AMECO Customer: Townson in Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, CA
System Type: Solar Electric (PV)
System Size: 5.6 kW
System Details: 32 Sharp PV Panels with a Central “String” Inverter and a Wireless Display
Year Installed: 2007

Electric Bill Before: $450
Electric Bill After: $30
Reduced by 93%!

Townson and his wife had considered going solar before, but it wasn’t until they moved into a new home that it became more of a reality.

“When we moved in 2006, we inherited recessed lighting that consisted of 40 ceiling lights throughout the entire house,” Townson explained. Combined with an aging air conditioner and the usage demands of a growing family, they were suddenly looking at electricity bills upwards of $450.

It was then that they seriously researched solar panel installation. Todd Fanady, AMECO Solar’s representative, visited for a site visit and found an ideal roof for solar. “Todd was practically salivating when he saw our roof. He told me that we had the perfect location, perfect angle and more than enough roof space for a solar system that would fit our needs,” Townson said, “He presented us with many different options and really seemed to know what he was talking about.”

Ultimately, Townson choose AMECO from the three companies that sent him solar quotes. While he appreciated Todd’s low pressure approach, he also wanted to install with a company that had been in business for a while.

Their 32-panel Sharp solar electric system was installed over two days in the summer of 2007. Since then, Townson began tracking production with wireless display that came with installation. He would watch the production start in the morning as the sun came up and enjoyed seeing the curve of the graph increase dramatically as the day went on and more solar energy was produced.

However, one day in 2012 he noticed that something was off. Production would start off as usual in the morning, but then the graph revealed huge spikes instead of the normal upward curve.

He immediately called AMECO Solar and the team looked into the issue. As it turned out, the inverter was slightly malfunctioning and clipping production at peak times. Since Townson had purchased a 10 year warranty on the inverter, it was quickly replaced and installed at no cost to him. “The entire process was pretty painless and our production was back to normal in no time,” he said.

Townson is happy with the decision he made to go solar with AMECO back in 2007. As predicted, the cost of electricity has gone up since the system was first installed. While others continue to pay more and more for their electricity, he and his family are able to produce their own solar energy and avoid rate hikes.