Extreme competition in the solar industry and falling prices has resulted in poor quality workmanship, electrical problems, roof leaks, gimmicks, and unethical behavior. Who can you trust to upgrade your most valuable asset, your home?
Book a FREE 15 minute appointment to: 1) Find out how Makello can help you. 2) Discuss your energy needs. 3) Get a FREE Energy Savings Estimate.
Makello aims to fix the broken solar industry with a full-disclosure report by an Ethical Energy Efficiency Expert, and documentation of the highest quality workmanship and components, to protect the budget and the home warranty.
Makello’s Mission is to tackle climate change by delivering clean energy solutions to improve social and environmental justice.
Why? Because Disadvantaged Communities, often located downstream and downwind of pollution, are extremely costly to rebuild after increasingly frequent weather disasters, and are impractical to relocate to escape sea level rise.
The Makello Team (left to right) Agustin, Ola, Linda, Charlie
Makello’s Vision is for you to join the Energy Ecosystem in a way that fits your life. We can help you use incentive programs to afford a Plug-In Vehicle and Solar Power to charge your car and your home, and we can help you create a back-up clean Energy Storage system for emergencies.
CEO and founder of Makello, Charlie Quux Johnson, receiving a North County Climate Change Alliance award at the NCCCA’s “EV Show Kicks Gas”
The choice is yours. Make your energy costs and emissions low with Makello, to get “On the Road to Energy Independence!”
Public access to EV Charging Stations is unevenly distributed. Makello’s mapping can show the inequity that may inhibit green technology adoption in some communities.
If you caIf you can’t find a conveniently located public EV Charger, then click on “Request A Public EV Charger” to suggest a location for future consideration, to be built with up to 100% Federal and State of California incentives.
We use only the highest efficiency and highest quality LG 335w – 400w and Panasonic 325w-335w modules.
The difference between the highest quality and the lowest quality modules is a few pennies per watt in system cost, but the difference in utility cost savings is much greater over time. Why would you want anything but the best?
Book a FREE 15 minute appointment to: 1) Find out how Makello can help you. 2) Discuss your energy needs. 3) Get a FREE Energy Savings Estimate.
Using the latest module technology has advantages. Highest efficiency modules degrade slower and produce more power, resulting in a lower utility electric bill.
Lower efficiency modules occupy a larger area on the roof, reducing future expansion options, and they require more flashings, standoffs and maintenance to wash.
We use SolarEdge, SMA, or Enphase inverters because our customers experience excellent performance and we receive excellent technical support. Enphase leads the industry with a 25 year warranty. SMA and SolarEdge have extend warranties up to 20 years. It rarely happens, but if there is an equipment failure, you’re covered. Green Energy EPC’s workmanship warranty is 20 years and we’ll be glad to facilitate warranty service. Any solar installer is familiar with Enphase, SMA and SolarEdge, so it can easily be serviced beyond the warranty.
Your roof could leak from a poor quality solar installation
The solar industry is in extreme competition with narrow margins. Companies cut corners in workmanship quality and balance of system, to match lowest bids, while salespeople oversize systems to maximize commissions. Whether you buy too much, or compromise the waterproofing to get to the lowest cost/watt, either way, you’re all wet. Makello has a better way.
Optimal Cost Savings is a new concept for the solar industry. The goal of 100% solar production vs use is an outdated strategy that does not address the current and future Time-Of-Use utility rates and the Net Energy Metering agreement with the utility.
Are you ready to save money on solar power, EV charging or Energy Storage? Get an instant quote from Makello!
Makello’s Optimal Cost Savings is based on how you use power.
In San Diego, utility electric cost savings is dependent on the time of day that power is produced and consumed. Since every home has a unique pattern of utility electric use, an effective cost savings strategy must match solar production and energy storage to the historical and projected time-of-use interval data. A detailed trade-off study of available site orientations and equipment options is necessary to identify the incremental costs and return on investment.
Makello’s Energy Analysis determines the optimal system for fastest payback, lowest cost and highest quality. In almost all cases, the optimal sized solar system is much smaller and less expensive than you would expect.
Before you buy, ask yourself:
Does a large system size change the home aesthetics? Can I afford the upfront costs? Will I relocate before the loan or lease ends? Will the new home buyer value the energy production?
Have I received a proposal that offers alternative sizes and orientations to produce and store power for when I use it? Has anyone provided an analysis which identifies the incremental cost factor, payback and return on investment for each additional module greater than optimal?
Would I trust a contractor or subcontractor, without proof of workmanship quality on my installation, knowing that the permit inspection does not include key areas on or under the roof, or below the array, where unseen conditions could void manufacturer warranties, compromise the roof structural integrity, or risk fire or roof leak, possibly years later?
Makello protects your home from potential roof leaks.
Below are 4 topics to teach you how unethical solar installers can cut-corners where the homeowner and the permit inspector won’t see it, in order to lower the bid price.
Poor quality installation techniques can only save money in the short term. Eventually, the home repairs for potential water leak damage will outweigh any cost savings.
Are you ready to save money on solar power, EV charging or Energy Storage? Get an instant quote from Makello!
Topic 1) Waterproofing – “Lag bolts in the center of rafters”. For a cement tile roof, our process takes 1 installation team 2 days to complete and the competition does 2 installs per day with 1 team.
If we have access to the attic and the height of the attic ceiling is more than 36” tall, then we will install the lag bolts from the inside the attic. That way we know that each lag bolt is securely fixed in the center of the rafter, and did not miss the rafter or split out the side. Our installation is durable to last a lifetime to protect the home and solar PV system from damage.
Other companies install lag bolts from the top of the roof; they do a hammer test on the roof to find a rafter, or they look at the eaves to see one end of the rafter, then they write marks on the roof, chalk a line and drill every 24” or 18” on center, hoping that they hit most of the rafters. Even if an installer does hit a rafter, how will they know if they split the side of the rafter, which would compromise the structural integrity of the entire roof and cause it to sag over time? Or if they miss the rafter, then the 3.5” lagbolt will be sticking 3” out of the plywood; it might feel solid, but then when the wind comes it will shake the solar array and move the lag bolt up and down, widening the lag bolt hole and break the sealant caulking compound, eventually causing a drip leak, wood rot and termite problems, or worse, if a strong wind comes it could pull the entire solar array off of the roof!
Topic 2) Waterproofing – “Sealant properly applied and cured” If the industry top rated waterproofing sealant is misapplied or if the installer does not allow adequate time to cure before installing the solar PV arrays, you can expect water leak problems in the future.
Our exclusive solar panel installer, Green Energy EPC does the job right. After we install the lag bolts in the center of the rafters, we add the standoffs, flashing and sealant. The sealant requires 24 hours to cure properly if the weather is cool or moist. On dry and hot days it can cure faster, but at the least, it should take 4 or 5 hours minimum to form a continuous bond seal between the rafter & lag bolt, lag bolt & flashing, flashing and tar-paper. Green Energy EPC applies the M1 sealant properly in the required locations, and goes even beyond what is required, by placing 2 beads of sealant in a “n” or upside-down “U” shape on the flashing above the standoff, higher up on the roof, so that even if water is running towards where the flashing and standoff meet, it will be diverted away from the area by the “n” and around the area for many years to come. After the sealant is applied, we leave the area for several hours to 24 hours, to allow the sealant proper time to cure before adding the rails and modules. The care and process takes extra time, and an extra day to roll the truck and bring back the crew, but it is worth it. We sleep well on rainy nights knowing the solar roof integration will be water safe.
Book a FREE 15 minute appointment to: 1) Find out how Makello can help you. 2) Discuss your energy needs. 3) Get a FREE Energy Savings Estimate.
Other companies are in a big hurry, with 1 team doing 2 installs in 1 day. They routinely skip the sealant application or misapply the sealant so that it does not form a continuous bond. They do not allow the sealant proper time to cure; they add the rails and modules, tighten the nuts, balance the array, tighten the nuts some more, move modules around and rebalance to make it square – all this activity is breaking the sealant bond that has not cured, introducing gaps which act as a channel for the water to drip inside the structure, eventually rotting the wood and tar paper, inviting termites to cause more damage.
Topic 3) Warranty: The condition of the roof, underlayment and supporting structure should be of sufficient condition to outlast the 25 year solar panels warranty.
A solar panel system installed securely and properly will last 25 – 30 years or longer. If the condition of the roof, under-layment and supporting structure is questionable or poor at the time of installation, the roof might need to be replaced during the solar panel 25 year warranty period.
Many solar companies and salespeople are willing to take the sale and cash the check, knowing that that condition of the site is insufficient to maintain the home waterproofing, and by the time the roof has a leak, they will be long gone.
Green Energy EPC inspects the condition of the roof and is honest with the owner about the longevity and expectations. We will not install solar panels on a poor quality roof, if the tiles are worn through, or if the tar paper is torn, aged or missing. Honesty and integrity is at the core of our quality installation. We would rather walk away from a deal to avoid potential problems and risks. It is the ethical way of doing business. Sam Syed, President of Green Energy EPC teaches the ethics of solar panel installation and solar panel sales at our NABCEP accredited classes at Mira Costa College and at Cuyamaca College.
Topic 4) Waterproofing – “Flashing requires careful shimming of the tiles in the row above”.
When installing roof flashing, it is imperative to take your time and not be in a hurry. The proper way to insert a flashing is to use pry bars to carefully lift up the shingles higher on the roof, above the place where the flashing will be installed. Each shingle or tile section is held to the roof by nails that penetrate the tar paper and plywood. If a tile is moved too quickly, the nail is pulled out of the hole, leaving an entry point for rain to drip through the roof. If a tile is shimmed slowly, the nail end will remain in the hole and can be tapped back into place, blocking water penetration. In any case, if a nail is removed, it must be filled with sealant.
Solar installation companies that are in a hurry are likely to shim the tiles out too quickly and also to fail to fill the nail holes with sealant. Eventually the water will find it’s way to the drip hole, the wood will rot and cause more headaches for the homeowner.
If you are considering solar for your home or business, be sure that it will be installed properly to get the most out of your system. Contact us for a FREE Energy Analysis and piece of mind for a quality installation. Check out the videos below to find out more about what Makello is about.
There are 10 ways that Makello protects your home where other companies have leaks.
How does a homeowner build superior quality workmanship into the solar panel bidding process, to protect the home from the risk of water leak, accidental injury, electrical shock and fire hazards?
Makello documents the site survey and installation techniques with step by step photos and videos. Proof of quality workmanship is a “Buyer’s Right”.
Are you ready to save money on solar power, EV charging or Energy Storage? Get an instant quote from Makello!
Without context about the actual installation process and installer training for a specific installation, quality talk means very little. If an installer doesn’t have a system to document and identify quality workmanship, a homeowner may not realize the system was installed improperly until years later in the frantic search for a bucket to catch the drips, or a bucket to put out a fire.
At the opening of a recent public lecture at the Vista library in San Diego, I asked a small audience, “How many of you had solar panels installed at your home or business in the last 3 years?” Approximately half of the room responded. I instructed the audience, “Keep your hands up if you experienced a roof leak under the solar panels during recent heavy rains”. About half of the hands remained raised. It was a shocking moment for me, because Makello’s exclusive solar PV installer, Green Energy EPC, has not had any leaks in many 100s of installations in San Diego. However, the guests at my lecture, all of whom were not Green Energy EPC installed solar panel customers, related very different results and experiences.
To my surprise, in the moments that followed, the audience took control of the lecture and started naming names of the installer companies involved. We won’t bad-mouth the competition, but I can tell you that the brands named are easily recognizable to all, including some of the biggest local, regional and national solar installers in the San Diego market. How is this possible, given that many of the companies identified have 4-Star average ratings on Yelp!, Angie’s List and other review websites? How is this possible, given that the Authority Having Jurisdiction passed the permit inspection in each case? The answer is quite simple- once you understand that any company can cut quality where the homeowner and the permit inspector won’t see it, to lower their costs and offer a lower price.
One of the Dirty Little Secrets of the Solar Industry is that the permit inspector is not responsible to inspect the quality workmanship in the attic, under the array, in the flashing and sealant waterproofing, in the wiring, at the connections, in the electric panel, or in the conduit. The burden then falls on the homeowner to climb ladders, scale rooftops, open up electrical panels and hardware, or shimmy on their belly in attics or crawl spaces. To do this inspection thoroughly after installation is difficult, costly and impractical.
Can you name any electrical appliance, other than solar panels, that can work uninterrupted, for 30 years or longer?
Long term power production and cost savings is only part of the bigger picture. For example, how much do you save with solar if a poor quality installation causes a roof leak?
A high quality installation doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with a NABCEP training curriculum, in the field mentorship, leadership that is reluctant to relinquish control or oversight until the trainee demonstrates excellence, and pledges to uphold highest standards in integrity, honesty and ethics.
There has to be a clear process and expectations, with strict adherence to safety procedures and protocols. There has to be metrics, full-disclosure documentation, and follow through on all commitments.
Any salesperson can say that they have highest quality. How will you know the difference? Read our guides to see for yourself:
Muqheet (Sam) Syed, President and founder of Green Energy EPC.
Sam Syed, owner of Green Energy EPC, has started and trained a community of over 200 photovoltaic systems installers and project developers in San Diego. Many of his students earn NABCEP accreditation, the highest standard of certification in the solar industry for photovoltaic systems installation. The values that Sam teaches in the classroom are the same values that Green Energy upholds outside of the classroom; “Ethical Sales, Quality Installation, and Integrity”. That’s why we are pleased to announce our partnership with Green Energy EPC for San Diego residential solar photovoltaic systems installations.
