Haleakala Solar

We recently had HALEAKALA Solar install 16 PV panels on our roof. The job was planned, executed and managed flawlessly. We were very happy with the service. Here are the reasons why:
1. Ryan Souza, the Sales Manager for residential solar, right-​sized the job with an 8% cushion built in from the beginning. He never tried to sell me more than our requirements. His pricing was reasonable. He was savvy enough to realize that the customer wants best prices and the business also has to make a profit to survive long term. He achieved a very good balance between the two.
2. James Rudolph, the Director of Construction, personally oversaw the design and installation.
We have a monier tile roof. Naturally some problems arose that could not have been foreseen. Since James was there he was able to guide his team to resolve them immediately. His presence made a huge difference to ensure a high quality, timely and seamless installation.
3. James Whitcomb, the President and Owner, was also always available to answer questions if I had any. That smoothed things over.
Overall we are very happy with Haleakala’s performance. Job very well done. Thanks.

I did some heavy research when it came to getting solar pv. I created a spreadsheet and contacted some of the well known companies that you hear on the radio or see on TV. Some of the other companies out there had some good prices but their salesman were incompetent and did not know much about their product. The decision was between Haleakala and another well known company that has the Hawaiian word for «teacher» in their name. :) I told my salesman James Escobido about what they had to offer me and he came back and offered me a better deal. I’ll definitely purchase from Haleakala Solar again and refer all my family and friends to them.

I tried getting a quote for a SHW system from Haleakala Solar back in Aug/​Sept 2014. I emailed and spoke briefly to consultant Chris. I left several voicemails and did not get called back. No replies to any other emails either. I guess they were too busy at the time for new customers.
My bad experience with Haleakala Solar was just with this particular Solar consultant and does not reflect on their workmanship.

We wanted to have solar installed in our home. Contacted Haleakala and met with the sales rep (Vincent Daniels) a few times, and he was absolutely all over the place. He wasted our time telling us a whole bunch of stuff about his previous business failings with other solar companies and couldn’t keep focused on what we wanted (answering our solar questions). We decided not to use Haleakala due to the horrible sales rep, but he still continues to contact us. Just last night (Friday, Sep 4^th) he sent me a text message at 1053pm! The ridiculous and unprofessional text message that woke us up, with grammatical errors, read:
«JUST IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN MY EMAIL I SENT YOU…
Very sorry about not getting back to you sooner,
I recently had a bad chain of events,
I got sick with Mono,
My grandmother died,
A new law went into effect and it took a week to get my Back pain medication cause I fell off the roof,
Then My favorite Grandfather died.
The a few days later a dear sister of mine died.
And know the family
Is taking care of my Other sick and now dieing Grandfather
So it wasn’t personal.
Just misfortunes.
How is everything going?
Mahalo»
Seriously? What sales rep contacts you at 11pm on a Friday night via text, and tells you all about his misfortunes? I truly am sorry for your losses and what has happened, but this is ridiculous. Hopefully this is not a representation of every employee at Haleakala, or the company as a whole, but this one individual single-​handedly prevented us from choosing Haleakala for our solar needs.

Unfortunately my experience with Haleakala Solar (HS) wasn’t nearly as great as some other reviewers here on Unilocal.Initially I was happy with the sales-​pitch, but things fell apart after that. It became apparent that communication between the sales-​rep, the office peeps and the design crew is very poor. HS had 9 months while waiting for Heco approval to prepare for this job, and on the day they showed up to instal, the installer had the wrong design. Not only that, somewhere along the monkey chain the info about which program we had decided on and had notified HS 4 months prior to the instal had failed to reach all the important people. When this became apparent to everyone at HS the bottom fell out and the ship sank, and the installation was halted until they could work it out. Then when they did come to instal, the installers botched up the wiring layout and had to redo that. Paperwork that needed to be signed was never presented to us, which prevented the finance company paying HS, which further delayed things and which I assume partly explains why the job hasn’t been inspected yet. I don’t know what to believe, all I know is that it has been 6 months since Heco gave the green light for the instal and we are still waiting for approval for the system to be activated. That’s unacceptable.
I was always polite and courteous with everyone at HS, I kept in contact with them, always replied promptly with anything they asked, and I paid on time.
I feel that Haleakala Solar really dropped the ball, even with the owner involved.
Not willing to recommend this company.

Interviewed 3 solar companies. It was difficult to tell which one to go with. None of them were apples to apples comparisons. Overall, price-​wise, Haleakala was slightly more expensive than the others. But John Harper, our sales rep, was always on the ball. Always prompt with meetings and returning calls. And he never seem bothered or pushy when I took awhile to decide on things. I’m REALLY glad he did reach out to us though to let us know about the HECO policy change with the Net Metering agreement. We had one good recommendation and one not-​so-​great recommendation from family, but at least we had a personal recommendation unlike the other two companies. They seemed the most professional and transparent in the way they conducted their business.
So we finally decided to go with them to get our solar hot water heater installed. I figured we’d use that as a «test run» to see how their crew operated, quality of installation, and customer service. It was top-​notch! Throughout the process, great communication, every single person I’ve interfaced with was easy and pleasant to work with including the crew, manager, and customer service follow-​up. All honest, knowledgable, people, but no one tries to come off as if they know everything. They know when to call another specialist when I’ve asked a question beyond their area of expertise. And always got back to me quickly.
Only one thing was that the location of where they installed the panels blocks our view a little. But they’re working with us to get that resolved. I’m pleased with their efforts to properly address the issue, which gives me confidence about their ability to uphold their warranties down the line. They are intent on keeping the customer happy! Post-​installation, John continued to be our point-​of-​contact, but I spoke to several other folks in trying to address the installation location issue and everyone listened to my issues and followed-​up with all inquiries in a timely manner.
I am in the process of finalizing our PV plans with them and will have them put that in for us also.

Selected Haleakala Solar largely based on their good reviews. Start to finish, everything went smoothly. Salesman Chris was very knowledgeable. Installers Soloman, Johnny, & Kahena did a great job — arrived on time, cleaned up afterwards, & answered all my questions. Each step progressed quickly & I was kept informed on each step. I appreciate that this experience turned out so well. We are happy with our new solar water heater.

I initially called and dealt with another solar company who gave me the run arounds. My water heater caught on fire so I decided to go ahead and switch to a solar water heater. I was out of hot water for a couple of days trying to get this other company to come out and take a look and give me a time and date to switch. Obviously they didn’t help so I called Haleakala Solar and talked to Brian Ching. Brian came out that day and brought a water heater that he had on hand and switched out my old heater by himself. He told me «You have kids? Oh brah! You need hot water». He started the paperwork and said you can hold on to my water heater until we install the solar water heater. A couple of weeks later they came out to my home and switch out the heaters and I didn’t have to pay anything for the water heater that he let me borrow.
I recently just finished the process of installing a Solar PV sysytem on my home. I have dealt with Brian through the whole process and he has helped me through every step. The whole Haleakala Solar ohana from the design team to the installation has been very helpful and professional.
I have nothing but good things to say about the people that work for Haleakala and they all were awesome to work with.

Our solar water heater needed service — no more hot water. We needed quick, professional service, so after reading reviews we called Haleakala. I made contact on Tuesday and scheduled the service for Thursday. Kamu and Cliff arrived shortly after 8:00 am as promised. They were professional and they amiably answered my «2-​yr. old– type» questions. Our pump and the temperature gauge were both dead, so it was a fairly quick fix. Kamu went to the roof, took pictures of the panel and also took photos of the water tank and controls. I assume we now have visual records stored on a computer at their office. Apparently, there is still viable life in the panel and the tank, so we’ll see Haleakala in the somewhat distant future. This was a most pleasant experience from start to finish — very professional and courteous.

I needed my solar water heater serviced and had no idea who to call. It seems like everyone and their mother, cousin, neighbor’s uncle, etc. has a solar company or works for one. How do you know who is reputable? Unilocal to the rescue!
Haleakala Solar had the highest reviews, so I called them first. From the start, the service was great, and if you read my reviews, you know that I am all about service. It matters, esp. when there are many companies you can take your business to!
About 30 minutes before my scheduled service time, the technicians Cliff and Kamu called me to let me know that they would arrive in 30 minutes for the service. They arrived on time and were extremely professional and polite. It was actually a little unnerving how professional and polite they were, because in my experience, a lot of service people are tired of idiot homeowners who have no idea what is wrong with their stuff. They were very patient with me.
Apparently, your water heater is supposed to be serviced yearly. They go through a complete inspection checklist, including washing the solar panels themselves. I was also impressed that they discovered things along the way that needed to be fixed and FIXED THEM. Most companies are like, «yo, your thing needs to be fixed. It will take 2 minutes, but you can schedule an appointment and we’ll come back.» Nope, Haleakala Solar tightened some leaking pipes and I didn’t have to pay extra. Score. You would think that this would be standard across all companies, so maybe it is sad that I am counting this as a win.
Overall, good stuff. Honestly, I probably won’t get my solar water heater serviced every year, but when I do, I will definitely call Haleakala Solar.

My wife and I decided to stop paying HECO and install a PV system on our house. Contacting three companies via their online contact form, Haleakala (called the next day), Kumu Kit (called a few days later), and Solar City (never called) we decided to go with Haleakala. Our salesman, Brian Ching, was very attentive to our questions and ALWAYS responded by the end of the day. I’m sure I nagged the heck out of him, but I would recommend Haleakala to anybody.
Haleakala has a standard which is unmatched, and they refer to it as «the Haleakala way.» Their way is clearly evident from start to finish. Every member of their teams is polite, courteous, and maintains the utmost professionalism at all times.
On the install day I stopped by Sherwin Williams to purchase a can of paint to match the color of my house so the electrical wiring would be the same color. When I return, the lead electrician tells me it was not needed since the house had been wired for a PV system. Yes, it took a little extra work, but unlike other houses in the neighborhood with a «after market» PV system, I do not have wiring running down the side of my house. I was surprised by this and the response was «this is the Haleakala way.» The system is by far the cleanest on the block and there is not a noticeable electrical wire, anywhere. Everything is hidden from view. Additionally, after the installation is complete, the lead installer took pictures for quality control purposes. Haleakala holds themselves to a standard and ensures their standards are maintained at all times.
I recommend taking a few extra minutes, talk to these guys, and you’ll be enlightened to «the Haleakala way.» I’m glad Solar City did not contact me as they were my first choice.

Great solar company to install your photovoltaic or solar water heater. Very professional, awesome fast response time, installers take great care when penetrating your roof so you don’t have any leaks.

I interviewed eight solar companies before choosing Haleakala. A little research goes a long way and the extra effort paid off.
From start to finish, you won’t be disappointed with Haleakala Solar. My technical representative was fabulous and kept track of progress throughout the entire installation process. Unlike other companies — many of which left me feeling like it was only a sales pitch and not a solid start to finish product — Haleakala has great communication with all facets of installation. In fact, it only took a few months from when the contract was signed until HECO closed the process by installing the net metering system. Really! I was shocked, particularly because there have been so many articles in the news about how long some homeowners are waiting.
I’m aware that they’re not the cheapest, but they are quite price-​competitive. Shop around first and then ask them for their best deal. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

My mother used Haleakala Solar for the photovoltaic system on our house. The salesmen, workers and electricians I met were all very cordial and willing to explain everything. They went over the electronic equipment, cut off switches and circuit breakers more than once when asked and had a separate session once the wireless system was active and (luckily for me) HECO had already switched out their new reader and system as well. Side note: HECO’s guy cut off power to our house while both my wife and I had work on our computers, not nice. He claimed he had knocked on the front door, but neither of us had heard him. Not at all Haleakala’s fault though.
Chris also had someone follow up and level off one of the panels (which only took a couple of minutes at most) after doing his site quality inspection the day before (when he explained the online system).
The online system is not something you want to check every day of course. Or at least not after you get over that «new car syndrome» (where you want to wash and wax your new car every week). It does email you if any of your panels have a sudden drop in efficiency or are operating out of the norm.
I haven’t used other solar companies, though we did meet with a few others, but I would say if you are looking for a solar company, Haleaka is a good one to go with.

Sun Power… The Sun gives us the life-​force to survive… It has so much to give… life, the green of plants, the blues of the oceans, the light to guide our way in an otherwise dark foreboding place. Use it, use it to nourish our daily lives and to sustain all we have come to depend on, on this Earth. Use it’s power, but never abuse it and it will take care of you. It can also harm you in ways that aren’t always reversible… One way to partner with it and tap it’s awesome power is to install a photovoltaic system on your home.
Back when we were considering a solar Photovoltaic system for the house, we had many companies come out to talk with us, seven to be exact. Please, if you too are considering a system for your home, do your homework! I just cannot stress that enough. A PV system is not a PV system. What I mean is, no two are the same. There’s so much to learn. As I found out, there are many different types of panels out there on the market. You need to learn which one and what brand you will be getting. Then there’s micro-​inverters. What the heck is that? Yep, learn more. How many panels will you need, what kind of inverter, how will the system be mounted, and where. What zone are you in? How long will you be waiting from the time you decide till the time the system is online, what kind of financing will suit you? What kinds of credits can you expect to receive? These were questions I had, plus many more. Take your time and get ready to spend many hours learning, asking questions, sitting down and comparing. By all means, do not go with the company who gives you the lowest bid. There’s no such thing as «free» solar power or cheap power. You WILL pay, and in time you will reap the benefits. Haleakala Solar was the logical choice after going over the pages and pages of quotes, questionnaires, brochures, reading up online, etc. From the start, all of our questions were answered honestly, without doubt and I felt very comfortable with them.
From the time the work order was accepted till the time the system was online, it was approximately 6 weeks. There was a cancellation and they called to see if we’d be interested in taking that slot. You gotta be ready to go, no procrastinating! Next is getting your system approved by the City. After that’s done, HECO gets involved and installs a net meter. After all is done, approximately three months have passed. They did a really nice installation and a very neat wiring job! I was impressed. Plus, the day the install started, that very afternoon the system was online and producing power! Oh, the important part, first bill comes. $ 32.00… Second bill, $ 16.92… Third, $ 16.99! Whoohoo! Awesome! I’m very satisfied with Haleakala Solar, they were courteous, professional and most of all, they tried their best and worked hard. They keep in touch and you never have to go chasing after them! Thank you, Janet and the hardworking crew and customer service reps! The company has been around for a long time and that was a huge part in making the decision to go with them! If you’re in the market for a PV system, give them a call. You’ll be happy you did!

They just finished my job and I a well pleased with the project from Ben Coffman’s sales job (informed and cordial) to the installer team who were very professional fast and neat. Details: they use roof stand-​offs on their ladders critical for protecting your roof usually I have to demand these (try getting a termite tenting company to use them!!) but they use them as routine. The installer made final adjustments (with my permission) to the installation that greatly improved the ‘look’. Nice attention to details. Wiring is neat and the conduits strait, neat, and well mounted. Stainless fittings used through-out…I am on the ocean and this has to last 25 years!!!
Really effective ‘stand-​offs’ for the mounting brackets and these will last and won’t leak. I go into detail because a lot of the good stuff they do you can’t see and won’t know about for years if cheaper products were used and fail.
Good company, knowledgeable, and reliable… I recommend them without reservation. Mike, North Shore Oahu

If you are looking for someone to install your photovoltaic and or solar water, look no further! They did my neighbors last week and after seeing their work I had to go down and talk to them to do mine. Right from the start Janet was very professional and knowledgeable. Trust me, I’ve literally spoken to at least 7 different companies and even though Haleakala Solar wasn’t the cheapest but they surely are the best. They handled getting the permits, installation, and of course building inspection. Another thing to think about especially when someone is working on your roof, why would you want to take a chance on someone who is just starting out? I for one wouldn’t want a fly by night company that might fold it’s door thus your warranty is void. Haleakala Solar has been in business since 1977 and still going strong. I am a pretty anal person on how I want things to be done and these guys pay attention to detail and try to make it cosmetically appealing on top of making it perform the best. Very honest, reliable, and professional… what more could you ask for?

Our family is so totally in awe with Haleakala Solar. We heard good things about this company, and it was all true! Janet was so knowledgeable and helped us with deciding what we wanted and gave us so much information. The installation team was polite and efficient. And Chris… he helped us «technologically challenged» understand the website. I recommend them everywhere!

We just got through with our final building inspection from the C&C and passed with flying colors. Everything with this installation was outstanding. From our sales rep, Chris Hanson, to the installation team that came out, to Moki who was here for the final inspection, everything was first class. Even though Haleakala Solar wasn’t the cheapest, I went with a company that had a long history of business in Hawaii, a good BBB report, of course good Unilocal reviews. I interviewed a number of other solar companies (lease and purchase systems) and I went with Haleakala and can’t be happier. My neighbor went with a different company and unfortunately can’t say the same. His system failed the C&C inspection so the install team (sub contractors) have to come out and redo the system. It pays to go with a good company and not one that just got in for the solar tax credit rush.

From start to finish, Haleakala Solar personnel were professional, courteous and interested in what we wanted, not pushing their product or services.
Lance Kamisato kept us informed as to what was happening on a regular basis. They were able to install the system earlier than anticipated and the crew that handled the installation was super. It took less than two full days to install the system. Haleakala Solar handled everything from HOA permits and regulations, inspections, and they filed the rebate forms. We can track our system energy generation on our computer using Enphase. After the PV system was installed, our first Hawaiian Electric bill was ZERO due!