11/18/2013
Anonymous
We've been contemplating Solar for a few years now, but waiting for what we see as the right time to balance falling system prices with recurring energy bills and a desire to become greener. The low-hanging fruit -- and I'd recommend this to everyone as their first green step -- is to conserve first by using energy-efficient devices, to improve insulation and to watch usage. Monitoring consumption at PG&E's website will not only alert you to opportunities to conserve, but is essential homework for understanding how much capacity you will need when you eventually go solar.<br /><br />The spur for our solar project finally came when we added an electric vehicle to the household, which would otherwise have pushed our usage into the much higher priced upper tiers of PG&E's rate schedule. We also felt that the technology was maturing, component lifetimes were extending and the products were becoming more commoditized in the mainstream market. In fact, we got several quotes, and we found most competitive installers used the same or very similar components in order to offer cost-effective systems.<br /><br />In such an market, the important variables are not so much the panels and other components, as the service that the suppliers offer and adapting to the environment that the system goes into, that is, your home, and its roof and electrical infrastructure. And that's where Highlight Solar shines.<br /><br />From the beginning, we had a a very good interaction with Highlight. The process of converging on a system design and size was productive and informative, in which Highlight were very open in exploring alternatives and relating them to the practicalities of our house. They always seemed as much motivated by making sure we understood the proposal and the technologies as closing a sale.<br />We also had an excellent experience with the installation itself. The lead installer was constantly on the ball and pushing the process forward according to the demands of the project and the requirements of the city. We wrapped this up and got through city sign-off about a week after starting.<br /><br />Now we're waiting for PG&E meter conversion, and Highlight have promised us the after-care to take us through this process, as I'm sure they will. Highlight are small right now, but they seem to have a solid base of happy customers and they have plans for sustained growth. With their customer focus, attentive work, reasonable pricing and aggressive yet attained timelines, I expect the value they deliver will get them there sooner rather later.