SunPower by South Coast Solar LLC

South Coast Solar is Awesome

I began with another company (Renu Energy) but wasn't happy. I looked for other quotes using EnergySage and went with South Coast Solar. So happy I did. The salesperson, Charro, was fantastic. If I asked her for something it was emailed to me within the hour. My wife and I are both lawyers so (of course) we made a lot of changes to the form contract - not a problem. The back office team (Ashley, et al) is equally good. When we had a delay with Duke, South Coast emailed me explaining the issue - and the resolution - before I could even ask the question. Installation went smoothly (two days) and looks great (Beau was the electrician and supervisor). Just passed inspection and currently waiting for Duke to swap out the meter. The cost was a little higher (maybe 2%) than Renu was quoting, but the panels are different/better. They have microinverters on each panel, rather then one big inverter mounted on the wall. The big difference being that the same company, SunPower, stands behind the warranty on the panels AND the inverters (because it's all one unit). No finger pointing between suppliers if something goes wrong. All in all, one of most customer-friendly companies I have ever dealt with. Could not recommend South Coast Solar more highly.

Service Above and Beyond...

Even though they didn’t sell or install the15 year old Sunpower system I have on my newly purchased home, the South Coast Solar Rep spent a lot of support time with me to help me evaluate the condition of my equipment. He patiently walked me through the operation and determined that... yes... it is still working and putting out good wattage. Many thanks. Highly recommend this company.

Great experience and helpful employees

Getting solar through SunPower was a painless experience (as home renovations go). Charro, in SC, was a fantastic coordinator and assisted with everything from the initial planning all the way to getting us signed up for a rebate from the power company! The installers, whom I only met briefly as I was leaving for work so I didn't get their names, were friendly and courteous while always leaving a clean site at the end of the work day. Max, in Louisiana, assisted with the system calibration and was able to fix any data communication bugs while answering any questions I had. The system itself is working as intended and has freed us of total reliance on the power monopoly and coal fired power. The app used to monitor the system from anywhere is also a pretty nice perk. I will definitely be recommending them to anyone I know looking at installing solar for their house.

A Great Experience from start to finish.

From beginning to end, the process of planning to installation to implementation, South Coast Solar made it easy and simple to join the growing population of eco-friendly homes. South Coast Solar associate, Charro, was especially helpful and patient with all our questions and concerns about the potential project. She helped us understand how easy and beneficial their system could be for our needs. After making the decision, South Coast Solar took the reins and completed the sitework, permit applications, installation plans, and communication with our electric utility. They made it very easy for us to sit back and watch the process unfold. It simply could not have been easier, from a consumer perspective. During installation, one of the owners of South Coast Solar was on site to ensure that not only everything was done properly, but that the impact to our daily lives (we work from home) was minimized as much as possible. The crew was efficient and very professional, and the work was completed much quicker than we anticipated. Our overall experience with South Coast Solar exceeded our expectations. Every question was answered with patience and understanding, and they ensured we understood every answer before moving on. We would absolutely recommend South Coast Solar for anyone looking for solar options for their home or business.

Quality Insulation - Knowledgeable Team

I chose South Coast Solar from Columbia, SC because of the knowledge that Grant Scheffer shared with me during our consultation. Grant never tried to force me to accept any sales pitch. I was immediately impressed that Grant walked down the outside of my house to verify any shading; he looked in the attic to ensure the structure could support the panels and electrical wiring could be installed and looked at my outside electrical boxes. Grant told me about the cash rebate that the panel company was offering. Grant offered state laws and information that help you to understand that is process is taken very serious by the electrical companies and the government. There is a lot of paper work involved in this process, along with engineering drawing. Columbia is only 50 miles (1-hour drive) from me so they are closer to get to me if I need repairs or equipment upgrade. I had two other quotes also. Grant had the same 310-volt panels as the other two sales reps from Charleston, SC and they were asking $35,000 for the same brand panels with no cash rebate. South Coast Solar had the same panels for $24,000 with the end of the year cash rebate from the solar panel company. The other two Charleston based companies were so overpriced. I asked Grant is there other voltage of panels about any other panel and he said yes. There was a 410-volt panel for about $3,000 more. I wanted a quote for those panels and those are the panels I chose. South Coast Solar offered a 25-year warranty on the solar panels and the labor. Other companies did not. The Better Business Bureau had the company listed with a very good rating and any complaints were resolved. (No business is perfect and as long as your customer service can work to appeal the customer, I can work with that.) South Coast Solar from Columbia, SC sent three installers, Stevie, Bennett, Chris and Steve to my house on Feb. 28, 2020 to install my 9.02kw system, 22 SunPower 410AC modules with SunPower monitoring. These four young men did an excellent job. They involved me in the entire process and explained everything to me as they installed various components and equipment. I received a really good education on solar panels. These young men were very polite and respectful. They never deviated from the engineering drawing even when I told them I approved of relocating a few solar panels to the other end of the house on the back. These young men take this process serious and they work by the laws that keep them safe and employed. I was truly impressed that another Master Electrician, Steve, showed up around 12:30pm to verify and ensure the work of the electrician and his wiring was in code and correct. Suggestions for improvement – always have more than one price quote at a consultation. People are on fixed budget so have a price range from a low price to the best quality price. Some people like low and some like the latest and greatest in technology. This is a win-win for everyone.

Fantastic Company

My SunPower experience has been delightful and enlightening. They have been totally professional and honest with me from the first meeting. Charro and Scott have been more like mentors and friends than sales folks. Their honesty and professionalism has been like a breath of fresh air in today's world of hustlers and cons. I have been interested in solar power for some time, but have been waiting for the technology to get to the point I thought it was worth the investment. Well, with my Tesla Power Wall and solar panels I can say that my wait was worth it! We live in a rural setting and power loss happens far too often. My Tesla wall and solar panels have kept us up and running without a hitch. My power bill is lower than I expected and during the summer I'm selling power back to the power company-NICE! As I said, Charro is amazing how energetic she is to find the answers to my solar power questions. She overcame every little obstacle (there weren't many) and basically handled everything. Scott is an incredible engineer, not just for the electrical panels and all that technical stuff, but how he can make everything come together flawlessly. If you are lucky enough to chat with him, he's really a bit of renaissance man. Very interesting fellow. His crew was courteous and professional. Cleaned up as they went, and are really good at what they do. I wish SunPower did more than solar panels because I'd use them for any project I had-they are just that good!

Great customer service!

Great, quick, and friendly service to get my system back up and running full strength after a squirrel chewed through a few cables. Even though that may be a rare occurrence, they were able to install a rodent barrier for a reasonable price so it doesn't happen again. I highly recommend South Coast Solar, as they continue to impress me.

Biggest bang for your buck

After getting quotes from 5 different solar installers I ended up selecting South Coast Solar. It wasn't just because they were the most competitively priced but because they came up with the best technical solution for my complicated setup. Scott answered all my emails and didn't complain after a dozen revisions to my quote.

Absolutely the BEST Solar company

I had South Coast Solar install solar panels on my home in Metairie, LA approximately 4 years ago. Without a doubt, South Coast Solar did a highly professional installation at a very reasonable cost. And, the most important point that I would add is that they have continued to provide outstanding service on a few minor issues. I give this company my highest recommendation because they not only install the very best equipment, but they stand behind their product and service for years after the installation. If i did not already have a solar system, i would use South Coast Solar without any reservation. If you want the best, they are the best!

Highly Recommend!

Highly recommend! Scott Oman and his team were outstanding to work with. Scott was very knowledgeable and provided me with multiple options to best meet my family's needs and get the HOA's approval. His installers were professional and got everything installed and running within a few days of the HOA approval. I highly recommend South Coast Solar to anybody looking for a high quality, competitively priced solar system.

Outstanding service, even years after the installation

Nearly five years after installation, one of my inverters began throwing an error code, so I called South Coast to get it checked. SO THEY DISPATCHED A TECH FROM MS (an entire State away from me) to get there the next day!!! Turns out it wasn't what we expected, it was just a simple pin connection that had developed the tiniest of gaps in it, so the replaced the connection, explained what the cause was - and then *waived* the service charge! And then they followed up with a service call the next day. I could not expect any better service, simply outstanding!

Excellent Service

I have had my solar panels since 2009 and I love them. I haven't had a minutes' problem with the solar panels themselves. In the past month I have lost communication with SunPower which just means that I don't get a complete written report at the end of the month. Max Erenberg at South Coast Solar has been very helpful in working to solve this problem.There were three months this year when I produced more energy than I used. I have a two story house and my largest bill this year was in July and that was for $86.46.

Happy Customer

This company was very professional and seemed to be very customer minded. I got my system in 2010 and within weeks found it not producing as expected. Scott came out the next day and found installation problems-some panels were not plugged in. Three days later I received a check for the un-generated power. Now almost 8 years later I needed service and Max Erenberg called me back the next day. Max worked with me to get the repairs done sooner than I was told it would take to get the parts. I have recommended South Coast Solar to many people and am pleased that I can still recommend them so highly.

The Cream of the Crop

You just can't go wrong with these guys. Scott was excellent and even offered to come demo the units to our HOA if needed for approval. The process from start to finish was explained very throughly and the install team was excellent. Can't wait to stop paying my electric bill.

Columbia, SC review

This company was the absolute best. Professional, work completed neatly and and a timely manner. The system works wonderfully. In fact we are using them again for a second installation.

Great Experience

Had the panels installed 6 months back. Installation was clean and efficient. Based on the experience so far, we are very happy. They have some of the best panels and their support and guarantee cannot be matched. I am a Retired Professional Engineer and I talked to six different suppliers in our area before selecting Sun Coast.

my new system

Prior to starting my solar project I did some research on panels, inverters and other aspects of mounting panels on the roof.I then contacted 6 solar installers that cover the area where I live for quotes.I expected the pricing to vary but I was surprised that each supplier suggested a different size system.They ranged from a 5.4 Kw to 14.9Kw. I picked South Coast Solar because they clearly explained why they believed in the location and size of the panels they recommended and they where the only company which gives a written guarantee for the system output.The Sun Power panels are far superior to any others on the market both in output and longevity. I would have picked South Coast Solar based on the better product but to my surprise they also had the best price. The installation was handled extremely well and the system was inspected the following week by the county and the utility and is now up and running. So far the system exceeding the output target.I am completely satisfied with the product and South Coast Solar and highly recommend them to anyone interested in solar systems

Microinverter Replacement

We had a solar system installed in 2013 by Solar Tech out of Asheville, NC (the original installer). This past year, starting in April a microinverter failed, within 3-4 months a total of 4 microinverters failed. I tried for over 8 months to get the original installer to replace the microinverters with zero success. Finally, I contacted Scott Oman, Chief Technology Officer, for the local SunPower dealer. I explained the problem I was having and he immediately stepped up and offered to solve the problem. He assured me he could fix the problem. He communicated with the SunPower technical support staff and provided a reasonable cost estimate to install the new inverters. His cost bid was approved and within a very short time he scheduled his installers to be on site to complete the job. The crew arrived right on time and went to work. They inspected the original installation and found a number of major deficiencies committed by the original installer; failure to seal roof cable penetrations, failure to make ground wire connections, failure to properly secure wire connections, failure to weather seal ends of panel runs, just to mention a few. Scott's crew corrected these deficiencies on the spot and made sure the system was fully operational. They didn't just install the new inverters, they went above and beyond the call to duty. They mapped the location by serial number of all 10 panels, which was something the original installer failed to do. Scott's crew had to remove all 10 panels just to find the location of the failed inverters. I am extremely pleased with the support and assistance by Scott Oman and his crew. They did an outstanding job. Couldn't be more pleased. I'm so glad I was able to find Scott Oman and his crew.

Excellent Company!

From start to finish, top to bottom South Coast Solar exceeded my expectations about the installation and production of the 8.415kW system that was installed on my home. They are great people to work with. Handle ALL of the details and deliver on what they promise!

The quality of work is superb, the people doing the work were pros. The issue I note above re: date and time, were definitely affected by exceptionally poor weather, which can`t be accounted for- however, I would suggest that the company have someone who stays in touch (the salesperson, perhaps.) Bad news is no fun to deliver -- I have to do it myself at times -- but bad news is better than no news...even if it`s just a brief email once a week or so saying that conditions have forced a delay. Again, I`m very happy with the work and am grateful to the people who did it. Thanks.

In looking to lower my electric bill, I found Gulf Coast Solar. It`s a company that could install solar panels on my roof. Gulf Coast did a great job, gave me a time for the unit to be installed and was on schedule. When I had some questions about the unit they could answer them. The 80 percent refund was a no brainier. My unit was install in june of 2009 I have a 3.6 kw unit. My electric bill is down to a few dollars a month

Excessive rain caused delays in installation, not really the company`s fault. Accidentally shorted out phone lines during installation, they paid for the repairs without any hassles. Purchase incentives = state/federal tax credits and "same as cash" financing. Contractor facilitated the financing and gave me all of the documentation needed for my CPA to apply for tax credits.

I would (and have) highly recommend this to my friends and family. I have already seen a reduction in my monthly energy costs.

Reliable, professional, on time and installed for quoted price.