ComplaintsforHES Solar

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We had Solar put on and a new roof that they recommended be replaced. We had the electrical panel upgraded to a higher ampacity. We also added a battery. We made the required payments when they were due and at the completion of the work it was paid in full. Now we received a demand letter from the supplier RWC Building Products for the roofing materials that Cowboy roofing used on our roof. We contacted HES Solar several times and cowboy roofing 2 times. ******************* said in one to two weeks we would receive a release of liability and they would pay cowboy roofing. The two weeks have come and gone. Now he is telling me by the end of March or April. I feel I am getting the run around and *******************( President of Residential) isnt trustworthy. HES Solar address is ********************************************************** ******************* direct phone number is **************.You have permission to speak to ******************************* (wife) regarding this.

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  We are aware of this situation and are working with the homeowner directly on this situation.  We do not deny any of their allegations and agree that paying Cowboy and subsequently RWC Building Products in full is the best solution.  We intend to do that at the earliest possible time.

  Customer response

  04/24/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid for eighteen solar panels that were installed on the roof of my home on March 18. As of today (May 6), the panels have not generated any power; they are non functional. During this time, I have had two unplanned power outages affecting my entire home. The first power outage, ******* installer told me the outage was due to a faulty installation of the solar panels. Twice there have been two loud sounds coming from a sub panel that HES installed, and these sounds are not merely tripped breakers. I believe this represents a safety issue for my house and family which includes two young children. I have tried for six weeks to get HES Solar to fix my panels. Each time a technician is sent but each time they say they can't fix it and we need to reschedule. The project manager, *****************, has stopped returning my phone calls.So HES installed non functional panels that present a safety issue and have been non communicative regarding fixing the issue.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  There were three issues with this project.  One was our responsibility and two were the customers responsibility.
  1.    During system commissioning we identified an issue with the system. ************** was unable to determine the root cause so he escalated this matter to our Construction Manager.  On a subsequent visit we identified the issue and rectified the wiring.  They system has been operational since May 8 and is producing as expected.  Please see the attached production profile.
  2.    After we completed our work the customer added air conditioning to the main service panel. This was an unpermitted alteration and was not done per electric code.
  3.    After we completed our work the customer added electrical loads to the ********************** subpanel that was to only contain the solar loads.  This was an unpermitted alteration and was not done per electric code.

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was supposed to have solar installed by this company on 02/03/23. When it came time for install the installation team told me the plans were inaccurate and the design made by the company was wrong. They were unable to complete the project. Over the next month, the company was unable to find a solution that didnt involve me paying $1,000+ in drywall damages. I was unwilling to accept that and the company did nothing to provide me with an alternative.They offered me $200 to not write a bad review and said I needed to sign a non disclosure to receive the money. There is even more to this story but I dont have the room to explain it in this form. I hope the BBB takes my complaint seriously and would be concerned that one of their accredited business is operating this way. The $200 stemmed from the paint that I purchased for the product that is now of no use to me.Im happy to provide more details should you need them.Thank you for your time.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  In November 2022, we presented two conduit options, one with an exterior conduit run, and one that required drywall work for the electric vehicle outlet. ****************** selected interior conduit and cited the *** would not allow conduit to run from the meter room across the neighbor's garage and then into his garage. ****************** acknowledged he would have to hire a third party for any drywall work at his expense.
  
  On 2/3/23 we attempted to install the solar per the agreed-upon plans. The Install was halted by an *** representative as we were preparing to install solar conduit on the exterior of the building from the roof to the subpanel inside the unit. After we halted the installation ****************** called the ** and requested $200 citing lost wages from the pull-off date. 
  
  We performed a site visit on 2/14/23 to determine if it was feasible to run solar conduit internally as well. It was determined at that visit that we could not ascertain how to run the conduit as we could not determine what was behind the drywall. We could not make this call as the walls are shared and risks were very high. Additionally, the wall directly above the subpanel was the neighbor's property leading to more uncertainty. We were prepared to have another site visit after the customer opened the drywall to determine how the conduit could be configured. 
  
  ****************** wanted HES Solar to cover the cost for the solar conduit run. Drywall work was not included in the solar contract. He then informed us that he was considering two other solar bids and would let us know if he was still going to move forward with HES Solar. He later informed us that he decided to not move forward with HES Solar and threatened a negative review. He cited that the company has not assured him or compensated him due to the companys errors. As a gesture of good faith, we extended the $200 offer he initially requested due to lost wages from the 2/3 install date. He declined and proceeded to file this and other complaints.

  Customer response

  08/10/2023

  What is true is that the company designed a plan for an interior conduit run per my request.  They sent representatives ahead of the scheduled installation date to verify everything was in place an accounted for.  They **** up a plan and told me the plan would be able to account for all conduit runs from my roof to the ** charger in the garage.  They also said that the minimal drywall cutouts that would be needed would be my responsibility and I agreed to that plan.

  
  When the installation crew arrived as scheduled on 02/03/2023, immediately they came to me and said there was a problem.  They told me the plans that were drawn up and approved by HES were faulty and they did not seem to work at all with the project and the schematics of my house.  I was on site the entire time and no HOA representative stopped the crew, they stopped themselves when they realized they were unable to do the project.  The installation crew made several phone calls to their higher *** and they told me essentially that they would need to regroup and come back to verify if they could even complete the project, but they were unable to do so on the scheduled date.  That was completely the companys fault and no fault of mine.

  The company sent another representative to draw up a new plan and the conclusion given by that representative was that they would need to open up a considerable amount of drywall to even determine IF they would be able to complete the project. The estimation was in the thousands of dollars for the drywall repair and the company was unwilling to offer any compensation from their mistake and cited that they told me the drywall would not be included.  This is despite the fact that their initial plan I agreed to was very different and much lower in cost.

   When I asked for reimbursement for the paint I purchased for the project ($200).  I was plainly told no and then was offered with a NDA to receive the $200, so long as I didnt write any negative reviews about the company. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Abstract: I purchased from SunPower by HES Solar a **** KW system (eight 440 watt panels with Enphase 7 micro inverters). The Enphase 7micro inverters were rated at Maximum *********************** of 385 VA. That means my 440 watt panels were restricted to a output of 384 VA. I paid extra for the 440 watt panels and my system was advertised to supply 3.5 KW. The maximum output of my 3.5 KW system will never be greater than **** KW. I calculated my KW requirement to be at 3.5 KW. Now I am at 13 percent under my requirement. The system is under performing per the proposal and plan set.Conclusion: The solar system installed by SunPower by HES Solar at my residence is not performing to the proposal and plan set which has cause a reduction in KW generated. This reduction in KW will result in a increase funding required from me for my power bill from SDGE during true up In May of 2023. I propose that SunPower by HES Solar install one 440 watt solar panel on my system at no cost to me plus $2,000.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  ****************** purchased 8 - 440W solar panels which is a **** kW system as a nameplate rating. The more technical units are kW DC STC, which is Direct Current at Standard Test Conditions.  This is an industry-standard way of identifying the equipment and this format is required by every permitting authority in **********.  There are real-world conversion losses that happen on every system and vary by equipment, location, and installation method so the DC STC number was adopted as the one consistent number to use across the entire solar industry.  There are two other measurements - kW DC PTC and kW CEC-** - that provide more information but due to the variability of the results these numbers are never used on contracts or designs.  Furthermore, the proposal that we provide is a tool built and maintained by SunPower, a global publicly-traded corporation with over 30 years of industry experience.  Every solar contractor in their network uses this tool and provides every customer the same units of measurement. 

  
  

  HES Solar contracted for 8 - 440W solar panels and that is what we installed.  Nowhere in our agreement do we guarantee the ** power or energy output.  We are in complete compliance with our contract, which also is in alignment with our original proposal presented to *******************  We also had our engineering team review his system performance and it is operating within range of the estimated output.

  
  

  We attempted to explain the units of measurement to ****************** during a meeting but in our opinion he is just not being rational.  As a compromise we agreed to reach out to ********** Solar and ******************* (CALSSA) for their opinion.  If ***********;agrees with ****************** then we will install one additional solar panel.  However, if CALSSA agrees with HES Solar then ****************** will remove his complaint.

  
  

  Thanks,

  ****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩