NATiVE Solar

Great experience with a 4.5 kW home solar array

I did a bit of search to find the right contractor for my home array, and went with Native. The process went smoothly - Carl Gayhart was our point person, and he walked me through the process and was always available when I had questions. Native was open to the changes I wanted made to the contract, and later to the installation itself (running wires through the attic rather than across the roof). The installation itself went great, given the timetable of inspections, permits, etc. I now have a 4.5 kW system, and am very happy with how the whole process went. I'm looking forward to sitting back and watching the watts pour in! I would happily recommend Native to anyone looking for a residential solar array.

solar system on home

Native put a system on my home and they did a great job! Since then i have not had to pay a electric bill this summer.

AWESOME customer experience!

I have really wanted solar panels for some time and was willing to go through all the hassel with my electric provider and city ordinances to get it. What was outstanding about Native was the extent to which they fully partnered with me to make it all happen. Carl Gayhart drove quite a distance through downtown traffic just to come by and meet me and make sure that he saw the property and had a discussion about my expectations. He contacted me again several weeks after the installation to make sure my expectation were met and to personally thank me for trusting the work to Native. What a professional! Josh Koehn was very warm and friendly and actually met personally with several stuffy city officials about how they were interpreting a city ordinance that could have restricted the design of my solar array. He tracked down the author of the original city ordinance and facilitated a discussion with officials concerning the original intent of the ordinance which cleared the way for my solar plan. Who does that?? I enjoyed working with Tommy Edds and his supervisor Tommy on the installation and found them and the rest of the crew to be hardworking, very knowledgeable and able to explain technical things in easy to understand terms. Working on the roof in heat over 100 degress would justify a little irritability in my book. However, with Native the people seem to enjoy answering questions and getting to know the customer even when they should be near heat exhaustion. Consistently, Native personnel demonstrated genuine interest in my needs and wanted to make sure I was happy with every detail of the process. Their follow up was exceptional and they never seemed to be in a hurry or following those terrible customer service "scripts". Deciding to go solar and to spend that money created quite a few doubts and fears for me. Native seemed to understand that customer perspective was able to provide no-pressure information,support and follow up that sure made me feel like I made the right decision in choosing solar and in partnering with Native. I would highly recommend them!

Mr. Winters

Mr. Royal is a wonderful asset to Native Inc. He made going solar a seamless transition from consulting through installation. His expertise and product knowledge and assistance were excellent and made our choosing a quality solar company like Native Inc. an easy one.

Jen B

Our experience with Native was exceptional! Right from the start Carl G. was our solar expert. He was there anytime we had questions or needs. We did a lot of research and got several bids but went with Native because of Carls expertise and care for his customers. We give Native an A+ all around!!

Bastrop Customer

All of the employees at Native were professional in every way. From our perspective, it's a great company. The installers were courteous and kept the site immaculate. All of our questions and concerns were answered quickly. I will recommend Native to anyone interested in Solar. They were not trying to sell a "cookie cutter" job. They listened to our interests, gave great feedback, and provided the product we wanted. As for support, we can't speak to that since we've only been on line less than a week.

Happy Homeowner with a 40-panel system

We started getting bids for a solar system in March, 2014. We went to Oncor first to see the list of installers they had already worked with to insure that we’d pick someone who wouldn’t endanger getting our Oncor rebate. Picked two local companies to start – to get educated about what would have to be done. Through them and other searches for information found two serious contenders to do the job: Native (out of Austin, but with a Dallas presence) and another Dallas company. Although the other company had slightly better pricing, their production estimates were not believable – perfect world figures. And, they only wanted to install 32 panels which would be an 8 Kva system – said you only needed to produce what you’re using now. Native’s production numbers seemed more realistic and they recommended a 10 Kva system (40 panels). Keep in mind that over the course of a 23 year life time, the panels may reduce their output by 20% (guaranteed to be no more than 1.25% per year). The 8 Kva system would have then only been producing 6.4 Kva – not enough to maintain a $0 cost of electricity for us. Native’s recommended 10 Kva system would then be down to 8 Kva and would still allow us to live without having to pay any electric bills. We had many conversations between the two companies. The most sincere conversations (in our opinion) were with Carl Gayhart (Native – 512-763-6714). He had an excellent grasp of what we wanted to accomplish (eliminate all electric bills). He represented Native well and promised a reasonably quick installation. We signed the contract with Native the first week of May. There were a number of other paperwork items that had to occur before the actual installation started – Oncor and the City of Dallas (you have to permit the installation). Actual installation started the third week of June. We had a slight hiccup in that the panels that were first delivered weren’t the right color. Josh Koehn, the on-site project manager, took care of that within 2 days. The electricians (Tommy and crew) had to upgrade our electric panel which added about a day to the project. So we were producing power within 3 days of the crew actually being to work. As soon as the panels started working we started seeing the results from Smart Meter Texas – zero power having to come from Oncor. Josh worked with me to get the monitoring system for the units working – my electric lines in the house weren’t cooperating. It took about two weeks to get things working (communicating) properly (this didn’t affect the system’s electrical production). Now I can see each individual panel – what its status is and how much it’s producing on a minute by minute basis. It’s great information if you want to be at that level, but it’s not necessary – I just like monitoring things. We’re now two months into things and we wouldn’t go back. We’re not producing so much (in the summer) that we’d be ahead of the game, but in the other 8 months of years we’ll be accumulating credits to cover everything next summer. So in a 12-month span we’re looking at zero cost – regardless of whatever the electric companies are charging for a kilowatt. (All my analysis has been based on our consumption figures for the past three years – that includes the hot 2011 summer.) In terms of costs, we got about $10,000 from Oncor in the form of a rebate and then we’ll get a 30% federal tax credit next spring (Native has a partner that’ll finance this with a 12-month, zero interest, zero payment loan, so it’s not really out of your pocket). Based just on my current electric rates we’ll have this paid off in a little over 7 years. Then it’s at least 18 years of absolutely no electric costs. BTW, our homeowner’s insurance cost didn’t increase at all. All we had to do was supply a copy of the project’s documentation and photos of the installation. Our local real estate friend said that this immediately added about $25,000 to the value of our house and gave it a big plus in any competition with a similar house without a solar grid.

Completely satisfied, great doing business with them

They kept me informed via both email and phone as needed, made sure I had all paperwork covered and all items processed. Really made it simple. Their employees and their installers were courteous, friendly and knowledgable. The actual installation was top-knotch; as a former electrician i was especially impressed with the wiring job they did at the bus. Everything at 90 degree angles, labeled, it was textbook perfect.

May never have to pay again!

Native designed and installed a system for me that is working better than expected. I had contacted other companies, but they hadn't taken into consideration the shadow that might be caused by the house next door. Most folks proposed putting the panels along the lower part of the roof, near the gutter. Mine are at the top of the roof. Based on the position of the homes, it's unlikely that any other structure/tree will ever block my panels. Native was very good about coming out and doing "warranty" work when I had issues with my monitoring system (panels were always fine!). I was very concerned that they wouldn't service me well in The Woodlands, but they really serviced my system. I turned the system on mid month, so the first month, I did have to pay. After that, I didn't have to pay for electricity until July due to A/C usage. I anticipate by Sept, I'll be accumulating credits again and I may never pay again since I'll be able to accumulate enough between Sept and May to offset June-Aug usage (I have gas heat).

Native Solar Recommendation

My solar array is fantastic and I am so happy I chose native. They are professional from start to finish. Gary Royal came out and fully explained what solar could do for my home and how all incentives work. Native did all the paperwork and took the job by the horns. The installation crew was professional,fast and cleaned up after themselves. Other than solar panels, I could not tell they had been at my home when the job was complete. My electric bill is exactly as low as Gary said it would be. I highly recommend Native to anyone trying to decide on a solar company. S.Mumme

Installation (Gary Royal)

Gary came out and gave us a lot of information right away. When we decided to schedule installation, everything went very smoothly. The only installation delays were due to weather. There were some delays with final inspection due to CPS back logs, but Gary and the installation crew kept us in the loop almost daily. Once all that was done, we are very happy with our system!

no complaints

Native has been really responsive throughout the process and did a clean job with the removal of my old system and installation of my new array. Having gone through a city rebate program there are lots of steps involved and they manage all that stuff.

Native knows their stuff!

I thought I had studied up on my solar, then Jason Guthrie came along. Jason was very professional and was able to explain the products and process in detail. He was always available and easy to reach when I had a question or concern. Native is a top notch company that I would recommend to anyone. Well done you guys and thanks! Proud to be Solar!

Great Solar install company

Very professional, knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful sales/install/service staff. They have all their own personnel, don't use contractors, and they've been around a long time. They took care of all the permitting, inspections, etc. Systems are very competitively priced (even beat Costco), exceeded my expectations for production, and follow up service is awesome. Scheduling can be somewhat challenging if you have a tight timeline because they are so in demand, so plan ahead. Love the access to Enphase online monitoring. I plan to expand my system as soon as I can.

Fantastic Experience start to finish

From start to finish everyone involved was efficient and professional and the end result is that I have an amazing new solar system. Every aspect from design to install and financing was taken care of in such a matter of fact way. I had looked at getting solar with other companies but didn't make it a reality until Native came along. Big thank you to you all!!

Installation on time, in budget working like a charm!

Native installed our residential solar system in the Texas Hill Country. All the work was professionally done, and on time and on budget. The installers were completely professional and company representatives were always available to answer any questions. Highly recommended!

Darren Hookfin

I am very please with the install of my panels, I had a very professional in help me get this done Carl was great

Installed Solar Panels

Native installed a solar PV system on our home and we saw results immediately: our first monthly bill after the installation was completed was $0.00 and they owed us..... and so was the second, and the third.... I am eminently happy with the installation itself, although it could have been completed somewhat more efficiently, I have no cause to complain. I would recommend Native Inc to anyone interested, in fact, I have already, and I plan to use the company again when I put in our swimming pool and its attendant heater system, which I plan to power with solar PV.

Riverdale Farms

Native made this a very pleasurable experience. All steps when smoothly and I would use Native for any new or expansion of the existing system. Gary Royal and the rest of Native are profession in all aspects.

This was my first project with Hill Country EcoPower and I will definitely go back to them with any need that I may have. Each step was carefully planned out and they kept me informed on every detail of the operation. The process was streamlined and precise. They did an excellent job with my system and I have been passing out their business cards ever since. I would recommend them to anyone.