ask that you contact your contractor to discuss the status of your project and to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to send me a private message if you continue to experience issues.
Reviewed Jan. 10, 2021
I had such a great experience with purchasing SunPower and the cost savings in my home, I went ahead and contacted them to see if I can get the leasing on my other home. They came really quick. The people that came did a better job. I've been noticing some of the homes. They have all the conduits on the outside exposed, where these guys went through my attic, so there are no wires, nothing showing at all, which is nice. I'm happy with it and everything’s great. I have a monitoring service, so I can see exactly what's going on in that other house as well.
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2021
My experience enrolling with SunPower was very easy. It was very well done. The people were professional. It was a very good experience from start to finish.
Reviewed Jan. 8, 2021
The reps at SunPower were experts. Everything was done in a timely manner and the installation was clean and professional. The performance of the system has been spot on.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2021
I've had SunPower for over a year now and the system has been doing great. It performed better than I thought it would perform. The reps were great. It's one of the reasons why I recommend them. They communicated everything to me like when they needed to stop by and take a look at our basement and our wiring. The reps were accurate, truthful, very kind and clean. Everything was explained to me. Nothing was hidden. Then, when the reps were here putting the panels up, they did a great job and they were very friendly and left no mess anywhere. I was very happy with the installation all around.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2021
SunPower has been wonderful since the beginning, through the whole installation process. Their rep was so knowledgeable, so informative and so accommodating. She made the whole process run so smoothly. I barely had to do anything.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2021
I talked to the rep of SunPower on the phone and they came out and measured and gave me a bid. The rep did a good job. I'm perfectly happy with SunPower.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2021
The process at SunPower was simple. My experience enrolling with them was fine too. SunPower seems to be working all right.
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2021
The installation went great. They were all in and out in one day. They've also called me to make sure everything's fine and it is. SunPower has been fantastic. We love it. Our bills went from $150 a month to $10 a month.
Reviewed Jan. 2, 2021
Living here in Palm Springs, we get a lot of sun. There are a lot of solar systems around and the more I investigated, the more it made sense to us. I looked around and found Renova, and it had good reviews. I talked to people that had used Renova to install their systems. We went with Renova and they use SunPower. They also told us the advantages of using the SunPower panels so that's what we went with. Renova took care of everything and kept us informed of everything. The panels deliver what they promise. The system itself has been super reliable and has been a huge asset for us. Even though they're on the backside of our house, they don't look bad.
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2021
We purchased a house that already had SunPower. It was somewhat neutral, which was good, but I have an electric car. After a year, I wanted to expand the system, and I called SunPower. Since we had them, I Googled them and I realized they were the manufacturer. We went to their site, put in our info, and then a local dealer reached out. Their customer service was good. The salesperson they gave us was so good as well. The way she did it over Zoom with my wife and I was really helpful for my wife. She sent us over a couple of options and we went over it for a couple weeks and went with it.
Our experience with them was fantastic. We didn't have to do much research like other people when it was not our first time (since we had it), but we weren't necessarily going to do it, so we called. The sales process was fantastic and the people we worked with were so good, communicating the process and with SDG&E. Everything was also right on time, and it happened within a week of what they said it was. We would do it again and I’d definitely tell people to go to SunPower.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2020
Everything that was promised came to reality. It was very good. I went through a company that works for the national brand, SunPower, and the installation was smooth. The panels work good and customer service is great too.
Reviewed Dec. 30, 2020
After talking with several other providers, we felt that SunPower was the better company to go with. They came out and visited us face-to-face, and we appreciated that. They were professional in their presentation and answering all our questions. It was clear and thorough. They did an excellent job in the way they handled it and the way they walked me through everything. If I called them right away, they answered and were helpful and patient with me. I liked the idea of the Tesla battery too.
It was a very good experience when they came out and installed it as well. The guys weren't like some people. When you have some groups of guys come out, they have loud music, and they're loud and foul stuff come out of their mouths. It wasn't like that. The SunPower guys were a quiet group and they were friendly and nice. Everybody got along well with everybody and I was very pleased. Now, our electric bill’s a lot cheaper too.
Reviewed Dec. 29, 2020
I'm happy about my decision to go solar. The rep was great and everything went well. My bill is way lower too. It's close to half less than it was.
Reviewed Dec. 29, 2020
We decided to look into solar and then, it turned out that my wife's nephew was working for SunPower in Bakersfield, California. We made the decision to consider it and they went over the top. Our nephew went ahead and had us contact a SunPower representative. He came out to our house in Fresno, where we lived at the time, and we negotiated the lease.
Everything went very smoothly. At the time, the fellow who worked for SunPower got the ball rolling and got the technical people involved right away. We set up a time to have the installation, then they installed all the panels in one day. It took another two weeks to get fully online because we had to go through the process of going through PG&E and getting the license to have the unit. Once that was done, we were online, and we've been enjoying the savings ever since. We've had it a little over a year now and we're very happy with it. I'm not paying the PG&E bill right now because we don't live in the home at the moment. I'm a pastor and I live in a parsonage about 200 miles away, but we have renters. They're enjoying the benefit as we are.
Updated review: March 5, 2021
After my review the company reached out to me and was very responsive. They communicated throughout the process and were able address all of my concerns and make me feel great about my choice and the company. Their customer service was great. Because of that I have updated my star rating to 5. Thank you SunPower for understanding my frustration and doing what was right and fair.
Original Review: Dec. 28, 2020
I purchased SunPower Solar Panels from a SunPower Dealer about 5 years ago. We put in over 60 panels that was to produce 98% of my electricity. A year ago I realized that there was something wrong with my panels as I was only producing 10-25% of what I should have been. The dealer that installed them was great and no longer uses SunPower and told me to reach out directly to them. I reached out in December 2019 and they never got back to me. I reached out again in February and they finally put a service ticket in and did say that there was a problem. I reach out the following month wanting to know when they were coming out and they said they were waiting on parts. It was not until August where I had to send emails and call three times that they finally came out in October to fix the problem.
I am now back to producing what I should have, however I lost the entire summer of production. I received my electrical bill and it was almost the same as if I had never had solar. This is because SunPower took 9 months to come out and fix the issue. When I asked them for some type of reimbursement they refused. I purchased the solar panels with expectation that I would save on my electricity bill, in fact in the contract says what I should be producing. Now I have to get a lawyer involved. Horrible service when it matters. Now I understand why my dealer does not install SunPower any longer.
Hello Robert, I'm sorry to hear about the extended timeline of your repairs. I will be escalating your concerns to our Executive Service team to investigate and respond. Please send me a private message if you have not heard from an Executive Service Specialist by Monday.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2020
I investigated solar three or four years ago and at that point, my wife didn't want to go ahead with it. But I had talked to different companies and I was impressed with Earthlight. They were local and close by. Last year, when my wife was willing to go along with it, we looked at solar again and I went to Earthlight because of my previous experience with them. They did a good job and I was kept informed of where things were. Also, the people that came and did the installation were polite.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2020
They came over to my house and the rep showed me a little PowerPoint presentation. They gave me everything I was looking for and were really nice. I love that I don't have to call them about anything. They're quick and efficient.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2020
What a wonderful Christmas present we received from South Coast Solar! My wife and I decided a couple months ago that we wanted to reduce our monthly bills and the timing was right to go solar. I spent numerous hours online gathering information about solar and then decided to use an internet resource called EnergySage to assist in finding the best solar options for us. It was really quite simple, all I had to do was tell EnergySage how much electricity we were using annually by uploading my most recent electricity bill to them. I simply scanned the bill and submitted it to them via their website.
On the EnergySage website I was also able to read extensive information about the many paths available to go solar, then wait until EnergySage contacted multiple solar vendors with my information and the vendors to get in touch with me. One of the first vendors to contact me was South Coast Solar, a master dealer of SunPower solar equipment. I worked with Grant ** to determine the best and most cost effective solar solution for us. Grant was extremely knowledgeable and proved he was interested in doing the best for us by answering every question I raised.
Grant would make a great teacher as he never resisted answering any question and never made me feel like I was ignorant about solar. He literally spent hours working one on one with me. He really surprised me when I asked if it would be OK to submit his plans and quote to other solar dealers to see if they could compete with the prices quoted and he agreed it was a good idea as he wanted me to get the best deal possible for us.
Interestingly, in communicating with other solar vendors, I found their salespeople were unable to answer questions I raised with Grant, and when they did provide answers different from those Grant supplied I did additional research only to find Grant was spot on with all his answers. No other vendor offered me a quote on the same setup with a better price, despite the fact that they didn’t need to do the work of configuring the system, just quote me a price. In fact, the closest price quote I received from the other vendors was nearly 10% higher.
But my work still wasn’t done as I then researched customer reviews for South Coast Solar and the competitors who were the closest in price as I was willing to spend an additional $2,000 to go with the vendor with the best reviews. Not surprisingly, based on reviews I found online, South Coast Solar not only had the best price, but also garnered the best reviews from their customers. I didn’t find one bad review for South Coast Solar so I decided to have them supply and install the solar system as specified.
We did wait a while for the installation to begin but that was due to the fact my county was slow in approving the permits required for the installation. Finally, the workmen showed up for the installation. The installer guys were extremely friendly and were also willing to answer any additional questions I raised. In less than 24 hours the solar panels and associated electronic equipment were installed and the property was cleaned up, I was pleased to see the installers also used appropriate safety equipment during the installation as my roof has a substantial slope to it and I am always afraid when anyone gets on the roof that they may fall off!
At the completion of the installation the equipment was tested and shown to be in proper working order. I am still waiting for the county to inspect the installation and for the local electric company to replace my electric meter, but when that is done I will be pushing power back to the electric grid during daylight hours and only drawing power when the sun is down.
South Coast Solar with SunPower also has the best warranty on the market and a guarantee that the panels will produce as much electricity as quoted or they will pay me double the cost of any electricity not produced. Only Master Dealers with SunPower provide that guarantee! A big thank you to Grant **, Scott **, and the installation crew for helping me move to solar as seamlessly as possible!
Reviewed Dec. 19, 2020
Our experience with Sunpower started with purchase in Feb. 2020 and installation of 16 solar panels in April/May, 2020 - these panels were to support our entire energy production as well as account for future additions of two electric cars. Our experience as follows:
* April/May 2020 - panels installed and received OK to operate towards the mid-end of May.
* May 29, 2020 - received a text from the appt center stating they needed to schedule a site visit (no explanation as to why) - called Sunpower and was told very vaguely that it had to do with one of our microinverters.
* Over the next 7 months, we have had about 7-8 technicians come out for site visits (most of time there were no updates as to what was found or what needed to be done). Some of those site visits were unannounced, and we never received a text message notifying us of an appointment. This was extremely inconvenient as this was in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to have people showing up at our home at 8 am without prior notice was not appropriate. We spoke with a supervisor regarding these issues and was told that they would notify the tech department and assured us that this would be addressed. Unfortunately, even after that conversation, we had technicians show up without appointments. We were told on multiple occasions that multiple site visits were atypical and this should have been resolved much more promptly.
* September 9, there was a significant drop off in power production as reported by our monitoring system - roughly 10% efficiency.
* Subsequently, our case was escalated and we were assigned a case manager/supervisor - will be referred to as J. After multiple site visits to address what we were told was an issue with a single microinverter, it was found that an entire panel was not functioning so that had to be replaced. Then after that panel was replaced, we were told by a senior technician that it was actually 6 panels that were not functioning optimally, but 2 of the microinverters were completely not working and as a result, 2 panels were producing nothing.
Then when the next senior technician came out to install those 2 microinverters, he plugged into our system and it reported there were actually 11 panels that were producing NOTHING. Please keep in mind - that is 11 out of 16 panels. He replaced the 2 microinverters as ordered for that visit and a report was made to the engineer department. We were told that if we did not hear from our case manager within 2 wks regarding next steps, to call. No word.
Over the next 2 months or so, dealing with J was like pulling teeth. She would never call proactively to update. Even when we called to speak with her, she was never available and the general Sunpower representatives would tell us that a message has been sent and she confirmed a commitment date to call back on X day. Never called. We had to waste our time on a weekly basis to attempt to get some kind of update but to our frustration, we were met with - "she is not available at this time", "she went home already" (these were on those "commitment days" where she confirmed to call back). Unsurprisingly, we requested for a change in case manager, but were told on multiple occasions that case managers could not be changed - even when I asked, "so if J just does not get back to us for another 2 months, we still have to stay with her", their answer - "Yes".
* However, after more of these unacceptable incidents, we were finally told that they would change case managers for us. (This was after I emailed customer service with our lengthy complaint, and I had informed them that if this was not resolved in a timely matter, I would submit an official complaint to a public forum.)
* Dec. 2 - got a call from a new case manager - will be referred to as M. Reviewed with M everything that had happened thus far. She assured us that every effort would be made to resolve this issue ASAP - this encompassed getting our system functioning as designed as well as appropriate compensation for loss of production due to significant technical/equipment issues. She also assured us that communication and follow-through would be much better. Have not received a call from her since that conversation. I was given her direct line but she has not picked up a single time. I have left numerous messages with no call-back.
* Dec. 17 - called Sunpower general line and spoke with a representative who stated M was on lunch break and would call between 12-2pm PST, no call-back. Called back around 230pm, was again told by a representative that she was on break but that he got a message back from M stating she would call between 3-330pm PST. We informed them that if we did not receive a callback, we would be calling again. No call-back.
Called back just past 330pm, representative stated that she sent a message to M but was not getting a response back, and she had likely gone home. We were told that the representative would guarantee a callback from M within 24 hours and this particular representative would personally call to make sure M had reached out. She confirmed the best phone number and time to call (which I told her was ALL day on Friday, 12/18). She was informed that this was the last straw and if no call-back by 12/18/20 4pm PST, we would be proceeding with an official complaint. She confirmed. No callback from either M or the representative. Received an email instead stating that we would get a call between another 24-48 business hours past 5pm PST on a Friday evening.
And here we are, 7 months after installation and we have not had appropriate production from the very beginning with some periods reaching as low as 10% efficiency, currently hovering at around 30%. Exasperated with having to deal with a faulty costly investment for this long and even moreso having to deal with extremely poor customer service. Bottom line: we need a definitive resolution. Unfortunately, at this point, we would strongly advise anyone against Sunpower.
Hello E A, we appreciate your thorough feedback and are sorry to hear about your negative experience. I will escalate your concerns to a member of our Executive Service team to investigate and expedite a resolution. Please expect a call from an Executive Service Specialist within the week.
Reviewed Dec. 18, 2020
We live on Cape Cod and electricity is very expensive. We were also very interested in being green. We had a client meeting with a SunPower sales associate and we compared their numbers to the others we had. We met with our building contractor to see what her perspective was. We financed our own solar energy system through a very reasonable arrangement which I am very pleased with. Because we live in Cape Cod, procedures and processes with town governance and electrical inspections are very problematic on a good day. So, it took extra time for our system to get online. Still, that did not have anything to do with SunPower and it was all just bureaucratic issues with the town.
Everything has been running fine since then. We've been receiving our rebates through our electric company. I've had a very positive experience with SunPower and I've told my friends about the quality of what I got. At the time that we processed our purchase, it was still within rebate processing through the federal government. But, the outgoing administration deleted a lot of the sun credits. I'm hoping the new administration will bring those solar energy credits back.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2020
Attached here is my 2020 electricity report, Jan~Dec. My SP panels generated 9135kWh (SP estimated 8586kWh). 63% of which sold to APS. Home consumed 12309kWh (SP said 13678kWh). 73% of my home energy came from APS. With 3174kWh shortage from solar energy, I paid $70.55 to APS. The second file is Peak Sunlight Hour results. In SP proposal, it estimated 5.71hr. As of 12/14/2020, my PSH is 6.19hr, which is about 8% better. I'm very pleased with the SP panels' performance. Thanks.
Reviewed Dec. 15, 2020
After just 10 months after installation my electrical production dropped 40-50%. After 2 visits by the local installer they discovered that 16/40 panels were not working. SunPower would cold call me and requested my internet password from an international call center. I was at work and the phone number was an unknown number. I was told 2 weeks later that Sunpower had to do a software update (10 months after installation and on only 16/40 panels. That seems odd. I clearly had 40-50% reduction in power output for 30 days in Sept and October and I was consuming SCE electricity.
I made multiple calls to Sun Power customer service to check on guarantee. Mabel ** emailed me and said she would get back to me in 3-5 working days. It is now 20 working days and no email return in spite of me sending 4 additional emails to remind her. Ticket number is **. Yesterday I called SunPower. Waited 10 minutes. They assured me that Mabel ** would get back to me in 24 hours. It is now 29 hours and nothing from him/her. My experience belies all the other wonderful things people have written about the company.
Hello Henry, we value your business and want to ensure that your concerns are promptly addressed. I will be escalating your case to our Executive Service team to prioritize and resolve. Please send me a private message if you have not heard from an Executive Service team member by next week.
Reviewed Dec. 14, 2020
I went solar for a couple reasons, help save energy, save money, and Sunpower is one of the best in support and design of panels on the roof with no conduit showing like others do. I would recommend Sunpower to anyone and I forgot I saved a lot of money.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2020
I want to do my part to protect the earth, while saving energy bill, thus it's only logical to install the solar panels (free energy from sunlight) in my house, switch to electric car and upgrade to energy efficient appliances. I want to live with clear conscience and am called for to protect our planet and renewable energy resources makes it possible. I hope Sunpower can find a better partner to install its solar panels for the customer than the IPS who helped me with the installation. It takes so long to install it.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2020
Changed to solar because of the high cost of electricity in an all electric house that is an issue. Researched the available companies and picked Sun Power because of the warranty on the parts and installation. Sun Power panels have been providing power for over the last year with 6 months of zero dollar bills and the other bills were at least half of the past rates. Sun Power was the way to go.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2020
The installation of our SunPower was good. They were very nice fellows, polite and professional. The scheduling was messed up and we had a few little issues but they were quick to make it right and do it the way that we had talked about. We're really happy with it. The website where you check your power every day was lame. It was hard to get into and was really slow. They've improved it a little bit, recently. I haven't been on it as much now that we've had it for over a year. I've recommended them to several neighbors who have gone ahead and bought them.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2020
-To help the environment and save on home operating cost. -Crystal ** and the entire Freedom Solar team did excellent (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) job from start to finish on my installation. -I would definitely recommend Sun Power/Freedom Solar to my neighbors, friends and family members.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2020
We wanna save money on electricity. One of my neighbors had used SunPower. We had it installed and the installers were very professional, showed up on time and did a great job. Everything's working. SunPower is a very good company. The prices were fair, so I'm a happy customer. I am very satisfied with my decision to go solar.
Reviewed Dec. 11, 2020
The SunPower sales rep was wonderful and our system's installation went perfectly. Their installers came back the second day to double check that everything was well. We haven't had a monthly bill since we had it installed in October and we are in Arizona.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
I wanted a cheaper electricity bill and I went with SunPower because they had good reviews compared to a lot of the competition. It was a good experience all the way around. It's like a set it and forget it kind of a thing. It's nice to know it's there. My first electricity bill after was probably the lowest that I've seen since I've lived here which has been about eight months.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
We chose to install solar panels to save on our electricity bills. Everything went well with the install, the panels generate the electricity they were expected to and we couldn’t be happier. SunPower has been a great company to work with.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
In 2019 Rainshadow Solar installed 28-SunPower 360w modules with micro-inverters, Invisimount racking and monitoring including permits, electrical panel, meter bases, controllers, and wiring. Our electric utility, OPALCO supports net metering, so we now offset 100% of our yearly electric-grid consumption. Additionally, we took advantage of the 30% Federal tax credit for solar. We invested in a solar energy system for our home because of environmental and utility cost benefits. Rainshadow Solar and SunPower installed a high quality system that has been easy to live with and adds value to our home. We highly recommend Rainshadow Solar and SunPower for your solar electric needs in northern Washington.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
We decided we were tired of paying high power bills. So, we and 2 of our children started to research companies and products. We called Jason, and he was very professional, answered all our questions, and it was at the right price point. We are happy, and wish we hadn’t waited so long to take the leap.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
I decided to buy SunPower vs leasing elsewhere as SunPower was the best deal for for buying. Price vs return. Plus the sales team and installer they put me in touch with - DMV (Dan Vitro) was the best!
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
To Whom it May Concern-
Our experience with Sun Power by Sea Bright Solar has been positive from the beginning. We enjoyed our consultation with Michael **. He was truthful and easy to talk to. He came out in person to do some measurements, knowing that we had an additional backyard project planned. Mike answered our questions and designed a system to meet our needs. We were fully apprised of all the finance options and chose the one that made sense to us. There was no pressure to sign paperwork immediately. We spoke with consultants from several other solar companies. We chose to use Sea Bright Solar because of Michael ** professionalism and the fact that they install Sun Power panels. We have recommended Sea Bright Solar to at least four neighbors, one of whom has already had an appointment with Michael.
The crew that came to install our panels worked hard, stayed quiet and finished a lot sooner than we expected. When we later asked Michael if we could relocate a section of panels to accommodate a new building project, he sent someone out to do the work within two weeks of the request and for a very nominal charge. We received our first transfer notification on the date that Michael said we would for our first finance payment. From the first day the system was turned on, we could see the huge reduction in the amount of electricity we needed to use from SCE. And yes, we actually have seen the electric meter running backwards! Sincere thanks to Michael **, Gio, Tim and the rest of his crew. Everybody at the office in Redlands was courteous on the phone and responsive to our inquiries. Kudos!
Sincerely,Adam and Jan **
Happy Sea Bright Solar Customers
Highland, California
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
I went with SunPower after serious consideration and comparison of other companies. The performance and overall product are excellent. SunPower is a one-stop-shop that manufacture world-class solar panels and comes with 25 years end to end warranty. I highly recommend to consider SunPower for your green and clean energy source.
Reviewed Dec. 10, 2020
I wanted solar panels so that I could be even more self sustainable. The performance of the panels have far exceeded my expectations! I can't believe how much power they generate, even during the winter, I am still generating sufficient energy to provide for all of my electricity needs. Great product!!
Reviewed Dec. 9, 2020
My enrollment with SunPower went well. The installation was a several stage process. The techs had to come and redo my breaker box and then put some things on my flat roof. The system works and it is large enough that it supplies all of our electricity. My bill is essentially zero. But, I noticed that APS charges me 15 to 18 cents a kilowatt hour if they have to charge me for electricity where I only get 11.61 for what my system makes. So, instead of timing our large electrical uses at night, we do that during the day when we're making power 'cause I don't want to sell it then have to rebuy it. I don't know if that was adequately explained. Other than that, I'm very satisfied with SunPower.
Reviewed Dec. 8, 2020
My wife and I are interested in renewable energy and just trying to be a bit more planet-responsible. She was more in it for the planet part of it. I'm more of a numbers guy. So, I told her if we can make the numbers make sense then, of course, I'm in. I looked at it as more of an investment versus she looked at it as more of a help the planet kind of thing. I got a couple of different bids from different companies, one of which was TECO Electric here in Charlotte, and they are a SunPower dealer and recommended your system.
It started off with just reaching out to their office. I went to them, researching them online. I talked with one of their guys who set me up with a phone meeting with their head salesperson named Joe, and he was fantastic. He already had a schematic of my house. I sent them my electric bill and just wanted to talk about my needs and what I was looking for, and make sure that it all made sense financially.
We had a proposal the same day. Went ahead and said yes and moved forward. He and the project manager, Whitney, and the head installer, all set up a time to come to the house to do a site survey. Whitney is still in touch with me as far as making sure that we would be all set up for our rebate for next year. Any concerns, she's always right there and available. They were phenomenal. They went up on the roof, checked everything, checked the electrical panel, made sure everything was all good to go. And we gave the go ahead right then and there. It has been great.
We are in the middle of our second full month. I've never been more excited to get an electric bill in my life, which is really weird. But I was tracking it with the monitoring software, which has been great. It’s perfect as far as tracking what my offset was. When we did the proposal, the idea was to try to come up with 85% of my electricity coming from solar. And it was right there, if not higher. We just got an electric car so we guessed on how much charging we were going to be doing on it to try to come up with a good number, but they were right on the money. My first electric bill was $22. It had cost me 14 just to be a customer of Duke Energy, so I only paid $8 for electric for October. And November is looking right around the same track, so it's great.
The main thing is you just have realistic expectations. We had unrealistic things sold to us by other solar companies, like payoff period. Just make sure you're dealing with real numbers and know where the money comes from, especially these guys that are going to sell you this 20-year or 30-year loan, and it's only a couple of bucks a month and it's super cheap, but you're paying a lot more for it than you really need to. And make sure it makes sense for your house. Like if you don't have a south facing home or a north facing home, sometimes you have to put so many panels on just to get efficiency that it might not be worth it. I look at it more as an investment. If I can get my money back on it, great. My payoff period on this thing is going to be six or seven years. It’s perfect.
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2020
The process went very smoothly. It was very quick and exceeded my expectations for time. Everybody did what they said they would do. Overall, it was a very good experience. I appreciate them doing the follow-up and making sure that we're okay.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2020
I picked out three or four companies then I looked the reports and reviews up and I called up for a sales rep to come and talk to me. The person from SunPower was very knowledgeable and gave me some excellent input and that's one reason I made the decision I did. When I did all my research, I found out they manufacture the panels, they install them, they finance their own, and they also service their own. So, it's a one-stop shop. However, the installation took forever. I applied in June and it wasn't completed until late October. They said they would give me a rebate because I had to pay public service those three months when I should have had solar installed. This February or March, I did get a check from SunPower for that install taking so long and costing me additional funds.
They're a great company. Nothing has gone wrong yet. They should add a battery system though. If I had a backup system, I wouldn't need as much electricity at night. I should have also added two or three more panels. I went to the leasing option versus taking a loan out against it. I had the cash but at the time, my wife said, “Let's not take it out of our retirement. Let's just go ahead and lease the product.” One reason being, if it's leased and a panel goes wrong even after the warranty, they will repair or replace it.
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2020
We did have solar in California before we moved to Texas. It was REC Solar at the time which is now Sunrun. We did try to talk to Sunrun but they won't work with our particular utility for some reason. Then there was a rebate deal that was mentioned and I applied for the rebate through that. The enrollment process was fairly easy. I sent an email out and I was contacted fairly quickly by the folks at Freedom Solar. The people I worked with were fantastic. The team that did the install were great guys. They cleaned up after themselves. It’s been great so far. I'm very satisfied. I have already recommended two people, one of which had the system installed about a week or two ago.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2020
I was doing research about different companies and reached out to several of them and talked to their reps. I found out about SunPower online, searching for the best quality solar panels and looking at consumer reviews. I'm very happy going solar. It's almost cost-neutral which is a good thing but to add more green energy is a good thing.
Enrolling with them worked like they said. They did a demonstration and talked to me about the technology. What I liked about them the most is the people. They were better technical experts on the products than any other of the companies I talked to. They give an app that you can also download on your computer and it shows the daily production and everything that's happening with it. It's almost like a video game and it makes it very interesting. Anytime you wonder what your panels are doing over a period of time, you can look at all the output and it all makes perfect sense. It's been an awesome experience.
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2020
I've got the SunPower installed and activated in September 2020. From day 1, I've been getting close to zero electricity produced and I have been calling them almost every week since then. It has already been over 2 months and all I have been getting from them is just circling around the same set of excuses one after the other - the engineering team has been investigating, they found no issues in production, or the expected is just theoretical value, the monitoring system is incorrect, etc. I've never been so pissed off at any company's service - I signed up on this website just to write the review. In the last call, they even had the gall to get the panels cleaned without accepting any responsibility or reasoning. And to top it all, on every call they promise a resolution in 1-2 days and a communication sent from their end. Both have never happened in at least 10 calls I got on with them.
Hello Basava, I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with your new SunPower equipment. Upon review of your account, I discovered that there's an open case regarding the issues you've stated. In order to better assist you, I am escalating your concerns to the Executive Service team to investigate and respond. Please expect a call from an Executive Service specialist within the next 2 business days.
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2020
We looked online 'cause we were comparing three different companies. In talking to the SunPower representative, she had much more knowledge than the other companies did, so we went with them. We talked to them, gave them a bunch of information and they came out and figured out how many panels they were going to need. Everybody was friendly and good, including the in-line supervisors. We were kept informed all the time and they did everything on time. Even the installers did a great job. After the system was installed, we had some questions and they were right there to talk to us. They came out and checked on stuff to make sure we were happy too. Right now, we're completely happy. Our solar has given us back some money and our gas and electric company is crediting it in our account. The whole experience with SunPower was really good. We referred them on and our neighbors are doing it now.
Reviewed Dec. 2, 2020
The builder that we decided to go with recommended SolarOne. They're one of the solar companies here in town that is an authorized dealer for SunPower and they were fantastic. The rep was very helpful. He went over his knees to make sure that everything we needed was taken care of. We had issues with acquiring internet because of our location and they helped pay the bill. Everything was great. Once we moved in, the system was already installed. As the house was being built, it was already generating power.
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2020
The reps were all good. The only problem I had was the permits and stuff fell through the cracks so it took a little longer than it should have. Still, they did a good job on everything that I could tell. I’d definitely refer people.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2020
I heard that SunPower had good units. I looked locally and then an acquaintance of mine told me that his wife owned one. I called her and they came out and gave me a bid. They based it on the last year, and my true-up for the first year was 180. I had to pay. We live in San Joaquin Valley, which is very hot in the summertime, and my goal was to be even or they would owe me, but that didn't happen. We didn't conserve big time, but we did some. I could have used one or two more panels, but they're too damn expensive.
Also, I heard that SunPower will pay you for your referral. If you call them and say, “So and so is going to get the solar,” and if they buy it, they pay you a hundred bucks. That didn't happen though. I recommended them to a friend who lives close to me, and they bought the system too. They came out to and put it on already. However, I didn’t call SunPower and tell them, “You owe me a hundred bucks.” I thought it was automatic because the people told the company that they were referred by me.
Reviewed Nov. 29, 2020
A friend of ours who lives in the neighborhood was representing SunPower and we decided to go ahead. We think it was the right move. It was a little costly, but so far, we're pretty satisfied. They were quick and seemed to know what they were doing. The customer service was very good too. We talked to one of our neighbors across the street about it and I think they may be going it forward.
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2020
3 years ago we spent almost 20k to Purchase solar panels from this company. They stopped working early this past summer (almost nothing being produced). When we contacted them, we were told we were approved for a complete retrofit and upgrade. It's now December. We are still stuck with working panels and we have been constantly messaging with them back and forth and they keep saying. "Oh, the contractor will get in touch with you.. Oh they never did? Wow, I can't believe it's taking this long, oh well our hands are tied." WHAT? We have non-working panels, have electric bills to now pay, and NOT ONE TIME did anyone try to set up an appointment with us. We have filed a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs in NY to try and help us resolve this. We feel embarrassed that we were scammed out of so much money for panels that don't work.
Hi Robyn, I apologize for the delays you've experienced since notifying SunPower of your warranty claim. I've reviewed and forwarded your account to our Executive Service team to investigate and expedite the remainder of your repair case. Please send me a private message if you have any questions in the interim.
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2020
I was very satisfied with SunPower. They were always in direct contact with me and kept me up-to-date as far as the process and progress of our solar install. The installation was only two days which I was very happy with. Everybody was top-notch and our expectation was taken care of.
Reviewed Nov. 27, 2020
In September I bought a solar system for my house through the salesman name Marut ** (New Jersey) who works with Sunpower. At the beginning he is fast in process but after some documents signed he suddenly stop replying to my messages. At the beginning he promised me to give signing bonus of first three payments (I have proof of his message) but after system installed I asked him for that bonus, he is giving me a excuse that he didn’t get money from the office and all so I complained this matter to sun-power about this matter.
I talked to a Jeane (sun-power) on the phone and she said I file a complaint against him and you will hear back from us in 3-5 business days! I waited for that period but I didn’t get call back from them so I called back and talk with Crissy and she said the same thing so I waited for another 2 weeks but I didn’t hear back from them so I ended up by writing a review here! This is terrible experience. If you don’t fulfill the promise then don’t give it to someone!
Hi Paresh, I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're experiencing with your salesperson. I've forwarded your information to our Executive Service team to investigate and contact you.
Reviewed Nov. 27, 2020
I saw SunPower walking around the Hill Country Galleria. But it was because I worked at AMD, and they said if you want to get solar, you can get a $1,000 discount through AMD. We moved into this house last summer of 2019. We had solar in the old house. So, if we were going to get solar in this house, the sooner the better. That was part of the plan. It's super hot. So, the air-conditioning bills are a big hit to your electricity in the summer. And it's mostly sunny so, solar energy. Zach came by, went over the system and answered questions. But then the great thing was, they handled all the paperwork, like getting the approvals. The only thing I had to do once it was all in was property tax exemption.
It’s lucky the way the house is situated. The panels are on the side. And even if you go to the sideline, you can't see them because the house is too close to it. You have to go one house away, and then go into this water drainage ditch. It would be nice if you have them in the front. It's a good advertisement there. But you can't see our panels which is nice, just to make it old-style looking. I got a couple of discounts by recommending a couple of friends. Also, Zach sent a bunch of drone photos of the house, which is nice too. We're very satisfied.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2020
I needed solar and I saw things at Costco. I went in there and asked about them. Then I saw SunPower. Someone contacted me and I asked what sets them apart from everybody else. He said the solar panels are better quality and explained that a little bit. I later on saw that they received awards over the multiple years which they wouldn't be getting unless they were doing something right. They answered some questions and took care of me. They got to put in and followed through enough. It was also brought up that they would paint the pipes. Things like that make a difference. I was really pleased with that. During the installation, they were good, professional and did what they needed.
Reviewed Nov. 25, 2020
Going solar was a large decision because I wasn't sure if I was gonna continue to want to live in this home that I'm currently living in, like if I wanted to move and reconsider SunPower. But I was doing four or five tasks that would either build this home or make me move into a new home. Ultimately, everything lined up that I just decided to stay here so I decided to move forward with the solar on it.
My cousin got his home done by Freedom Solar. I had also put in a request through HomeAdvisor and I heard a couple of contractors out, but my representative with Freedom Solar explained the procedures and things that they were offering. It seemed like a much more confident purchase than the other contractors. The process was all very professional. The install took less than half a day. Freedom Solar kept me in the loop as far as permitting and things like that the entire time. I was very pleased with their work. Freedom Solar is very reputable and exactly what they do speaks for themselves. I use their app and it shows exactly what I'm making and what's going back to the grid.
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2020
I’ve had Sunpower for about 3 years and now I am in the process of selling my home and the new buyer agreed to take over the lease. However, Sunpower is forcing me to pay a $300 filing fee in order for them to provide UCC filing documents to the mortgage company of the new buyer. This is during a pandemic where I am barely surviving and able to provide for my family which I’ve mentioned to the representative that I was speaking to but none of that mattered to them. This is a lesson learned, I will definitely look into other companies in the future because of this experience and also, my monthly solar panel bill was $81 which is more than any other solar panel company out there. Please do your research before using this company. DO NOT make the same mistake I made. I wish I can have 0 stars for this review.
Hi Sara, I'm sorry to hear about your frustration related to the lease transfer fee and the hardship your family is experiencing. We value your business and ask that you send me a private message if wish to have someone contact you to further discuss.
Reviewed Nov. 18, 2020
My daughter always thought that everything should be all natural, which made me decide to go solar. I kept seeing people with solar panels, and it was a good idea. When the solar panels were being installed, I told the reps that I would be gone certain days of the week. By the time I got home, they were all done. There was one issue that had to do with my heating system. They cut the pipe that goes to my furnace and it completely went out, and they got a bill on that one. But I love Sunpower and the solar panels. I have no problems although the snow would probably stop the solar part. But I still have electric to back it up so, it’s no big deal on that.
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2020
I've thought about going solar for a while. A year ago, I had other companies come in, but the price was prohibitive. We got ahold of SunPower and I decided to have them come by again. This time, it seemed to make more sense for us. I'm 80 years old, my wife’s 69, and we figured before it wouldn't it be profitable for us to end up with solar. I'm part of San Diego Gas & Electric, and their prices keep going up, so I got fed up. I said, “Well, let's just do it.” Plus the fact that everything I could find out about that your property value goes up with almost the same amount as what you pay up.
The company itself and the contact people from the office were very good, but there were a couple of things that I was concerned about. The quality of the job, according to my wife, they still haven't finished the job. They haven't submitted in the roof cap on the top. The fella that did the asphalt shingles underneath had promised a couple of things he didn't come through with as well. I'm disgusted that we certainly don't use all of the system, but what we're supposed to get back from SDG & E, we seem to be getting screwed a little on. SunPower is good. I am glad that we did it. In fact, when I can get together some more savings, I'm gonna go ahead with the battery system.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2020
SunPower has the worst customer service I've dealt with in my entire life. They kept telling me I need to get my panels washed for them to start producing electricity. So, I did that and paid for it from my own pocket but the panels still were producing next to nothing. I've been contacting them every few weeks for 2 months and they still haven't sent somebody to fix the issue. Every time they have a new excuse on why they are not sending somebody. It's gotten to the point where I'm thinking about putting a complaint with the builder and city/state.
Hello Arsal, I apologize for the energy production issues you're experiencing with your SunPower equipment. Please expect a call from an Executive Service Specialist within the week to address your concerns.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2020
Cost and technology were our considerations in going solar. We opted for SunPower and they seemed more high tech than some of the other companies. So far, so good.
Reviewed Nov. 10, 2020
We went through SunPower through Alternative Energy. We liked those panels. They were the most powerful and we could get more kilowatt hours out of them than some of the others. The sales representatives were very thorough. Each one explained the steps going forward and made sure we understood. Then their solar coach went over all the different programs, options on the program, and made sure we understood as well. I could always contact her at any time if I have more questions. The installment crew was here for three days. Of course, that was a lot of walking on the roof, and it kind of looked like it aged the roof for about 10 years. But then we're satisfied. I've been watching the PG&E and we're generating a little bit more than we're using right now, and so we'll generate more in the summer too. We designed it for 125% of last year's usage so we could start using our AC rather than the swamp coolers.
Reviewed Nov. 9, 2020
I went Solar to help the environment. I spent 2 years researching different Solar companies and then I found Sun Power. Marc was Great! Any question, concern, or Thought I had was addressed in a timely manner. This guy cares!! Installation Day The Crew arrived on time. Justin and his guys went to it and before I knew it the Solar was done and ready. No muss. No fuss. I recommend Sun Power. Great job Guys.
Reviewed Nov. 7, 2020
To save money & to protect the environment. I appreciate the packing around the electric pipes in the garage to keep out weather and infestation which had dried and fallen to the ground. I still am unaware why Tesla contacted me to come for this service appointment. Since something had previously become disconnected, I am hoping with this repair that Tim, the serviceman, described, the electric company should resume compensating me for power I send to the grid.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
I wanted to save money on my electric bill and help the environment so I wanted to get Solar. I chose SunPower by Esmay Electric because I trust their advice and expertise. My solar installation experience has been exemplary. I would highly recommend this company to anyone considering going solar.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
I am unable to access my data and the report I am getting is from my old address. I recently had some work done and was told the system would update in 4 hours. A week later still not updated. This is not the first time with this problem.
Hello Mr. Lawrence, I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with the monitoring site/app. I've reviewed your account and would like to have someone contact you to further discuss. Please send me a private message with your contact information so that I may have an Executive Service Specialist contact you.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
Going solar is a no-brainer as an investment. You get a huge tax break and save big bucks over time. For my property in the jungle of Maui, we lose power often and having the addition of the Tesla Powerwall is a bonus. The flawless transition of power grid to Tesla battery is a relief to never worrying about electricity again. The crew that installed my PV and Powerwall were fantastic and I truly hope that Rising Sun management shows their appreciation to have such dedicated professionals. No doubt I will be using this service for my next home purchase.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
I wanted to freeze electric costs for my all electric home while doing something about global warming and the environment. Was really pleased with the installer and the install process which happened while isolated during the Covid pandemic. Then found the generation results were as promised.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
We decided to go solar to save money and for the environment. It was one of the best decisions of our life. We were paying at 400 month for electric and our system only cost us 300 month (already saving $100 month) for several years, then literally $0 per month thereafter. SunPower is the premier system and I have neighbors with Tesla, Sunrun, and other providers and non of their systems even come close to quality and warranty of SunPower. I tell everyone about SunPower and highly recommend SunPower to anyone considering solar.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2020
My system that they put on the roof has 37 panels but it is not producing the contracted output for the first year. So I contacted SunPower to see what they would do about that. I got a pretty good runaround. They told me that the production estimate on my contract was just an estimate and that according to their system, the system is working fine. I told them that either somebody comes over here, checks this system out and provide me with some sort of solution on why this thing is not producing as it should, or I'll just take them to court and then let a judge decide. Only after I did that, somebody from SunPower locally told me that they will check it out in December. So I’m not too all impressed with SunPower right now.
I signed a contract and I read that contract, and there is a performance guarantee on the panels of 98%. If you take that performance guarantee and you measure that against the number of panels that I currently have on my roof, it's even worse. The first year of production output was a very conservative estimate that I was okay with. But if you take into consideration the actual performance guarantee on those panels, my differential is larger than what that differential is right now. I paid almost 2,000 kilowatt hours more in electricity through APS than I had to because the system isn't producing what it said it was. I'm in Arizona so this is about the sunniest state you could possibly pick to put a system. A six-hour sun day in Arizona is a very conservative estimate on the number of hours but the system isn't even meeting that.
Hello Anthony, I've reviewed your account and confirmed that your system performed at 99.7% and was within .3% of meeting the estimated 'Year 1' target. A negligible shortfall such as this is often attributed to varying weather conditions, accelerated/heavy soiling due to extended periods of drought, heavy dust/debris within the area, or environmental conditions similar to the wildfires experienced in California. Please send me a private message if you would like to discuss further.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
Although I was apprehensive in the beginning, after installation of Solar Power I am convinced that the entire system is great that will save me money, give independence for power needs while caring about environment. I am very much impressed with professionalism demonstrated by Solar power be it the installers, engineers and planners with their effective coordination process with PG&E. The energy charts review that I do regularly tells me system is sound and very efficient from SunPower. Thank you Sun Power know that you have a very satisfied customer.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
It has been 13 months since I ordered my solar panels. I was hoping to build enough credit to get through our Arizona summer without having an electric bill. I built up credit all through the winter months and here it is November 5th and I have NOT had an electric bill. Still a tiny bit of credit left to help with this unusually warm end of summer. I am very happy with it.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
The suggestions for this review were to comment on why I went solar. Was it economically or environmentally environment? I'd say both. At my price point with the federal subsidy, economically it was a no-brainer. Environmentally, another no-brainer. More specific to my personal situation, I am nearing retirement and I am making trade-offs that favor trading one-time up-front costs for ongoing expenses, even if the economics may even be slightly unfavorable. Even the most pessimistic analysis I believe this to be break-even to slightly ahead in the 7 year time period. The predictability that comes with no on-going and likely ever-increasing electric bills makes budgeting on a fixed income easier.
From a 'does it deliver as promise', the answer is yes. The modeling of predicted output is well-established and accurate. Solar is a very simple system (no moving parts, no high temperatures, both which affect long-term reliability) and the new micro-inverters are reliable and cheap. Perhaps the hardest decision is how much power to install. In a environment of ever-growing electric consumption, it is how much future-proofing you want vs over-capacity, since any over-capacity is really wasted money. My bottom line: If you have the capital to do this, do it.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
We went solar to reduce our electric bills and we did it in 2020 in order to maximize the federal rebate which is reducing farther in 2021. We were pleased with the first partial September bill where our electric was greatly reduced and in October, our electric bill was $11.00. Fantastic. Bring on the sun.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
Wanted solar system to save money on my electricity bills as I am approaching retirement and I feel that this is a smart investment in both my financial future and to reduce emissions contributing to climate change. SunPower personnel were courteous, knowledgeable, and professional. They did a great job designing and installing my system including all the coordination with my electricity provider for my system to be brought on line.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
I was referred to Sun Power by a worker at our new house. He stated that he had solar at his house and was very happy with it. Since our new home was all electric we decided to have a rep from Esmay Electric in Lake Havasu City, AZ come by and give us the details. We liked what we saw on paper and it made sense for us to go solar. We have had it now for around 14 months and are very happy with it. In fact we make a lot more power than we use. As of now we have around $560.00 credit with the electric company and all for $121.00 a mo, locked in on a 20 year lease.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
We went solar to save money and to help the environment. Sunpower was easy to work with and have great quality panels. It went fast too. We interviewed about 5 companies in total and ended up picking Sunpower. We are happy with our choice.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
I went solar to lock in the cost of my power for the next 20-30 years. I like knowing how much money I will pay for all my electricity through the solar lease. I love that I don't have to worry about repairs of the system and that I am given a production guarantee.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2020
I knew the person I bought SunPower from. I knew that he sold solar, and then I found out it happened to be a SunPower product. I'd been waiting because I needed to do some other upgrades to our house. We have two AC units. So, to me, a higher priority is changing out an AC unit that’s old versus putting in solar because then I can get a system that's more suited to our actual consumption. But then our second unit is doing fine right now, so we decided to just invest in solar now and take advantage of some tax incentives that may not be available in the future.
Jeff did a really fine job and his entire team. The installation was seamless, very efficient, well drawn like the installers obviously done it a time or two. I teach from home with COVID and they kept me in the loop on when it’s supposed to be, what’s needed to be done, like when they had to go access our attic and stuff like that. It was amazing how fast and efficient they were. They cleaned up after themselves.
If you're looking at solar energy, SunPower would be the first and only company you would need to consult. They did a really good job. My house faces south. So, it’s not in an ideal direction because now my panels are in the front of my house. But they were able to hire subcontractors to kind of move a pipe, so then all my panels are uniform all together as much as possible instead of having spaces in between panels, which I saw at other houses, and I didn’t like that. They did one chunk on the left of it, one chunk on the right, but it's very symmetrical on how they did it. It was really thought of.
As far as usage, I like the SunPower app. I use that daily to see where things are at. I know the day that my system officially got turned on, and so I always kinda look at the day after because that's like my first full day. Because the first day was only a partial day. Since it's new to me, I really enjoy looking at it to see. Because there's a lot of construction nearby, my panels got dirty. Then we got some rain, and I noticed that my power production jumped up. So, I said, “All right. I need to make sure that I get something to hose off the panels on a more regular basis, especially when it's not typically the raining season” because I saw how much of an impact that was on solar production.
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2020
I had been forced to stay home since March during the heat of summer, with four other people running our air conditioner and our bills climbing through the roof. So, we decided it was the time to take advantage of the solar panels and the rebates. I started looking for estimates for a solar panel system through the internet. It was painless enrolling with SunPower. A rep from AES Solar here in Chico walked us right through it and we didn't have any problems. The installation of the panels was very smooth. We're pleased with our decision to go solar and we're still convinced that it was the best thing to do.
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2020
At first, all was well. DWP costs were low. As time went on, the panels failed and DWP costs skyrocketed. In the summer, I got a DWP bill for electric $900.00 plus the monthly panel charge. We were told, panels failed due to smoke and ash from far away fires. Every two years they fail and the service is awful! Customer service and monitoring is NOT what they promised.
Hi Linda, as you are aware, the California Wildfires have affected solar energy production across the entire state of California resulting in reduced solar energy production and increased utility costs. We value your business and would like to investigate your concerns further to ensure that no other issues exist with your solar equipment. Please expect a call from an Executive Service Specialist next week.
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2020
We had friends who went with SunPower and we decided to go solar. It was the right thing to do. The installation was great. It was done in a day and I was very satisfied with that. The app is basic though and it could be more user-friendly. I want to see more specifics. Maybe it's the install company I need to talk to but I wish there was a way to break down because I have 25 solar panels and each has a micro inverter. It’d be nice to be able to see that all 25 are working somehow. I figured that all goes into the monitoring and somewhere it can be told if one, for some reason, has an issue. Right now, I don't know that or if the clouds are just out and my system is not doing as well as it was. But we love SunPower and since going solar, my bill is lower.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2020
I interviewed quite a few providers and SunPower seemed like the best. Their local installers seemed the best. Our installation was complicated because we had to get a new roof to get solar power and we had to disconnect our generator to get the solar power connected. It was a little rougher than most people's connections would be. The actual installation was fine, but getting it working was rougher. But since going solar, we are using very little electricity from the grid.
Reviewed Oct. 31, 2020
I wanted them to do the roofing and the solar together, and then I'd like the 25-year for all the categories and not just selected, which is mandatory by the feds. I started with someone but it wasn't working out. We weren't communicating well and I gave up. Then a friend gave me the referral to go to SunPower or someone local. So I went with SunPower and everything went remarkably. I'm a retired general contractor so I have a different standard than most consumers. The rep was right on the money all the way through the end and follow-up. The installation went just like the movies.
It's nice to get a bill that's not even $4. I bought an extra panel because the deal was good from the get-go. The whole experience was agonizing. But when this 30% incentive came along, and I needed to do the roof anyway, I was motivated to collision. It's like I was waiting for the right moment, and that was the right moment. To get conversational on the subject, you have to dedicate yourself for months so you understand the words and what they mean. But the contractor did a really good job to make it simple.
Reviewed Oct. 30, 2020
Sunpower installed our panels in Buckeye AZ. The output was estimated at 3.2 kw. When they installed the red "solar" placards on my breaker panel (the panel with the labels that indicate what breaker feeds what in your house), they took the panel that was leaning on the house next door and installed it on my house (it was under construction). I called and emailed and finally after 2 weeks they said they would take a look. They did tell me "it passed city inspection so it has to be correct" - keep in mind what a safety hazard that is. My breaker labels do NOT match my neighbor's.
In the mean time, by the time they showed up to fix it, the panel was installed next door and powered up. In my first email, I took detailed photos and marked them up so it was perfectly clear what was wrong. After installation it showed about 35 kw and we never even got close to using power from the grid. Having 40 years in the electric utility in Operations and then Controls, I contacted them and explained the meter must be wired backwards. After 2 months of email, phone calls and back and forth they finally sent someone out and said "yep it's backwards" - "We'll schedule a time to fix it." But before that one of the customer service reps told me if I didn't like what the app and website was telling me, I could always go out with a pen and paper and take reading and do the math myself.
Weeks pass and the appointment comes around, they take off the panel and fix it. I asked them if they could reset the data because it showed after 3 months I had several hundred dollars in savings and had generated a LOT of power, they said no. They escalated my issues to a "liaison" who would help keep an eye on things.
Fast forward to 5 months of service, the output initially was around 3.2 kw at peak and we were on our way! Then it went to 0.7 kw. I submitted a support ticket. Waited a week, no response. Called and spoke to someone. They said the technical team would take a look. Weeks passed. Called and emailed the liaison who never replied, not once. They said they determined remotely that some of the micro-inverters had failed and they scheduled an appointment for 3 weeks later. He shows up, climbs up on the roof for a few minutes then back down and says "Yep they're bad." 5 out of 10 are bad. I said, "After 5 months??" We need to replace them all. He said, "Absolutely, this must be a bad batch - we will."
I get a support ticket email saying, "We'll be by in a month and replace 4 of them." I emailed them back stating "but 5 are bad on a 25 year warranty after 5 months, the technician said you would replace them all"... He wrote back, "thanks for pointing that out. We appreciate your feedback, as we stated we'll be replacing 4 of them a month from now". I called and asked about it and she said "that's a different department, we'll have to look into it." And I asked about the liaison, did he leave the company or? She said, "Oh no, he still works here, I'm sure he'll get ahold of you shortly." So summary - system installed now for 7 months. Worked for almost 3 months correctly. The rest of the time 25% output or none. I am currently looking to see if I can get out of the contract or if I need legal help. I do not know how it got all these 5 star reviews.
Hello Hull, I appreciate you responding to my previous inquiry within the other social media platform in which you posted the same review. Please send me a direct message through either platform if you have not heard from anyone within the next 2 business days.
Reviewed Oct. 30, 2020
I have an all electric house that’s why I went with solar. SunPower took care of everything. It was a couple months from the time I signed till the time they put it up. It works out good. It’s paying for itself.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2020
I was referred by a coworker to SunPower. I called in and made arrangements, and they came by and got it done in two days. It was up and running. It works as described and my electricity bill went from $358 to $22.50 so it seems good. SunPower delivers what they say they're gonna deliver and I’m gonna have them do my other house too.
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2020
I had been tracking solar energy systems for several years and the numbers seem to be making sense so I started shopping it. Enrolling with SunPower seemed to go rather seamlessly. The system is working fine and I'm happy.
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020
We had increasing energy costs and so we got solar with SunPower. They did everything with the enrollment process. I just wish their website or their monitoring app was a little better. But they're a good company. They do what they promise.
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2020
I'm saving some money with my decision to go solar. The sales representatives were great and the installation crew was very efficient.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2020
I asked SunPower to come out to my location and give me an estimate after I did research on the panels and technology I wanted. They seemed to be the best fit for me. Their salesperson came and assessed what I needed. He took photos and gave me an estimate and a contract. They took care of all the permits and the only thing I had to do was get approved by my HOA. Their techs then came and installed my panels. Everything wen as they said it would. Thus far, I'm completely happy with my panels.
Reviewed Oct. 23, 2020
I chose SUNPOWER because I needed a way to cut down on my electric bill without spending $50,000.00 or more. At 74 I didn't have the cash, and was not going to go into debt. I got a system for free. I am saving $1,800 a year and don't have to worry about a thing.
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2020
They call you and present this as "lowering your power bill", but what they don't tell you is how much it will cost you to install those panels from the beginning. Also there is a Cash Price and Financing Price and the financing price is about 20% higher. Before your electric bill will go down, it will take forever. This is an option for wealthy people that can afford this and pay cash. In my opinion it is a scam in regards savings! And the sales person told me that the way they approach people with this, is for marketing purposes. I am very disappointed that I received absolutely not the approach and help for this! I do not recommend to waste your time.
Hello Thierry, I'm sorry to hear that your expectations aren't being met. All documentation related to cash and lease options detail the estimated savings a customer can expect with either option. Additionally, financing options are offered through authorized third parties who solicit rates based on the customer's credit. Unfortunately, the associated proposals aren't available during the initial call but are transparent once they are. Please send me a private message if you wish to discuss.
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2020
UPDATED 12/14/2021: I've had these panels for one year, three months. The electric bill for the year was around $4,000. And when I went to the panels, give or take, I have spent under $100 in the last year. So, I went from 4,000 to 100 bucks. I have a big house of 5,000 square feet. The west of it is mostly all glass, ‘cause I'm up on a hill and I look out at a view. So it's like a greenhouse and in the summer, I spent about $800 a month for my air conditioners. And my highest bill this in my first summer with it was $19. So, it was from 800 to 19 bucks. I'm pretty happy.
The only thing that is mediocre is the SunPower app that I rely on to see how your panels are doing is not instantaneous. It might be from a couple hours ago and I can't comprehend how you click on the app, it ought to be within a minute or two of what's going on. I have the old app and the brand-new app. So, I think both apps are in that mediocre category and that they're not as quickly responding as they should be.
But I recommended them to one of my coworkers who signed up a couple of weeks ago to get them on his house. It's through the same company I used that’s using SunPower.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Went solar to help the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Decided to do ground mounted installation. The panels look great, I did not want panels on my roof. Saving some money on electric is a bonus. The install was by earthlight, they did a great job.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020
This is my 2nd Solar Panel ownership, SunPower was easier, faster, and more up to date in getting me going. 2nd month I already saw bigger savings. Panel cost 116, electric 56, previously without was between 220-280/mo for electric. I highly recommend SunPower!
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020
I went solar as an investment for now and in the future. I also wanted to produce my own energy, as well as to help the environment. After the first month, it reduced my electric bill to just the minimum connection fee and the system produced power for the future. I was very happy with the installation of the equipment and the process. The Sunpower dealers did everything that was required.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020
Solar system was selected to help the environment and save money in the long term (breakeven after 10 years). We chose Luminalt as it was recommended by our roofer. We installed a new roof prior to solar system being installed. Installation and monitoring system afterwards worked out. So far, there's no issue with the equipment.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020
I am pleased with the performance of the solar cells. As I have previously reported, the daily reporting software needs to be improved to show the effect of the system on the Utility Meter readings. I have previously reported on this and the lack of your response is frustrating to the point that my satisfaction is decreasing. My Email is: **.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2020
This is our second PV system. We had solar on our previous home, but couldn't afford a SunPower system. This time we decided that the small difference in cost was well worth it. Custom Solar, our dealer, did a great job on the roof and the balance of the system connection. Everything works well and we are thrilled with the system. You get what you pay for.
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2020
I live in the desert and electricity bills are high. I heard good things about Renova and though they were a little more expensive than other providers when I checked other providers, their service was a little better. I went with them through SunPower. They made an appointment with me, came over within a week and changed things out in one day. I'm very happy with them.
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2020
I'm familiar with Byers and a friend of mine had his solar put in by them. I liked what they did and said, and I'm very happy and satisfied with what I've got. The process took about a month. They were trying to figure out how many panels I needed and where the sun was coming from. They did a very extensive analysis of what was the capability and what we needed to do. That took a little while to do but I was very pleased. The system has been live since the 1st of August a year ago and when I settled up with PG&E, I didn't have to pay anything so the system is doing very well.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2020
I bought a house and they already had a SunPower system installed in it. I then bought another house that needed solar panels. It was pretty easy to enroll with SunPower but it took a very long time to get the installation. I didn't have so much interaction with their people on the new installation. But at my other house, I had some maintenance issues. There's also an issue that has been going on since about July. It still isn't resolved. Other than that, I'm happy with the decision to go solar.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2020
Updated on 10/21/2020: Sunpower has responded and requests a private response to my post about service and production of leased panels. Needless to say their response continues to absolve themselves of any responsibility for leased panels. Be very aware of this company and solar in general...
Original Review: Senior citizen couple leased panels in 2012/2013. Within 1 year the true-up from PG&E was $1,000. It continues to rise and in Sept 2020, the true-up is $1400. This is appalling as this senior is on a fixed income. Online monitoring shows the system is not "under-producing" apparently. The senior and many others are wondering what under producing means if PG&E is sending true-up bills. These are leased panels and as such are the property of Sunpower.
If the system is forcing a lessee to pay PG&E for additional service and Sunpower has been informed, the duty is on Sunpower to maintain the panels in top shape by responding to emails and, at the very least, making a yearly physical inspection of the panels especially in light of recent weather conditions (heat) and wildfires. Not once has Sunpower responded to inquiries and calls. The senior is yearly confronted with this oppressive bill and Sunpower's lack of good faith and service regarding panels that are not the responsibility of the lessee. I strongly urge homeowners to think very carefully about the lease/purchase of solar panels. If an elderly parent is considering solar, advise against it. This is a very common problem and the Solar industry and the media continue to ignore this.
Hello Suzanne, an Executive Service Specialist was previously assigned to your concerns and has communicated their findings. Please know solar equipment installations are designed to create the amount of energy specified within the respective contract. Any energy consumed beyond the design of the solar equipment installation would result in usage charges from the utility provider. Please send me a private message if you have any questions that weren't previously addressed.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2020
The prices on solar had come down enough and there was the tax credit that's gonna disappear shortly with no indication it's gonna be renewed. I figured now's a good time to go solar. So far, I'm really satisfied with that decision. Esmay Electric was the company I went through for my enrollment with SunPower. I was super pleased with how the whole installation went, the people involved, and the answering of all my questions. They were great. SunPower works as advertised. I've only had it for a few months and time will tell. But have and would recommend them to anybody because they make it so simple. I especially recommended Esmay Electric too.
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2020
The home that we had previously also had solar because I'm very concerned about the environment and we had terrifically high electric bills. There wasn’t any difficulty with the enrollment process at SunPower. Salespeople came to our home and took all the information. It did take a long time because we had to get the electric company to approve everything we do and go through all that. It was a few months before we could turn on the power. Other than that, it wasn't a problem. Now, the bill is manageable and it's steady. The electric bill has gone down to just a few dollars. Usually, it's under $10, whereas before, it would be all over the place. If you're running air conditioning, it's higher. At least now, we know what we have to pay every month.
However, I'm a member of Sierra Club and I wasn't aware that Sierra Club gets a portion of the money if you sign up and tell them that in the beginning. By the time I realized they do that, the paperwork was all signed. I tried to get them, “Could you go back and give it to us, anyway?” But they said they couldn't. Our only concern is if we ever try to sell the house, how that's gonna happen. Because they've got some lien on our house. They said, "The next buyer would want solar, too.” We don't know that. What if the next buyer says, “Get that off the roof,” then what's gonna happen? We would have preferred to have bought it outright, but it's a very large outlay, and we just said, “We'll lease it.” Also, when you're leasing it, if anything goes wrong, they have to take care of it, whereas if I bought it, now, I gotta pay the repairs.
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2020
My electric bill was getting kinda high up there so we were trying to figure out the best way to do it. My brother-in-law down here in Pahrump has SunPower. He had it for a year and he loves the way that solar energy is working for you. He sat there and told us that what you don't use a month goes into a reserve and you use it when you need it in the summertime when it's real hot down here. That was the selling point. It's here in Nevada all the time anyway so might as well use it to the fullest. We looked into it and it's great for the resources.
November last year is when I started. That’s when I found out my roof needed redone so we had to wait until February. It was March before I got the roof on. We started it all over again in the first part of April. It seemed like it took forever ‘cause that was when the COVID came out. We had to wait for people to come out and check on things. Our electric company here had to come out and make sure it was feasible. They finally came out in June and it took them till August to get everything okayed on their end so we could get SunPower to come in and put their equipment in. Once they were here putting the equipment in, it only took them half a day to put it up. It’s been running now going on three months and it's doing good. I’m glad we did it. I love it.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2020
The. Worst. Experience. EVER. My husband and I had our SunPower panels for approx 5 years before they stopped working. Our solar install company (who is fabulous) was very quick to file a case with SunPower for the fix. Well.... it's been over two months and NO ONE from SunPower or the company that they contract with to complete the work has even called us to schedule the work!!!! I have now called five times and my solar install contractor has also called multiple times on our behalf and each time we get NOWHERE.
In the meantime, my electric bill from PG&E is over $3,000 and running. Our power has been shut off three times in the last two months for over 48 hours each time. We live in a WUI (woodland urban interface) and every time it's windy and dry, PG&E shuts off our power. Last year, we purchased Tesla Powerwall batteries for this specific reason. Well, thanks to SunPower, we can't even use our battery backup when the power is out now because our solar panels don't work and they can't fix them in a timely manner.
Every time the power goes out, we live in the dark, no A/C in the middle of summer, I cannot work from home, my kids miss school (COVID), all of our fridge and freezer contents end up in the garbage. And guess what SunPower has to say? NOTHING. No compensation for my accruing PG&E bill, no compensation for food and work lost. Literally NOTHING. Not even a call back when requested. It's a joke. Don't let their "warranty" fool you like it did us. What horrible customer service. At this point, they should just hire a solar install company to install a whole new system if the ONE company that completes fixes can't follow through. Buyers BEWARE!!!
Hello Holly, I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing equipment issues along with an extended repair timeline. An Executive Service Specialist was previously assigned to your case on October 13, 2020 and sent you an email regarding your concerns. Please send me a private message if you experience any issues with reaching them.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2020
I've always been a renewables and a recycling person. Every individual on this planet has to do their bit to stop the climate change. I went with SunPower and I'm saving a whole hell of a lot of money. This is over a year period now. I did my true-up and I got $234. I was paying my bit for the generation of the power because I'm not completely off the grid. But I just pay my little bit every month which is like $9 some months and $10 another month rather than $180 that I was spending before. However, that does not include the payments that I'm making on the solar power panels 'cause they were ground-mounted therefore very expensive.
I love my solar panels. I just wish they were easier to clean. To somebody who's on the fence, these things are very durable. They've come a long way in the course of the period of time where we've been able to use them. There really is no reason for not using solar panels today because they are so much improved over the old days. We're not having to wait for any other major technological advancement with solar panels. We're already at the peak of that. What I would encourage everybody to do is do it today, not tomorrow.
Reviewed Oct. 8, 2020
SunPower had a leasing plan that looked favorable. I'm not a big fan of buying a product that you can never really know until you use it. It's not like you're gonna go out and buy a bunch of solar panels for your house then six months or a year later, go, "I wish I hadn't bought them. I wish I had bought something else." If you're leasing them, they're not yours and you don't have to worry about it. If they don't work, you don't have to fix them. I wouldn't have to put the thing back together again if something happens that's beyond my control like the panel shorts itself out because it was poorly designed.
The guys for the installation did a great job. They didn't leave a bunch of nails and screws lying around in the driveway. They didn't make any holes in the siding when they put the ladders up. They didn't do anything wrong and I don't have any leaks anywhere. That was the only concern I have when you start putting bolts into the roof of a house. You potentially have leaks but it's been certainly long enough now that we didn't have a problem. We didn't have any huge snowstorms last year and that's the only thing that hasn't been tested with it yet. This winter, we're due for some serious snow. We'll find out how it handles that.
So far, the panels are still all attached to our roof despite some extreme rainstorms that we've had over the last couple of months. We had a blast of wind come through two weeks ago that snapped a tree off about 25 feet from the ground in our backyard. Our house was shielding the tree below that point so the wind came right across the roof of the house. It was amazing that it didn't do anything awful.
Our electric bill is less than it was before we had the panels installed. Our house is now entirely green and we use a lot of electricity. We're averaging $253 a month before and the lease is only 167. We did a really good thing by going in this direction and it doesn't look like electrical energy is gonna get cheaper to produce with fossil fuels anytime soon. We're saving money every month. I just looked at my national grid statement and once again, we paid nothing for our electricity for over a year now except for the lease.
If you're concerned about the environment, this is one way to go green without going to use batteries in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and you can still run your air conditioner. This has been an exceptionally warm summer for New England and our air conditioners were on most of the time. Also, I'm an audio engineer and I have a recording studio. I spend most of my days in the recording studio which has no windows so it's all lights.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2020
I'm satisfied that I ended up going solar. Our electric bills are going up and up, and with the trouble PG&E was having, I decided to do it and went with SunPower. Everything was done through Ambrose Solar. But whether it was Ambrose, and Ambrose dealing with SunPower, everything was above board. My PG&E bill has dropped from what used to be $140 a month down to just $12 a month, which is just the meter charge, and what little bit of gas we’re using in the summertime. Then in the wintertime when we're using the heat, the most we were paying last winter was like $23.
Solar is absolutely wonderful. It's a great way to go. It reduces the carbon emissions, which helps with climate change. If you're gonna do it, do it now before the 30% rebate goes away. But I think it's a win-win for the industry and for the homeowner as well. I would tell others, if they could, to buy the system outright instead of leasing it.
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2020
Enrolling with SunPower was easy. Their customer service team was good. Overall, it was a very positive experience. I'm satisfied.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2020
It was easy to enroll with them because a friend of ours did work for their company. My husband has been able to get answers that he wants. We’re very satisfied. It's going good.
Reviewed Oct. 4, 2020
Signing up with SunPower wasn't that bad. The only problem was our electric company at that time was working slowly. But we got it resolved. So far, there's been no problem.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2020
The sales rep did a really good job and got everything real smooth. They handled everything and I didn't have to do a whole lot of anything. I was happy with the sales rep and the installation people. So far, I'm happy with how I'm saving money and energy. Everything is going good.
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2020
The day-by-day energy is costing a lot. Having solar panels can be a very useful thing to eliminate the power bill. I went with SunnyMac and it was a little longer than I was expecting. I had no idea of what was going through. Whereas the part for me, everything was like one, two, three. Everything was digitalized. So far, so good with the energy producing. Everything is working nice. Their product is very amazing, reliable and very advanced. The only thing is the rebate program. I didn't receive anything so I’ve been kinda looking for it.
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2020
The guy who came in explained a lot. He answered a lot of questions we had for the last 10 years. I love SunPower. They were great. The installation guys came in quick. They were really polite, clean and efficient. They kept up with everything they said. It was a big process and a lot to it. I recommend SunPower to people and I wish more people would do it.
Reviewed Sept. 30, 2020
We have had Sunpower Solar for about 5 years. We had problems from the beginning but it was resolved eventually. The Solar (when it works) is great, however trying to get someone at Sunpower to fix the problems is THE WORST EVER. It makes me want to pull my hair out. They see it is not working, make a case # and issue a work order to have someone come out to repair. When I call back, the work order was CANCELED, no reason. HOW DO I FIX THIS PROBLEM. If I call another company it voids my warranty. There is not working with Sunpower Customer Support. I give it a minus 10!
Hello Kathleen, I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating customer service experience and the system issues you are experiencing. I've escalated your account to our Executive Service team to investigate your concerns and contact you. Please message me if you haven't heard from someone within the next 2 business days.
Reviewed Sept. 30, 2020
Customer Service at SunPower was excellent. I got answers right away for everything I needed. They took care of everything. So far, I love their system. With it, I'm able to see what I'm producing.
Reviewed Sept. 25, 2020
The house is built with solar and so, it was already installed when I bought the house. The system broke down after 18 years of operation and I looked into repairing it. The parts were obsolete so repairing it would have been an expensive proposition. Plus being 20-year-old panels, the efficiency numbers were not that great anyway so, we decided to look into replacing the existing system that was broken. We went out and took a number of bids and ended up with the SunPower solution. Setting up was a quick process. It was three months from initial conversations up to when the system was in place and up and running.
We’ve been producing solar energy with the system for a year and it’s much more efficient compared to the last one. My energy balance without any solar, which was after the system died, was running in the high points and I discovered it because my bill went up. It was 575 a month. When the old system was in place, my payments were about 175 per month. So, it was a tripling of cost when it broke down. After getting the new system put in place, it's now running in the 10s of dollars.
When I was looking at the calculation of my return on investment, I was noticing that the power company we had was in the process of switching to time-of-day billing and that was going up at around three o'clock in the afternoon. Realizing that the sun is shifting from a southern-facing to a western-facing at that point, I made the decision-making on how many panels to install and where. I ended up doing a little over provisioning and I put 25% of my panels facing west and 75% facing south so that I could catch the afternoon sun at the time that the cost of electricity was going up.
I was happy with SunPower but there is one other bit of advice that I would recommend people to look into. The federal tax credit doesn't apply if you live in California. It pushed me up over my deduction limit so I ended up getting zero dollars back from Federal on the installation of solar. So people need to look very carefully at their tax burden before they can count on getting a tax credit and that's because of the limit that the federal government put on tax deductions for high income states like California and New York.
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2020
SPR-E20-327-E-AC. Lower bills environmental improvement. Neighbors are happy with solar energy. Looking to reduce bills as we have our air conditioning to comfort our home. New system is working well and we are pleased with our decision to go solar.
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2020
We’re very rural and we’re at the very end of the grid. Also, we had solar before on a previous property and we loved it. It was great. So those were probably the two biggest motivators on why we decided to go solar. The process was super simple and there were no hang-ups at all. Getting it set up was quicker than what was told to us. It didn't take long. The system is working great. We've had outages and they haven't had any trouble. It's seamless.
This is a big property and we've got the Tesla battery. It's new so time will tell. If the power goes down, the only way we know is we hear neighbors out in the distance. Their generators are going. The system is expensive and there are cheaper ways to go to get the same effects, especially if you go and live in town. But for us out here, the battery is the key. We're very conservative. We don't use the kinda power but when the power goes off, we don't have to go outside, flip a switch, start the generator and do all that kinda stuff. It's still summer and the roof is not full of snow, so there could be a lot of other things or cloudy days, that would make it not work as good. But so far, it has been good. We're almost 100% off the grid also so, we're using very little power from the grid. Most days, none. It's not just SunPower but the whole solar thing is a good thing that people should be doing.
Reviewed Sept. 23, 2020
The desire to put solar on the house was threefold. One was to try and be as green as possible living in California and the second was recognizing that future energy costs were gonna go up. And the third, the federal tax break was highest last year before we're getting reduced this year and it caused us to do it last year as opposed to another year. I received some suggestions from a few different neighbors and friends but the experience I had with Dave at Stellar Solar was the best in terms of customer service. He came to my house, not unlike others, but what he had to explain to me and the way he worked with me throughout the process as well as getting acquainted and comfortable with what the process would be was way better than the other companies.
The first day of labor was having our roof replaced and we went from starting the construction on the roof on July 3 to having the system energized by July 30th. Stellar doesn't do roofing but it was the company that Dave recommended I go with, which was CWM. The roof was 30 years old and needed to be replaced. So, if we’re gonna put something on top of that, we might as well do it at the same time.
I’ve been producing my own energy since early August of last year so I'm getting a discount for two months. I've had zero issues. Once in a while at the beginning, you track the power daily. But then, once you've had it for a while, it’d be at once a month to check and see if you're still getting reported produced power from the app, which is nice. We ended up producing more than we used last year by a little bit, which was nice as well. We do not have a big electric bill and there’s been zero maintenance to do for me so far. I highly recommend going solar but the barrier for a lot of people is the affordability.
Reviewed Sept. 22, 2020
I wanted to save money, which was I decided to go solar. I went and got four different quotes from different suppliers. Although SunPower was not the cheapest, the power I was gonna get back from the panel was better than a few others. The salesperson was good. He answered my questions honestly. I did a lot of research, so he didn't give me any baloney about this and that. I trusted him when I got done because I tested the people. A lot of people just say they have the best one and I was prepared for all that. When we got SunPower and got everything going, installation took one day. Everything was great. I’ve had a very good experience with SunPower and I’m in the negotiations right now for another solar panel at a different house that I own. That's how much I like it. So they are gonna get a repeat customer.
There was a one month of worrying some but it's good now. The app on my phone that tells me how my juice is working and how much I produced today wasn’t working. I called my sales rep and they looked it up in their system. They said it was showing good. The app was brand new and I was probably person number one. I’ve had it for over a year and after that month, I’ve had no other complaints. I just wanted to make sure because it was all new to me. I was looking at it every hour to see if I was producing. Sometimes the app would show that it wasn’t producing anything. So, I would call and they would say it’s producing and they were experiencing an issue. My PG&E bill on an average has been $10 a month. I asked why and I found out that’s the minimum amount PG&E needs to charge me for maintenance from the wires, whenever they come to the house. That’s the cheapest you are ever gonna get.
Reviewed Sept. 21, 2020
I looked online and I called three different companies. One of them was a SunPower distributor but from Placerville. He came and explained about the panels. I was impressed not only with him and his presentation but what it looked like the quality of the SunPower panels were compared to the other options because he gave us two proposals. One using the SunPower panels and another which was cheaper, using other panels. I was ready to pull the trigger but I happened to see an ad on TV for AES here in Chico. It said they were SunPower.
I asked myself whether I wanted to give my money to somebody in Placerville or patronize a business here in my hometown. So, I called AES and they came out. A young lady named Chelsea did a very good job explaining although she had it easy because a lot of it had been told me. We decided that we could get the same quality and spend the money locally. So, we signed with AES. I've been very impressed. I would like to have signed the contract and the next morning, have them turn on the solar panels but life doesn't work that way. I would recommend them highly.
Not only is going solar the green thing to do but it looked like we could save a little money in the process, as well as feel good about capturing energy from the sun as opposed to continuing to suck off PG&E. The length of time that the process took was appropriate. AES was not behind nor dragging their feet. It went smoothly. They straight away went to the city and got all the permits in just a few days.
We're having all these fires in California and the things aren't putting out very much power at all, largely due to the smoke in the air that blocks the sun but that's to be expected. That has nothing to do with AES or the panels. They have worked fine and it's Mother Nature I should be railing against. I was pleased to see when I got the whole PG&E bill for the month that it was 87 cents. I jumped up and down and told my wife to look at it. I get the feeling it's been hotter this year. We are prime time for cranking out energy and my panels are loping along in the smoke. So our true-up could be a little different next year. But you have good years and not so good years.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2020
My power expenses motivated me to go solar and I would strongly recommend Renova. We’ve been producing our own energy for a year and a half and every day of the week, we sell energy to Southern Cal Edison. We're very happy.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2020
I chose SunPower and Schools Solar because I liked their warranty, the salesperson and the company they were working with. They also had a very reasonable price. Getting set up with them was totally hassle free. They were communicating with me every step of the way. If I had to do it over again, I’d do it the same way. I couldn't be happier. If you can afford to buy the system outright, it's a much better deal.
Reviewed Sept. 18, 2020
Going solar is good if you can make some money and so far, I'm fairly satisfied. The experience with the SunPower sales rep was good and enrolling was pretty easy. The electric bill's definitely been affected in a positive way.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2020
I went solar to be more energy independent. I looked around and SunPower had the best deal and expertise so I went with them. The customer service is outstanding. They accommodated us when we wanted our solar panels installed as soon as possible. They were able to do it within a month. However, in terms of all the deals, it's like kind of confusing how they present it. They could have all the deals in writing.
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2020
It was recently brought to my attention by my electric company, SMUD, that my solar system may not be working properly. My system shows to only produce on average 73 kw per month. It has produced this amount since it was initially installed. Also, I recall that SunPower sent someone out approximately one year after I moved into my house and the technician said that the inverter had been installed backwards and that he had reinstalled it correctly. Come to find out the system is still incorrect and has been for the past seven plus years.
I called in and spoke with a customer service representative for your company and explained to him about the extremely low output of solar production. The customer service representative proceeded to tell me that I would have to call and have someone to come out and take a look at my system at my own expense. This is completely unacceptable since I have been paying for the solar system that has not worked properly from day one.
Hello Mr. Christopher, please know that your utility provider is only able to provide you with net generation data. You may review your actual energy production data through the SunPower monitoring website at https://monitor.us.sunpower.com/. To further assist you, I have escalated your concerns to our Executive Service team. The representative assigned to your case will gladly assist you with any questions or warranty concerns you may have. Please expect a call within a few business days.
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2020
I would rate SunPower quite high, but not 5 star as of yet. I always find the customer service reps not up to ask when handling my concerns. The system is great, I just wish I could get better support on the rare occasion that I do call in.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
My wife and I have been interested in solar power for over 40 years. We thought that it has always been a good idea to be able to generate power and heat from solar energy. We first got interested in it by visiting the University of Delaware's solar project house in the 70's. We came to a stage in our lives that we could afford to have solar power and we took it. We have been very pleased with our SunPower panels so far. We would have liked to have our panels up and working a month sooner than we did but that can't be helped at this time. We really enjoyed having a negative electric bill from November to May, and then, having our bill be about half of what it normally is. We are pleased.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
I had been thinking seriously about going solar based on my concerns about climate change and the savings that were of a secondary consideration. I received a "cold call" asking if I was interested in going solar. It was my fortune that the company that called was affiliated with Sun Power and the process began. The representative from Energy Pal was very professional and considerate and walked me through the entire process to go on-line and go solar. It was a seamless process from start to finish. I'm more than happy and satisfied that I can help alleviate in a small way the concerns about the environment and in the process encourage others to go solar.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
We had a great experience with Sunpower and our local installer Energy Concepts in Fresno. We wanted to go solar both to switch to renewable energy and to invest in lower electricity costs in the future. For the initial calls to specify the system and set expectations for production capacity to the professionalism of the installation team, the process was easy, seamless, and completed promptly. I was particularly impressed by how quickly the final approval to operate was obtained from the utility company. Our system works as advertised and we are very happy with it.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
I opted for solar to reduce my monthly electric bill and to contribute to the environment's well-being. It won't be amortized for several years so the motivation was not primarily financial. SunPower was great with the sales and installation, aside from the site survey guy poking an unsightly hole in my office wall that is still there. I was impressed with the installation team and the customer service during that process. Now, though, when I have a question the help link is not all that helpful. It may address typical concerns, but if I have a specific question it is difficult to get a human response. To wit: I asked a question a week ago. The robot said I would receive a reply soon. I have not. Meet commitments or don't make them.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
I selected Sunpower for my Solar project. These panels appeared to be of higher quality and appear to have a longer lasting product w higher efficiency over its lifetime. So far they appear to be producing power as advertised. They were a little more expensive than other brands but I chose a higher quality product for our needs.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
We live in an evacuation zone. With COVID19 we figured we would not evacuate to a hotel or elsewhere unless we were going to take a direct hit. Investigated a generator but our proximity to the ocean affected the life cycle and a generator would only be used if we lost power. Have solar hot water that was installed by Solar Fit 1w years ago and have had no problems. Contacted them after hearing on the radio that a battery backup would handle power outages. While more expensive than a generator the solar panels and Powerwall battery backup would be functioning on a daily basis reducing my electric bill and be a backup should power be lost.
Solar Fit did the installation in 3 1/2 days and they were great. There was a slight delay before full turn on waiting for FPL to swap out the meter. Once that happened the system was turned on the next day and has been functioning tremendously since. The solar panels and Powerwall can be monitored via apps. On fully sunny days the system provides 55-65 kwh. On the stormiest day since installation it provided 35 kwh. Totally satisfied with the system.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
I had an existing SunPower system on my roof, enjoyed the benefits for 7+ years. Expanded the SunPower installation, to achieve a $0 true up. Now, I can only see 1 system. Received the run around as to why, and latest is >3 week open case for DB team to resolve some issue... Will be happy when I can see a consolidated summary of my 2 sets of SunPower panels.
Hello Mike, we value your business and would like to discuss your monitoring needs further. Please send me a private message with your contact information so that we may contact you.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
There were a few factors that went into my decision to convert to solar energy: PG&E was allowed to pass the cost of the lawsuits brought about by years of mismanagement onto ratepayers; the cost for electrical service was constantly rising; and I wanted to make a difference for the environment. I reviewed solar installers as well as solar panels. I was impressed by the performance of SunPower's panels and their warranty. I've had them for a year and am very happy with my decision.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
I went solar because I wanted to modernize our home and save money. The investment in SunPower will provide long term savings, compared to other panels. If you compare the long term savings, SunPower is by far the best investment! There is a 25 year warranty, not just on panels, but all of the components on the roof... and no labor or shipping cost like many other component manufacturers.
Reviewed Sept. 15, 2020
We live in an isolated area and have frequent power outages. Our only source of water comes from a well which is powered by an electric pump. Also, my husband requires the use of a CPAP for medical issues. For these reasons we obtained a SunPower system to make sure that when the power is off we are safe and secure in our home for required electrical needs.
Reviewed Sept. 11, 2020
I'm friends with a guy who does solar energy systems for a living. He educated me on the process and gave me a soft pitch. I said, "This is a no-brainer." It makes sense. It compelled me to start looking into solar energy. It builds equity on your home, makes us our own utility company in effect after so many years. My decision to go solar has been amazing. It was such a good experience with SunPower. The product sells itself. More people should do it if they own their home. They've done such a good job that I’ve referred two people to them. They gave me a good finance plan and explained everything.
Our salesman was awesome. He wasn't pushy and was super knowledgeable. It really was about the sales guy 'cause that's the first impression. I said, "This is a guy I could trust." We let him into our home. I had asked him questions and everything came back like A plus positive. My friend who does solar energy systems said his company is better but it boiled down to product efficiency and it was just as far as like financing. My friend wanted to charge me 6%. SunPower did half that and that makes a huge difference when you're going from 10 to 30 years. Their payment was the same, but then you mark in the interest. I had an amazing experience with SunPower.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2020
I got tired of hearing about what we're doing to the environment. I was trying to figure out what I could do to change it and I came up with going solar. I went with SunPower and so far, I'm pretty satisfied with my decision. But right now, they are having some glitches and Con Edison seems to be billing me. And it looks like I didn't use up as much as I generated last month, so I have to check with them and see what's going on. I spoke with somebody last Friday and he called back again a few times today trying to clear this up. They're pretty professional and they certainly seem to want to fix the problem.
Other than that, I dealt with a regular guy when I started out with them and he laid out what they do, how everything works, how much I was likely to save and what government subsidies there are. The tax credits come at the end of the year and they said they are going to send me forms for real estate taxes and for federal taxes. We'll see how that works out. The installers were great as well and I liked them. They worked well together, seemed friendly, and happy. At some point, they had to turn off the electricity, so they ran a line and sockets I could plug into so I could run my TV, the internet, and my wife's computer because she uses a computer a lot. Everything was professional and they installed a new meter two day after the job was complete.
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2020
Although my panels work well, after the initial installation, I was having problems deciphering the monitoring system. A SunPower technical agent discovered that the monitoring system had NOT been installed correctly and was NOT providing me with accurate readings. This led to confusion and an inability to verify my usage and production. The company in New Mexico that did the initial installation is no longer in business. SunPower no longer has any installers in New Mexico so they referred me to another solar company not affiliated with them. They agreed to provide the fix, but I had to pay for the re-installation of the monitoring system in March 2020.
After contacting SunPower they agreed to reimburse me after my explanation. After many discussions with SunPower, I submitted my claim for $316.29 on May 1, 2020. It is now September of 2020 and after many conversations with phone support, I still have not been reimbursed for my outlay of money. No one at SunPower is disputing that the reimbursement is a legitimate claim under the initial warranty, but they just do not send me a check. I have found no way to contact a management representative since they refer all calls to their customer support service each time I call. I have not received any response as to the status of my claim and this is the only remedy that I have come up with. If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate the help. Thank you. Nancy S
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2020
Our house is really old. We had an aging roof and we didn't go solar earlier because we weren't financially prepared to replace the roof. It was kind of silly to put solar up then have to replace your roof two years later. So, when we became financially able to afford it, we did both at the same exact time. I contacted a bunch of different dealers, had them come out and give me quotes. Then, we ended up going with SunPower because of their ratings. Also, a bunch of my friends have used their panels as well who had nothing but good luck with them. Aside from that, we went with SolarTech because the roofing package that they put together was better than anybody else's.
The rep, Brad, was amazing. He did a really good job in walking us through everything that we needed to do and even after the fact, he was always available for a phone call or would send me an email telling me the process or how it would be handled. So, we didn't have any hiccups at all with everything from start to finish. The installation of the roof took four days, then the solar panels were put on three weeks later and that took one day. So, it was a total of five days of construction, but the whole process was over the course of about a month. They also offered financing through SunPower Systems with a company called Mosaic that works directly with SunPower. So, I financed the whole thing.
The panels themselves are nice to look at. They all have black edges and I have a very dark gray roof, so they all blend together. Also, the interface on your phone when you're looking at your stuff is very simple to use, very seamless, and very easy. Plus, I just got a letter in the mail yesterday from the company that thanked me for choosing them and hoped that we were satisfied. So, it was nice that a manufacturer is as involved as they are to be able to send out stuff to you and thanking you for choosing them.
Recently, we were out of town in Arizona for four days, so the whole time, the panels were pretty much putting money into our bank account with San Diego Gas and Electric. Once we came back home, it'd been really hot here in Southern California, so we were running our air conditioner and we didn't feel as bad about running it because we already accrued some dollars in the account. So, we'll see nine months from now when we get our balance statement from the electric company how it all works. But so far, so good.
All in all, anyone who wants to go solar should do research. My brother-in-law just put in panels into his house and the panels were not good at all. But he went with the very first contractor that came out and gave him a bid. The panels that I have cost the same amount of money as his panels, except I'm getting a longer warranty. Plus, customer service is better built in the United States versus in other parts of the country, so you're giving jobs back to America when you go with SunPower. Then, if you are going to replace your roof, it's better to do it all at once with one company because they warranty the entire thing versus having to go with separate companies.
Reviewed Sept. 8, 2020
Enrolling with SunPower was smooth and easy. The process was fast and simple, plus their reps were polite. So far, I'm very satisfied with going solar. We got our first PG&E bill, but that's not truly reflective. Maybe in another 11 months, 12 months, we'll be able to see the whole picture. The permit to get the solar panels put up took too long but it finally happened. But we're still waiting for approval for the permit for the storage batteries.
We're at the two months stage for the storage batteries and just a week ago, they were talking about rolling blackout and the county wants us not only off the grid, meaning not drawing power, but to be storing power so that we could sell it back to them and there would be more power for other people or anyone who may not have it. So, I'm blaming the government. I've been in communication with SunPower Pleasanton office and they said they checked on the permit but they keep being told that it might be out in two weeks. The word that's really being used is, “soon,” and they told me that they can't do anything until they get the permit.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2020
Sunpower service is very poor and they feel not responsible once it's sold/ lease payment started. I bought a new tripoint home which is tied up with SunPower to buy mandatory. Service provider sent a mail to us with steps to activate but never works. First attempt (after 3 weeks of reported issue): They came and updated the firmware started to work partially and it will send complete generated energy to MID. We have been spent days and hours of phone calls to get second schedules (including escalated issue to management with written mails).
Second attempt (after 1 month of first attempt): They attempted to fix "energy not utilizing consumer issue" and it was asked me to verify after 24 hours of fix. But system never turn back after 24 days also. Third attempt: We completed almost month and still waiting for response from SunPower response. Scheduling will take another month after receiving service call. I never had experience this kind of worst repose and service.
Hello sudhakar, we appreciate your feedback and value your business. I've located your case and forwarded your account to our Executive Service team for resolution. Please expect a callback within the week.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2020
I called three companies and the third one was Solar Five. I didn’t like the other guys’ price so I went with Solar Five. The guy, Mark, was good too. He explained to me better than the others. I had him here and they checked my credit. After that, they applied for the permit from the town. It took almost a month but the permit was up to the town. Things are going okay so far. I don’t produce a lot though. They came about seven months ago and checked upstairs. They went up on the roof and changed some stuff but it's still the same. I have like 22 panels and we only get no more than 30-40 watts. But that was enough for me.
Reviewed Sept. 6, 2020
I was happy with the installation. It went well. Everything’s good with SunPower and I'm very satisfied in going solar.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2020
I'm really pleased about my decision to go solar. I enrolled with SunPower through Alternative Energy Systems. The experience was seamless. It was very good. AES is a little bit more expensive than everybody else but they do a really professional job. They told me when they were gonna be here, that they would be here on time and they were. They cleaned up any messes they made. They did a really fabulous job. I've looked at some installs from other people and they weren't nearly as professionally done. I have a disabled girlfriend. I used to have to pull out a generator and hook up my refrigerator and a few things for her ‘cause for her medical care, I need electricity. And having solar, with the battery system, even when they turn off the power now, I really don't care. I got a check from SunPower and from AES. I’ve shown people my system and I've talked about it with them. I told them the benefits of it versus a generator.
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2020
Enrolling with SunPower was very easy. The installation was really easy too. The crew was nice and professional. They came and got it done in a day or so. I'm completely satisfied with going solar.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2020
No one at this company cares. Our issue/concern was reported June 24, 2020. It has now been 10 weeks, and all we get is "The technical support team is monitoring your situation." We have been told for over two months our issue "has been elevated, and will be resolved very soon." Meanwhile, the Sales rep made his commission and is now gone, our Product Coordinator is gone, no one answers phones, returns Call-Back Requests, or even replies to emails. Maybe this is the way they do business in the Philippines where the Gate Keepers pick up, what do I know? It's certainly not what we were promised signing up with SunPower.
Our system is operating at 30%, at best, on days it should be well over 200%. Saving money and helping the environment was the two major reasons we signed up, and now we're losing money every day and likely not helping the environment all that much. Even the replies to these reviews are obviously automated, and like everything else with SunPower that's extremely disappointing. Stay away!
Hello Anders, I apologize for the servicing delays you've experienced. Rest assured that that all negative feedback is reviewed and escalated accordingly. Please expect a call from a member of our Executive Service team within the week.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2020
My electric bills were outrageous. It had more than doubled in less than a year and they don't give you a reason why they're going up so high. I thought it was probably time to not rely on the electric companies as much. My son went online to find a solar company and SunPower responded to us. When they came over to speak to us about it, we were pretty well set on what we were going to do.
They had to put the installation on hold because the county wouldn't let them do it during the beginning of COVID. It took a couple of months before they were able to do it. But once they started, they were in and out in the same day. It took one extra day for the electric to be finished. A week before, we had the inspection and had us hooked up. It was very quick. They were very good when they installed. My first solar bill will be the first of October. They told me my electric will now be $40 every two months plus tax, unless I need to take electricity. But I've been producing enough solar. I keep check on it.
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2020
I purchased my Sunpower solar system from Quality Home Services here in Fresno in 2014. In April 2020 my inverter stopped working. I called the local seller on May 13th. Due to Covid 19, it took 5 calls, and voice messages over a few weeks to the local seller and a few weeks more for them to set a visit but they came in the first week in June and determined I would need a new inverter but could not say when it would be installed. The failed inverter was under a 10 year warranty so I would not have to pay for it. Meanwhile the summer was heating up. Temps in Fresno CA go as high at 110 but mostly have been about 99 to 108 degrees. So AC is important. I keep the thermostat at 83 degrees so try to use it only if necessary and ran ceiling fans. I heard nothing for weeks. I made several calls to Quality Home Services in June but was repeatedly told that there was an "error in the ordering process".
I was eventually directed to call Sunpower Corporation customer service. I was given the same line. I asked what "an error in the ordering process" means. The customer service rep did not know. She could not tell me when I would be getting another inverter. Meanwhile, my solar array is making power but none of it is going into the grid to offset my use of power in this Fresno CA summer heat and my power company is telling me what my November true-up is going up and up. I kept calling and finally was told they found the exact same model of inverter I had before. On July 13th, a full 2 months later, they installed it. I asked if I would get compensation for lost power due to the inverter failure. I was told "No, we provided you with a new inverter". Then I asked if I get another 10 year warranty on this inverter. The answer is "No".
In the meantime, I had looked up this ABB Sunpower inverter and found a You Tube video showing how to fix the 0031 error that was showing on the failed inverter. What that says to me is that this is a pretty common error in this type of inverter for there to be a You Tube video produced on how to fix it. That does not bode well for the longevity of this new inverter. Unless the deficiency that causes this to happen has since been corrected in the manufacturing, the probability of this happening again is built in. I am getting the impression that support for the established Sunpower Corporation customers is not a priority for this company. They may have a solar panel that is top quality but their inverters, their customer service and their lack of clarity with customers makes them a company I will never recommend to potential new customers. And if you don't have a functioning inverter, your solar panels are useless.
Hello Karin, we appreciate your thorough feedback and apologize for the frustration you've experienced related to your failed inverter. I have confirmed that all repairs were completed and the equipment is operating as designed. Rest assured that your inverter warranty coverage will address any inverter related issues within the duration of your original warranty period. Please send me a private message if you have additional questions.
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2020
We just moved to a new house. We have nice full southern sun access all day long across the back of the house so it was a great place to put solar panels and not have to cut down trees like we did our old house. We wanted to not be as reliant on the electrical supplier and get stuck with their delivery and generations are just hmph. I was thinking about going solar and someone I knew is an electrical distributor. I asked him for recommendations and he recommended SunPower and a couple other people. I ended up going with SunPower based on the salesperson’s demo and some other details, and I'm 100% satisfied. It's a 10 out of 10. The team that came out to install did a great job. They were very quick and had everything done in a day.
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2020
My friend recommended SunPower. His wife is a research fanatic. She researched every solar place in the area and came up with Ambrose and SunPower, and I went 100% on her research. The process was excellent and we did all this in the middle of the pandemic. We had zero contact interview. The guy came out and he did the diagrams. They were super friendly. There was zero pressure on it which I really do appreciate. I don't like high pressure sales.
They mapped the house from satellite pictures. They came out, did some measurements, checked out the solar box, and gave us an estimate. Everything was perfect. They weren't trying to oversell us on anything. As a matter of fact, they were trying to kinda undersell us, but my wife loves her air conditioning so I had them throw on two more panels than they wanted to put on. We are loving it ‘cause we don't even stress on the AC. We are still using more power than we are producing right now because it's mid summer and we are running the AC, but we'll build up our banks come fall and winter and spring when we use almost no power. It's gonna be more than equal out. Right now, if we were paying the electric bill, it would be about $500 a month, and we're paying $200 for our solar so we're ahead of the game. It’s saving us a bunch of money and it screws over PG&E.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2020
I was paying too much on my electric bill that’s why we decided to change to solar and we are very happy we got Precis Solar. They were wonderful. They were very nice and professional. We started in March but with the virus, they stopped doing it. We also had a little problem with the electricity that the station didn't pass and finally we got it in June. I pay 158 versus 500 that I have the three months pay on the electricity so it's a lot of change.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2020
We decided on SunPower panels in 2016, to save money. In 2018, we worked with Zach, at Freedom Solar Power, to determine what we needed. As I approached retirement, we refinanced our home. In 2019, a great crew of young men, with Freedom Solar Power installed our 36, E20-327, panels in three days. In the last 12 months with TXU as our provider, we have had five billings totaling less than $260, whereas our monthly electrical ranged from $200 to 400. Our next plan is to install a battery backup system. I believe that SunPower products are the best on the market and that Freedom Solar Power did an excellent job of representing their product.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2020
I've used solar since 2010, so I'm very familiar with quality panels. Guess what? Sunpower 415s. With inverter built right on back of panels work fantastic. Good clean work, no hard wiring can be seen like other solar companies. I'd recommend Freedom Solar hands down...
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2020
My brother had a SunPower system and I liked the install on it. It looked nice and clean. With the way the world's going, thought it might be safer locking in the price with solar. But it could’ve been a bad decision at this point. Some guy went with a different company and he got 10 panels more than me, and he's only paying 140 a month and I'm paying 120. On top of that, sometimes my electric bill is only $50 a month in the wintertime, and the gas bill goes up. So I'm gonna be paying more in the wintertime than I was paying before. When I had electricity, my bill was only $50 a month in the winter but now I gotta pay 120 a month.
I have had app issues. After they installed it, I looked at the app to see how the system was doing while I was at work and it showed I wasn't getting any power. So I called SunPower and they looked it up. They said, “No, you're getting power. Our app, for some reason, it's a known issue that sometimes it says delayed information.” The information ain’t getting from the tower and they said it's been going on for a while. But nobody ever told me about that. It's been working a lot better lately though.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
My Sunpower PV system installed by EcoSolar just totally failed on us on Aug 3. It is a total disappointment on a very expensive investment. Called EcoSolar multiple times. First two calls they had checked remotely and send time a technician came and said had to call Sunpower. Called and email but no reply ever since. Counting on day 5 now. Seems like they are totally ignoring us. Every day the PV is out we are left to pay the cost of electricity. Ecosolar supposedly are master installers but horrible with taking care of existing customers. We would like some advice in how to fix this issue.
Hello Yasu, we appreciate your detailed feedback and apologize for your unpleasant service experience. Please expect a call from a SunPower Executive Service Specialist to discuss your concerns.
Respectfully,Jay Naidoo
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
This was a no brainer after reading the data on the panels and seeing the quality of the work done for installations. These are industry leading panels and high quality installation. Very happy with their production, the look on the house, and the money in my pocket each month.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
This system replaced a Schuco system that was 12 years old. My roof was struck by lightning and needed to be replaced. Given the 18 year life expectancy of the Schuco system, I decided to donate the old system to Habitat for Humanity and install a new system. I'm a retired Mechanical Contractor and I built the first "Green Home" in my home town, I knew what I was looking for in a replacement solar system. It came down to Trinity Solar, or Sunpower thru Savkat Solar. Sunpower by far had the better product after researching the specs.
The system has been active now for two months now and has been performing perfectly. Everyone in Connecticut was "Shocked" when we received our July Eversource power bill that had a large rate increase without their announcing it. We now have the highest utility rates in the continuous U.S. What a great time to have actually have a lower utility bill with the 9KW Sunpower system ~vs.~ the older 7KW Schuco system comparing last July's bill to last month's bill. A special thanks to Steve Salansky, the owner of Savkat Solar who knew his product and answered all the questions I asked. I would highly recommend Savkat Solar to others. There are a lot of Solar companies in Connecticut, It pays to know the quality of the product your investing in, in order to realize the duration of your financial return.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
We recently chose to go with SunPower for their superior workmanship in their panels over all of their competitors. We were looking for environmental solutions to help save the earth's natural resources and help us save money over the long run. TayCo Electric & Solar did the installation. They were efficient, professional, and did a remarkable job. Even the inspector was impressed on the neatness of the installation. And Whitney was awesome to work with, keeping us apprised of where we were during the process at all times. I would highly recommend these 2 partners together for your solar needs!
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2020
We decided to install a grid-tie system in order to lower our carbon footprint, reduce our electricity costs over a 10 year period, and protect ourselves somewhat from the rapidly rising cost of PG&E's power. We did a careful economic analysis and the system that Sunpower installed has met those expectations. Our Sunpower installer, Solar Technologies did a great job of planning and installation. They were very flexible and communicative. All in all it was a rewarding and satisfying process. One unexpected benefit is that the panels act as a radiant heat barrier and my garage is now a lot cooler in the summertime.
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