Kristen Shares Her SunPower by Eco Solar Hawaii Experience
I’m going to gush, so this may sound fake or at least exaggerated–but if you read the other reviews, you’ll realize my experience is right in line with other people’s.
The TL;DR version is: WOW! I met with Michael French on Monday, June 14th and my solar panels and Tesla batteries were installed and working on Monday, June 28th. (Yes, two weeks later–I am absolutely blown away at the efficiency and professionalism–they weren’t cutting corners, they were just incredibly capable.) The panels are producing like crazy; the installation looks great; I am a very happy customer.
The whole long-winded story for those who are curious about the details follows:
I had SunPower panels at my former house on the mainland, and was really happy with their performance, so I had a strong bias toward SunPower. I did some searching online to find out who offered them in Honolulu, and Eco Solar came up right away. I wanted to get a few quotes for comparison, though, so I sent off late-night emails to Eco Solar and another company. Both responded quickly, which was encouraging, but after all, it’s the sales process, so companies are bound to treat you well when they’re hoping to land your business.
Michael called to set up an appointment with me and came out on the following Monday. I met with a representative from the other company later that day. I asked both to give me a rough idea of how long it would take to get the system installed. Michael said it could be as fast as three weeks (I was skeptical, but he struck me as a straight-shooter, not a glib over-promiser); the other guy said they could probably do it in about four to six months. Six months would mean not getting the tax credit for 2021, which I’d told them both was important to me–I could see the schedule potentially slipping. Also, the new place is big, and I’ve been stressing about the electric bills, knowing HECO can get really expensive.
I texted Michael the morning after our meeting to find out when he anticipated getting the quote to me, and he said he was working on the previous day’s sales calls and would have it to me that day. He met that commitment–his email came in at 10:10 a.m. And just as I was started to check it out, he called to let me know he’d sent the email–nice! The quotations–he planned out two different approaches for me–were well-thought-out and thorough, and the email had all kinds of additional information about Eco Solar, about SunPower, about their warranties, their customer service, and what to expect as far as the ongoing production over the life of the panels. There was no competition. I rarely feel as confident about making a decision as I did about this one.
At the same time, I realized these things often don’t go as smoothly as expected, and figured three weeks could easily turn into two or three months. I gave Michael the go-ahead that afternoon, and received the paperwork to review and sign Thursday morning. Another commitment met–I could get used to this! Andrea checked to see what info HECO would need, Ben checked out the roof on the 17th, and on the 18th, I was receiving copies of emails from Hawaiian Electric thanks to Chris getting things moving with them.
I figured it would be a few weeks before they could do the installation, but I was feeling pretty darned pleased with how responsive and pro-active Eco Solar had been so far. Then Michael called me on the 23rd to let me know they’d start on the 28th–exactly *two* weeks since I’d first met Michael to talk about what would work for me. How exciting!
The team showed up on time, and Gavin told they expected to finish that day. 25 SunPower panels, 2 Tesla Powerwalls–I was ready for three or four days. The team members were friendly but focused–they all hustled! Ben checked with me about two different approaches for running the conduit, explaining the options from both practical and aesthetic considerations, and before 3:00 p.m., they’d finished. Gavin walked me through the system, explaining how I’d need to keep an eye on any excess power going back into the grid after the batteries were full, because until I have a new meter from HECO, they won’t differentiate between power used and power given. (Yikes–my panels are soaking up the sun!) Michael followed up the following day, and reiterated Ben’s explanation, plus he brought his drone so I could have a video of what it looks like.
So I’m four days into the installation, and I am a very happy customer. I feel absolutely confident in Eco Solar’s ability to provide support for the system as needed. They had shockingly optimistic time estimates, and they beat them. How often do you marvel at a company for under promising and over delivering? I’m obsessively checking the production, chortling at how much power the system is generating; the app is easy and informative.
I can confidently and wholeheartedly recommend SunPower by Eco Solar.
25 sleek low-profile SPR-X22-360 WHT-AC panels with integrated micro inverters using InvisiMount racking system (edited)
Kristen C. -Urban Honolulu, HI
7/3/2021