Alternative Energy Systems | Chico Showroom - Chico, California

Arthur F.

Some time consuming and difficult accessing the panels on the metal roof. Concern for Paul's safety. He of course was very careful. We might come up with an access plan for future service. Appreciate your prompt service.

Jace

After having some experience with other companies in the area, AES has shown to be the most trustworthy and ethical!

R. L. H.

AES just finished installing our Sunpower panels and we heartily recommend them to anyone thinking about solar panels on their home. They were professional and knowledgeable throughout the process and all their staff were courteous and great to work with. We especially like the software that allows us to monitor the performance of the panels on our smartphone and computer. Props to AES!

Mike M.

Excellent installation and system. I am overproducing and putting into the grid every day, despite running 3 AC units in 3 structures, plus a 220v well pump and a wife who has never turned off a light in her life. No true up for me next year!

Jenni D.

Working with AES was a wonderful experience from start to finish. In speaking with AES, along with other local solar companies, it quickly became evident that AES is the only local company with expertise in off grid systems. AES made every effort to expedite my time sensitive project. And while I found their pricing to be reasonable and competitive, once the project was under way, it was abundantly clear that the quality of their workmanship was exceptional. However, what struck me most about my dealings with AES, was their consistent, excellent service. The communication, starting with the business owner and extending to each and every team member I spoke to, was second to none. They were very knowledgeable, answered all of my questions thoroughly and patiently, and always responded in a timely manner. If you have a solar project in the North Valley area, I highly recommend talking to these folks before considering any other company.

Thomas G.

I entered into a contract for solar at my residence on 3/30/23. As of 3/4/24, almost a year later, I’m still waiting for the system to be finalized for operation. In the case of this company, most of the employees I’ve interacted with have been very nice and professional. The Sales/Project Reps, Installers and Electricians were all easy to work with and consistently communicated in a courteous and knowledgeable manner. As far, as the quality of work and materials, everything appears to be of good quality and workmanship. The down side of my experience with this company falls squarely on the management and ownership based on my background experience in program management.
Start work and completion dates are estimates and some variance from those are to be expected. But going on 3 months over is not acceptable without some sort of reasonable remedy. In the case of this company, I did request an additional discount on my project’s cost due to the apparent extended timeframe of completion. To their credit, they did discount me $263 for my Dec. PGE Bill, effectively acknowledging their failure to provide a completed project by their projected 12/20/23 completion date. Of note here, customers will no longer receive a significant monthly bill from PGE once their system is operational and has a Permit to Operate (PTO) from PGE until the annual “True-Up” Bill. To the companies discredit however, they were unwilling to provide me with the requested PGE Bill discount for Jan. - Feb. for an additional $553.65 According to both the Sales/Project Rep. and Manager, all discounts have to be approved by the manager and finalized by the owner. I had originally requested that I would have been satisfied with them waiving the $592 Final Permit fee in place of compensating these bills but they were unwilling to do this.
For prospective solar purchasers, some added tips and things to be aware of in the process.
1) Get at least 2 quotes for your system. Competition is good for both the customer and vender. Weigh your options above and beyond just price alone. Consider period of performance , quality of products and workmanship. Don’t be rushed and weigh your options based on your values. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to negotiate the contract variables. In my case, I willingly opted out with another local company who would have highly likely had the system installed by May/June 2023. I’m confident in this because we have friends who went with this other company and had their system completed by early July and we had been in the queue ahead of them. Time = money! The better original price point I had with this company is not as good as originally anticipated given the extended timeframe and having it roll into the next tax year.
2) Be aware that there are 3rd Parties involved with the process and timeline for final completion. The County has to inspect and permit your system. In my case the installation was completed on 2/14/24. The County Inspection didn’t take place until 2/22/24. Beyond this, PGE has to issue you a Permit to Operate (PTO) before you are official. According to AES staff, PGE has up to 30 days to do this. I’m currently waiting on this to be completed for my system as of 3/4/24. This is all in the fine print of the contract but was not explicitly spelled out on the front end of the process. The take home is, your system may be installed but it could take up to another 1-2 months for it to be turned on due to this. My system has effectively been installed since 2/14/24. I found out that it had been on and was feeding power back to the grid (PGE) while I’m currently waiting for the PTO. In effect, PGE has been getting free power from my system while I’m currently not getting any savings waiting for the PTO. There’s no incentive for PGE to get the PTO out any sooner than the full 30 day term there! This is all very suspect to my way of reasoning! In short, ensure the solar company has your system turned off after your system is fully installed and you’re awaiting the final PTO unless you like donating to PGE.

Georgia D.

I used AES to install my first solar panels around 2015. Although I have had problems with the SunPower (panel) company, AES was good to work with (a 4 or 5 star rating). When I wanted to expand my system I called them again. My current upgrade is on hold due to an issue, and I should probably wait until installation is completed on this project before leaving this review, but I can't help myself with letting people know about how the service is going. If it improves, so will my review.

Quick summary of the rating…
I feel like a 3 star (mid review) is fair given the following: all tone & interactions I get from the staff since my deposit feels like I am a bother. They send me "issues" (PG&E form needs to be re-signed, problem with prior installation, etc.) & then get annoyed if I ask questions about why these things are coming up & what they mean. The floor room staff (who answer the phone if you call the main line) & service staff have been very good. I felt ok about the quotes (I had to get a few because they initially estimated too little need) & the general outline I was given of the process. Since I gave my deposit & agreement to go forward I have been unimpressed. One main contact has been sales, & I feel nothing short of a burden if I have questions about process, progress, etc. I don't like "radio silence" as my project is moving along for many reasons. I like to be efficient & prepared.

If you are a hands off person who is comfortable signing things aren't explained, & who doesn't like to ask questions, I think the company will do good for you. They will get it installed & you will have working solar. If you like to know what it is you are agreeing to, how your project is going, & like to feel like a customer that they care about, don't get your hopes up.

Here are some specific frustrations:

One day I get a random email through “adobesign” with a contact of a name I don't know but represents AES. The email wants me to sign something via docusign for PG&E. The email is not specific and other than an email address within the email that is tied to AES I have no idea what it is or why I am receiving it. The last thing I want is spam or fraud! I reply to the email address @ AES and say that I am treating it as spam because I have no idea who they are and what this is, but to give me a call if that is an error. For days, no call. So about a day or two after that I was concerned about what was going on (fraud/real?) and didn’t want my project held up so I called my sales contact to ask a name of contact for subsequent stages (waiting to hear the name “x”). More frustration on the horizon When I asked the sales rep for a name his tone was of someone annoyed & gave a lot of generic information of all they need to do in the process, but no name. He got more annoyed with me when I said that I just a name of "either (x) or (y)", because I am getting emails & don't know if they are real or spam. Now I know I could have skipped calling the sales rep and just called the main line and spoke to the floor room asking them if they had an employee with the name in the email, but really, I had the sales person as the contact. I thought it would be easy… not the irritating experience I had. Don’t expect to feel good if you ask questions regarding your project & appropriate contacts.

The frustration continues because I had to call "x" since they hadn't contacted me. That message also went unanswered, but when we finally connected it felt like my questions were burdensome. More recently there has been better email communication with “x” when things come up to sign, but I feel the effort to get that done is mostly on my part. I hate that I am made to feel like it is me, the customer, who needs to say “I am sorry” that I like to be involved and informed of my project and know what I am signing.

Reduced rating to 1 star because they still were never specific to issues despite requests and never completed project. I received a refund for deposit.

James A.

Our experience with AES has been first rate. From the initial sales contact and presentation through the entire installation and implementation process, everyone we worked with was professional, conscientious, efficient, and helpful. As a part of that, I also should specifically mention they demonstrated great patience with and responsiveness to my persistent questions. If the system produces as planned over the next several months, we will be counted as very satisfied customers. We recognize that we paid more for the SunPower system than some other contractors quoted us, but we feel the excellent customer service and high quality product are well worth the extra cost.