Windfree Solar Co

Great Experience with Windfree! I had them install a pretty big system on my south facing roof this spring. The team worked quickly and professionally. They completed the job in 4 working days over a two week period. The tech will come back this week to help install the tracking app on my phone. I’m thrilled to save hundreds of dollars every month on my electric bill while reducing global warming! I highly recommend Windfree for this type of work. Edit 7/17/22 All the above still holds, but I waited three whole months to get the completed system actually crediting money to my power bill! It looks like it was a combination of ComEd and the installer doing a poor job with basic clerical tasks. I lost more than $1000 in solar power during that time, but the app on my phone looked like I was generating power. Communication from both ComEd and Windfree has been quite poor overall with just a couple of exceptions. It’s really sad that I have to drop my earlier rating to 2 stars, but Windfree didn’t make it a priority to complete my connection and communicate regularly with me.

From beginning to end Windfree was great. They recommended additional contractors when needed and worked with contractors to make sure the installation went as planned. Definitely would recommend them for solar.

Superb company. They went out of their way to get materials during this difficult supply chain time. Sales persons are very knowledgeable and helpful. Project managers were available and first rate. The installers were very professional and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend them.

I have nothing but good things to say about my experience working with Windfree Solar from beginning to end. I spent weeks/months looking into solar options from different companies from all angles (service, price, efficiency) and kept coming back to Windfree and Jack Johannesson, who patiently answered all of my questions with helpful information and didn't badger me to rush my decision. They were, quite simply, the best option and the easiest to work with. We installed a 7.48 kW Solar PV System with 22 panels on our home, because we had the room to do so. We now expect this will cover our electrical needs for the next 2 decades+ thanks to the installed system's effectiveness and the sun! If you are considering solar... give Jack and Windfree a call!

MIXED REVIEW 1. Sales: The sales experience was good; the rep was knowledgeable and responded promptly. I think the price was fair. 2. Contract: I’m not a lawyer but I’ve read through many contracts. This one seemed fair to me; I did not see any of the red flags that unfairly shift liability to the Owner. 3. Engineering: The engineering was done by a company in Utah who specializes in this field. The drawings were professional and moved through the Chicago permitting process easily. 4. Materials: I have a Solar Edge Inverter and Q-Cells, both seem to be good quality with good warranty coverage. Windfree purchases the bulk of the material through a large well-known distributor. One Issue: This distributor sent me a certified letter within a couple days of the installation stating that my property would get a lien if Windfree did not pay them. After receiving this letter, I was unable to contact anyone at Windfree for 5 days. Ultimately they got paid and I got my lien waiver but this kind of customer frustration can be avoided simply by returning messages, or better yet by providing advance warning. 5. Installation: My system was 95% installed in one day, I expected it to be much longer. The installation is done by two crews, one on the roof and an electrician installing the balance of the equipment. All in all, I think the installation went well but I think it’s important that the Owner meet with the installers, in advance, and have a thorough knowledge of that they are doing, in detail. 6. System Production: The system has been energized for a couple of months and it appears to be producing at projected levels. 7. OPERATIONS: Windfree has some issues with operations. The Customer is dealing with too many individuals. After the basic installation there were a couple of issues to be addressed. Over a period of about 6 weeks, I dealt with two electricians, one electrician’s apprentice, a supervising electrician, a service manager, an operations manager, a sales manager, a project manager, the president and the CEO (President and CEO were not at my request). The system was installed and energized, after that I was the guy nobody wanted to deal with. UPDATE: I had a good conversation with the CEO, this is a fairly young company in a booming market. It sounds like they have plans to improve their service operation.