Stellar Solar

Keith my sales rep and Mario the installer were awesome. They both provided outstanding customer service, very knowledgable, go the extra mile, and extremely friendly. I would have gave Stellar Solar a 5-​Star rating however, the administrative component and process was not impressive nor performed at an exceptional level. I personally think Stellar Solar is taking in more customers than they can handle or they need some internal fine tuning with the adminsitrative department. If I had to review Keith and Mario only, I would give them a 5-​Star rating all day long!!! Unfortunately, I have to review Stellar Solar as whole. At the end of the day, I will still refer friends and family to Keith and Stellar Solar as I believe Stellar Solar has the potential to be a top notch Solar company. In addition, I would still recommend them because the equipment and installation is legit and clean and that is what really matters!

This is one of the most professional companies I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. They came highly recommended by a friend who was an energy analyst by trade. I got information and estimates from 3 recommended companies, and this was by far the best. They provide a thorough evaluation and presentation. They sent and informed representative, Mike Powers, who not only answered all my questions, but answered some questions I hadn’t even thought about. He left an information packet, copies of all paperwork. Good communication and follow-​up with staff. They were aware of all ordinances and HOA requirements. I felt absolutely no pressure to buy, compared to another company, nor were they condescending, like another company. They evaluated my home and provided me specs quickly. I really got the impression that this company had a lot of experience and knew what it was doing. Price was reasonable. When you calculate your tax incentive, it would take about 6 yrs to pay for itself, and I plan on being in this home much longer than that. I highly recommend you buy, not lease. It raises your property value significantly. Panels were installed in 1 day. The installation team was professional and polite. The only irritation I had was that it took the city 6 weeks to complete inspection because they were so back-​logged, but that is out of control of the solar company. I was itching to flip the switch on my savings! I have had the panels up and running about 3 months now, and there is no electric bill, just gas. I am sooo happy I got solar panels, and sooo happy I went with Stellar Solar. As an added bonus, they use American made parts. It feels great being eco-​friendly and saving money at the same time!

Update-​Our solar system is up and running! A few more glitches occurred, including our monitoring system that was not correctly synced and said solar panels were not producing power, but they actually were. That was stressful! But the fuse cover plate I needed was taken care of by the company and we passed inspection just fine. I still say be careful, and cannot give my highest recommendation to a company that would try to make a customer pay for something the company did not include in a bid. I have upgraded them up from one to three stars. Here is my original review:
Beware! Stellar solar started my solar install but now tells me I have a plate missing from my electrical fuse box. They say it’s my responsibility even though they didn’t mention it in the bid or the pre-​inspection when they looked at the fuse box. They are trying to work it out but it is not right that they didn’t mention it before the install. They saw it before and should have planned to fix it or included it in the bid. I’ll update this post when we get resolution.

I did a ton of research and received about 6 quotes for solar. We chose stellar as they were competitive and had great reviews. Our rep Kenny seems very honest and upfront and I like that. The rest of the staff is very nice. Edgar and his team did a great job at the install and were very conscientious with our property. We are awaiting SDGE to turn in our system. It’s been a very quick and easy process once I chose Stellar !

I am so pleased with Stellar. The staff was professional from top to bottom. My panels are already producing more power than I consume. I can run the heater in the winter and just have a gas bill. The financing was easy. My monthly payment is lower than my electric bill. In 12 years I will own the system. I would definitely recommend Stellar Solar.
Stephen McDowell
PS, you can’t see the panels from the street.

Stellar Solar is simply that… Stellar. I had the pleasure of working with Kenny Rutherford as my specialist and he was great from the consultation process straight on through to the implementation of the system. His knowledge and professionalism is first class and I would highly recommend him and stellar to anyone looking to cut their energy bills. There are a lot of other companies in the market and after extensive research i was pretty sure i chose the best one. Now that the system is done and running I know i did. With the tax credit and 2.99% term on the remaining loan there is no reason to not go solar. Call Kenny and his team as you will be stoked with Stellar!

We are so happy with our new solar system!
Two years ago we had contacted Stellar for an estimate and had the privilege of meeting Mark Mihelich. We received several estimates, but Mark had made an impression on us.
He was accurate in his estimate and understood we wanted SunPower panels.
We decided to wait and never were we badgered, once or twice a year we would receive a generic advertisement. So when we decided this year to make the move we called Mark.
I must say it was a slow process, but then we got caught in the summer rush and SunPower was back logged on its panels. Also we decided to upgrade our electrical so we had to wait on SDG&E. Stellar took care of all permits. Made and attended all meetings for SDG&E and permits. We didn’t have to do anything.
We also decided to replace our roof where the panels were going and they worked with our roofer while putting on the supports. They painted all piping to match the roof and side of house. Javiar and his team were amazing and very hard working. Gary, the electrician and partner, replaced the electrical panel perfectly. All stucco repairs and painting were completed to our satisfaction.
Through all this Mark called to check and inform us of the next step and to make sure we were happy.
We would highly recommend Stellar, just remember it won’t be done over night. Our $ 2.89 electric bill made it all worth it!!!

We are coming up on finishing the 2^nd year with our system. Our total cost of electricity for the year will be $ 120.00! That usage includes the addition of a large AC window unit that runs all the time. I did upgrade all of the light bulbs in our house to LED bulbs and changed all the old big florescent tubes in my garage to the new thin ones. We also had our old 1985 furnace upgraded to a new energy efficient one that uses far less electricity. Another nice perk with choosing Stellar is that there is a good chance you will eventually get a referral bonus. We had a new neighbor move in on our street. I referred them to our agent Kristen and she closed them that following week… Cha-​Ching! $ 500.00 referral fee coming my way any day now.

I recently completed a residential solar installation with Stellar Solar working with Kenny Rutherford. The process was efficient and painless. I originally spoke with Kenny in early June, signed the contract June 19, started operation on July 21, and completed the handy PV monitor installation on August 11 for tracking my production. There are several steps in the process including design, installation, and inspection. There were a few instances of internal miscommunication along the way that were quickly resolved with an email or phone call to Kenny. I highly recommend Stellar Solar and Kenny Rutherford. I already referred their services to my office mate at work, who now is also up and running.

If you are confused about what is best when it comes to solar for your home or business I recommend you call Kenny Rutherford as filler Solar. Kenny is able to navigate all of the pitfalls and problems that can arise when getting solar energy installed at your home or property. This guy knows the business inside and out and company does top quality work. So if you’re interested in taking advantage of solar please give these people a call. Thank you Ray

Just had our second solar installation done by Stellar. The third one in our family and we have recommended them to many people. Very knowledgeable, not pushy and great installers. We really believe in the solar concept and Stellar knows what they are doing. Highly recommend this company.

6 Months Later (4 Jan 2016)
The panels were moved where I requested and the panels were no longer getting shaded. Production was as expected and I eventually stopped using the app to check to see the production. BIG MISTAKE! I noticed three days ago that our electric bill was $ 100. I looked to see what we were producing, and it turns out there has not been any production since November 12^th. I did the simple trouble shooting (checked circuit breakers, checked the connection to the router), but it didn’t work. I called Stellar the next morning and left a message. I was surprised to get a response on the weekend, but it wasn’t useful. They said it should be a few weeks before I get someone out here to check what is wrong due to the holiday season and some employees out sick. In the meantime, I have expensive shade panels on my roof.
In addition, my friend works for a competing solar company and in conversation he told me that Stellar Solar did a good job with the installation.
Original Review, Same Day UPDATE:
The manager called back and guaranteed the projected production for 6 months or else he would move the panels for free. After I agreed and told him that his proposal seemed reasonable since they did not guarantee production before, he said that he would move them if it would help me sleep. I told him it would and offered several times for him or anyone else to come look at the shade from the tree since I have it recorded and saved. He wasn’t a taker. It looks like they will be moving the panels and finishing this project soon.
Had I received this response immediately, this would be a 5 star review. I’ll bump it up from 1 star to a 3 star review for now until the project is complete.
Original Review:
First let me say that the install crew did an excellent job and were very friendly. One of the few days that it rains in San Diego was an install day. So to keep on schedule, they sent a second crew to finish up the work the following week.
The issue: The engineer’s design put the panels right under a palm tree. One of the installers told me there was a lot of shade on the panels the day they put the panels on and said I should complain and have them moved. The main office was closed for the day, so I called the very next morning and they told me that the panels were in the best position, essentially calling the installer a lier. I decided to put up a 1080P camera to see where the shade was coming from and sure enough the installer was right.
The fix: Move 4 panels to the north side of my west facing roof. The main wiring would not have to be re-​done and I have the extra roof shingles for easy replacement (so no extra cost there). However they want to charge me an additional $ 500 to move the 4 panels where they should have been put in the first place. I thought it would be a quick fix, but I’ve gotten a lot of push back from the manager who set this up. After stating in his «opinion» that they were in the best place without even considering that I may be right.
With that said, I do not recommend them. If the company makes a mistake when you pay over $ 42,000, it shouldn’t be an inconvenience to get it fixed or for them to even look into the problem.

Kristin was my representative and she did a great job. I met with about four different companies after narrowing down my choices based on reviews and products offered. Stellar Solar wasn’t the cheapest of the group but their pricing was competive and they had the panels/​inverters I wanted.
All of that can describe a few of the companies I examined but here’s where Stellar shined. The installation was fast and it looks great. I drive down my neighborhood looking at all the terrible installations. For instance, Stellar re-​routed roof vents to ensure all the panels are nicely uniform on my roof. I have the best looking installation in my neighborhood.
I should also mention that they did a great job with the rebates. The state one took a bit of time but they stayed on top of it and I eventually got it.

I did a lot of research and talked to several solar companies. not only was Stellar Solar the cheapest but they were the best! Very professional and extremely willing to answer all my questions, of which i had many. Kristin Kirk was awesome, she was very patient and worked through the numbers with me 100 different ways until we found the perfect combination of financing and system size.
Javier and his team of installers did an outstanding job installing the system. Very clean install. He even took the time to take down a surfboard rack, that was in the way of the install, and re-​mount it in a different location for me.

We were ignored!
Called Stellar Solar on the recommendation of a friend. The initial contact was good.
I spoke to the Sales Rep. Once gave him the scope of the project got an estimate over the phone he said he would follow up with a face to face meeting.
I never heard from him again !
Thankfully we found the Solar Company of our dreams… Semper Solaris!
Better technology, Made in the USA Veteran owned. We needed fewer panels and saved close to $ 10,000 dollars.
Called Semper Solaris on Friday signed up on Saturday.
With better sales skills and communication this sale could have been Stellar’s.
Client service is paramount to having a successful business.
«Everything begins with a sale»

3÷11÷15 UPDATE
Okay so we’re in a much better place as of today. It looks like all of the outstanding problems with the installation will be resolved by end-​of-​day, and as of this morning the system is fully operational (passed inspection, SDGE approval, etc.)
I do think that the root of nearly all of the issues we experienced was communication — internally within Stellar, and between Stellar and me as the customer. As recently as yesterday today there have been disconnects between what was happening on-​the-​ground for our solar project, and what staff at Stellar thought was happening (for example, I just received an email from Stellar staff asking me to pick an installation date for the PV monitoring system, which was actually installed yesterday…).
So again, for a «standard» installation that fits within Stellar Solar’s routine provisioning and project planning approach, I think it likely we would not have encountered many, if any, of the problems that we did. As it was, we had a unique roof (concrete tiles over metal frame), wanted the SunPower 345 panels, a string inverter with emergency backup power, a custom system monitoring setup, etc. And each of these seemed to throw a wrench into the Stellar works.
But here’s the bottom line: Stellar did fix all of the problems that arose when I asked them to. Sure, it would have been less stressful if the issues I touch upon below had not happened in the first place, but the fact that Stellar stepped up in a big way on their communication and attention to detail at the end of this project speaks well of their integrity, which is why I was happy to change the rating from 1 star to 3.
ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM ¾/​15
I don’t usually post reviews that aren’t related to food on Unilocal,but working with Stellar Solar was enough of a disappointment that I wanted other solar shoppers to be forewarned…
Since the story is a long one, I’ll just share a few important highlights:
1) Contract was signed October 16, 2014. Panels and inverter installation completed March 3, 2015, five months later, but with many problems (see below) along the way.
2) There have been consistent miscommunications and delays at every step of the project, with plentiful finger-​pointing and excuses, but no one at Stellar willing to take full responsibility for the project.
3) Despite diligent communication on my part to help Stellar’s team avoid damage to the roof, dozens of roof tiles are now broken. Initial attempts by Stellar’s crew to «fix» the tiles involved caulking the broken pieces back onto the roof as a patchwork of cracks and unsafe roofing.
4) A lack of flexibility from everyone at Stellar Solar regarding a) negotiating the initial contract, b) effective communication procedures, c) scheduling on-​site work, d) responding to considerations or requests that were unique to our property, e) responding to concerns about problems with the installation, etc.
5) Most disappointing of all, one promise after another was not kept. Over the entire process, I experienced that «Oh yes, I will definitely take care of that tomorrow» effectively meant «I won’t be following through, and I won’t be contacting you to let you know anything more about this either.»
In response to all of these issues, when I raised them as patiently and calmly as I could with the project team, I always received the same formula from Stellar staff: Either they would insist «We will take care of this, we do this all the time, you don’t have to worry,» after which the install team would continue to make exactly the mistakes I was concerned about; or, anytime the situation seemed to be getting particularly dire, an offer of monetary compensation — to pay for electricity bills when the project installation kept getting pushed back, for example.
Unprofessional as all of this was, my patience has just about run out… so I decided to post this review. This may have been a 5-​star company in years past, and perhaps with a simple, cookie-​cutter installation Stellar may indeed do a decent job. But if you have a unique design, or if you want top-​of-​the-​line SunPower panels as we did, or if you would prefer a string inverter instead of microinverters, or if you need to arrange special access times to your property, or if you expect your solar contractor to respond to your emails or phone calls… in our case Stellar Solar was simply unable to jump through any of these «customized» hoops without dropping the ball and causing us continuous grief.
Was their anything positive about this experience? Well yes, at the onset our salesperson, Mark, was actually a very nice guy. But so far that’s really the only positive thing I can say about Stellar Solar.

My hats off to Kent, Armando and the rest of the Stellar Solar crew. They had to work around our pool contractor and the piles of dirt and other odds and ends to install my solar. Two days and we were ready to go. Thanks again for the great process and getting me off of the SDGE rate hike program

Please read my original review for all of the details about my experience with Stellar Solar BUT I just wanted to wrap up the entire project experience with a short update. We are exactly four weeks from the date we signed a contract with Keith at Stellar Solar and we had our monitoring installed today so we’re officially complete.
Call me a pessimist, but I am shocked that they were actually able to get this done in 19 business days, one day per solar panel I guess :-) And this is with about 10 of those days being delayed for the two different inspections.
I have to say that Stellar Solar under-​promised and over-​delivered! And every single person that I had communication with … Keith, Joe, Jamie, Andy, Danny, Javier and crew … was wonderful and professional.
I highly recommend Stellar Solar and I hope that fellow Unilocalers will consider my experience if you’re looking to install solar. Contact Keith at Stellar and feel free to private message me if you have any questions about our installation … I’m here to help so you don’t have to spend all the time and effort that I did to find them!
Keith Davey — Solar Consultant
Stellar Solar
cell: (858) 805‑1126

Wonderful company! From the start they were on the ball they made the entire process very easy for me and my husband. I am actually a event coordinator and know what it takes to coordinate between many different people and services, Stellar Solar did an AMAZING job! They coordinated with SDG&E, the city, obtained the permit, and my homeowners association with very little input from us. There was one slight problem, they chipped my roof, I simply showed it to them and it was fixed before the next week’s end.
Again, every thing we easy and seamless! Great job Stellar Solar

I had Stellar Solar install 12 270W panels and 12 Enphase micro-​inverters.
The installation process went very smoothly as planned. During the process, I interacted with 5 Stellar Solar people. They were all professional and their priority was always their customer, me. I’m very pleased with how the whole process went. Their estimate was also very reasonable.
I received the first bill from SDG&E since I installed the system.
The billing period was between ⁵⁄₁₁ and ⁶⁄₁₀.
Since I own an electric vehicle, I have EV-​TOU2 Plan with SDG&E. They charge based on the time of use, and there are three different rates in EV-​TOU2: On-​Peak, Off-​Peak, and Super Off-​Peak. For this billing period, I consumed 25 kWh during Off-​Peak hours and 447 kWh during Super Off-​Peak hours. As for On-​Peak hours, I generated more energy than I consumed and I ended up feeding back the grid for 276 kWh during that period. Since my Off-​Peak/​Super Off-​Peak rates are cheaper than my On-​Peak rate, the total charge came out as $ 5.10 (although I consumed about 200 kWh more than I generated)! This is a great start!
According to Enphase website, my system generated 596.84 kWh during the same period (so I consumed 320 kWh while the system was generating power). The daily output for the period was showing somewhere between 8.57 and 22.33 kWh (averaging around 20 kWh a day). I’m very happy with this result given that Stellar Solar’s estimate was about 400 kWh/​month! (It might go down around there in winter, though). At this rate, the system should pay off itself within 8 years even without considering inflation!
I’m very happy with my decision on installing a Solar system and choosing Stellar Solar to do it!