Case Study #1: Highlight Solar

AJ Alhait moved into his Cupertino, Calif. home—equipped with a pool and two large fish tanks—and immediately looked into solar energy. While Alhait had a 5kW rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system installed, he was still paying $200 per month for electricity—so he wanted to add more panels. Alhait almost went with the same solar installer, until a friend advised him to shop around for a better deal.

“I didn’t want to be off the grid per se, but I did want to be self-reliant. So that’s what I was aiming for,” Alhait said. “A friend of mine told me about Highlight Solar, so I went online and I researched them.”

Alhait found the company’s listing on SolarReviews, the largest consumer reviews site in the solar industry, with more than 11,000 independent reviews. Alhait discovered that Highlight’s office was driving distance, so he called the company and scheduled a consultation.

He met with Highlight Solar founder Mehyeddine Alayleh to discuss his residential solar needs. “The quote that Mehyeddine gave me, I told him, ‘you’re joking.’ I really thought there was something cooking—that he was going to take the money and not come back,” Alhait recalled. “He didn’t even take the money until the installment, so that was really good.”

Alhait’s new 7kW rooftop system from Highlight Solar includes 27 panels (with the option to add more), along with battery backup. While battery backup doesn’t make financial sense for solar homeowners who are tied to the grid, Alhait had a unique experience that prompted his need for energy storage: “I was out of town over Christmas and the house lost power for a day. I lost $5,000 worth of coral and fish in one day—no joke. So I got a power generator, but it’s not going to turn itself on. [Battery backup] wasn’t a cheap option, but it was better than losing $5,000 again.” Now Alhait can vacation with a peace of mind, knowing his fish will be safe in the midst of a blackout.

Pleased with his experience, Alhait gave the company a five-star rating on SolarReviews:

Highlight Solar was probably the best experience I’ve had with both a contractor and a solar installer. I’ve had an installation done five years ago, and I was quite happy with it so far. But this system was amazing, and the experience and information provided by Highlight was so great that I ended up saving a lot more than I would have if I had gone with one of the other quotes I received. 5 Stars!

Since 2006, Alhait’s Central California home has sparked a solar revolution throughout his neighborhood. “Getting people onboard with solar is such a simple thing when they come to my house and see it,” said the clean energy enthusiast. He’s recommended Highlight Solar to friends and coworkers—four of whom have chosen the solar installer for their residential solar systems. Alhait’s coworkers also posted five-star reviews on SolarReviews, adding to the company’s 18 reviews (as of November, 2013).  

“Consumer’s reviews are the lifeline of our business,” Alayleh said of his Sunnyvale-based solar company. “Generally speaking, consumer’s reviews provide a third party non-biased feedback about the quality of our work. It is very important for someone besides us to testify about the quality of our work and our commitment to customer’s satisfaction.”

Alayleh has noticed Highlight Solar’s business pick up as the company has garnered more satisfied consumer reviews. “Every customer review counts,” he said, as much of Highlight Solar’s success relies on positive word-of-mouth referrals. “We strive to grow our satisfied customer base, and heavily depend on their input,” Alayleh reveals. “We grow our business one customer at a time.”

 

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