Putting in photo voltaic panels is attractive. You possibly can reduce excessive power payments, go inexperienced and get some fairly hefty rebates within the course of. However a number of householders say there is a soiled secret about this clear power business: It may be troublesome, if not unimaginable, to get technical issues resolved.The householders interviewed for this story all have completely different photo voltaic corporations and confronted completely different points, however all had been left at the hours of darkness for months and even years about issues plaguing their programs. They consider it is price shining a light-weight on.”I have been completely ghosted,” mentioned Massachusetts house owner Tom Lucas. “All I need is a working system. To me, though I am producing some electrical energy, it isn’t proper.”He first put in photo voltaic panels on his roof in 2018 and mentioned he initially produced extra electrical energy than he used. However 4 of his panels — 20% of his system — stopped producing energy in 2022, and that is now costing him a whole bunch of {dollars} a yr in misplaced electrical energy manufacturing.Lucas owns his system outright, but it surely got here with a 25-year “elements and labor” guarantee from his installer, locally-based Invaleon Photo voltaic Applied sciences. Regardless of that, he says they have not been capable of repair the issue. As an alternative, he believes their power is targeted elsewhere.”They seem to be a sales-oriented firm. All photo voltaic corporations are,” Lucas mentioned. “They need to promote the subsequent job. They need to get that put in and transfer on to the subsequent sale. They are not service-oriented.”Steve Pilotte was an early adopter of photo voltaic, including panels to his house again in 2009 by means of an influence buy lease settlement. Since then, he says a number of corporations obtained purchased out and transferred his lease, which left him now at Sunrun, one of many nation’s largest suppliers.Again in 2020, he began getting error messages on his inverter — which converts DC energy generated by the panels into AC energy his home can use. The messages point out some energy phases aren’t working.”Sunrun simply would not need any a part of (fixing) it,” he mentioned. “They’re going to ship me the invoice however no assist.”Initially, Pilotte says Sunrun despatched out a technician, however he could not repair it. The tech promised somebody would comply with up, however nobody ever did. Pilotte says that the identical state of affairs has been repeated yr after yr after yr.”As soon as once more, in 2022, I adopted up with them. After which 2023. And January 2024,” he mentioned. “I am completely misplaced. I’ve by no means skilled a state of affairs like this in my life.”Pilotte believes if the issue will not be fixable, Sunrun ought to let him out of the ultimate few years of his lease, since he held up his finish of the discount.”I assume if they can not repair it, and so they do not need to resolve it then yeah, simply go away,” he mentioned. “You realize, take all of it off.”Mike Rice additionally leases his photo voltaic panels at his house and pays $121 per thirty days to an organization known as Spruce Energy. At first, the addition of the panels had led to large subtractions in his Nationwide Grid payments.”In the summertime and a part of the autumn, my electrical invoice is round zero,” he mentioned.However that wasn’t the case in 2023. Regardless of guarantees by Spruce to watch his system, his web meter stopped working. Which means he stopped getting credit score for the power his panels had been producing. As an alternative, he obtained enormous electrical payments.”Nobody known as me to inform me my system is out,” Rice mentioned.He was lastly capable of get a technician out to switch the meter a number of months later however says Spruce denied him any sort of compensation for lacking the height power manufacturing months.”Not even credit,” he mentioned. “I’d simply take credit so I can offset my future payments, however they will not try this.”These males say they do not need to discourage different householders from the adoption of photo voltaic however say it is crucial to have a look at an organization’s service report when selecting a supplier.”I feel they’re extra enthusiastic about placing photo voltaic up than repairing it,” Rice mentioned.
Putting in photo voltaic panels is attractive. You possibly can reduce excessive power payments, go inexperienced and get some fairly hefty rebates within the course of. However a number of householders say there is a soiled secret about this clear power business: It may be troublesome, if not unimaginable, to get technical issues resolved.
The householders interviewed for this story all have completely different photo voltaic corporations and confronted completely different points, however all had been left at the hours of darkness for months and even years about issues plaguing their programs. They consider it is price shining a light-weight on.
“I have been completely ghosted,” mentioned Massachusetts house owner Tom Lucas. “All I need is a working system. To me, though I am producing some electrical energy, it isn’t proper.”
He first put in photo voltaic panels on his roof in 2018 and mentioned he initially produced extra electrical energy than he used. However 4 of his panels — 20% of his system — stopped producing energy in 2022, and that is now costing him a whole bunch of {dollars} a yr in misplaced electrical energy manufacturing.
Lucas owns his system outright, but it surely got here with a 25-year “elements and labor” guarantee from his installer, locally-based Invaleon Photo voltaic Applied sciences. Regardless of that, he says they have not been capable of repair the issue. As an alternative, he believes their power is targeted elsewhere.
“They seem to be a sales-oriented firm. All photo voltaic corporations are,” Lucas mentioned. “They need to promote the subsequent job. They need to get that put in and transfer on to the subsequent sale. They are not service-oriented.”
Steve Pilotte was an early adopter of photo voltaic, including panels to his house again in 2009 by means of an influence buy lease settlement. Since then, he says a number of corporations obtained purchased out and transferred his lease, which left him now at Sunrun, one of many nation’s largest suppliers.
Again in 2020, he began getting error messages on his inverter — which converts DC energy generated by the panels into AC energy his home can use. The messages point out some energy phases aren’t working.
“Sunrun simply would not need any a part of (fixing) it,” he mentioned. “They’re going to ship me the invoice however no assist.”
Initially, Pilotte says Sunrun despatched out a technician, however he could not repair it. The tech promised somebody would comply with up, however nobody ever did. Pilotte says that the identical state of affairs has been repeated yr after yr after yr.
“As soon as once more, in 2022, I adopted up with them. After which 2023. And January 2024,” he mentioned. “I am completely misplaced. I’ve by no means skilled a state of affairs like this in my life.”
Pilotte believes if the issue will not be fixable, Sunrun ought to let him out of the ultimate few years of his lease, since he held up his finish of the discount.
“I assume if they can not repair it, and so they do not need to resolve it then yeah, simply go away,” he mentioned. “You realize, take all of it off.”
Mike Rice additionally leases his photo voltaic panels at his house and pays $121 per thirty days to an organization known as Spruce Energy. At first, the addition of the panels had led to large subtractions in his Nationwide Grid payments.
“In the summertime and a part of the autumn, my electrical invoice is round zero,” he mentioned.
However that wasn’t the case in 2023. Regardless of guarantees by Spruce to watch his system, his web meter stopped working. Which means he stopped getting credit score for the power his panels had been producing. As an alternative, he obtained enormous electrical payments.
“Nobody known as me to inform me my system is out,” Rice mentioned.
He was lastly capable of get a technician out to switch the meter a number of months later however says Spruce denied him any sort of compensation for lacking the height power manufacturing months.
“Not even credit,” he mentioned. “I’d simply take credit so I can offset my future payments, however they will not try this.”
These males say they do not need to discourage different householders from the adoption of photo voltaic however say it is crucial to have a look at an organization’s service report when selecting a supplier.
“I feel they’re extra enthusiastic about placing photo voltaic up than repairing it,” Rice mentioned.
