Advanced Conservation Systems reviews

Yifei Sun chose ACS to install solar on their home and discovered the project moved unusually fast — from final design through installation and inspection. They finished every step in about two weeks, powered the system soon after, and found it running well. Jerry, the project manager, stood out for his professionalism and quick responses; when scheduling conflicts made a daytime handover impossible, he agreed to come at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday to walk them through the system and instructions. The speed of the process plus that late-evening, in-person walkthrough is the detail that stuck with them.

Garegin began shopping for solar last year skeptical of pushy salesmen and sloppy roof work, so he interviewed four companies before choosing Advanced Conservation Systems. Their consultant, Nash, showed up on time, climbed onto the roof to measure shade, and calmly walked him through three design options. Nash even pulled last year’s utility bills and laid out, in plain language, how California’s new net-billing rules would affect payback—no pressure, no gimmicks. The contract spelled out every dollar for equipment, labor, and permits, with the right-to-cancel language up front. Once he signed, ACS took over the permitting work with the city and utility so he didn’t have to chase any building-department errands. Installation week felt unusually professional. A crew of four NECA-qualified electricians arrived at 7:30 each morning, greeted his kids, and laid drop cloths over the patio furniture before touching a tool. Conduit runs were ruler-straight and roof flashings were tucked under shingles so neatly that his home inspector called the work “textbook.” The team passed inspection on the first try Friday afternoon and even blew the leaves off the driveway before leaving. For

Anderson B. contracted the company in August 2021 to install rooftop electric panels, pool‑heating panels, and a tankless water heater at his home. When the crew finished, he discovered the tankless unit had been installed with its exhaust pipe exposed, venting toxic gas into his car garage. He hired a licensed plumber to correct the installation and paid $606 out of pocket. The installer never provided invoices for the equipment, so he could not claim a $1,000 SoCalGas rebate; by the time he pursued the paperwork the rebate window had closed. The company stopped answering his phone calls and emails while he continued requesting reimbursement and the missing invoices. The bottom line: he ended up with an emergency repair bill, a lost $1,000 rebate, no equipment invoices, and no response from the installer.

Karen H. had Steve Jenkins install her home's solar system almost 25 years ago, and she still enjoys dependable performance from that original installation. On July 26, 2022, she called back with a question about a heater setting; Tom answered and stepped in to help, arranging a way to transmit photos of the equipment and control panel so her specific issue could be reviewed. What stands out is the combination of long-term durability and continued support—decades after installation she could reach someone who would coordinate a photo-based consultation to address her control-panel question.

Jim had an ACS solar system installed with his pool years ago, and the single most striking thing he experienced was how quickly the panels could heat water: on one spring afternoon his spa rose from 56°F at 10:00 a.m. to 96°F by 1:30 p.m. using only solar heat. On hot summer days the system would easily add about 8°F to the pool, though nights could pull 6°F away unless a cover was used — he figures a cover would retain roughly 80% of the gains. With propane topping $4.49 a gallon that year, he appreciated not having to fire the heater. A harsh winter when temperatures hit 9°F did cause a leak, but ACS technicians came out and repaired it; he describes the techs as very nice and top notch. Where the experience soured was with management and contract handling: the company owner tried to tack on an extra 10% because the pool took more than two years to build, despite a $5,000 deposit that had been sitting with them, and he had to escalate the matter to corporate to get it settled. He also found ACS’s winterization pricing high (though he acknowledges their overhead) and now does many of his own minor solar repairs. In later updates he expressed hope that local customer service had,/

Terri H. contracted to have solar installed over a year ago, and the project still hasn’t been finished. In the meantime she experienced repeated power outages in several rooms; a repairman traced the trouble to power surges that damaged the control panels on three appliances. One freezer proved irreparable and she had to replace it. More than a year after the work began, a hole in her stucco remains where installers left off, and the installation process remains incomplete. The most striking aftermath is a replaced freezer and an unpatched hole in the wall — tangible reminders of prolonged disruption and unfinished work.

Beth Pierson had a solar heater put on her pool back in 2003, and after more than two decades the system is still running. Over the years, whenever a problem popped up a technician came out and got everything working again. Recently she faced two leaks in a matter of weeks; the office charged her in advance for the second repair, but she felt the fix hadn’t been done right. The tech returned, acknowledged that the second leak wasn’t her fault, informed the office, and the charge was refunded. What stands out is the combination of long-term reliability and a technician willing to own a mistake — a prompt refund closed the loop on the issue.

Jim had an ACS solar system installed alongside his pool about six years ago. After a winter that plunged to around 9°F a leak developed; ACS came out, fixed the leak, and Jim found the field technicians consistently top notch. He discovered the system can heat aggressively — on April 6, 2014 he started the day with an outside temperature of 65°F and a pool at 56°F, and by 1:30 p.m. the spa was up to 96°F using only solar heat (outside temp 76°F), a roughly 12°F-per-hour jump he still cites. On hot summer days the pool can gain about 8°F, but it can also lose roughly 6°F overnight unless covered; with a cover he estimates retaining about 80% of heat gains, which made avoiding propane (he paid around $4.49/gal that season) a real saving. Offsetting the strong performance, he ran into communication and billing headaches: a $95 bill showed up almost a month later (May 7, 2014) and he had to wait for a return call from Ann, ultimately escalating one issue to corporate. He also remembers the pool-build phase poorly — the owner tried to tack on 10% because the job stretched over two-plus years and resisted honoring the original contract, a dispute tied to about $5K that had been paid up.

Chris A hired the company in 2022 for a residential solar install and ended up with a project that went badly wrong. He discovered crews left debris scattered across his yard, had to have the stucco redone after work around the electric panel, and dealt with water flooding through the roof into his garage. A neighbor who had been planning to sign up changed his mind on the spot after seeing the damaged stucco following the panel replacement and blurted, "Noooooo way." The detail that sticks is not the equipment but the poor cleanup and visible exterior damage that cost them a nearby referral.