GR8 Energy

I spent considerable time interviewing four Solar installers; three in North County and one in San Diego. GR8 presented the best proposal and Ross Fockler did exactly what he said he would do. Furthermore, he did it quickly, efficiently and cleanly. He was able to beat a deadline to preserve my California Incentive. This was a large installation for a residence (14.5 KW) and he guaranteed the first twelve months’ production in an amount about equal to my previous twelve months’ use. We seem to be on track to meet that objective, with seven months to go.
Ross is very knowledgeable and made several suggestions which improved the system. Above all, in Ross you are dealing with the owner of the business (and his wife, Grace, who handles the paperwork), With some other solar outfits you may be dealing with a salesman who does not make the final decisions. At all times I found GR8 to be courteous and responsive and would not hesitate to recommend him to others.

I found GR8 energy through
, which is a site that offers comparative bids specific to your needs based on energy bills. GR8 was the company that estimated 100% of energy production for the best price. They were very responsive and communicative throughout the process. In addition, they went above and beyond and found a good roofing company as I needed a new roof prior to the solar install. GR8 Energy set me up with SDGE and also pulled permits and passed final inspection. The solar installation itself looks very nice. Conduit was even painted to match the tone of my exterior paint. GR8 Energy also set us up to view energy production online. I highly recommend this solar company.

My husband and I obtained multiple quotes for a solar project for our home. After reviewing eight contractor’s bids we selected GR8 Energy. We liked GR8 Energy’s profile and they were also the lowest price. My husband contacted Ross, the owner of GR8 Energy to start the process. Ross was great to work with and he took the time to educate us on how the system would work and interface with the electric company and what to expect during each phase of project. Selecting GR8 Energy turned out to be a great decision! It was amazing how fast our solar project was completed with the installation of a 13.23 kW system comprised of 42 solar panels. We signed with GR8 Energy on the 7^th of March and had Permission to Operate (PTO) from SDG&E on the 21^st of March. GR8 Energy’s team was well coordinated and worked quickly to develop the design, generate the drawings and obtain the permit. At the same time, Grace, from GR8 Energy, moved quickly to facilitate our SDG&E Net Metering (NEM) agreement and the installation of an SDG&E Renewable Meter Adapter (RMA). Our dream team installers, Herbert, Marco and Enrique did an expert installation. The installers were very professional and knowledgeable and took the time to answer all questions. Our new solar system looks GREAT, and is performing at a high level as promised. We also love the SolarEdge app to monitor our energy production go up, up, up! My husband and I could not be happier with our experience with this outstanding solar company. If you are looking to install solar, we highly recommend GR8 Energy as a company you can trust to do as they promise.

System is working great. The smart phone monitoring app is awesome. February production was about 20% over projections (helped by a non El Nino weather month). Expecting a surplus production credit on my next DWP bill.

Ross and his team did exactly as promised, on-​time and on-​budget. He was quite helpful in adjusting the design to meet my budget and payback goals. The 4 man crew were polite, accommodating, did an expert install as well as thoroughly cleaned up my property after themselves. The inspector commented that this was a high quality installation and my wife and I are very happy with the aesthetics.
I found Ross to be highly ethical and would recommend GR8 without reservation.
Sam S.

Submitted my requirements for Solar Installation last week of November with Energy Sage. Within a week, there were 4 providers with quotes. Pricing between installers were within a few hundreds of dollars. However, among the four, GR8 Energy had the the most reviews and highest ratings in Unilocal and Energy Sage. GR8 was the first one to contact me with a quote. Sales contact is John Christ who is cordial and pleasant to deal with. Arranged for a site survey and signed contract with them December 2 for a 4.2kW system. Deliver/​installation, as listed in the quote, is two to three weeks from now (end of Dec 2015). So far so good. Further updates on delivery/​installation/​power output/​etc to follow…
12÷27÷15 Update: Installation went smoothly. The install included web monitoring! I was really eager to check this out. They sent me the URL and login after two business days. The web interface is intuitive and user friendly. The portal has various graphs that display power generation over time. I’m somewhat concerned that the solar panels are producing about 20−25% less than what was stated in the quote/​contract. Each panel is rated at 280W but what appears during peak times is only 210−230W. But I’ll continue monitoring. Perhaps in non-​winter months the panels will perform better.
1÷27÷16 Update: So far so good! Just been granted permission to operate and the system is live. The system came with web monitoring and it lets me check up energy generation through an android phone. Updating from 4 to 5 stars. So far I’m quite pleased with the investment.

Solar power is not necessarily for everyone, but for a majority of us it makes perfect sense. The four part process of solar should be determining, comparing, installing and on-​line. Determining if you need solar is a process that one has to look at in regards to current electric bills vs. usage, how long you will be at your residence, etc. This initial step should always be referred back to throughout the entire process. The comparing process is ultimately critical. Ever vendor will have a different angle and each interview is a learning process. Do not make a decision in the early stages. This is one time that a minimum of 4 to 5 comparisons are needed. GR8 energy stood out in this category as Ross would promptly answer follow-​up questions, yet he would not apply the pressure for a decision. Suggestions and modifications were made along the way and Ross put my needs first.
We decided on GR8 energy based on the following areas that they scored the highest in. First the price was the most competitive even though I had decided on TWO SMA inverters and a panel upgrade. Second, time-​wise, GR8 was the most flexible in conforming their schedule to my schedule. I wanted to be there for a majority of the install, although it was not necessary. The install process, with Ebert and Enrique actually added value to the project. They were helpful and their installation was top-​notch. From the quality of their equipment they brought to the site, cleaning up every day, wearing safety equipment was without question among the best as they had a significant level of experience to bring to the job-​site. There were some minor paperwork issues with Edison, but Grace handled those promptly and the PTO (Permission-​to-​Operate) was issued December 1^st. The system so far has worked impeccably. I still haven’t tried the emergency plugs that the SMA inverters have, but one should give that option a serious look for at least the ability to charge cell phones, laptops etc in a system wide utility failure. Thank you to the GR8 team; Ross, Grace, Ebert and Enrique for your outstanding efforts in providing a system with this much ease!

My spouse had wanted solar for years. I was reluctant because I wasn’t sure it was worth the price and the systems I had seen deminished the look of the house. Inspite of my concerns, we priced solar over the course of about six years. My concerns about price were validated every time. Finally, we found Gr8 Energy. Ross and Grace beat the other vendors’ prices by $ 6000. Additionally, they made purchasing solar easy. Once we agreed to use them, they handled everything. They dealt with the HOA, power company, and everyone else who needed to approve the system. They installed the system in two days, painted the conduit to match the house, and left no mess. Moreover, in the end, the price was less than they originally quoted. Our house did not need an electrical panel upgrade, which saved us an additional $ 1500. The solar panels look nice on our house and we are producing loads of electricity. After living in SoCal for 26 years, I ran the air conditioning this summer. It was cost prohibitive before, but now we can afford it and rest more comfortably in our home. Because of Gr8 Energy, my skepticism is gone. I’m a complete believer in solar.

Ross and Grace at GR8 Energy did a great job getting us the system we needed and really helped navigate all the red tape and delays created by LADWP (who are a nightmare to deal with). Price was very fair and installation was pretty quick. I’d definitely use them again!

Just had a 10 kW ground mounted system installed. They gave a competitive quote, and did a beautiful install in rocky terrain. We had a Gr8 experience. This is my second solar system install so I’m familiar with the process.

Outstanding team and price! I’ve hired many companies, and Ross and his team are among the best. I shopped 8 different solar venders, and they knew more, had much better equipment and the lowest price (I saw bids $ 6,000 higher!).
They did a great job on our house and the system is exceeding expectations. (SO LONG SCE!!). They were on time, efficient, and left no trace. No one HAD to come into my home, or measure my roof to give me a quote, close me, etc. (Most all other solar companies try to make it real complex and technical so you fall into their sales cycle– truth is, it’s more like just buying a light bulb. How many watts can your area produce, and how much do you need. Pay cash, loan or re-​fi. That’s it). I did all on line. Need I say more?
They did a beautiful job. I can check my production online anytime. Ross’s depth of knowledge expedited the approval and permitting process. I was up and running months before other companies told me was possible. For knowledge, professionalism, great equipment and service– my research lead me here, and I’m really happy with my system and the value GR8 Energy delivered. You can’t go wrong.

This was one of the easiest project/​major purchases I’d ever experienced. Working with Gr8 Energy is like buying car through Fleet as opposed to haggling and dealing with the sales games of the regular car sales department. I had solar installed on our house at the same time or a little after a bunch of my friends got solar for their homes (and I would’ve recommended Gr8 Energy to them if they lived in SoCal), and my experience was so different from theirs that they’re jealous.
I dealt primarily with Ross as my contact person. We first spent about 2 weeks emailing about what system I should get for my house. His opening suggestion was a smaller system than we’d wanted (I’d forgotten to tell him we want to eventually trade in our ICE cars for EVs), using a string inverter when we wanted the new-​fangled microinverters (which cost more and most companies try to upsell to that right away), so I knew right off the bat that Ross was trying to figure out what we NEEDED as opposed to what he could get out of us. He priced the system reasonably, made the changes I requested (bigger panels! more panels! microinverters!), and got me the proposal back within a day. BTW, I know the website states their work hours, but I’ve gotten quick email responses from Ross late evenings, on weekends, early mornings. Late in the planning stage, I changed my mind and went with his original suggestion of a string inverter based on the fact that all the panels are able to fit on one plane on our roof, string inverters are more market-​proven, it has a hefty warranty, it costs less, and the particular system Ross recommended gives us a designated outlet for electricity use even when The Grid goes down in a power outage (our neighborhood had a power outage during the planning stages of our solar project and my husband freaked out about his salt water tank fish dying from the pumps stopping). I told my friends about this feature, and they’d never even heard of it and now they regret some of their decisions. So Ross amended the proposal and modified our system once again, into a beefed-​up version of the one he’d recommended to begin with. I felt a little sheepish about that, and he proved himself the expert, but the entire time, he was really, really nice about all my back-​and-​forths on decisions and didn’t give me any problems nor delays whatsoever.
So, 2 weeks for me to figure out what I want and commit to a proposal. Then Gr8 Energy did all the permits, got approvals from the City for the project, opened up the net metering request from SoCal Edison (SCE), all of which took maybe a few days, but less than a week. My HOA gave approval to the project based on Gr8 Energy’s written plans in a week. Then Gr8 Energy immediately went to work and built and installed my system in TWO DAYS. The third day, someone from Gr8 Energy came by only to meet with the city inspector, who praised their work, signed off on it, and contacted SCE to give them the green light. It took SCE another 4 weeks to give us the permission to operate (PTO).
My friends’ installers took an average of 1 – 2 weeks for installation, they had to wait a month or more to schedule the install, after waiting a few weeks to months for the panels to arrive. AND… they paid more than I did for the same products. Whereas for me, I gave Ross my bottom line on pricing, he accepted, and all his proposals have respected that price point, with some proposals (since I made him go through so many re-do’s) coming in well under the price point. That’s another reason I knew I wasn’t going to be ripped off, on top of the fact that all his emails were very clear, thorough, no-​nonsense, patiently answering all my questions and concerns. I never felt like I was being schmoozed by a salesman. I had a friend start his solar project a month before we did, and ours was completed a month before his was. (I only gloated a little, since he was already in agony over our price difference for similar systems.)
Ross’s helpfulness did not end at at the completion of the solar installation. I’ve emailed him multiple times SINCE his job was done, for little things like, «How long is SCE going to take to give us PTO?» «Is that humming from the inverter unit normal?» «What was the performance warranty on the panels again?» «How come it’s been rainy since our solar installation went up?» and he has responded to every single email with the same efficiency, patience and informative nature of his previous emails. Whenever Tesla gets their home battery released on the open market, I’m calling Gr8 Energy back.
I would and have recommended Gr8 Energy to anyone and everyone. I think my coworkers have grown tired of hearing about my amazing solar project experience. If you think THIS review is long, you would hate to hear me gush in even more detail in person.

Ross and his team did a fantastic job. They won on price, service, financing, quality of work and materials.
Total from start to finished install was just over 3 weeks. Super easy to work with. It could not have gone better.
I went into this with 3 quotes, Ross beat all 3 and won the business. Glad I went with GR8 Energy! Highly recommended.

GR8 came to me via EnergySage as well as a recommendation from a colleague at work. GR8 did not disappoint; I am very happy with my decision to work with them. They not only had the best value but also the right (proper) system size for my needs as well as good quality. Ross was always throughout the process very responsive and things moved fast. They took care of everything and explained all aspects of my new system. I already recommended them to a friend looking into solar and will recommend them for anyone that asks me about my system.

Overall, I’m happy with the installation, but I’m dissatisfied with the attention that I have gotten as a customer. My dashboard was showing zero production from the system for weeks, and they never did anything to fix it. After I got tired of waiting, I downloaded the configuration software and fixed it myself.
I’m also slightly dissatisfied with the amount of energy being produced by the system. I was told my energy bill would completely disappear, but I am still seeing about $ 10-​$ 20 a month in electricity costs, plus the cost of the loan payments.
EDIT:
Since posting this review, I have seen a profound increase in effort put forth by Ross and his team. They have resolved my issues and my system is producing more than double its previous amounts. I’ve been much happier with my decision, and would definitely recommend them.