Direct Energy Solar

Engaged several Solar companies for competitive bidding. Direct Energy Solar won the bid. After wasting 6 weeks, they realized they would need another $ 5,000 to do the job (is that called bait & switch?). They did not do their Due Dil on the job. When they backed out, they sited section 5 of their contract.
5. Site Conditions/​Preparations. If after the Installation has commenced, Direct Energy Solar discovers unanticipated site conditions that will increase the cost to perform the Installation, at Customer’s choice, (a) Direct Energy Solar may unilaterally rescind this Contract with no liability to Direct Energy Solar whatsoever and Direct Energy Solar shall refund all deposits paid to Direct Energy Solar reduced by any expenses actually incurred; or {b) if Customer and Direct Energy Solar agree, the Contract price may be renegotiated to reflect the true cost of the Installation. Customer is responsible for removing and replacing appliances, floor coverings,
and any other obstacles or hazards required to perform the Installation. Direct Energy Solar is not responsible for replacement of or damage to these items if they are removed by Direct Energy Solar.
Devil is in the details… still waiting for my $ 1000 deposit, but expecting they will deliver, sooner or later (I hope sooner).

I purchased a solar system from Direct Energy, having got to direct energy really on an install price/​kilowatt type. In that sense, Direct Energy was a leg up in terms of their peers on value, and a value installer is what you’re getting. I thought the warranty was acceptable, the fact that DE employees do all the work was another positive, and the design team seemed to have the right tools and ask the right questions. I’ll break up each part of the schedule and review it separately.
Sales experience — no pressure, done at my time at my residence. They were located in Corona which makes it a hardship to serve SD while they were building an office down here. They didn’t make it my problem, met at times that were convenient for me and addressed follow-​up questions by email nearly immediately. I received a bid in January, worked through some questions and accepted my bid Feb 2^nd and was told a 10 week lead time to release of system is normal for SD. Doing the math, targeting mid-​April, May 1^st worst case.
The installation is where my experience went iffy, as there were several issues between DE and SDG that I had to get involved with as the homeowner. Further, I really wanted a timeline with task ownership from my PM, something I never did get. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for accountability on a $ 30K job but I digress. Anyway, the design of my system was completed mid Feb and everything appeared to be on track until SDGE told DE the soonest they could do the panel hook up was April 29^th. There goes my 10 weeks already! Its really shocking that a company as big as DE doesn’t have a better relationship with the local utility.
So, we’re cruising toward April 29^th and want to get the panels put on just before then as to not accumulate any undue wear and tear, the installers show up leave the job half done after a day and leave a bunch of garbage, receipts and cigarette butts at my house. WTF! I live near an open canyon! Not cool. Then April 29^th rolls around, we get the hook-​up done, then the city comes and inspects and we’ve got another issue, an element was missing in the design for fire safety so we have to incur that delay and subsequent re-​inspection. Its now early/​mid May, the system is installed, panels are up, electrical is done and we have another delay waiting for final inspection. The response I got from my PM was ‘it is what it is’ and he didn’t once let me know he was looking and no update. I emailed him weekly from May 7^th until the inspection was completed on June 2. System was released to me and turned on June 4, 18 weeks after I accepted my proposal. I don’t know if the experience would have been any different with another provider but if they had told me 18 weeks upfront, I wouldn’t have signed up with DE.
I do recognize solar is a challenging situation with all the moving parts but the PMs and sales people simply need to plan better and own the lead times with the vendors if they’re going to sell a ‘turnkey’ experience. I think they also need to buy more happy hours or lunches or something with SDGE people to improve service level. Finally, I’d like to see DE put timing into the quote and offer the consumer something if there are delays beyond that. My project with a Feb 1 start date should have reflected the 9 weeks upfront scheduling with SDGE and the 30 days they have on the backend to do final inspection. That’s 13 weeks with one provider that they work with ALL THE TIME. They need to own that and not tell me 10 – 12 weeks when I sign up.
Oh, and the system works great and I’ve had no problem. I guess I expect service and what was advertised to me when I sign up for a major project with a vendor. Also, the people I dealt with were really nice and understanding, if seemingly indifferent or poisoned by the bureaucracy of dealing with city permitting offices and utility companies.

From Robert to Jonathan the crews Christopher, James, Felix, Servando, Justin, Jeramy and probably missing someone. Every employee of Astrum
Solar were very respectful of our home and polite to talk to. I highly recommend this company for anyone that is looking to go solar AAAAA+

I met with several solar companies for quotes and evaluations. I opted to go with Astrum due to their professional demeanor, the fact that their workforce are Astrum employees (they don’t subcontract their solar work) and quality of their products and installation (at least from the photos they showed me).
SCE just left my property and my panels are now saving me money! I couldn’t be more pleased with this installation. From the quality of the work (especially the electricians … best I’ve seen), to the consistent and excellent communication, to the final product.
This company is top notch in all respects and I do highly recommend them.