SunPower by ProVoltz at 583 Division Street, Campbell, California.

My wife and I live in west San Jose. We are retired and at home most of the time. In October 2013 we selected ProVoltz, a Campbell based SunPower distributor to design and install a solar PV solution for our home.

Due to our age; comfort and expense reduction were our motivators for installing solar. My wife uses an electric heater under her desk during the day to reduce our central heater usage in the cold months. Doing so does not overheat our home, providing me a cooler retreat in other sections of the house. Additionally, being Hi-tech industry veterans, our PCs with extra monitors are typically on all day, as is a large screen TV in the background. A web server runs 24 hours a day as does a hot tub. Our typical electrical usage averages 30 kilowatt hours a day. This works out to $140 to $225 per month depending on the time of year. During the summer months we rarely use our AC; but we still manage to reach PG&E’s forth price tier.

ProVolts was selected after interviewing solar contractors over the last few years. One of the reasons for the long selection period was due to the solution I wanted. In the past, I had scrutinized solar ownership cost benefits while appraising real estate. Additionally I had installed a small PV system on our travel trailer in 2002 that I moved to our house a few years later. From these experiences I knew the home-ownership benefits and some of the tradeoffs.

Typical solar PV systems connect roof mounted panels to a central inverter. This solution is commonly called a DC string or string array. DC array efficiency is compromised by shade and other factors. Additionally, most solar panel manufactures offer 25 year warranties for their panels, whereas the central inverters typically have only a 10 or 15 year warranty.

The technology I wanted needed to be an AC system integrated with a small inverter on each panel. This solution is called an ACPV system. A year or so ago SunPower started producing ACPV products with their full 25-year warranty for both the panels and inverters.

In researching potential solar vendors, I spoke with Ash Wagner, an owner at ProVoltz. In doing so I found a contractor that understood the solution I wanted. Mr. Wagner and hid team provided competitive pricing and options. His knowledge made my purchasing decision easy. This was reinforced by his staff. From the installers to the office staff, all provided excellent assistance.

There were no surprises and each day during the installation I was greeted by their youthful staff. Post installation expectations were also very good. They coordinated all activities including city inspection and PGE net metering services. A post installation walk-through was also conducted to acquaint me with the system and all documents such as city permits and plans were provided in easy to store and copy electronic form.

The only negative was due to a SunPower delay in shipping the solar monitor. This device allows the system to report power production information that I can view from anywhere with a PC. It is really nice to see how much power you are getting from the sun and not paying PG&E for. And with the ACPV system I can see each individual panel’s performance. This is what ProVolts watches as they monitor our system from their office.

Overall, I am a delighted customer. ProVolts made the process very easy. In the three months I have had the system; solar production has exceeded my expectations. I would hire ProVolts again without hesitation.