Sunrun

I would never recommend anyone to go solar with sunrun. It has been a nightmare of an experience dealing with the sunrun customer service. All they did was lie throughout the installation process. They left a gaping hole on the roof and told me there was nothing wrong with the roof. After showing the photo, they changed their story suggesting they would have fixed it anyway even though they claimed everything was ok. They told me i would get a free Nest upon install. It never showed up. Its been over 6 months now and still nothing. They claim they forgot since its not regular procedure for them even though they offered the Nest to me. They had promised me a 10% costco cash card and nothing to date… six months later. They told me it was sent to a wrong address which was weird since all their correspondence and the installation was at the correct address. Through the installation process, the communication was horrible. One person called to say the site survey needed to be redone while another person called to suggest everything was fine. When i asked how the city passed the inspection with a hole in the roof, they told me the city inspector and sunrun inspector didnt climb the roof to check the solar install. Not sure what they looked at and passed the installation? When asked about the PTO application, i was told it was already submitted. I called the utility company and they told me they didnt receive anything. When i confronted sunrun, they claimed something went wrong in their system and the application didnt get submitted. It seems everything that could go wrong went wrong with my install and still not fixed…6 months later. I complained all the way up but no one seems to care about the issues I brought to their attention. The sales rep, Jay Hermon, keeps saying this is not normal for the company yet they don’t make it right for me. Lies and miscommunication throughout the process! I could write a book about everything that went wrong with the install and how not to treat its customers. Not sure what it will take to get the attention of key decision makers at the company… perhaps this post might make a difference. I would stay away from these guys for your solar needs. If i could, i would give them zero stars!

Our experience with Sunrun has been nothing short of frustrating and incredibly disappointing with regards to their customer engagement. They don’t listen to their customers, they are not accountable for missing a mark, and their system builds are designed for minimal investment by SR for optimal margins on the installation. Period.
We met with SR during a remodel and explained we were adding +1000 sq feet and 3 additional members to the household. We also called out that the PGE bill, which is what SR uses to determine usage and system size requirements, reflected the usage of the «bachelor» that lived in the house prior to the remodel and that the system design would need to account for the additional 3 people’s usage.
The solar system was to produce enough for a total cost offset of 48% annually.
So in our head we were eager to see an almost 50% reduction in anticipated costs in 2013!
Wrongo! The savings analysis indicated that our overall usage increased in 2013 by 6,346 kWh (2013 – 2014) to 18,107 kWh. That’s when this all began and we realized they installed a system sized for the «bachelor’s PGE bill» rather than the expanded usage model of adding the 3 additional household members that we had advised them about.
The next year our usage DECREASED from 18,107 kWh to 15,265 kWh but this was still a higher amount than what the solar system was designed to offset against. The decrease was due to swapping almost every light bulb in the house to LED, driving a significant «flip it off» campaign amongst the family, and numerous concerted efforts to reduce our burn rate.
Ultimately, our usage (from bachelor to full family) has decreased the overall offset from 48% to 31% (2013 – 2014) and reduced from 48% to 37% (2014 – 2015).
«So the easiest way to increase the savings of the solar system is to reduce the amount of energy that we are using to the annual total of 11,761 kWh.» …Really???
So Sunrun’s grand guidance, after helping us «understand» why we’re not achieving the savings we had originally been told we could achieve, is that we need to invest in ANOTHER entire system, to accomodate the another 11K kWh (the original bachelor usage!)
Perhaps Sunrun didn’t even install a system that could achieve the projected results!

It’s been a real roller coaster with Sunrun under this location. There were so many mistakes from sales, to process, to install and post install. They don’t seem to really be honest and caring to make it a smooth process. I read the reviews, but the Costco deal seems so good, but unfortunately it’s getting what you paid for (mainly in the service). It was so bad, they make a mistake on my design and order. Then I was promise a complete followup and push through of getting my system up and running after install (been two weeks+). Jay the general manager does not reply to my emails or calls. Anthony O. the sales guy is off the grid now with my text, emails and calls. He would reply right away before contract and install. It’s sad that they could be getting 5 stars from me, but they just seem not to really care about customers enough. The install guys keep thinking my system is a lease vs purchase. Does it matter? yes, apparently if it’s a lease they do whatever job to get it up and running. I really hate how they keep mistaking my system is a lease vs purchase. It really matter as i do want white gloves on my install as i pay for it and want it install to the T. Anyhow, seating and waiting for next steps with my solar system doing nothing at this moment. Not sure when anyone will ever call me to get it completed. Thinking of calling Costco to make a complaint.

I’m talking to various installers now and SunRun is first company I immediately eliminated.
Pro: they were very fast responding to online request and scheduling in-​person meeting.
Cons:
— instead of 30 min meeting they promised it took 1.5 hrs.
— when meeting was scheduled I explained that I already have done research and have several quotes and not looking for general explanation of how solar works. Instead I’m looking for design and quote (and, as part of that would tolerate sales pitch, if needed). I explicitly asked if they will go to my roof to confirm what they can do — they confirmed that. First thing they did when arrived to my house was to say they will not go to the roof.
— as result, working with the software and images only, they built system, which was over-​sized and inefficient (by at least 20% percent). And, as result, way overpriced.

The last two months have been a nightmare working with Sunrun! My advice is stay as far from them as you can. They say all the right things thru the signup process, but then it all falls apart. They do not return any phone calls, all goes thru e-​mail, but even that was sketchy. When I received their contract and read it, there were many areas in where what they had said was not what the contract said. So I questioned it, just wanting some clarification. My salesman finally was told by his boss that I should just chg the contract and initial it. Which I did, however, I could never get them to acknowledge the changes and sign off on them. Instead they changed the contract and then wanted me to sign the new contract, when I requested the prior changes be incorporated into the new contract, again I was ignored. I started this process on July 16^th and finally today on Sept 16^th, I canceled the whole program. The last time I heard from them was two weeks ago, even though the contracts were signed (I signed the hard copy with the changes incorporated), the permits were obtained, the credit was approved etc. They continued to stall. I think that they were hoping I would give up and just cancel instead of them having to have some integrity and follow up with a client. I started this process because I had retired (finally) and wanted to reduce electrical costs as well as help the environment. It has been such a nightmare, I am not sure if I want to start all over at this point. The silly thing is that it was simple changes. Like the contract said you had 10 days from signing to cancel, but they «said» you could cancel up until installation in California. I cant be the only one who read the contract… Run from Sunrun!

Not only is my rate with Sunrun higher than Tier 3 rate from PG&E, when I contact them, they tell me that «As you know, the amount of money you save depends on many factors, including solar production, the number of
sunny days, the rates set by your local utility company, and your own electricity usage, and for this reason, Sunrun cannot
guarantee savings of any amount»
And for a 3 – 4 cents reduction in rate, I will have to agree to the following draconian terms:
«In return for this Rate Modification, you agree to release both Sunrun and PetersenDean from any claims, debts, actions,
causes of action, liability, demands, damages, and losses of whatever kind or nature, in law or in equity, known or unknown,
suspected or unsuspected, that are based on any acts, omissions, events, or circumstances that occurred or arose on or
before the date you sign this letter, regardless of when they become known to you (hereinafter, „Release“). This Release
shall not apply to any claims that are based on future events. You further agree that to the extent you are waiving „unknown“ claims you expressly waive any protection against such
waivers provided by Section 1542 of the California Civil Code, which provides: A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO
CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING
THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE
DEBTOR.»
I am no lawyer but my advice to everyone is to stay away from Sunrun. There are other options out there.

This is the most incompetent, shady, and infuriating company I’ve had to deal with in the last few years. Boy, I’m not even sure where to start. But if you don’t read any further, just know this — STAY AWAY.
1) Customer service. Horrible. They don’t answer calls, texts … and when they do, they make false promises. I had an agent after multiple phone calls apologize for the painful process and lack of communication, and promise that everything will be «smooth from here on out.» Guess what … it wasn’t. After showing up to do the install, they call me at noon to say the roof isn’t suitable for install … and promptly pulled the plug and left (more below in #3).
2) Competency. Totally incompetent folks. As an example, we had to re-​do the pricing multiple times because of mistakes they made on their end. They would quote me $X but then it would be $Y when the contract came through. If I didn’t read carefully, I would have been cheated out of hundreds if not thousands of $.
3) Following through. They don’t keep their word. After weeks/​months of discussing pricing, timing, # panels … AND doing a roof assessment where they send «experts» to evaluate the feasibility of an install, they finally show up at my house to do the work. After 3 hours, I get a call at work that they can’t do the install and have to cancel the entire project. Why? … apparently, my roof isn’t suitable for panels. BUT, they did the assessment audit, and put me through the ringer to finally get my signature on a contract. And, after drilling holes in my roof and garage (to install the inverter), they promptly cancel and leave.
I’m going to find a lawyer and see if there is legal recourse for me here. I’m leaving this review here as, similar to other customers here, I feel compelled to let other know that this company is a sham. I’m surprised they even rise to their current 3-​star level. In a world of options, you want to go with competent, honest people you can trust. These folks are none of those. Stay away!

My solar installation was done by REC about 7 years ago and I have nothing but praise for them. The system was installed perfectly and has performed very well. That said, Sunrun customer service, which started out OK with a reasonable first attempt at a website, has deteriorated to the point that I feel compelled to warn others about them.
When I call customer service, I feel like I’m talking with a teenager that neither understands the issues nor cares at all about resolving them. The web site service portal is just as bad. Problems posted are closed long before they are resolved, leaving me in the dark as to whether they are being handled.
When my meter needed replacing, it took many weeks and communication attempts to get it handled. The issue was handed off from department to department as if they had never seen it before. When the service person finally came out to replace the meter, it was clear that it was a routine issue that was well known to them.
The website, while looking prettier, continues to deteriorate in the ability to track and analyze my production history. Furthermore, when my obsolete and malfunctioning meter was recently replaced, my entire history disappeared from the website and it is unclear if it will ever come back. One person said no, while another said 4 weeks ago that it would be done in about 2 weeks. Now he is saying he doesn’t know when the technical people will do it.
They were washing my panels yearly per promises they had made and which were confirmed to me in subsequent communications as a grandfathered service. Then they unilaterally decided to stop this service with no consideration given, denying that the commitment had ever been made.
I could go on and on, but I can no longer recommend Sunrun until they get their customer service issues under control. I hope that the REC part of the company is still performing to their prior standards and that they have not been dragged down as well.

Sunrun crew great job… workmanships, installations to education of having solar panels was a wonderful experience… highly recommended to all homeowners seeking to have solar. Thank you Kenneth

Sunrun… Great Job. The purchase and financial portion through the HERO program were a breeze. I’ve looked at a number of solar companies including the large nemes a a few mom and pop companies.
Sunrun offered the largest system of everyone at the best price.
The install crew was on time, prepared and ready to work. The inverter install is neat clean and tucked cleanly in the garage. Thanks to Todd. The panels are aligned neatly in a row on three areas of each roof, with the conduit tucked away from view.
As of now we are 100 percent satisfied and waiting for pge to come by and switch out our meter to a net meter.
The true test will come once we are on line generating power.
Great job and 5 stars to sunrun out of dublin.

I was pleased to see that Costco was allowing REC Solar to solicit within the Costco store, so after having other favorable contractor experiences working through Costco I signed up to get a solar installation estimate on my home. Making the arrangements was at first easy, but when I tried to call and confirm the appointment, nobody was available. Nobody at REC Solar would answer their phone for three days and I called four or five people starting with the rep that I met in Costco, then with the names of sales reps that I found on-​line. I finally had to send the company an email explaining how I had been trying to contact them and that they should call me or email me back with the appointment confirmation or I will consider the appointment canceled. Finally a REC Solar representative sent me a reply and confirmed the appointment. I left work early to meet him at the house. When he got there he began pitching the solar lease process over the ‘own your own system’, and when I expressed interest in owning my own system & getting the tax credit he guy completely shut down and showed no interest in continuing. This guy (Gary Silverman) was suppose to give me an estimate, yet he took no pictures, took no measurements, didn’t seem to know anything about the performance or specs of the solar panels they install, and really couldn’t answer any of my questions. His appointment was a complete waste of my time and his, and he never did follow up with an estimate. I called the company to inquire and inform them of the unprofessional conduct, but it fell on deaf ears.
REC Solar is only interested in having their ‘customers’ (i.e., victims) allow them to install a system that they own and then get paid the utility bill. They want to control your cost for electricity and they want to be the middle man between you and PG&E. Costco should be ashamed to allow these guys to operate within their stores. These guys appear to be more of a scam than a legitimate business. In short I summarize my experience as simply bad; poor coduct on their part, lack of responsiveness, no follow through, and just overall unprofessional behavior. Best of luck to REC Solar (they are going to need it), and beware to anyone considering using them.

I am quite pleased with the with my REC experience. From the beginning, the Sales Rep took the time to explain everything to us in as much detail as we requested. The signing of the contract was accomplished via the Internet, no need to make any other appointments to waste any time waiting on each other. All other scheduled meetings and noted time frames were met. The installation of my system was started and completed on schedule without any modifications.
The Installers were a three man crew that appears to have worked together for some time, everyone knew what their job was and did it with great professionalism, they didn’t ‘putz’ around at any time. They arrived everyday at the designated time and started working immediately. When they left for the day, everything was clean and tidy, no debris or supplies laying about.
As this installation crew is from San Jose and I am in San Francisco, they were not aware of foundation configuration in some San Francisco homes. This became apparent when they attempted to install the 8 foot copper grounding rod through the garage floor. The concrete drill bit that they had was too short, a four foot long drill bit was required for full penetration. Fortunately, I had access to the required drill bit and we did not lose any time making a trip out to locate the proper tool. This is by no means a ‘slam’ on the Installers. This is just one of those unforeseen detail working in a different county with different regulations. The Installers took this issue as a learning experience and will have the proper drill bit for future work in San Francisco. And, Yes, I would gladly have this installation team to do any future work on my property.
The only disappointment with my solar energy system was the lack of available UV rays during the months of November thru March 7, the date of this review and maybe a bit beyond. But then again, it was explained in the very beginning not to expect a surplus of energy generated during the winter months.

I am going to have to at least warn people to be prepared for something with REC. They base there decision to come out or not on Google maps. So if Google shows trees at you neighbors house, etc., then REC doesn’t bother wasting their time giving you a free evaluation. They instead call the night before and talk their way out of the appointment! Kind of a waste of my time for me in this instance, but whatever. I will still do my own solar at a fraction of REC’s cost.

We had a mixed experience with REC Solar. The start of the process was great — the salesman we worked with — Ben — was a real professional; no hard-​sell, just clear explanations, useful information and readily available to help us through the process. The end of the process has also been great: REC delivered a system that works just as promised and our home (in a foggy neighborhood in SF) has had a negative PG&E bill so far for every month since it was installed.
The middle of the process, however, was not ideal. We had initially planned to lease the system through Sunrun, but quickly found that trying to reach anyone at Sunrun was like trying to get through some massive corporation where you can’t reach anyone without waiting on hold for 20 minutes. I was told that they would soon be increasing their customer service staffing, but I wasn’t willing to bank on that. So we decided to get a home equity loan and do an outright purchase.
On the day the job was supposed to begin, the crew stood us up with no phone call. We had been told by the REC scheduler that we should plan to be home to meet them, but when we called to see where they were, we were informed that it had only been a «suggestion» that we take the day off work to meet them! (To their credit, they did ultimately compensate us with a nice gift card for our hassle). When a new date was set to begin, the crew that showed up did not inspire confidence; they had been given the wrong installation plans, and the foreman told us that he didn’t want to be working on a non-​union job like this, but that this was better than having to steal to feed his family (there are not any in-​between options?). But once they got the correct plans, the work was done well and without further glitches.
In summary: I am glad we have solar and REC delivered a nice system for us at a competitive price. But I had hoped this would feel like doing business with a cutting edge company with futuristic and smooth installation process, but instead some key parts of it felt like all of the usual hassles one has in dealing with home contractors.

I contacted REC Solar as well as two Sunpower dealers and got proposals from all three. REC Solar did not bother to send someone who had technical training and could do a site assessment. REC Solar wanted $ 1000 up front to do a site assessment which the two Sunpower dealers did at no charge before preparing a proposal.
With REC Solar I questioned the configuration and panels used and I was told to take it or leave it, end of «discussion». I felt like I was dealing with a used car dealer. With this level of support prior to the sale I was not going to trust them with my house and post sale support after they got my check.
They also were ready to proceed with no discussion of how to best do the installation and location of the inverter and how the stand-​offs would affect the weather tightness of my roof or how to replace the roof 10 years later without a lot of extra expense to remove the panels, re-​roof, and then reinstall the panels.

We talked about installing solar panels once we moved into our new home and so we did a lot of research about the systems, the benefits, etc. etc. We met with several solar companies whose bids were similar, but we were not comfortable moving ahead with the companies we interviewed. I saw a blurb for REC solar in the Costco magazine and we made an appointment with them to provide a bid.
We did not have a «history» of electrical usage as we have not been in our house for a year. What we did know was we wanted to install solar panels for environmental reasons, as well as cutting out PG&E to the extent we could.
From start to finish, REC Solar personnel were professional, courteous and interested in what we wanted, not pushing their product or services. One of the quotes we got was for a 21 panel system which we thought was a bit much. The REC Solar’s proposal was for 9 panels, with room to expand if necessary. What a difference!
The project manager contacted us via email almost immediately once we signed the contact, and she kept us informed as to what was happening on a regular basis. They were able to install the system earlier than anticipated and the crew that handled the installation was super. The crew arrived a bit later than expected but stayed until close to 8 pm that night to make up for time missed. They worked hard, cleaned up after themselves and arrived at before 8 am on day two. Our dog does not normally care for males she doesn’t know but she liked the REC Solar guys so much she greeted them when they arrived the second day.
It took less than two full days to install the system. REC Solar handled everything from SJ Planning permits, to inspections, to rebate forms being filed on time. We can track our system energy generation on our computer but… and this is unbelievable… PG&E cannot install a smart meter so we can track our usage on line. They installed a «net energy meter» which means someone has to manually read the meter every month. Rather archaic, in my humble opinion.
We were disappointed when it rained for a few days but as soon as the sun came out we started generating electricity. One day, we generated enough to power two houses for a day. Needless to say, we are happy solar users and very happy we chose REC Solar for the job.

I just finished having my second home solar PV system installed and can’t say enough good things about REC Solar, their leasing partner, SunRun, and the great staff. My first project 3 years ago in Belvedere was done by a different company which shall remain nameless. It was not a good experience, but I love the solar PV concept so much I decided to try it again when I moved to Novato. What a difference REC brought to the job:
They were the most well informed from the sales manager, Jay Hermon, to the project coordinator, Lauren Cobb, and down to the boots on the ground, led by Tim Lampson, who actually was on my roof for a week doing a beautiful installation that blends perfectly into my Spanish style rooftop. His team was extremely competent and careful. They placed cardboard on the driveway to prevent oil stains from their truck getting onto my tiled turn-​around and then returned to the job site after the installation to repair tiles broken by their ladders. No one but these guys knew about the tiles that were broken and replacing them was a terrific sign of their compulsive work ethic.
On the sales end, Jay was able to present the SunRun option so that leasing became a no-​brainer for those of us with no need for additional tax credits. He was also able to explain the vagaries and incongruous behavior of PG&E so that I now understand their corrupt culture and phony advertising campaign. I was shocked to find out that despite all their promotion of Smart Meters, when you actually have one, it does not work with solar so there is no website connection to monitor your reduced bills and energy production. Fortunately, SunRun has a great site and so does the monitoring company, Tigo Energy so you can see your production almost instantaneously on line.
Finally, I must disclose that two of my neighbors are also using REC Solar and we hope to consider them for our HOA, which has a large community pool/​spa complex that could use some relief from PG&E’s rates. As an HOA board member out here in Novato and in the City, I hope to bring REC in on more projects in the future.

Disappointed with execution and followup. Very expensive system, with no followup to make sure the system was to my satisfaction and running as promised was a huge let down. Shadows are a huge no no on the panels, when i mentioned they did not place the panels correctly, they could care less, with no one coming out to see what was going on.
I am located in Morgan Hill, CA

Long story short: I researched and reviewed about 10 Bay Area solar companies and had 5 come out and do site evaluations and provide us with quotes.
I ended up going with REC Solar and couldn’t be happier. Their team, from the project managers to the installers, were all very curious and willing to do what I asked to ensure a happy install. They even went above and beyond in a few cases and saved me a TON of headache and potentially thousands more $$ by helping me resolve some problems not associated with their system.
I’ve got a TON of detail in two blog posts. Just Google nifty-​stuff bay area solar and you can read very detailed information about why I chose REC as well as all the steps in the process towards getting 18 PV modules cranking out power on my roof!
What’s interesting is that I started my search for local solar companies here on Unilocal and messaged a bunch of peeps that had solar installed by other companies. I’m happy to pay it forward, so if you have any questions about REC, my review, or the solar install process, feel free to shoot me a message.

Very good project. Accomodated all wishes and beat the price.
They took care of all the needs from design to execution.
I’m definitely a happy customer.