ComplaintsforHawaii Energy Connection LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  There appears to be a problem with my Kumu Kit solar system. I checked with Enphase the monitoring system and they said there is a definite decline in production. I reached out to Hawaii Energy Connection and was told they no longer service the **********. I asked how do I get service. They said I needed to call a local company and have them check the system. They recommend Revolusun. Hawaii Energy Connection said I have to pay whatever the charges are for diagnosis. They said if the problem are the inverters they can help me with the warranty, but if its the panels, I have to see if Revolusun can help me deal with **, the makers of the panel. Revolusun will charge me $400 just for a tech to come out, then $148 dollars an hour there after. The panels and inverters have a 25 year warranty, Hawaii Energy Connection has a 10 year Installation warranty. I should not have to pay anything out of pocket. They should pay for a company to come and check the system and then replace whatever is defective. They should have reached out and let their Big Island customers know they were going to stop serving us.

  

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  Aloha Mr. ***************** would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this manufacturer issue may have caused you and we truly understand your concerns about your drop in production.
  
  I just checked on your case and your panels were submitted for warranty review on 8/12/24. Our team, explained to ** that this system is on a neighbor island, so we should be able to submit what we have captured in Enphase. So, there is no need to have a third-party service team to assess your system and if approved by ** they will be covering the labor fees for replacement.
  
  Just a little background on the batch warranty review.  The batch issue warranty is processed, controlled and honored by the manufacturer (**), due to an issue with the production rate of a batch of their ** 280 panels. This specific batch of panels has shown a decrease in production of 30% or more over the last 3-4 years, with the first sign of a batch decline confirmed by ** in **************************** 2015 & 2016. Since this issue has affected only a specific batch of ** 280 panels and not all of them, ** has handled these issues on a case-by-case basis with no official recall announced. *** does not have the authority to announce a recall of any product without an official recall notification from the manufacturer.
  
  When it comes to system repairs (e.g., popped breakers, inverter or panel failure), the customer shall be responsible for notifying *** when an issue has been identified. *** does not provide a monitoring service for PV production but has set up their customers with an option to establish an account to view and track their production via Enphase Enlighten website/app. Once a customer has informed *** of their suspected drop in production, *** will collect and review the data provided in Enphase Enlighten to confirm that it meets the pre-conditions for an ** review.
  
  The following pre-conditions must be met prior to submission to **.
  Panel model: ** 280 (** 270 included)
  Installation Date: 2015/2016
  Enphase Enlighten:
  Connectivity: Your system must be connected to the internet with access to the Enphase Enlighten website at the time of the ** review
  Data: The information collected from Enphase Enlighten must establish a drop in current production that exceeds 30% 
  Timeline: The information must include data collected from the initial install date and at a minimum the last three months to current date.  
  
  If all pre-conditions are met, *** will send that information to ** for their review process. *** has submitted over 400+ cases to ** for this warranty issue as of this date. Based on previous experience, *** approval process can take between 3-6 months or longer depending on the amount of cases they receive and/or panel availability. ** has also gone through a recent change in leadership and team in their solar division which has created some delays in case communications (Reviews and Approvals). For cases submitted in MAY/JUN/JUL 2023 we did not receive approvals until late DEC 2023.
  
  Once ** receives your case information, they will review your data to confirm if it qualifies for a warranty replacement, identify what panels are deemed faulty, and find the type of panels that would be used to replace your defective panels. If approved, ** will provide the new replacement equipment at no charge to the customer and cover all labor costs to have them installed, but they do not cover any reimbursements for a loss in production. ** will replace your **280 panels with a higher producing panel, which can generate higher production levels that could make up the difference in increased savings on your future electric bills.
  
  Once HEC is notified of the approval, the case is placed in a scheduling queue awaiting the availability of replacement panels and the next available date to conduct the replacement.  Once we have confirmed this information, we will reach out to the customer and provide an update.
  
  As you can see the process is quite extensive with 95% of it in the control of **. When we first reviewed your system, we identified that your production started to drop in 2020 which is right in line with the batch issue, prior to that year your system has performed as intended.
  
  As for HECs presence on the **********, due to the increased challenges and rising cost of technician travel, equipment shipping to and from the **********, and vehicle storage, we needed to seek a more cost effective, locally based option. An option that could take these issues into consideration and keep costs down. Back on July 14, 2021, during COVID, a letter was mailed out to all Big Island Hawaii Energy Connection/KumuKit customers to announce that we have established a **************** Alliance with ProVision Solar *************  ******************), a company that has been in business on the ********** since 1998. A relationship that was very beneficial to our customers on the Big Island.  To assist in the high demand for service we added another service team in 2023 named Inspired Energy ************* - ****************************************). Unfortunately, like everything else in the world, costs have not gone down since COVID and have actually increased in most. I noticed that you mentioned Revolusun, they are not a part of our alliance.  I would ask that you reach out to either ProVision or Inspired Energy if you need any additional servicing.
  
  As for the warranty questions. *** 25-year warranty only covers the panel production.  They will provide a replacement panel, and in most cases, labor is not included, but for the Batch Warranty, which you are going through, it is covered.  The 5-year *** warranty covers any manufacturer labor for the first 5 years after installation. Any warranty labor after the 5 years will be invoiced to the customer, unless the manufacturer includes labor as a part of their warranty.  HECs 10-year done right warranty covers issues regarding faulty installation, such as, system installed incorrectly, roof leak at penetration points, etc.  If this were an inverter issue, the manufacturer (Enphase) would be able to use their monitoring data to review for warranty and would not require any photos or manual readings, unfortunately their data does not capture panel specific measurements.
  
  Hopefully I was able to answer your questions, I know its quite a lot, but this process is pretty detailed. Once again, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this manufacturer issue may have caused you and we truly understand your concerns.
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Call Kumukit due to 3 of the 26 PV panels is having issues. Was scheduled for service on the 19th but no one showed up and no one called. Send several emails to Kumukit support, the latest one on the 22th, 24 ago, and still no response.

  Customer response

  04/23/2024

  Kumukit finally replied, still waiting for when they can send someone to look at the ** panels.

  

  Business response

  04/29/2024

  We have reviewed ******************' complaint and the information gathered regarding the complaint. Our findings and solution are as follows:

  
  Iniitial appointment for ****************** was scheduled for a Gateway (communication device) not reporting.
  We received an email from ****************** stating that they were able to get online on their own, so the appointment to reconnect the Gateway was taken off the schedule.   
  With the system back online, we must allow the Gateway device to backfill the 2 years of information, during which the Gateways was offline.
  Once the backfill was completed we were able to submit the data for 3 inverters to Enphase (Gateway manufacturer) for review.
  We received the initial approval from Enphase on 4/23/24, but the inverters would need to be shipped to Hawaii from the manufacturer which could take a few weeks.
  To speed up the process, we checked our available internal inventory, and we confirmed that we have his particular model (M250) inverters in stock.  Therefore, we will pull the M250s from our inventory so we can get ****************** on the schedule as soon as the next appointment date is made available. Our support team will reach out to ****************** to schedule the inverter replacement.

  Customer response

  04/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 21615754
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  No one call to let me know that it was cancelled.  I was emailed that stated that it was still open.  If it was cancelled, someone should have emailed me or call me to let me know.  It took several days for someone to respond to why I was not notified, it is good company service.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer response

  04/29/2024

  They stated in the answer to you that they will schedule on the next available date, it has been almost a week and I heard nothing from them.

  

  Business response

  05/09/2024

  We did contact ****************** on 5/2/24 at 2:39pm to schedule an appointment for May 17, 2024 around 11:30pm. To get an earlier date for ******************, the appointment was squeezed in as an add-on in between two prior-scheduled jobs, therefore the time could fluctuate between an our or so on May 17th.  We did email ****************** notifying of this as well on 5/2/24.

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In December 2023 I contacted Hawaii Energy Connection to repair my solar hot water system. I was told the system will be covered by the warranty But they are extremely busy with year end installations and they will be contacting me as soon as the schedule permits. No call back.In January I called again and was told that they are busy with inventory and would be in touch with me. again No call Back So far in February 2 calls first one was that they will check on part availability and get back to me and as always no response. Second call is the same they will check on materials and they will get back to me. This was today But I expect more of the same.I am just looking to get my solar hot water system working Again and have Hawaii Energy system live up to their promises.

  

  Business response

  03/06/2024

  *************** was installed on Monday March 4 with a brand new H20 inverter. **** (electrician) said he was very happy with the results. The main issue was not knowing when we had material to replace his faulty Sunbandit inverter. 
  

  Customer response

  03/06/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November ********************************************************************* our home by Hawaii Energy Connection. At this time I entered an agreement with HECO to receive a rebate check for $4250 for the battery after installation and approval with the agreement to send HECO 15kW daily upon storage of electricity during the day. The installation went rather smoothly but the battery/service has deteriorated since. In January of 2022 the service light from the battery turned on and I called Hawaii Energy Connection and left a message for servicing. After a couple of days I had not received a call back and had to call them back. On the next day I received a call and was told that an electrician would not be able to come in a couple of weeks. In the meantime I am unable to send any electricity to HECO due to the incapacity of the battery. This was the start of a repeated dissolution of not just the battery but the horrible service by this company. Over this time I have had to call for service of my battery at least 6 times and whenever I placed a call I had to leave a message and maybe received a call back a few days later. Also it took at least a few weeks for someone to come to my home to service the battery. I noticed only over the past few months has someone actually answered the phone on an initial call and was able to state my issues. However this latest incident is the absolute worst. My battery service light turned on again in the 1st week of January 2024 and I called for service and again it took a couple of weeks for someone to come to my home. The electrician said it was fixed and said he had to go back to his ***************** to have it reset that afternoon. Of course it wasnt reset that day and after a few days I called and the electrician said only one person at the company had access and he just back from vacation. After an hour the battery appeared to be working but after a few hours it stopped working again. The same electrician came back in a week and discovered that the batteries were defective and it had also happened to other customers who had the same battery. He took out all of the batteries and said it would have to be replaced and not to worry due to they had a whole pallet of replacement batteries at their workplace. After a week I called to see what was going on and was told they needed approval from the battery company and were waiting for materials. An hour later I got a call back and said it was approved but no one could come to install the batteries for another month. At this point I was enraged due to my battery would not be working for more than 2 months and not sure what will happen with my HECO agreement. Throughout the past year and a half I have left messages as well as spoken to whoever that callled me to speak with the manager or owner and have never received any call or message from them. I have already told anyone who asked for recommendations to NOT have anything done by this company. I would not even recommend them to my worst enemy.

  

  Business response

  02/22/2024

  We retrieved ****************' batteries on January 17, 2023.  These batteries were expanded and was brought back to our shop for ***.  Between this time and the time which was given to ****************, we were trying to find a solution and the results of the *** from the battery manufacturer,  (Eguana).  We did receive approval from the manufacturer for the *** and confirmed with **************** that we would come out to his home on March 1, 2023 to do the replacement.  This date was the soonest availability, but informed him that if we had any openings or cancellations sooner, we will reach out to him.

• Initial Complaint

  12/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  As a long-time customer of **********************, I'm pleased with the addition of my new solar panels. However, I am discontented with the lack of thoroughness while installing my additional solar panels. My ceiling has been leaking during the heavy rains at the end of November, which only occurred after the installation of my additional solar panels. The last time I had any work done on my roof was the installation of my additional solar panels in August. At the end of November, my roofer came to the house to inspect the damage and found a hole in the roof that appeared initially patched, but the patch sank and was compromised. As a result, the water from the heavy rains drained into the hole and into my 90-year-old mother's bedroom ceiling, where water was causing the paint to bubble and water was coming out of my air conditioner onto my mother's bed. It was best to remove the soaked drywall and insulation to reduce further water damage to my home. Currently, I have two large holes in my ceiling. Since the leak occurred in my 90-year-old mother's bedroom, I've had to relocate her to another bedroom in the house, and it is extremely difficult for her to adjust. I've already contacted my Hawaii Energy Connection sales representative who sent out folks to inspect my roof. When they examined the damage to my house they determined that they would only repair a portion of the damage to my house. This is not right, given that the hole in my roof from the solar panel installation caused the water damage in my 90-year-old mother's bedroom. Hawaii Energy Connection is fully responsible for the damage to my roof and the resulting water damage to the interior of my house and should cover the total cost of these repairs. I want licensed professionals to perform the repairs on my house.

  

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  We have reached out to *************** and had scheduled an appointment to assess the damages as she described in her complaint, however she did cancel the appointment.  She was adamant in letting us know that she didn't want us to do any repairs, as she would find a contractor on her own and the contractor would be in touch with us.  We have since not heard from her contractor. We did stress to her that we need to be involved from the beginning, to assess the damages together with the contractor before any work is to be done and nor are we responsible for the bill from the contractor without prior approval for the work to be done.  At this time, we are still waiting for a call from the contractor and/or ***************.

  

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  We have reached out to *************** and had scheduled an appointment to assess the damages as she described in her complaint, however she did cancel the appointment.  She was adamant in letting us know that she didn't want us to do any repairs, as she would find a contractor on her own and the contractor would be in touch with us.  We have since not heard from her contractor. We did stress to her that we need to be involved from the beginning, to assess the damages together with the contractor before any work is to be done and nor are we responsible for the bill from the contractor without prior approval for the work to be done.  At this time, we are still waiting for a call from the contractor and/or ***************.

  Customer response

  01/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21028046
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The ceiling, wall, air conditioning and floor were damaged due to the leak for over 2 and a half months. The repairs was to be performed by a handyman which I was not comfortable with. I was advised to seek ************* to have these repairs completed.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

  

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  Firstly, we were aware of her ******************* complaint on 12/4/23 when she called our company and have since been trying to resolve her complaint since then.  As we explained in our previous correspondence to the BBB that we did have an appointment with her, but she cancelled.  There was no mention that we would provide a handyman to perform her repairs, as we only work with licensed professionals.  The whole point of her appointment was to meet with her and the roofer to access the damage together before any work was to be done, but this appointment was never rescheduled due to the lack of response from ***************.  To say there was a leak for over 2 and a half months is an exaggeration and who she got advice to seek other avenues to have the repairs completed is unknown.  To this day, we still don't know if any roof repairs were done.  Again, we were never involved in any damage assessments or repairs for her roof and/or interior. 
  Secondly, per her BBB complaint response on 12/29/23, she is seeking a disputed amount $24,454.55 for damages and repairs.  We have since received phone calls from her insurance company (Liberty Mutual) and their collections agency seeking reimbursement in the amount of $6,359.11 from us for damages for the interior of her home. Again, we were never involved with any damage assessments or repairs.  We are not sure why Hawaii Energy Connection is named and/or involved in this collection. We must point out that the said solar PV system that *************** purchased from us cost $24,454.55....the same amount of what she is seeking in damages and repairs!!  Something is not right here and should be further looked into.
  
  

  Customer response

  02/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21028046
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The leaking was caused by the installation of additional solar panels at the end of August of 2023. A hole was made on my roof and it was not sealed correctly. The leak was not visible on my ceiling and walls until mid November of 2023. Due to the length of time standing water was behind my walls, there was mold growth. I was told  by Hawaii Energy Connection they would repair the damages, however I was not satisfied with their response.

  Due to the damage, I decided to have the room repaired with licensed professionals through my insurance company.

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 5, 2015, I purchased 39 PV panels from Hawaii Energy Connection, the installment went well. For the last 8 years, I have been paying over $250 a month in HECO bills, due to faulty PV panels. I was informed the 39 panels are defective and have been on recall since 2015. HEC is working on getting the customer's panels replaced but it is not guaranteed. I have been requesting an update for over one month, no response. *** knew about the recall but no one informed their customers.

  

  Business response

  01/11/2024

  Aloha **********************,
  We would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this manufacturer issue *** have caused you and we truly understand your concerns about your drop in production. Unfortunately, the batch issue warranty is processed, controlled and honored by the manufacturer ***** due to an issue with the production rate of a batch of their ** 280 panels. This specific batch of panels has shown a decrease in production of 30% or more over the last 3-4 years, with the first sign of a batch decline confirmed by ** in **************************** 2015 & 2016. Since this issue has affected only a specific batch of ** 280 panels and not all of them, ** has handled these issues on a case-by-case basis with no official recall announced. HEC does not have the authority to announce a recall of any product without an official recall notification from the manufacturer.
  When it comes to system repairs (e.g., popped breakers, inverter or panel failure), the customer shall be responsible for notifying HEC when an issue has been identified. HEC does not provide a monitoring service for PV production but has set up their customers with an option to establish an account to view and track their production via Enphase Enlighten website/app. Once a customer has informed HEC of their suspected drop in production, HEC will collect and review the data provided in Enphase Enlighten to confirm that it meets the pre-conditions for an ** review. 
  The following pre-conditions must be met prior to submission to **. 
  Panel model: ** 280 (** 270 included)
  Installation Date: 2015/2016
  Enphase Enlighten: 
  Connectivity: Your system must be connected to the internet with access to the Enphase Enlighten website at the time of the ** review
  Data: The information collected from Enphase Enlighten must establish a drop in current production that exceeds 30% 
  Timeline: The information must include data collected from the initial install date and at a minimum the last three months to current date.  
  If all pre-conditions are met, HEC will send that information to ** for their review process. HEC has submitted over 400+ cases to ** for this warranty issue as of this date. Based on previous experience, **s approval process can take between 3-6 months or longer depending on the amount of cases they receive and/or panel availability. ** has also gone through a recent change in leadership and team in their solar division which has created some delays in ******************* (Reviews and Approvals). For cases submitted in MAY/JUN/JUL 2023 we did not receive approvals until late DEC 2023. 
  Once ** receives your case information, they will review your data to confirm if it qualifies for a warranty replacement, identify what panels are deemed faulty, and find the type of panels that would be used to replace your defective panels. If approved, ** will provide the new replacement equipment at no charge to the customer and cover all labor costs to have them installed, but they do not cover any reimbursements for a loss in production. ** will replace your **280 panels with a higher producing panel, which can generate higher production levels that could make up the difference in increased savings on your future electric bills.
  Once HEC is notified of the approval, the case is placed in a scheduling queue awaiting the availability of replacement panels and the next available date to conduct the replacement.  Once we have confirmed this information, we will reach out to the customer and provide an update.
  As you can see the process is quite extensive with 95% of it in the control of **. When we first reviewed your system, we identified that your production started to drop in 2020 which is right in line with the batch issue, prior to that year your system has performed as intended. We reached out to ** to get an update and was able to confirm that your case was recently approved. The scheduling queue is currently at 120+ cases awaiting a spot on the calendar for replacement. We will see what I can do to expediate the process. If panels are readily available, it should speed up the process. 
  Once again, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this manufacturer issue *** have caused you and we truly understand your concerns. A representative will reach out to you for scheduling once the panels are available.

  Customer response

  01/18/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a new home that had a previous PV powered water heater put in place by KumuKit. Since moving in, we have not had any water produced by any faucet that is anything warmer than lukewarm. We have been showering with room temperature water for nearly a month. I have called this business and while they are nice on the phone, they never schedule an appointment for a tech to come out and check the water heater. They ************** to give me a call back and never do. The warranty covers the water heater should it be defective, however theres no way for us to know if its defective or what the cause of the issue is if KumuKit sends no one to ensure everything is working properly. During the last phone call, the customer service representative tried to diagnose the problem over the phone and then promised a call back after she contacted her best friend who she says used to be the plumber for KumuKit. I never received any follow up contact.

  

  Business response

  12/19/2023

  ***** ****************,  sorry to hear about the problem that you are currently dealing with, regarding your new purchase.  After our review, all indications point to an issue with the settings and configurations on the system, which should have been communicated to you by the previous owner. We can send out a technician to assist you in this situation, but unfortunately, we have been unable to contact you or receive a response to our voicemail and/or email to ************ and *********************.  Please contact **** at ************ to schedule an appointment for a site visit at your earliest convenience.

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid Hawaii Energy Connection almost 8K for a Sunbandit ** Hot Water system in Sept 2020. The ** panels stopped charging the water heater on 6/20/2023. The system has a 10 year warranty and now only functions as an electric water heater. After numerous unanswered calls and unreturned messages for support we were finally able to exchange some calls with **** in July/August but she stopped responding. Its been over three months and Hawaii Energy Connection still has not sent anyone to assess the issue.

  

  Business response

  11/03/2023

  On October 30th, we reached out to ************ to schedule an appointment for Monday, November 6 at 10am to assess his system.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Lack of communication from company after numerous messages and text left by me to ***** tech support and **** who answers the phone informing me that someone will contact me about problem with my system showing a problem with my inverters having error messages and not communicating with enphase ...my system is under warranty presently

  Customer response

  08/16/2023

  How long before a response from the business....hawaii energy?

  

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  On 8/30/23, *************** was able to receive the required parts and change the relay due to heat. In addition, he relocated the envoy into the Weather Proof Enclosure (WPE) in efforts to mitigate further interruptions.

  Customer response

  09/07/2023

  After *********; came to remedy the problem with inverters not responding to emphase....I sent an email with temp. of relay switch at 129 degrees....**** said that the temp is still too hot of the relay and rubber tape behind relay may help because if temp gets to hot it will trigger the problem again and relay switch has be replaced again

  Customer response

  09/11/2023

  After **** the tech arrived to replace relay switch which **** said is the problem because it is to hot and needs to be changed....as you can see the temp is still 140 degrees by looking at pic attachment....**** said yes it is very hot and may trigger relay switch to be faulty again and prob would need to be changed again....can they figure out why it is so hot when the system is only 50 *****

  

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Our electrical technicians are currently reviewing repairs made and the way ahead to repair this issue.  We have placed a call to the manufacture of the system and they will schedule a site visit.

  Although your production is steady, we want them to review the entire system to ensure that it is not the reason for the overheating.  

  A representative from Eguana will reach out to you and schedule a site visit to review/troubleshoot the issue and provide us with their findings.  

  Customer response

  09/13/2023

  Please have eguana rep call me at ********** and leave message of day and time for checking the system....if need to change I can call them to change the date or time but pls leave a message....thank you

  Customer response

  09/21/2023

  Still no contact from ****** as mentioned in last communication with Alternate to check why temp is so high....last couple days check on temp...

  Customer response

  09/30/2023

  As u can see the temperature is 157 degrees....according to the enphase app says its not communicating with the inverters.....as **** the tech informed me that the heat will pop the relay (again)....no contact with alternative or eugana rep

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  On Thursday, Oct 5, 2023, *********************** from our team personally visited ************** and listened to his concerns. In the end, his concerns seemed to come form a lack of communication within our company. He was initially told that his Enphase inverter warnings were due to a relay switch that was running too hot. One of our electricians told him that it may even catch fire. I explained to the customer that this particular relay (PV curtailment relay) was a solid-state device that is designed to run at these high temperatures. I shared a copy of the manufactures spec sheet and also explained the purpose of the aluminum heat sync and exhaust fan to regulate the temperature. The customer was also told that the switch needed to be replaced by the manufacturer (Eguana) and that we were waiting on them. This was also not the case. I believe (and explained) that our employees most likely got confused with the current ************** update project that is going on with some of our more recent installations. I confirmed that his system was installed before we experienced these newer issues and that his system is not affected. We also discussed the Enphase communication issue on his monitoring device. I explained that we are aware of this nuisance warning with other sites and that it does not affect his actual solar energy production. It is caused by a communication delay between the micro inverters and the monitoring device. We will follow up with Enphase to see if his firmware and software is up to date to minimize the communication delay.

  Customer response

  10/06/2023

  I truly appreciate ***** coming to set my mind at ease with the info that the relay switch will get as hot as 158 degrees and that was what I recorded the temperature was when I last checked.....***** set my mind at ease telling me that a fire will not occur with my system.....the lack of training and communication between his tech ppl and his electricians should be better and public communication with the receptionist should be better then what is happening now....***** did infirm me that my system is still under warranty and if there is still a problem that will arise...he will take care of it himself....*****************

• Initial Complaint

  06/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have called HEC every week for the last 6 weeks and have emailed them for service on my business and home PV systems. They have not returned my calls nor my most recent email. My business PV system has multiple issues that have never been resolved over the last ******************************************** the last 6 months. My home has one issue that they have not responded to.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience raised from your complaint to us and we promise to work at correcting this matter and improving our overall customer experience.  
  

  Our customer service is a key component to our operation here at Hawaii Energy Connection (HEC) and we strive to provide informative updates and prompt responsiveness to our customer and their concerns.  The goal at HEC is to meet and exceed our customers expectations to establish a top in class support section for our customers.  
  Unfortunately, with the recent increase to Hawaiis electric rates and multiple manufacturer recalls, we have been inundated with calls from concerned customers with questions about their high bills. This increase in requests has exceeded our current customer support capability and we have recently added additional staffing to meet the increased volume of support calls.
  
  After reviewing the concerns that were provided, we were able to reach out to ********** yesterday (6/19) and identify that one of his micro-inverters is not functioning. We have arranged and scheduled our technicians to replace his micro-inverter on 7/6/23. 

  
  
  

  Customer response

  06/20/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

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