Review for Brightstar Solar

07/11/2012
Dan Witsil

Here`s a write-up on Brightstar that I wrote for Yelp: <br />Brightstar Solar installed a 4.2 kwh Yingli system on my home in Quincy earlier this year and it is working great! I could not have been happier with the experience, assistance, information, and installation that Brighstar offered. <br /><br />The highlights: <br />- Brightstar is owner operated by John and Mona Reese, both of whom are extremely helpful, friendly, committed to solar, and knowledgeable about the entire solar industry. There are a number of very concrete reasons why Brightstar is a great company, but the trust and knowledge that Mona and Jon bring to the table is what truly sets the company apart, and when you`re buying a $ 20,000 system ($ 10,000 out of your own pocket after tax credits), you want a trustworthy, knowledgeable company. <br />- Mona was able to answer questions regarding tax breaks and financing that no other solar company could (I tried!). She walked me through and helped me with every piece of paperwork along the way, as well as answering my many questions regarding potential tax breaks, financing programs, and much more! <br />- Jon crafts a solar system to fit your needs using products from a wide range of manufacturers perfectly tailored for the system - as opposed to rolling out a cookie cutter system regardless of your system size or budget. I contacted 5 other local solar installers, received detailed quotes from three of them, and no one`s system was more thoughtfully designed or offered as much customizability as Brightstar`s. Brightstar was willing to install any type of panel that I wanted and walked me through the advantages and disadvantages of several brands and models, including presenting full quotes with prices and optimized support equipment (inverters, etc.) and projections on power generation. By the end of the process, I felt 100% confident that I was getting the best system for my needs, whereas my confidence was note nearly that high with the other installers despite significant research on my part. (Personally, I don`t think the other installers` confidences were particularly high because they were not able to answer a significant number of my more detailed/technical questions.) In the end, I went with a 4.2 kwh Yingli system with a Solectria Power Inverter. The other finalist system was an american made system by Helios, but was a bit more expensive, so Yingli it was. <br />- Brighstar`s team of installers and electricians were all friendly, respectful of our home, and accessible to answer questions. <br />- Because Brightstar shepherded me through the paperwork process, our system was built quickly. <br />- My system has now been operating for over a month and is well ahead (~20%) of the power generation estimates that Brightstar provided in their initial quote. ($ $ $ !) <br /><br />Bottom-line: This is a company with trustworthy, knowledgeable people who do high quality work that is tailored to your needs. Even better, because the system is well-crafted, it`s cheaper and more profitable in both the short- and long-term. <br /><br />Please feel free to email me through Yelp or ask Brightstar to provide my contact information (Dan on Pine Street in Quincy). I would be happy to share more about what I learned from doing a lot of research on solar system and the finances of a solar system as well as further expounding the virtues of brightstar.<br />

Sales process
Price charged as quoted
On schedule
After sales support