StraightUp Solar

Installation was great… Was a happy customer, so I referred a coworker then only received half of the referral bonus. Two years later received a call that something was not working correctly. Was told I had to pay for $700 a service call where they could not find anything wrong other than two connections that S.U.S. installed being the problem. Was also told this will probably going to continue happen down the road with only more costs due coming. “Performance guarantee” is just a ploy to get you in the door. They don’t stand by their work.

EVERYONE THAT I HAD DELT WITH WAS SINCERE. I AM COMPLETLY SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICE. I WOULD RECOMEND THESE GUYS 100 %

Overall I am glad we went through Straight Up to get our panels installed. They were the third company we worked with to get panels installed on our house and the one company to actually follow through and get them. The first company ended up going bankrupt and the second company had delay after delay, so never saw them even come out to assess the house, we waited about a year and they still couldn't get the permits, thus we tried one more company, and I'm glad we did. We had some hurdles and road blocks with some getting some of the permits, with getting Ameren cooperating sometimes, and quite a bit with some of the electrical inspectors, but Straight Up handled the issues well and we got our panels and battery in the end. To be fair, while the issues were annoying and caused a good amount of delays, it wasn't Straight Up's fault, so 5-Stars for their service and handling of the issues! They also did a great job keeping in contact to keep me in the loop and give me updates on the status of the project.

We recently decided to take the solar plunge, being 70+ years old we knew we’d never recover the cost of the investment even with the current incentives available in Illinois. For us, the prime motivation was Energy Independence/Security. After contacting five solar companies we chose Straight Up Solar (SUS) what struck us was their no-pressure presentation by Mr Dixon and ensuring all our concerns and needs were addressed on the spot. We got down into the weeds with in-depth discussions of the equipment being suggested and any options. After discussing system performance and our needs we opted to oversize the PV system (scaled to cover 125% of our annual average consumption) as Phase 1. Phase 2 in 12 to 18 months when we’ll add whole house battery backup. The extra capacity will support the batteries. SUS was easy to work with and has a great reputation in IL/MO. They worked with me revising our system many times and once we had a design that met all our needs both today and into the future, we selected them. Once the project was about to start Mr Melton was assigned as our Project Manager and was instrumental in pulling this all together while entertaining our last-minute changes and myriad of questions to make last-minute changes to our system design. That ensured a successful project. The SUS team did everything, all we needed to do was provide info as requested and sit back. Their installation team came from Mid-America Electric and Eric, Steve, and David were detail-orientated craftsmen. I show off their handy work to all my neighbors. Seeing their electrical work both inside and outside our home is a pleasure. Neighbors have commented on how good it looks and were initially concerned about what the end project would look like based on their past experiences. I joked they should have autographed one of the junction boxes they installed. In addition, they were never too busy to answer our questions and show us exactly what they were doing. Drilling holes, making complex electrical connections, and climbing all over a new house are stressful, they eased our concerns. Their work passed all the required inspections without a single issue or question. Liam from Straight Up Solar was the on-site supervisor and was a pleasure to work with and we felt comfortable leaving our home in his hands. Our system was commissioned on Sept 20th, and to our surprise we received our Permission to Operate (PTO) Certificate the very next day from AMERENIP. That has to be a record. We did have an issue post-commissioning with incorrect Consumption data production being reported via the Enphase app. Liam stepped in when the issue was identified made two visits to correct the issue and even continued to monitor our system that evening remotely to confirm all was well. That is customer service above and beyond any expectation. In conclusion, the entire process from Straight Up Solar exceeded all of our expectations. It's been a pleasure working with this team. We've enjoyed getting to know all of you and would be pleased to use SUS for our whole house battery backup project next year. Tom and Patricia Jacques USAF Retired Swansea IL

Great experience with StraightUp Solar. Process was easy, company answered all questions timely and thoroughly. Would recommend them to everyone.

Working with Straight Up was a great experience and certainly a company I works recommend to anyone interested in going Solar. Andrew Stetter was my initial contact and shared all of the pertinent info to help me know that this was the way we wanted to go.

We started with a different solar installer that couldn't live up to its promises and we were forced to make a change deep into our discussions with them. We found Jim Dixon at StraightUp Solar and he put us on the right track from start to finish. StraightUp Solar gave us the straight talk about our solar installation. They kept us informed throughout the process and handled all of the paperwork. We're very happy with our new installation.

Installation went smoothly. Very professional and no hiccups. Everything went as planned. System working as they said it would.

Had solar panels installed on my house nearly two years ago and have been more than pleased with the return on investment. The entire process with Straight Up Solar was pleasant. Everyone that I was put in contact with, from sales through post-install, has been helpful, friendly, and quick to respond. Could not recommend Straight Up Solar more!

Could not be happier with my experience at StraightUp Solar. They guided me through the process every step of the way, communication was excellent, and they offered many chances to ask questions, and were patient and clear answering my questions. The installation crew was polite, professional, tidy and accommodating. I'm so excited to have gone solar, if you are looking to go solar too, I'd highly recommend this company!

I've had solar arrays installed at two locations in McLean County by StraightUp Solar. I had a great experience with the entire StraightUp Solar team. From initial design and cost analysis through installation, there were no surprises. They worked with Corn Belt Energy on the first and Ameren on the second. One was a ground mount on a farm property and the other on my home roof. Clean installations that are aesthetically pleasing. StraightUp has local crews and an office in Central Illinois. Having a company like StraightUp to support the product after installation is the most important factor in deciding who to buy from.

Straight-up Solar did an excellent job installing our solar panels. They installed a 89 Kw system. We own a business, and it looks like we are going to save around $7K a year!! I was very happy with the staff, all the way from salesmen to installers. The system is working very well and our bill has been reduced to practically nothing. In fact, I believe we may be producing more than we need. Time will tell. The system has been working for a year so far, and we have had no problems. I would recommend Straight -Up Solar to anyone

We were presented with a $3500 added cost for 3-9 foot piers in concrete for our ground mount array only after having paid over half of the $25,000 cost - when they presented their pre-permit request for approval. One would think this was predictable. We're considering cancellation, costing at least $1000, rather than risk further surprises.

We have solar panels for our farming operation and greatly enjoy the benefits of clean energy.

They guided me through the setup process and various forms needed and answered any questions. The only problem is that the office I dealt with at the time was the St. Louis one, so there was often a wait-time for technicians to be in the area.

Straight up solar installed a system for my rural home and garage set up about six years ago. I was satisfied with the planning, the work, and the outcome of the installation. At my level of energy usage, I have been able to sell energy credit almost every month and have not paid for electricity since the installation. I have no complaints! And I recommend them without reservation.

Even after several years, I continue to be impressed with Straight-Up Solar. Our area experienced a hail storm last year that required a total roof replacement, yet the solar panels were unharmed. However, they did have to be removed and re-installed to allow the roofing. Straight Up was timely and efficient in this process. The panels continue to perform at expected levels and my electric bills are unbelievably low.

We chose StraightUp Solar to install our ground-mounted solar array because of their experience, professionalism, and longevity in Illinois. The did what they said they would do and I am very happy with my system.

So the biggest fear you have when a group of guys drills 400 holes into your new roof is a leak right? We got one - and these guys jumped on it and stayed on it until they sourced the problem out. They were responsive, they were professional and they are reimbursing us for the small amount of ceiling damage that resulted. Leaks happen, its the service after the sale that separates the pros from the shmos. Kudos to Straight Up - From sales to installation to service, these folks have earned this 5 star review.

Straight-up solar is very pushy when it comes to closing the sales deal. They will say anything to get you to sign the papers, and it's nothing short of a predatory loan. First of all, let me be very clear that YOU WILL NOT SAVE ANY MONEY by going to solar -- not a chance for what you have to pay up front. Our system cost $32,517 for a 9.6KW array. Regardless whether you take out a loan or pay up front, even after federal rebates, you still won't break even in at least 10 years. I'm not going to dive into too much details of the financial argument, but just know that they'll say anything to make you believe otherwise. Then, there's the local utility company requirements -- $1 million dollar mandatory liability insurance -- a major hurdle that would significantly affect your ability to sell your house, should you move. This is because whomever inherits your solar panels would have to buy additional insurance as well -- as long as it sits on the roof. On top of this, your accumulated solar power, is reset every quarter to zero! YES, if you collected 1500KW total in the spring and hope to use it in the summer, sorry, you CAN'T. The local utility company resets it after May 31st, wiping out all your gains. None of those were disclosed to us before we signed the paper. I had to find this out from someone in the City Hall. After our panels were installed, it was generating 2/3 of it's capacity for over 45 days! None of their "engineers" could tell us why until the "head engineer" came and found a wire wasn't connected. Lastly, if you decide to go with those guys, you should hope you will NEVER move. As stated above, having panels on your roof affects your ability to sell your home. If you want to take down the panels, they charge you a ridiculous $7,000 for the labor only, NOT INCLUDING POTENTIAL ROOF DAMAGE REPAIRS. Note that the average cost to remove panels in the US is about $1,000 to $2,000 tops. I spoke to someone at another solar company and they were shocked to hear the $7,000 quote. The bottom line is, you need to do a lot of research before you go solar. I learned the lesson the hard way. I am a strong advocate of environmental protection and I sincerely hoped those guys shared the same passion. To my utter dismay, Straight Up does not share this passion. They are NOT in the business to make the world a better place but only to make themselves rich.

When I decided to go solar I was hoping to lower my electrical usage. The installation was quick and done professional and no problems occured. Well the system has been gatherings solar energy the last two months and my last 2 electrical bills have been no better than before. A minor deduction but nothing to brag about. For me this has been a horrible decision. Maybe my next couple of bills will surprise me but I doubt it. A bad investment for me or maybe I was expecting to much.

Solar Experience The solar project myself and the YWCA Mc Lean County have been part of has been a very pleasant experience. Everyone at Straight Up Solar from the Installers to the President, Business Development Coordinator, Solar Specialist, Project Developer, Service Lead / Field Coordinator, Removal and Replacement Specialist, Director of Commercial Sales, Project Coordinator, Field Operations Technician, Master Electrician & Director of Design and Shine Development Partners has been absolutely wonderful to work with. It is gratifying to work with a group that takes so much pride in their work and how they do it. You can tell working with these people that they are very passionate about the work they do. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of not only how they worked but how they treated our building, the property and all of our staff when they were here. They truly made my job much easier to transition from what we had to the whole solar project. If Straight Up Solar is the definition of Solar companies, Solar is poised to be great. Perry E Mayer Director Of Building Operations YWCA of Mc Lean County

The quality of work was top-notch and the power production numbers are far exceeding the bid estimate. I have only been active for a little more than 6 months, but have produced 22,500 kWh, about 111% of the estimated production

Going solar couldn’t have been simpler. We discussed all of our options and received all the information we needed to make our decision. Straight Up Solar managed all of the permits, the site plan and the installation seamlessly. We are now paying our electric company a monthly fee for the meter and that’s it. I actually look forward to receiving the bill to see how many kWh I have banked!

Since installing a geothermal system a few years ago, we saw our electric bills go up (although our propane bills went down), so we wanted to take the next step in both economic and environmental sustainability, and get off the dirty coal energy that electric companies around us tend to use. A neighbor had a good experience with StraightUp Solar, so we began talking with Shannon Fulton. She took the time to answer all our questions, and we went through quite a few different scenarios, each with pros/cons, before deciding to spread the solar panels over 5 different roof surfaces on the south side of our home. This was not a standard or easy installation, but every member of the team worked together, and in the end it worked beautifully. As soon as they flipped the switch, our monthly electric bill went to the $18 minimum monthly service charge. We are now in the shortest days of the year, so may have to pay a bit more than that, but so far the system has worked perfectly, and we are very happy to be generating clean energy and paying very low electric bills.

Overall a trustworthy company with a good and knowledgeable team. Crew was courteous and did what I asked by hiding the wires and not leaving them exposed outside, unless it's completely unavoidable. I was told in advance what trees needs to be trimmed. As of today the system is generating good amount of energy as stated in the sales quote. They took care of all the permits, inspections, SREC applications...etc. I didn't have to do except signing a few contracts with the utility company. Their financing partner is also very helpful and provided excellent service and I strongly encourage using them. However, communication could improve. Installation begun on 5/24/16 but didn't fully complete until early July. For an entire month, the system was running at 2/3 of its capacity and no one was able to tell me what might be the issue, some emails I sent were ignored, until a more senior engineer finally stepped in in early July and fixed the issue. It turned out to be a very minor issue. This made me feel their after-sales support isn't as reliable as I anticipated. In addition, they took care of the designing of the system and I was pretty much left out of the loop. I understand that the engineers have more expertise in this matter but it would be nice if they could at least give me a reason why a specific location is selected. Ultimately the senior engineer did explain to me everything I needed to know. With all that said, I understand that the Solar industry is still experiencing much growth pain and with all the good they are doing, they deserve a praise for a job well done.

The company installed a 9.6 kW PV system for us. We thought we were being careful in not naively accepting their sales pitch promises. Unfortunately, we were not careful enough. The workmanship was good. The on-site workers were pleasant and professional. The office support staff were patient, courteous, and (until the last payment was received) said all the "right" things. The problems were that the representations made did not match reality. We were assured the system was sized properly and the size of the inverters would not limit production. We were told if that was not true, they would replace the inverters. This turned out to false. The company (after getting the final payment) finally admitted the inverters will limit the production, but essentially said 'tough luck'. We emphasized at our first meeting that we did not want to encounter hidden costs in order to achieve the estimated production. They assured us this would not happen. This also turned out to be false. We ended up having to spend over 10% more to achieve their original promises. Without that added expenditure our production was 20% less than the estimate. They also attempted to slip in an accelerated payment schedule when they presented us with the first unexpected change order.

The team with StraightUp Solar were professional from start to finish. Staff was knowledgeable and informative in helping me purchase the right system for my home. There were no hidden prices and the process was smooth and transparent. I live in the Tower Grove South Neighborhood of St Louis and had the solar panels installed on my detached garage. My family is enjoying the many benefits of our system and are glad we have made this investment!

In the Summer of 2013 I started contacting local installers (based on who was involved with MOSEIA) about putting an array on my home. After meeting with a number of companies it became very apparent that SUS was the right choice for me. While discussing my home array I realized that solar could be an even better fit for my business due to some of the federal incentives. I still went ahead with a 7.6 kW on my home, but also tacked on a 175kW array for my business. As an engineer I was very pleased with SUS's technical competency and the smoothness of the project. I had some tight deadlines that needed to be met and SUS was able to meet or exceed all of them. My business array has been up for over a year and I have been very pleased with the results.

I wanted solar electric for my home for decades. When the price of grid-tied systems came down around 2009, I got excited. I called my electric utility Ameren, and asked about their net metering program. They said, "Ha! You must be some kind of nut!" I had to admit it, but they indicated this was a rare inquiry. They eventually revised their program, and I was good to go. In the 5 years after I called my utility, the panels or PV modules became inexpensive. Even the good ones, efficient, textured, monocrystalline silicon behind tempered architectural glass, dark aluminum frame, and a 25-year warranty from a 50-year old company. (Silvantis 265W from MEMC/SunEdison, my employer at the time) But I saw the interface details, utility tie inspections, and city permitting as continued roadblocks. Not insurmountable. Most general electrical contractors have know-how but not consistent or upgraded experience. It's a sideline for many. Then I was introduced to StraightUp Solar at a presentation I attended. That was the missing piece! PV electric is all they do. StraightUp had solid answers to all my questions. They gave me a preliminary system design and some choices. I took way too much time to consider this. I concluded payback time would be shorter than the conservative assumptions. StraightUp Solar solved all the problems that were bugging me about installation. They made the interface and permitting and install look easy. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and expert. They are easy to work with, and happy at what they do. My system has been operating flawlessly for 10 months. It's beautifully simple to own and operate. It just sits there and makes electric power! And I was able to sit in a chair up on the hill and watch the crew do the install. Mainly in one day, and part of another. Only a few years before, it looked impossible. And it turned out to be almost the easiest thing I have ever done. The difference: StraightUp Solar. If you have ever wanted to generate your own, and thought it was way too complicated, you should really just give them a call and ask. I think you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Everyone at Straightup Solar is passionate about their business. My wife and I had just purchased two electrical vehicles, an iMiev and Leaf. We were struggling to share the one 15 amp circuit in our garage so we decided to look into solar. The free Level II charger being offered as an incentive led us to Straightup Solar. When John Hulse helped us understand the tax incentives and the interface with Ameren, and he explained the impact on the environment, we were sold. The installers, management, even the office staff were genuinely happy to have us as a customer. We could not be more satisfied with our decision. If you have an EV, you need to consider solar. It's a good economic decision and it's the right thing to do.

We installed solar panels in the summer of 2014, to add to our existing 2.1kW system, which was installed in summer 2009. We worked with StraightUp Solar on both occasions. Everyone from StraightUp Solar was extremely professional and knowledgeable. All our questions were answered and we knew exactly what the price and the benefits of the different options we had were. The project was completed in the expected time frame. Since we installed the additional panels, our electric bill has been half what it was for the same month prior to installation. We love having solar panels and we will absolutely call on StraigthUp Solar again if there was a way to add more panels to our home.

StraightUp Solar is an excellent company that operates with the upmost integrity. They helped us navigate the confusing process of working with our utility company and helped us to choose system components that would maximize our productivity given our budgetary constraints. The installers were courteous, prompt and professional and our system works (and looks!) great. I would recommend them to anyone looking to preserve our environment and save some cash in the process.

StraightUp Solar did a great job from start to finish with our installation. We were very happy with the results!

Could not be happier with our experience with everyone at StraightUp Solar. Our system was installed in 2013 and we love it. We would highly recommend StraightUp for your installation.

Did a quick and clean job. Unfortunately the SREC quota had been cut by Ameren so part of the subsidy was gone but that was not this companies fault. They have been lobbying steadily for residential solar installation in Missouri.

StraightUp Solar did a great job for us. The process, start-to-finish, was smooth and professional. Year-over-year comparing the 12 months prior to our solar install with the next 12 months after, our electric bills averaged 70% less per month. To say that we're pleased is an understatement. We're ecstatic and highly recommend StraightUp Solar for any residential OR commercial application. They are professional and courteous through and through. Michael T., St. Charles, MO

Every person we dealt with in this company was professional. They did exactly what they said they would.

They showed up when they said they would. They kept me informed every step of the way. Even when Ameren was slow getting out to replace my meter StriaghtUp had told me what to expect and the timeframes involved.

Everyone on the team was knowledgeable, from the first person who answered the phone through the final inspections. They know their product and the local regulations. We have had the system for 3.5 months now, and the production is following what the proposal predicted almost exactly.

We were very satisfied with the quality of the work and the accessiblity and cooperation for our solar electricity installation.

I would highly recommend Straightup Solar for any type of solar installation. We really enjoyed working with them. They know what they are doing, and do great work. We were very please with the manner in which the contractor handled all of the paperwork for this project. As a result, we received a rebate check from our local electric utility in just a few weeks after completion of the PV installation.

I thought the staff was extremely professional and very knowledeable. They answered all of our questions and talked us through several solar options that we want to consider int the future. We would definately go with this company again

We are buying more PV`s to fill out the array in the Fall of 2009

I would highly recommend Missouri Solar Living as a full service contractor for alternative energy. They were professional, knowlegable and truly exceptional to work with.

Our PV installation was part of a very complex project with a compressed schedule- MO Solar Living was one of the more reliable contractors on the job. They have continued to assist us as we improve and fine-tune the system to meet our needs.

When Misoouri Proposition C passed in Nov of 2009, I thought we would be entitled to a rebate from Ameren which we intended to use for tree trimming to help optimize power output. As it turns out, there won`t be any rebate for us which leaves our installation a bit less than optimal.