Alternate Energy

Shari K.

Update Dec 2022
Yes you are correct. Risource Energy did install my system. But they were under the ""umbrella"" of Alternate Energy. And when Risource shut down, you did send a letter stating that you would be taking over the contracts so we wouldn't be stranded. But, after multiple calls, my problem still remains. And after reading your response, it still remains the same. THAT THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!? So how do you propose to make me happy? If an outdated data logger breaks, there must be some sort of fix. It's almost 8 years of begging & pleading. That shouldn't happen to anyone.

Erwin F.

Normally we try to get at least 3 estimates from different companies. We like Jeff Lum from Alternate Energy because they were cheaper than the other & we like the design & placement of the AC unit. There were four technicians very nice & professional. They finished everything in one day. Very pleased. I would recommend them.

Yuji L.

Not good customer service after purchase of Tesla backup system with PV panels. The Tesla app went out and cannot reconnect. Called for assistance several times with no help. I guess once they get their money that's it, bye bye. I'm sure there's a lot of better PV companies in this competitive market.

Patrick Y.

This is our 2nd superb experience with Alternate Energy. Previously we had PV panels installed and are adding more PV panels and an EV level 2 charger to our home. The service is top of the line and the employees go the extra mile to ensure quality service and experience. Bryson Ramirez installed our EV Charger yesterday and was so professional and did an outstanding job including cleaning up after the job was finished. I would not hesitate to use Alternate Energy again and would recommend them as a great company to deal with.

Neal H.

Crew arrived within scheduled time. Introduced themselves, Josh, Leighton and Nathan. Discussed preplanned location and made some minor changes. They happily obliged,no problem. They worked efficiently and was done by around 1:00. Explained to me the units they installed, cleaned up and off they went. Very professional crew. Thanks AE

Glen K.

In the midst of having batteries installed at my home, but have had to stop the project as I was not getting what I thought I had signed up for. Very troubled at this point as I requested a call back from management, but no call(s). I left two messages for Roy. Humbly request Mr. Ekimura to respond to me 808 772-1101, G. Kimura.

S B.

We have used AE for 2 PV installs and 2 SWH installs on our homes. They were reputable until our recent SWH install on 5/2021. Upon inquiring with AE why our electric bill had a sudden spike in usage/ cost, they came to check our PV system which was okay. It was upon further research, that the SWH AE installed was not placed in the optimal location on our roof forcing our water heater to be on 24/7 as it never reached its peak performance. This resulted in our electric bill skyrocketing more than $500/mo. for more than 3 months. AE sent a tech to assess our SWH panels and upon their tech's review, the panels were facing the wrong way. AE came and relocated the panels but has not apologized, nor acknowledged their negligence, or offered any compensation for the unnecessary electric costs that I assumed. After many emails (to Yuko Ahina) and phone calls trying to get this issue resolved, I have yet to hear from anyone at AE.

Furthermore, this city permit for the SWH is still open (job completed 4/2021) along with another permit they opened back in 11/2017 for a SWH that never was installed, this permit remains open as well.

------Response to Alternate Energy's response:

July 3, 2022

To the Management at Alternate Engery,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I had no luck with any response from your company addressing this issue since I first inquired about it months ago. It was only until I reached out to the Better Business Bureau, Alternate Energy have provided an explanation.

The main reason I purchased a solar water heater system was to decrease my overall electric costl. I understood a system like this would provide this benefit.

In response to your letter dated June 29, 2022, you mentioned I approved the location of the solar water heater panels which your company installed on my roof back in May 2021. Since the panels weren't facing the sun, the water was never hot (at all) forcing the water heater to be on 24/7 which increased my electric bill dramatically. Although I did not advise this, but if I did, as you cited, it raises a few questions.

If your statement bears any truth, are you saying Alternate Energy approved selling a product that provided no benefit to the consumer where in fact, my monthly electric bill was doubled from $250/mo to $500/mo because the panels were facing the wrong way? With Alternate Energy's expertise and experience, I would have hoped Alternate Energy would have presented me with the consequences and possibly suggest a different location of the panels so that I could maximize my benefit with your product. Why would I spend thousands of dollars on a system that would provide no benefit to me AND increased my overall electric bill from before I purchased this system?

Furthermore, the city permit for this installation remains open for a service that was completed 14 months ago. Alternate Energy also applied for a city permit for this same service in 2017, but no installation was provided at that time, but the permit also remains opened, 5 years later. When I inquired on the status of these permits, Alternate Energy continues to say they will put a 'RUSH' on it, both permits however continue to remain open to this day, July 2022.

Wanna L.

Thorough cleaning service. Had our Mitsubishi split air conditioner serviced for the first time since installation 5 years ago. It was VERY overdue. Our technician, Cody (?) Corey (?) was so knowledgeable. He let me film and photograph some of the process too. I'm not letting anyone else service this machine. See you next year!

Me M.

I feel the need to leave this review because 6years ago we went with this company to install 4 Mitsubishi AC units around our house.
We have had issues with the units, had pseudo ""repair"" but were told it was due to placement, etc (which they played in part where to install initially) that is wasn't working well. And on top of that we had to wait so long for a part they told us was ""back ordered"" which I found out was not true when I contacted a Mitsubishi parts center in the mainland out of frustration. Not knowing any better we have dealt with it until this year because our investment in this system cost so much.
We found a different company to replace 2 of the units because they are not working anymore. But.. when they inspected our units we were told one of the outer units was a older model that wasn't in line with all the other units. Also we were told that we should have had a maintenance plan in place to keep the units running properly which the new company provides. This is something I had asked for over the years but was always brushed off as ""but it's working ya?"" We would have to charge you a ridiculous amount just to go there per hour. The new company actually explained certain things to do, watch out for, and their warranty is MUCH longer.
**I must mention as miffed as I am with the company, there are GOOD workers there who tried to help us as much as they could. You know it's not good when people start answers with ""Well............."" But of course by then we were already stuck.
Happy for all the people who got 5* experiences... unfortunately was not the case for me.

Arnel V.

Very knowledgeable with their system and answered all my questions. Leeland who is our representative from AE was & still is very helpful. Everyone that came to our home were professional in their field, polite, and worked fast. We highly recommend