DINWIDDY COUNTY, Virginia. A family living in southern Virginia decided to do something about the environment and save on energy bills when they heard a lot of talk about solar panels and decided to make the best of it.
Sam and Kim Lloyd invested tens of thousands of dollars, knowing they would qualify for a $25,000 federal tax credit and expecting the system to save them every month.
I was at their house recently.
Is this your spare battery? Is it a network? I asked Sam Lloyd, pointing to the chart displayed in the app on his phone.
"It's a grid and you can see we're throwing 2.46 kilowatts at them." Sam said.
Lloyds is now happy that its solar panels are now producing electricity, a welcome benefit.
"The general theory is that your electricity bill goes away, but the solar system replaces it," says Kim Lloyd. "All you really get is your ability to provide for yourself."
Dinwiddies can now generate electricity for their home and feed excess energy back into the local grid.
Your utility company then gives them a loan that lowers your bill significantly.
Even if your nutrition system looks perfect, the road to it was not easy.
"Things went wrong from day one," Sam Lloyd said. "The first team arrived and got stuck on the road. That should have been our first sign."
Lloyds signed a contract with a contractor called PowerHomes Solar in early 2021. From the start they were warned of problem after problem.
For their placement on the terrace, as an alternative to the placement of roof panels, concrete studs are required, which are not installed properly.
"So before we start worrying about the electrical power of the system, the whole system has to be disconnected, disassembled and run again," Kim Lloyd said.
Lloyds says PowerHomes has been returned many times without success.
Then last April, the company changed its name to Pink Energy and filed for bankruptcy a few months later.
Nearly two years later, Lloyd's system failed and his accounts ballooned.
"We were able to see the application and we realized that the system has nothing to do with what we sell, what will be produced," said Kim. "The application tells us. This is what the electricity bills tell us. We were paid in one payment, paying as much, if not a little more, for the solar system than the electricity bill. We have now doubled our monthly electricity investment.”
It turns out that the system was missing an important part called Snap RS.
When Pink Energy shut down, they blamed the equipment manufacturer Generac, which they said had been sued for not supplying thousands of critical connectors.
Lloyds said one of the locksmiths told them.
"Pink Energy sued them because Pink Energy thought Generac should have supplied them, and for some reason Generac didn't," Kim said. “And we don't know when we can get them here. We don't know when we will be able to install it.
But that will change soon.
“Almost immediately after we participated in the project, Sunnova appointed a project manager appointed directly [by the solar panel construction contractor],” Kim said.
I reached out to Generac to find out why and what the power system manufacturer, a publicly traded Wisconsin-based company with hundreds, if not thousands, of solar customers still dealing with broken systems after Pink Energy's collapse can do. .
"The contractor called me directly to set up a meeting and they arrived the following Monday," says Sam Lloyd.
Generac spokeswoman Tami Kou sent me a statement that reads, in part:
“We are frustrated by reports of customers not being satisfied with the performance of their systems... We understand that customers are frustrated with their experience with Pink Energy. However, Generac remains committed to its customers. We are honoring our product and warranty obligations... we have contacted the Lloyd family and are actively working to assess and resolve their situation.”
And it's right.
"It's been a lot of work over the last two years," Kim said. "You interact and a week later we get a support call and everything works and the app works as it should."
Lloyds said Generac was as good as its word. They just hope others get the same results.
"I have direct contact with Generac. They are amazing. But like I said before, I really appreciate your efforts, but you have to wonder how many others are out there. "
If you have problems with a solar installation installed by Pink Energy (formerly PowerHomes Solar), you can contact Generac at solarsupport@generac.com or call 1-800-396-1281 for assistance.
Sunnova was a contractor hired by Generac to troubleshoot a failed system.
Count on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com for tips .
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