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Stellar Solar Reviews
The aspect of our business that we take the most pride in here at Stellar is our awesome reputation. Our work and customer service have earned us over 300+ 5-star reviews across different online review platforms. Following are the different networks we are reviewed on, please check out these solar installer reviews for evidence that we are the best solar company in San Diego!
I asked an untold number of questions wanting to know every single detail and they never acted bothered by that. Throughout the process they continued to give me a heads up on what to expect next.
They made the process easy and now I have my solar panels and am enjoying watching them generate energy. They did a great job getting them installed and I have every confidence they will be there for me should any issues come up in the years ahead.
I also did a bit of research on solar panels and like the fact solar panels manufactured by SunPower have been, and continue to be, the most respected panels in the industry. SunPower panels installed by Stellar Solar make for a perfect combination.
Timothy S., Yelp – 10/17/2020
Tom A., Yelp – 10/15/2020
Before remodeling my coworker referred me to Stellar Solar Energy Consultant Marc Cirelli. Marc surveyed the roof, sized the Solar System and did a great job explaining my options and installation process.
Stellar Solar’s contract agreement was straight forward and contained no hidden costs or surprises.
Throughout the remodel process Marc was readily available to help answer questions. When the framing and electrical panel were ready, Marc had a team of experts ready to perform scheduling, installation and permitting/inspection.
Jeff Warren (Project Coordinator), Ismael Vallejo (Construction Manager) and Seth Rockwell (Inspections Manager) and their staff were courteous, never late and very knowledgeable.
The finished Solar System looks great and is exactly as planned.
Marc Cirelli has been providing great customer service too. Marc and others at Stellar Solar helped me navigate the very confusing electrical rate choices and also helped me get my Solar Monitoring unit configured for my WiFi router.
I have been very happy with the service from Marc Cirelli and Stellar Solar.
David M., Yelp – 9/29/2020
The entire process with Stellar was very pleasant, fast, and without problems. The installer crew, the sales rep Zac Dowell, the service team, the project coordinator/planner Jeff Warren were all top notch! I would do business with Stellar again in a heartbeat and I will make sure to refer this awesome and local company as much as I can and whenever I can! They exceeded all my expectations and I couldn’t be happier working with Stellar Solar!
Markus L., Yelp – 10/15/2020
Mary-Allegra F., Yelp – 9/19/2020
John B., Yelp – 8/21/2020
Diane N., Yelp – 5/13/2020
Joyce C., Yelp – 8/7/2020
The way Kenny described how the system worked answered all of my questions. He was not pushy and very thorough and I could tell he really cares about his work and the customer experience overall. It was also nice to know that the company has been around for about 20 years so they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
To put it in other words, when I hear complete strangers talking about solar I give them Kenny’s number because I feel like anybody that is considering solar needs to talk to him for an honest assessment.
Stellar Solar is the real deal and they are true professionals. They will take great care of you from start to finish. They even helped me select the right billing set up specific to our needs. Plus, they have the best product out there with Sun Power panels. At the end of the day, solar costs the same at most companies. With less efficient panels you need to purchase more of them. The more efficient panels cost more per panel, but you don’t need to buy as many. Go with the best service provider and installer – Stellar Solar.
Here are the words that come to mind when I think about working with Kenny and Stellar Solar: Professional, patient, extremely knowledgeable, went out of his way to get the right system, fantastic install, friendly crew that didn’t smoke, courteous, clean work space, safe. I knew that I was in good hands and could trust them and take their lead as they advised me through the process.
Peter C., Yelp – 5/2/2020
Jane H., Yelp – 6/29/2020
There’s a reason SunPower by Stellar Solar is one of the oldest, best-reviewed, and well regarded solar energy companies in the region. Actually, there’re a lot of reasons. They don’t make promises they can’t keep, are completely committed to your satisfaction at every stage of the process, and each person you deal with brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the process. Naturally we were apprehensive. It’s a big expense, and we were paying cash. We calculated that our system would pay for itself in about seven years, but still, it’s a big nut up front. (Of course there’s a financing option, but we didn’t want the extra cost in interest.) Our first point of contact was sales guy Marc Cirelli. He was knowledgable and easy to work with. He designed a system for us from Google Earth photos of our house and year’s worth of SDG&E bills. Then another guy came to the house to eyeball the situation and put the finishing touches on the design. Then the install team — six guys — showed up and in a day and a half had it up and running. With each phase of the process we were met with timely, professional, nice, and hard-working people. A great team. A few more stages after that, inspections and the like, and boom — we were selling electricity to SDG&E. Let me tell you, that is a very good feeling. Give Marc at Stellar Solar a call. Let him work up an estimate for you. You’ll wonder why you waited so long.
Peter B., Yelp – 1/8/2020
Jason R., Yelp – 7/22/2020
Brian H., Yelp – 6/29/2020
Peggy M., 7/7/2020
C.R. Yelp, 6/17/2020
Travis G., 6/26/2020
Our project coordinator, Jeff Warren, kept us well informed on the project, status, next steps throughout which was encouraging, and proactively answered our questions.
The install team, led by Mario, was very efficient and friendly, and mindful of social distancing amidst all the COVID-19 cautions.
The team went above and beyond and followed through the whole process down to selecting our SDG&E time of use plan.
We would 100% recommend this company and this team to anyone interested in going solar
Thank you!!!
Patrick P., Yelp – 12/4/2019
Joanna H., Yelp – 12/2/2019
Bob V., Yelp – 12/22/2019
The process was simple, we talked about my needs and then we talked about cost. I did not finance but the options seems reasonable (market rate). I did hold off on committing to anything until after my tenting was done which Connor and his team obliged. He even locked me down on the cost and the rebate to work with me but with several conditions allowing me to back out if I wanted.
Speed ahead! I executed the contract and shortly after we did a design walk. The solar team worked alongside my roofer (I also reroof) and everything appear seamless. After installation, everything was exactly how I asked! I left out details in this review on how I wanted the panels to be arranged and how the conduit run had to be concealed which they executed flawlessly.
Took no more than a few weeks for SDGE to send me the PTO. It’s been great sense. Speaking of SENSE, Connor even recommended a nice device I look into which helped calculate my solar/energy in real time. Overall, I would recommend others! Check out the pictures of the installation and sense.
I highly recommend that you contact Stellar Solar and request Keith Davey as your representative to understand if you should buy or lease, The importance of The brand of solar panel and having your representative calculate correctly the number of panels required in order for you to be comfortable with your energy usage.
Don’t be fooled by companies who tell you we’re giving you a $10,000 battery for free if you go with us. A single battery will not sustain more than 5 circuits. it’s more of a cost/ return on investment that doesn’t make sense for everyone. It also doesn’t mean you can buy 2kw less of solar panels like Sunrun was recommending. If people are in an area that will be getting shut off frequently the cost may make sense.
In any case, we did our homework and we are very happy we did because we just got our first bill and we were happy to report we don’t have to pay anything other than the cost of the panels.
Highly recommend Keith Davey to come and talk to you he’s up to date with what the utility companies are implementing for time of usage and peak hours as well as how we can be smart with our solar usage.
Remember each time you invest in solar power you save our planet too.
Yelp H.M., 3/14/2019
Yelp Stacie R., 2/15/2019
Installation was completed in a day for a 16 panel system. It did take literally all day, but the crew was really working hard to get it done. I felt a little bad for them as it probably should have been split into two days, but that was the scheduling. Anyways, the crew was very friendly and professional. The quality of the work was excellent and we have been loving our system.
Every part of the process with Stellar Solar, for us, was very well executed. From Sales, to project management, to installation, to completion (turn the system on). There was always someone to answer any question we had. Tom followed up afterwards just to make sure everything was going well with our system. Nice to know that they care. If you want to feel taken care of, I highly recommend going with Stellar Solar for your solar needs.
Then this year I started my research again. Solar power is too important, so I got back into the ring to, this time, pull the trigger and get it done.
I have issues with getting the best quality at the best price.
I got three quotes and then went full on into third party solar panel comparisons, all available for free online.
I plugged in the exact panels each company was quoting me.
SunPower was off ALL the charts in quality, production and warranty/lasting production.
Absolutely, by far the best product.
But that’s not my only criteria, I expect very good customer care.
My salesman Marc got me dialed in and permits acquired with very little effort on my part.
I had an old roof, and asked a roofing friend to quote me replacing prior to solar install. Except I prefer all warranty work under the same company, so I contacted Marc to see what Stellar could do.
He matched the roofing cost AND upgraded the singles to “Cooling Series” for no additional cost.
Sorry for such a long review, but the best is yet to come.
The installation crew. Luis, Ken, Robert and Matt.
So way above and beyond in every task. Painted all my vents to match the brand new metal trim they installed. Replaced dry rot wood panels, took care of my dog Bowser, cleaned up better than when they arrived, and were the most friendly, accommodating, efficient and fun crew I could ask for.
Complete 24 panel system, with brand new roof, installed to perfection AND cleaned up in 5 days!!
I’ve done your research for you.
This company is your best option!
Feel free to hit me up with any additional questions. This company is worth it!
Yelp Scott G., 11/17/2018
Yelp KM., 7/23/2018
there’s a lot of solar installers out there, which, if you’re reading this review, you know. Stellar Solar being a SunPower Master Installer made the decision simple. i suppose it’s a personal decision whether you want SunPower or Panasonic or LG or whatever panels. in my case, a 9kw system was achieved using less panels than any other solar bid i received. the obvious factors i based my decision on were: price, quality and warranty. efficiency was sort of important to me, but not a limiting factor. a 9kw system will produce the target numbers regardless if it’s 26 panels or 30 that gets you there. quality and especially their warranty, easily brought SunPower to the top…which unfortunately also puts their price point into the ‘premium’ category. if you’ve come this far, my final suggestions is to really look into the specifics of the warranties on your bids: who will be answering the phone on the other end, and who will be responsible for fixing any issues you have with your system.
Yelp Don H., 6/11/2018
I like to understand what I am buying, down to the materials and research behind the numbers, so I can determine the true value to my situation (roof condition and layout, payoff period, aesthetic, etc), rather than taking marketing at face value. While some companies are all about the lowest price and big numbered guarantees, the competitive prices and warranty should be table stakes and not the draw. As a homeowner, I want to know that there’s sound engineering, reliable technology, and safe practices for those guarantees to stand on, because even if a defective panel, racking, or leaking mount is covered under warranty, I’d much rather it not happen in the first place. I can’t be comfortable trusting a company sourcing the cheapest equipment of the day from around the world, knowing that even if something goes wrong I at least saved a few bucks. Keith Davey (keithd1@stellarsolar.net – 858.805.1126)and his team were able to answer all of my questions and educate me about their installations, real world experiences, and manufacturer support. Being a SunPower Master Dealer gives them access to manufacturer training, support, and prices in exchange for exclusively installing SunPower equipment, which are designed in California and are continually the benchmark of high quality. Since the same company makes the panels, inverters, racking, and monitoring, it’s designed to work seamlessly and naturally eliminates manufacturer finger-pointing if something fails. Throughout the process, Keith and the Stellar Solar team got me all the documentation and information I needed to help me get approved by my HOA, and took care of permitting, utility paperwork, and inspection arrangements themselves.
When it came to installation, the team was top notch. They were on time and professional, and after a quick consult on my preferred conduit routing, they got to work and finished roof underlayment replacement and full installation in about 3 days. After a few more days and inspection, authorizations went through and I was permitted to turn on the system, generate, and afterwards monitor production. All the visible electrical runs were minimal, paint matched, and left little visual impact.
[Aside: My only disappointment, as a tech-savvy person, is the lack of features in SunPower’s monitoring system – to no fault of Stellar Solar. The monitoring box is tiny, but has no data dsplays. Everything goes to SunPower servers to view online or in an app, which gives you current total kW generation and cumulative kWh bar charts – no individual-panel data, no custom reports, no subscriptions, and no other data visualizations. Performance-wise, this has zero effect, but it is tech-bummer and truly the only disappointing part of the whole experience – again no fault of Stellar Solar.]
Overall, Stellar Solar should be on your short list, if not your easy pick for installing your solar panel system. My neighbor go his quoted and installed right after mine and is equally happy with his. The all black panels and hidden conduit/wiring look incredibly slick and keep up the aesthetic of the house, and besides the SunPower monitoring’s lacking of features, I am very happy and am so far on track with my expected generation, enjoying the lower utility bills while using AC!
Yelp Ryan Y., 6/9/2018
The folks at Stellar Solar are professional, cost efficient, excellent customer care service, field service is great, and I’m an extremely satisfied client, that would highly recommend Stellar Solar to all wanting to save money, and generate energy! Another reason I selected solar panels, is for the benefit of tax credits.
I met with Zac Dowell, and he thoroughly explained/educated me, with the entire process, from beginning to end. Quite frankly, I was undecided for a long time, with misconceptions of the costs, until I met with Zac, and learned the panels were totally affordable, and he didn’t try to sell me more than what I needed. Since we live in California where the sun shines, and generates power; I find amazing, and wish I purchased solar panels sooner.
The Stellar Solar installation, obtaining permits, and then turning the power switch on was exciting, and I’m so grateful to Stellar Solar for such a smooth process.
Stellar Solar is a wonderful company, and you will not be disappointed.
Yelp Dee W., 5/2/2018
In fact, once I’d met with Marc Cirelli from Stellar, I knew I was done with the interviews. He is knowledgeable, objective, helped me understand exactly what I would be getting into with the project, and was always just a quick phone call or email away if I had any questions. I’d recommend him to anyone thinking about solar.
During the work the Stellar Solar team was always professional, never missing a deadline . . . in fact, the project started much more quickly than I’d expected. Every step of the way I was surprised when another milestone was already met, and we were that much closer to being finished.
I couldn’t be happier with the installation itself. All work was done cleanly, so the whole thing is as unobtrusive, yet efficient, as possible.
Finally, communication throughout the project was outstanding, from initial contact through walking me through the monitoring software after everything else was done. I always felt well-prepared for the next milestone during the project, and that can be key to having confidence in the outcome.
Stellar Solar comes with my highest recommendation; consider including them when you think about installing solar for yourself!
Yelp Jeff K., 4/1/2018
If you are reading Yelp reviews to consider a Solar installation company, you probably already understand that in Southern California with the existing tax rebates, net metering tiered pricing by the utility and constant sun, you should not only install solar on your home as soon as possible, but you should buy as many panels as your home can fit.
There are lots of data points available online to assist with researching solar installation pricing. You should do your own, but I have compared Stellar against the region average and they are consistently very competitively priced.
Stellar does a quality installation, as evidenced by the many positive Yelp reviews. They have a well coordinated process, with a project manager assigned to your project. High levels of communication at every step, I could text Marc questions whenever I had them (many times). Great flexibility, for example I added a curve ball late in the design by adding a RMA adapter to maintain my baseline amperage. Stellar was happy to make the minor design changes.
The installation team was also great. They used proper safety gear while on my roof, replaced broken tiles (which just happens when people walk on your roof), and Stellar gives a 10 year warranty on the installation against roof leaks.
Solar installation is a competitive business, and Stellar acts like it. They earned my business, and an easy five star recommendation. Give Stellar a chance to earn your business if you are considering installing solar.
Now Jeff Warren stepped in as the installation coordinator. Did a fantastic job keeping me in the loop thru each step.
Stellar Solar then obtained the city permit, and did the installation.
First the roof guys came in, then the solar panel installers, then the roof guys came back to replace the tiles around the edge. Install ~ 5 days total.
A few days later the city did the inspection, and then permission-to-operate from SDG&E came a day or two after that.
Overall, expect a 2 month+ process. I first met Connor second week of January, and we received the PTO March 16th, then had the monitor commissioned a few weeks later. And then following PTO, Connor continued to advise me on the recommended TOU rates and best one to change to.
Great job Stellar Solar!
Yelp David L., 4/10/2018
It gets better. I knew the above fact and contacted Marc Cirelli, who became my consultant from that day and will always remain so, he is just a call or text away. The next day, he had his team conduct an inspection to provide options for my system and was able to provide me with quotes that same night. I realized immediately that Stellar Solar could install enough panels for me to be net positive, never having to pay an electric bill again–and all for about $150-200 less per month (on average, with summer bills that tend to balloon) than I’d pay SDG&E. Now, they are paying me, as they buy the electricity back.
The installation was done in one day, including two 240 volt outlets in our garage for our electric cars. When done, they sent a great Technician out to commission our system, which enabled power generation information that is visible via the SunPower Monitor app.
Loving it. Thanks, Marc!
Yelp Rob K., 3/30/2018
Yelp Lisa G., 3/30/2018
Yelp Chad R., 4/1/2018
Yelp Chuck G., 4/26/2018
There were actually some issues that came up during installation, a couple cosmetic mistakes that were made, and without hesitation they came out and did a re-installation that took them at least as long as the first installation. The end result was that the system ended up looking exceptionally good.
Problems sometimes occur when you’re in this type of business, and I was impressed that they quickly responded and made everything right, with zero push back.
Yelp T M., 2/25/2018
I had additional questions before the installation started, during the installation and afterward but Marc was always available by email and text message. He answered my questions to my satisfaction and in a very timely manner.
The installation of the panels went in very quickly, taking just 2 1/2 days. The installers were very professional being careful not to damage my roof. I am very happy with how the installation went. After passing inspection we met with the technical representative from Stellar. He was very thorough. He helped me understand the numeric display on my SDGE meter. He also took his time showing me how to monitor the system from my phone so I could see how it is performing.
Now, how happy are we with our solar panel system? All I can say is it is awesome. For example, last year during the month of March we used 515 Kwh. This March we completely powered our house and put 415 Kwh back into the grid. Since January 2018, we have completely powered our house in addition to putting 694 total Kwh back into the grid as of April 3, 2018. Those extra hours may be needed in the summer when the air conditioning is running more, or they will be hours that SDGE has to buy from us when our true-up period comes around.
I can say without any reservations whatsoever that I highly recommend Stellar Solar for your solar panel needs. You will not be disappointed.
Yelp Mustang S., 4/3/2018
I just got the PTO and have had production now for a couple of days. Will upadte the review once i have been using for a while.