Energy Solutions Direct
reviews and complaints

This is by far the worst company we have ever dealt with, and the manager Olivia is completely worthless! Our project has been going on for 15 months and we are still not online. Olivia is like a kindergarten that just nods her head and accomplishes nothing, you might as well be talking to your pet! Five failed inspections, and one where the tech was a sleep in his van while the city inspector failed the inspection, I had to call the office and tell them their tech was sleeping and we fail yet again! If you want solar, go anywhere but ESD!

Signed contract with salesman Alex Lafata 14 months ago and still waiting to complete it. Do not trust salesmen Alex Lafata, his associate Brian Smith and ESD customer service manager Olivia Diaz. All have said they would resolve issues but still have yet to do so. Originally was told project would be completed in 3 months, but again still waiting after 14. Apparently they pay salesmen for work before it is done, thus they have no incentive to finish the job. Have been promised by ESD that I would be reimbursed for double payments for loan while still paying for electric bills, but that has not been done either. Lies upon lies from all. Have waited to post bad review in hopes they would fix it, but now it looks like I will be taking legal action for breach of contract.

ESD Solar was really impressive in how they stood out from several other solar companies that my husband and I spoke with. All of our wants/ needs were met without the feeling of being up sold, which we really appreciated. The entire process was smooth leaving us feeling satisfied with our results!

The process was simpler and straightforward. They were thorough in his presentation in explaining what was the best arrangement for us. The installation went smoothly. The app keeps it informed enabling us to monitor the performance of the system. We are happy with the results. The follow-up has been excellent.

My experience with this company was great. Open communication and very trustworthy. I received exactly what I wanted and am very impressed with the outcome. Install was done professionally and the crew was on time. I highly recommend this company for solar panels and will be referring some friends and family members as well.

Have been looking into solar for a while. Had met with a few companies previously but wasn't convinced. I decided to give it one more shot and met with Jeff from ESD Solar. I finally felt that the cost and warranties made sense and I am happy I finally decided to move forward. Working with ESD has proved to be a great investment.

ESD Solar doesn't involve other parties, so the communication is great with zero hassle and I felt like zero time was wasted. I was referred by a friend, he's had his system for just over a year and has saved a lot of money. My system was installed just a few months ago, but my power bill has already descreased! Great company with great service!

I like to take the time to give an update to my original posting. Olivia Diaz contacted us immediately after my posting she was absolutely amazing looking into the issue we were dealing with and finally got to the bottom of it since she was able to figure out that we needed a few extra panels to get the energy our home need it to accumulate in order for us to see the saving. My husband and I are so pleased with the outcome after Olivia stepped in. I will definitely recommend this company and location to get the needs of your solar panels. I wish I was able to completely remove my previous posting, but that it is not possible reason why I AM POSTING THIS UPDATE.

I live in S.C & I've been researching solar for quite some time now, I had a call one day from ESD & spoke with sales representative "Hank K" he was very professional & completely transparent with everything he told me. He didn't try to oversell me like a lot of other companies had previously tried. This is only my 3rd month in & my electric bill already has a credit on it. The only thing I could possibly complain about was this stupid pandemic & not being able to have my system installed sooner. That being said it still only took about 45 days from start to finish & Hank still answers my questions & concerns. I went from being irritated with a sales guy calling my phone, to having feel like I've made one of the better decisions in quite a long time. Just wanted to say thank you for your excellent customer service & dealing with my crazy

Hoy 29 de Agosto he recibido el segundo cobro de la compañis de electricidad KUA, en Kissimmee Florida. cuando se supone que no iba a volver a recibir ninguno. Antes pagaba $132.00 por mes de electricadad. ahora recibo un cobro por consumo $93.00, mas el pago del sistema solar que es de $112.00 . En total estoy pagando $ 205.00 que error tan grande he cometido en creer en ellos . Solo venden mentiras. necesito que me digan como puedo remover este equipo. Today, August 29. he received the second bill from the electricity company KUA, in Kissimmee Florida. when he was not supposed to receive any again. Before I paid $ 132.00 per month for electricity. Now I receive a charge for consumption of $ 93.00, plus the payment of the solar system that is $ 112.00. In total I am paying $ 205.00 what a big mistake I have made in believing in them. They only sell lies. I need you to tell me how I can remove this equipment

Once the system is installed everything ends, they never checked to see if the system worked, One panel was not working ,from the beginning, No one told me how everything was working or how to work it, I asked for battery back up prices from day one ,never replied to it or called with a explanation, ,When I called around the 6th time they said they were waiting for a price on the batteries from Tesla, I wanted Enphase, not Tesla, I got prices the first time from another dealer, . You call and they never call back, when you do call they argue that everything is sent by email. not in person .the salesman and installer said, To me.Someone would be out to show me. I have hired another company to install the generator and battery back up system , what I wanted from the beginning, bad public relation company, find someone else . I have 3 neighbors looking for solar , I gave them to *** Inc. A Professional

Front line customer service is the worst. Talking over me, dismissing me when I have a legitimate complaint about timely service. I called on 1/8 to notify them that our Solar system stopped producing energy. I had to wait 6 business days to get a technician assigned. Then he shows up on what happens to be a holiday. He confirms the system is damaged and said he need to speak with the Manufacturer to submit an RMA. I would have expected he or another tech would be at my home the next day or would call the manufacturer. Nope, took another 4 business day to get a tech out and confirm to the manufacturer that it is a damaged circuit board. So, now that I'm out a minimum of another 21 days of not producing energy, they refuse to create an appointment for when the replacement circuit board is expected to be delivered. Since ESD already hosed me for 4 more days, I think scheduling and appointment that may shift is acceptable. They do not and refuse to do so. Beware of customer service with this company.

ESD Solar kept their word! Initially, it was estimated that I would need a certain amount of panels based upon my current energy audit. The only issue was that I had just had a new pool installed and could not say for sure how much energy I would use over the course of the next 12 months. After install, ESD added 3 additional panels for me at no additional charge just like they said they would do. They did this because I received 3 electric bills for a little more energy used than we had originally estimated. Nick and Dan worked together to ensure that 3 additional panels was all I needed and now my system produces enough energy to offset my entire energy usage each month. ESD promised that if I chose them they would take care of me in any way possible, and they did! I was skeptical from some of the reviews, but I CHOSE ESD SOLAR BASED UPON THE WORD OF THE NICK. I know that the industry is tough, but I believe it's about who you work with. Nick and Dan were the right people for me to work with and have made a great impression upon me for ESD Solar!

Energy Solutions Direct (ESD) charged me ~ $28,000 for 33 panels which went online in the Fall of 2018. The panels stopped working in Summer 2019 and were eventually repaired, then stopped working again in July . It is now late Sept 2020 and they still are not working. My electric bill has increased by over 10 times what I paid when they did work. For over two months now ESD has made me wait weeks for parts and weeks for an appointment for a technician to come to my house to no avail. They blame the manufacturer and tell me they no longer use that manufacturer because there has been so much trouble with those panels, yet ESD will not compensate me for (electric bill) for panels that are not working nor will they replace (unless at my expense) the existing panels for better ones. Over the past couple of months I have called them often enough that they now recognize my name and phone number and will sometimes not take (answer) my calls, or not return my calls, and have never put me through to a supervisor. It has been very frustrating and expensive! I am still waiting to generate solar power. I do NOT recommend this ESD. Their equipment does not work well and their customer service is terrible. I fear they will go bankrupt before they fix my system.

GAVE IT ONE START BECAUSE IF I DIDN'T I COULD NOT POST THIS.
First of all, the sales representative we had told us everything we wanted to hear, and we trusted him. The only reason why we decided to place solar was that we were going to be saving and self-sufficient. Well that was a lie. Alex L. told us that if we had a power outage we didn't have to worry since we had enough panels to support out home. Well that didn't happen, also we were never told that we were still be getting two bill one from Duke and one from ESD, (No savings). We contacted ESD and told them about it and they told us contact Duke is their problem we don't handle that kind of issue or contact your sales representative, which I did and he told us he no longer works for the company and no further information was given. My Rep. told us that they were freelancers and they had to learn about the product on their own.

We had Duke energy come out and they told us that we were missing a back up battery to storage the extra power we are not using. ESD never told us that, cost of that $5K. and that we were missing a switch as part of the installation panel.

Now we are stuck with two different bills, no support and totally dissatisfied with the company. DON'T BUY FROM ESD @ 7201 Bryan Dairy RD. Largo, Fl.
First of all I

This is a follow up to my previous 5 star review. After having my panels installed, I noticed my system was not offsetting my energy as ESD's rep promised. I contacted ESD to make them aware of this. They installed 3 more panels on my roof but on a side that was shaded. They also never told me where they were going to install. Apparently, ESD does not speak with the homeowner about panel placement unless the homeowner has specific request. To continue, I was still receiving electric bills for nearly the same amount of money. I had to call another solar company to come out and add 5 more panels and fix the initial install by ESD. I officially have my energy being offset in the manner in which ESD originally promised but it cost me more money, time, and required another company. I contacted the rep that I worked with to ask why my system was not designed properly. Rep apologized and admitted that ESD does not offer any form of basic and continued training for their sales reps. They are 1099 employees that are expected to learn solar mostly on their own and use a software to help them size their systems. Rep also admitted that he was never trained on the supposed software and he didn't fully know how to use it to size systems. Some of my other friends that signed contracts with this company in December have still not had their systems installed. Also learned from a rep that upon leaving this company, the owner told him that he would get paid on his future installs. But shortly after leaving the owner stopped paying him because the rep refused to go to a customer's home who already was fully installed, to answer questions about the size and number of panels for their system. The owner made said that it was due to a violation of a non compete clause which would not allow the rep to interview or work for another solar company within a specified radius for 2 years. To think that this rep has a newborn on the way. And my friends are unsure what to do about their installs.

I have previously posted a 5 star review shortly the installation process, and figured the rest would take of itself. Sadly since, it hasnt been a 5 star experience. When sold the system, was told that ESD would be able to monitor the system and that if there were any issues with the system they would be able to notice it, and be able to solve the problem in a timely matter, that is indeed not the case. My system stopped working about 6 months after it initially was powered on (6 months and already a failure?) I didnt notice right away. Not thinking I need after being such a new system. After about 5 months of it being down i noticed it in my duke bill. ESD did send someone out to remove the bad inverter and have it sent off and wait for a replacement (not a quick process also not ESDs fault) when I asked them why they never noticed the system being down, I was told it wasnt their job to monitor my system and that is solely on me to notice issues after be sold on the idea someone at ESD was watching the system. I have asked multiple times to be refunded the amount I paid on the system while the system was down. Seems right? Not asking to cover my entire light bill, just the amount I pay on the system monthly. They sent me a check for the repair time, which was a roughly a month. What about the other 4 months my system was down, not producing, whileni make payments on it? I dont care if they monitor the system or not, the system is less than a year old and should be having issues like that? Very disappointed in the response about this, I've got the cold shoulder from the sales rep and the run around when i call the office about the payments I've made on the system while the system was inoperative. Very disappointing, and a good way to build trust. I am in talks with Tesla about adding more panels and some powerwalls. ESD seems like a fly by wire company with people either being fired or leaving, hard to figure out from a customer standpoint who is who and how to get problems solved

I paid $7,500 to Energy Solutions Direct, 6076 Park Blvd N., Pinellas Park, FL 33781, (ESD) on Feb 8, 2023 for one battery to store excess solar energy produced. ESD solar came to install it and wanted to split the electrical panel between the whole house generator and the solar battery. I said that is not what I had asked for. I asked specifically for one battery to store excess solar power generated, and not break up the electric panel because I have a whole house generator. The salesmen, Mason Kelso came back and said they forgot to look up the code and could not install only one battery to store excess solar power generated, they had to install two batteries. I said that I was not interested in two batteries because that is not what I had asked for. I had asked for one battery to store excess solar power produced. I said I was not interested in two batteries and wanted my $7,500 deposit back. ESD solar refuses to return the $7,500 deposit although it was completely their fault.

I paid $7,500 to ESD solar On Feb 8, 2023 for one battery to store excess solar energy produced. ESD solar came to install it and wanted to split the electrical panel between the generator and the solar battery. I said that is not what I had asked for. I asked specifically for one battery to store excess solar power generated, and not break up the electric panel because I have a whole house generator. The salesmen, Mason Kelso came back and said they forgot to look up the code and could not install only one battery to store excess solar power generated, they had to install two batteries. I said that I was not interested in two batteries because that is not what I had asked for. I had asked for one battery to store excess solar power produced. I said I was not interested in two batteries and wanted my $7,500 deposit back. ESD solar refuses to return the $7,500 deposit although it was completely their fault.

Customer service is very slow to respond. Plus they don’t follow when they said that they would. I was promised a free removal and reinstall if I need a new roof by my sale rep. I called ESD to tell them I was getting a new roof and I needed to schedule for my panels to be removed and reinstalled after the roof has been fix. The customer service representative said the information I was given was incorrect and they don’t even provide that service. They referred me to a contractor who handles the customer care for them. According to my contract ESD states the removal and reinstall would be 3000 plus materials. The contractor told me they don’t honor ESD contracts but was willing to her me. They are willing to do the job for 5500. ESD manager of costumer services called me back and said they will do it but it would cost about 11k to complete the work. Yes double the price of the contractor. I asked the manager why their cost is so high compared to the contractor. She said it’s because of Covid and everything has gone up and they have to pass the cost on to the customer. I have spoken with three other solar companies and they told me the cost from ESD seems unreasonable. They all said the material cost shouldn’t be more than 1000.00. I have asked ESD for a detailed list and prices for the materials but have not received any response yet. I am a disabled veteran and can’t afford to pay the inflated cost when I was promised a free take down and reinstall. We are Americans we got to do better. We can’t continue to blame Covid for poor customer service and breaching contracts.

In October I had solar panels installed on my roof. They told me my bills would be reduced by 95%. Since then my bills have l not been reduced in the amount they started in their contract. Nothing even close compares. I. Currently and have been paying the same amount I would without solar panels. I've made complaints to the company several times and they ignore my request for help. One on occasion the representative told me the panels are on the wrong side of the roof and it's doesn't produce because there are trees overshadowing them. In that event they should have acknowledged the configuration mistake and corrected it. It's been over a year and I have yet to hear from thm and there hasn't been any attempt to mend things. I would like for this company to take responsibility of they labor and install and do the right thing and make the solar panels functional!

I bought 40 solar panels back in 2017. I had no problems until after I got a new roof in April 2022 and needed the solar panels taken down /put up. EDS said if the roof was done within 5 years I wouldn't be charged to have them taken down/put up, was charged $6,000 anyways. My second problem was since solar panels were put back up my electric bill has been full price. I've called 18 to 20 times since April only to be given excuse after excuse. I'm not only paying for the solar panels and a full electric bill but no one will verbally talk to me through EDS and have called 30 times since August. Yesterday I googled the business and states permanently closed. Four days ago a *** emailed me and said the part was ordered 3 weeks ago. I'm sure this is another excuse. please help resolve this problem with my solar panels by finishing the job, by repairing or replacement or refund the money.

Had Energy Solutions Direct install solar panels on my roof. Roof leaked, had to call roofing company to fix leak, after ESD came out 4 times to fix. I bought 11.505 kw solar panel system from Solar Energy solutions in June . They had them installed and working around October after a few hiccups with final inspection. Noticed after installation, a water leak was coming from our kitchen ceiling by the back door, and called ESD to come out and fix it. The flexible pipe coming from the solar inverter had been installed thru the attic and thru the roof without any protection. Just the pipe with a big hole. The company came out sent one of their men to fix it, but rain came thru again and again. They failed to fix it after 4 tries. I left numerous voicemails and emails to let them know to contact me or I would have to hire a roofing company to fix it, before it did any more damage to inside my house. They never contacted me back. I had to hire a roofing company to fix the problem.

In July , I was contacted by a representative of ENERGY SOLUTIONS DIRECT and was verbally told that I could save money each month by installing solar. I then showed the sales person my COSERV bills for the last 12 months, and he said that I did indeed qualify for savings. However, at that point the sales person should have told me that that COSERV that COSERV, the only power company I can use does not pay for excess power you produce. I then signed a contract and took out a 25-year loan for $28,800. Because COSERV does not pay for excess power, I sustain a monthly net loss of between $50 and $100. My MARCH bill was $108. My MARCH 2022 bill was $118 plus I had my solar loan bill for $91. ESD has been provided copies of all of these bills. It's too late to undue my solar installation, but since they have not upheld their part of our verbal contract that I would save money each month, the least they can do to make this right is provide me with free solar batteries so that I may capture my excess power and at least have some backup power when the power goes out.

- Started service with ESD 5/28 for solar systems to be installed and service to be maintained. - Loan Amount of $25,576.50 from *** on behalf of ESD - business is committed to a 10 year warranty for service of equipment and equipment monitored for ensuring it works.- Equipment has not been operational since August. I have tried to get the equipment fixed multiple times and keep getting the run around. I been trying to contact the company since July 15 of 2022. I finally got a response on July 19th and was told that I would get my unit fixed once the part came in which would take a couple weeks. I have followed up again and again and last response I got was august 3rd that the part was shipped but no updates. I have tried to contact the company multiple times since August 3rd and no response from them since then. I have tried to contact them multiple times since then to either cancel the service since breach of contract and connected with my lawyer. - I have tried to contact to get repaired and just want it fixed or for them to cancel the contract and repay me for my units since I have been paying for non-operational solar panels for over a year.

Panels installed, electric bill is still extremely high. Customer service will not answer. Energy Solutions Direct (ESD), Texas sales, installed 35 panels on my house in November. With a $50,000 loan from Loan Pal, we were assured that our $175/month electric bill would decrease substantially. This has NOT been the case. If anything, my bill has almost doubled since the installation. This months bill alone is $298. And that's now in addition to my loan payment each month. So I went from $175/month to over $400/month in electrical costs. This is unacceptable. I waited, thinking the panels would average out over the summer months... that didn't happen. I was also assured that if power went out in my house during the day, my solar panels would keep my electricity on. Yet again, not the case. I've tried to contact ESD several times over the past few months; with emails, calls to their 800# as well as their direct line, (XXX) XXX-XXXX, but to no avail. I would just like someone to contact me to figure out what the problem is, but that seems to be easier said than done. I'm extremely unpleased as to how this whole situation has gone down and I'm ready to take further action if necessary. If this is how ESD conducts business, I will take my business elsewhere.

My wife and I purchased a house august that had solar panels installed months before we bought the house. The original owner did not even use them. We had the warranty transferred to me. July *** one of the bedrooms under the solar panels. I had a roofer come and see what was going on. The roofer stated that the solar panel where connected to the house is leaking and has the wood under the tile rotted. I made several attempts to contact DES to see what can be done. Finally after a month DES said if I paid them $250 they would send a tech out to assess and if found to be their fault money would be refunded. A younger female showed up at my house and told me that her boss *** sent her to *** to buy cement and place all around the mounting tracks. I told her that the wood under the panels needs replaced and she said I can't do that I'll have to contact my boss. She eventually left and gave me ***'s number *** and said she would have him call me. *** never called so I reached out to him he acted like he never heard of me he told me to call in a few days so he could see what's going on. I waited another 4 days and tried to call back he did not answer but texted and said "what's up can't talk". I replied I would like to know what's going on and he never answered me. All in the mean time our roof is still leaking and causing daily damage as I live in SW *** and it's rainy season.

Solar system was installed December , has not been even close to covering my power bills as I was promised at time of sale, now I am being ignored In December I had been shopping for a solar power system. I was referred to ESD by a friend and a salesperson Cory P. was sent to my home. I was in the process of trying to retire from my job and part of the sales pitch was I would only be paying customer charges from Duke. I have 2 electric services on my property so the system was 2 installs and meters. At first the paperwork was messed up with the city and power company so the trouble started there. After many phone calls and emails I received checks to cover the loan payment as promised. There have been several service calls to my address trying to correct the problem but my electric bill has continued to increase. I have sent all the bills as well as proof of payment I made to the the loan company. I have not received any payments since April and I still continuing to double pay. The persons at the company have stopped communicating with me for 2 weeks now. My phone calls and emails go totally unanswered. I have had other work done on my roof recently and have been documenting defects that occurred during installation. MY roof was brand new before the installation of the solar equipment. I feel at this time as a senior I was intentionally mislead at time of purchase. I tried to get the company to repair the problem but they could remove it all and give me a refund. I would not recommend this company to anyone who expects the right thing to be done.

At the beginning of August , I was called by Amy D from Energy Solutions Direct to set up a consultation to see about going solar. We were told by Amy at the consultation that she can build out a system that would cut our energy cost and only pay around $15.00 for the fee from our Co-Op. She also stated that since our Co-Op doesn't offer the buyback program that they will stay on them, and they would. The system was built out and we signed the contract [protected]) while she was at our home. The loan amount was $54,720.00. The next day I was not feeling that great about moving forward so I stated I wanted to cancel the contract. Amy showed up at our house and stated that she cannot because the product has already been ordered. It wasn't till later that we found out that we had a 3 day right to cancel. We proceeded and in October their subcontractor installed the system. In December, the system was finally turned on after PTO was given by our Co-Op. My first month's bill from my Co-op was completely the opposite of what Amy told us. My bill with my co-op was $270.22. I complained and finally got a hold of Cory P, he is part owner of ESD. We tried to come to a resolution which we could not agree upon and now he is no longer taking my calls or emails. I received my Co-op bill yesterday (02/15/22) and it was $377.49. I was misled by Energy Solutions Direct and now I am paying theoretically two electric bills. My loan payment and my Electric bill. I contacted several other solar companies and was told that I was overcharged for the system. I have caught this company in so many lies. So much more to put in here but I am limited to 2000 words.

I am at my wits end, on January 11, 2022, I went into contract with Energy Solutions Direct to have 41 panels installed. The salesman *** answered all our questions, and we were convinced his company would be up to the task. We understood that the pandemic had slowed down the supply chain, but we were assured they had panels arriving and that wouldn't be a problem. We signed the contract and we heard nothing for several weeks no updates, I called to find out the next step. *** the office manager told me they were waiting on the *** approval and if I had a contact. I was happy to see if I could get the process started. I called *** my neighbor and *** representative and she said she's look into it. She called me back and informed me that it was approved, and they had just received the form several days ago. I called ESD back advising them it was approved. I asked *** what the next step would be she said would get back to me. The permit from the *** was approved in March, I called and emailed *** on April 6, to find out any updates. On April 27 we received an email saying *** would be out to install our panels on April 29. The crew showed up late afternoon and started the job the installed the invertors and told us they would be back the following morning to complete the work. The 41 panels were down to 39 panels and that these were a better quality. I asked how this was possible and called *** who assured us the panels were an upgrade. I replied again how do I know this? The invertors were placed on the roof and we awaited the crews return the following day by 11 am we became anxious. I called *** who informed me *** was sick and the job would be completed the following week. Second strike 41 to 39 no call to let us know about the delay. On July 12 we failed inspection *** came back and the issues are still there.

Seeking an immediate cancellation. My mother and I were DEFRAUDED by Alex L. and ESD HOME SOLUTIONS LLC. In late summer or early fall of 2019, salesman Alex L. knocked on our door. Alex L. stated there was a program called PACE to help finance home improvements. We knew that running our air conditioner was about 70% of our electric bill and Alex L. spiked our interest stating he not only could lower our electric bill, but he could get us off the grid. He began to sell us on Solar Panels and told us that Solar Panels qualified under the PACE Program and would only cost us a few dollars a month. We discussed the Solar Panel product that would have a battery back-up and Alex L. had us sign electronically a document on a large tablet. We never received the Solar Panels with a battery back-up as agreed. We did sign a paper stating the solar panels were installed, but NEVER that the job was completed. We were told "not to worry" because the "unit would be activated remotely." We now have a Solar Panel system that is NOT WHAT WE ORDERED and has NEVER functioned from day one. Not only were we defrauded with the sale of a system we did not order, the business has breached the contract since the system has never functioned. We were told that it would be turned on remotely which never happened and is inoperable to this day. To make matters even more unconscionable, we now have a 30-year loan that has converted into a tax assessment against our property and all for a product that has NEVER functioned. We were promised the system would "get us off the grid." We've seen NO SAVINGS. We have confirmed with the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court that their records do not show an Alex L. applying for a home solicitation permit last fall. Because Alex L. did not have the required home solicitation permit per FS 501.021, the entire transaction was a SCAM/FRAUD and the documents were obtained while committing a CRIMINAL OFFENSE. My mother and I hereby demand the inoperable solar panels are immediately removed from our home without damage to our roof. We want the fraudulent Ygrene loan, now a tax assessment, to be immediately canceled against our property taxes. We also insist that Alex L. and ESD HOME SOLUTIONS LLC are criminally prosecuted for their actions and any licenses to operate are revoked.

ESD solar system doesn't work well and very little customer service help In October we had our solar equipment installed by Energy Solutions Direct. In January we were finally able to get the proper meter installed from the utilities company to track our production. Unfortunately, the solar installation work was done by a poorly trained and unprofessional crew. (For instance, they drilled through our main power line in the attic and shut down our power. The installation failed inspection by the county four times.) The installers failed to properly install the lode tap and for five months (January through May) we did not produce anything with the solar system. Our local electricity company didn't find the problem. It wasn't discovered until someone finally came from ESD to pull the meter. He found the problem and fixed it. Even though ESD covered our solar payments for those five months, they refused to reimburse us for any of our energy bills because they said it wasn't their responsibility (their installers messed up the installation so I must disagree). And because we were not able to "bank" any of the extra production during those five months we are now behind and paying for electricity use from our utilities company. The system was designed to produce more than we needed, even during summer in Florida. We have arrays that have been underproducing since May. ESD set up an appointment to have someone come out to our home and look at the system. Instead, they pushed a firmware upgrade and didn't come to look at anything (those cells are still under producing and nothing seems to have changed overall with the firmware upgrade). Our rep says he will push for extra arrays to be installed but we haven't heard anything else about that. We have repeatedly tried to contact our ESD representative but we are often forgotten when he says he will call us back or send us needed information. There is also quite a bit of misinformation. The rep will tell us something but the customer service department will tell us something else (for instance, if we use a partner of ESD to replace our roof, the rep said it will not cost anything to have the solar arrays removed and reinstalled. However, the customer service department says we will need to pay $3000 to remove and reinstall the arrays). We are greatly dissatisfied with the system and just want the solar arrays removed and issued a reasonable refund. Since we don't believe this is an option we would like to have the system completely removed and reinstalled with competent installers. That may go a long way in letting us recommend ESD to other potential customers. We feel neglected in regards to customer care. We aren't getting the help we need to repair the cells that are under producing and now we're paying more between the solar loan charge and the electricity use now than we were before we installed the system. As it stands now, we will never recommend ESD to anyone looking to install solar for their home.

Consumer stated she was unable to write a complaint, it was transcribed over the phone.2020 problem start date date of complaint: 7/29 energy solutions direct (complaining against)company address: *** began business with them in 2019 "I reached out to the solar panel company around the month of July. I spoke to ***. I stated to *** that the solar panels were not working correctly. I was having outages where the lights would shut off and come back on multiple times. This damaged my refrigerator, washing machine, and microwave. Some of the light bulbs needed constant replacement as well. I have receipts for all of these purchases. They would always check the meter and the system and would always say the solar panels are producing the energy they need to produce and there is nothing in the system that is causing them to do that. They told me I needed to reach Duke Energy. Thankfully, I have the Wiring Protection Program with Duke Energy, and I have a program as well that allows them to cover my appliances. Duke Energy came and checked my home. They clearly stated that nothing was wrong with their wiring and the wiring of the home. They were able to prove it was not a problem of Duke Energy, but instead the panels, because the technician explained to us that the solar panel's energy output and *** electricity were both coming in at once causing the house to house's power to go on and off. They explained that to fix this the solar panels needed a battery, which the solar panel system did not have. They cut trees on the side of the house because they believed that they were blocking the energy being received by the panels. But this did not resolve the problem. I tried to speak with them and they said that I needed more panels, because I was not getting enough energy, but that was not my complaint. Now I am no longer paying electricity from *** dollars, and I am now paying 180 dollar electric bills. I now have a high electric bill and my appliances are being damaged through the output of both Duke Energy's lines and the solar panels both coming through the wiring at once. Duke Energy has proven already that it has nothing to do with the wiring of the home and everything to do with the panels, and I am the only one in my neighborhood with these solar panels and they are not getting any outages. I have proof of receipts that my appliances are being damaged by this. Obviously the panels are causing the problems, which was corroborated by the technician. We can't *** them for this because we signed a contract for it. They offered solutions for the problem of this by cutting down the tree and offering more panels for free, but this did not solve the problem due to what was happening. Duke Energy knew how much energy I was using at home. I was originally paying a $420 dollar electric bill, and then after installing the panels my energy bill did not change. Energy Solutions also forgot to report the appraisal permits of the panels to the county, so the value of the panels was not added to the value of the house, and I don't think that's fair. I believe this company has promised something they did not fulfill."Desired resolution: "I want them to stop the outages from occurring, and I want my energy bill to be what it's supposed to be. I would like to be paid the amount I owe to Goodleap, the finance company. I would like the setup to be such that my energy bill is minimal."

ESD came to my home through door to door solicitation. They presented solar panels and misrepresented the agreement to me. On February 15, a sales rep Nick C. came to my home in a door to door fashion soliciting solar panel sales. He presented his product which took 4 hours since I had to read the information electronically as he did not provide paperwork for his product. He carried a laptop and the contract and info was on there. I was told I would receive 39 panels which was more than I would need for my size home (34 panels was the amount I need to break even on the cost) in case I went over my usage at times at 3.99% interest rate. I was offered additional monies to be included in the loan to cover any home improvement projects or debt relief I needed to have done. I accepted and added another $11000 to my loan totaling $50,000 between the panels and the extra money. My panels were not installed until june due to backed up install times from increased sales orders and permitting issues with my home however the installation crew was very unprofessional. They placed the panels in such a way on my roof that I cannot access my gutters for maintenance or walk on my roof for repairs. The screws used to install the panels left holes where water leakage could occur and damage my roof, they placed the photovoltaic connection box in front of a window so I cannot open the window which is a fire hazard, holes in the side of my walls poorly patched, and they forgot to turn the switch "on" to put the panels in use resulting in Power company bills continuing to come for 5 months until October when they figured out they didn't turn the switch on. Every time I called to complain about the bills, they told me the panels were installed when the sun was not hot and they werent able to absorb enough energy to offset my power bills and that the following year this wouldn't be a problem. I didn't know they were using a third party Loan company (Loan Pal) since my Sales rep told me they handle all their loans themselves and that was why I was able to get such a good interest rate. I never received any communication or paperwork from Loan Pal until my first bill was automatically debited from my account. At that point I called Loan Pal and was notified of the Reammoritization Clause. I was not told about this during the sales process or anytime throughout the installation process from ESD. I spoke with Stephanie L. many times while trying to get the panels installed and was never told of Reammoritization. I tried contacting my sales rep Nick C. (as stephanie advised me to do since she could not help me with this issue) but he never answered or returned my calls. I was told about a 30% tax credit I was to receive for installing solar panels but was not told I needed to put that amount back into the bill in order to keep my payments at $218/month, or the amount would raise to $314/month. So when tax time came I had a professional preparer complete my taxes and was told the tax credit was split between two tax years so I would not be able to make the full $15000 payment by the deadline of December because I only received $8000 that year in tax credit. When I contacted ESD they brushed me off stating Loan Pal needs to handle all payment issues and when I called Loan Pal they told me ESD should have told me about this and basically "it is what it is". I have always paid my debts and kept my credit good so in order to keep my credit status good, I continued to make my payments thinking there was nothing I could do about this issue until my mom notified me about complaints made to Complaintsboard.com about this same company that were similar to my complaints. By this time, covid19 hit and I had to use the $8000 to live on as I lost a lot of work. This whole thing has been a nightmare and I want out of my contract and the panels removed with any repairs to my roof structure fixed at no cost to me, and refund of power bills paid. Also I want no bad reports to my credit agency as I have tried multiple times to work this out with both companies and was denied.