If the world wasn’t crazy enough, our saving grace IS patience – something that there’s a true shortage of now-a-days… Solar has been a project we’ve talked about for YEARS, but it wasn’t until this year (2022) we finally decided to jump in with both feet to hopefully lessen the financial burden of our ever-increasing electricity bill, with our home improvements, future renovations, and wish list – electric vehicles. We were completely clueless of where to even begin, so we talked to friends, who’ve had solar installations on their homes, to get referrals. We also inquired with a few companies we found on-line with solid reviews. Out of 6 companies we surveyed & received quotes from, we’d have no reservations recommending 4. But there were several KEY reasons we went with SPS – First, our rep., Jaed, not only happened to be a friend, but was previously a happy SPS customer, prior to now working for the company. Second, SPS was NOT the lowest with regards to quotes but offered competitive pricing/product. But last and most important, we trusted & felt most comfortable working with someone who was not there to make a sale, but really provide us a solar education, and understood our needs - (ie. product, pricing, net metering, pros/cons of solar, long-term savings, feeding & pulling from the grid, etc.). We signed our agreement to start the project mid-March (Mar. 17th to be exact), and just received our final “Permission to Operate” (PTO) mid-September (Sept. 15th to be exact). 6 months?! What happened? (ie. permit filing errors, damaged products, product shortage, code violations, process deficiencies between city & utility company, etc.) Human error is inevitable, but SPS remained in constant communication with us (not only from our rep., Jaed), but we also had their front office (Myra), and our project lead (Juan) on speed-dial. They never denied the mistakes and were committed to making it right for us! When the installation and/or product shortage occurred, they worked with us to find a solution, even if it meant obtaining products from competitors at a higher price! When our initial inspection failed due to code violations, SPS not only corrected the issue, but they replaced a protruding vent with a low-profile vent in front of our house. Merging the gapped panels also made it look more aesthetically pleasing. We were happy with the initial installation, but happier with the modification! Knowing there were already delays, SPS even paid for city expedited services, hoping to help move our project through the queue, but what they received in return was “super slow” city services. Through all of this, we were made aware of things that “fell through the cracks” between the city and utility company for approved electrical work done pre-pandemic (2019), but both continue to finger point at each other taking no accountability for an internal process they both failed to complete – no check & balance. We appreciated, Javier, our SPS engineering lead, on the many HOT days he waited in his vehicle for inspection. (Inspectors impose ridiculous time constraints, which, they, themselves, do not reciprocate the same courtesy)! Final approval was obtained August 10th, and SPS submitted final work completion to the electric company the following day. As the homeowner, we had to follow-up between the city & electric company to ensure we had the correct solar meter to operate. Final PTO was finally obtained Sept. 15th, 2022! Would we use SPS again? YES! We believe they do care about their business & customers by continuously striving to provide the best product, competitive pricing, solar education, seamless installation, and follow-up. We have no reservations in recommending them! - G & K
