Our Residential Customers

Location: Long Beach, CA
Solar System Types: Solar Electric (PV) and a Solar Hot Water System
Solar System Details: 10 PV Panels with a Central “String” Inverter and 2 Solar Hot Water Panels

Electric Bill Before: $35
Electric Bill After: $5
Reduced by 86%!

“Our electric bill wasn’t that expensive before we went solar, only averaging about $35 a month,” said Debbie, “We made the change to become a ‘sales tool’ for solar and hopefully motivate others to explore it as a renewable energy option.” With the couple’s solar electric and solar hot water panels easily visible from their corner home on the Alamitos Bay Peninsula in Long Beach, they have the perfect set-up to promote solar energy.

Joe explained further, “It’s a good conversation starter — many people see the panels and come up to ask questions. We’ve noticed a lot more homes in the neighborhood with solar since we had ours installed in 2006. While we can’t claim all the credit, we think we may have played a part in inspiring them to go solar.”

The couple has been happy with AMECO service from Day 1 when company owner Patrick Redgate visited their home for the initial site survey. He evaluated their shake roof to make sure it was in good condition and would hold up long enough to make solar financially viable. Then, he took the time to explain how solar electric would reduce their electricity bill and the solar hot water panels would provide the majority of the hot water used in their home.

Since they trusted his opinion and solar suggestions, the couple didn’t even look into other companies and signed a contract with AMECO. Afterwards, the AMECO installers arrived to install the two solar systems. “They were very polite and quick, the installation was complete in a few days,” Debbie commented.

During the past 7 years, the solar panels have not required any maintenance at all. Moreover, there has been no need to clean the panels either. They merely allow the rain to wash away any dust that might have accumulated in the past months and the panels continue functioning at peak performance.

Whenever questions have come up, they appreciate that AMECO is very responsive and calls them back with answers in a timely manner. “The best part about working with AMECO has been the people. You can tell that they are passionate about solar and really believe in what they are doing,” she continued, “It’s nice to be working with like-minded individuals.”

Debbie and Joe are hoping to invest in a plug-in vehicle soon, and are considering a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid or the BMW i3. They are planning to install additional solar panels to offset the electrical use of the EV. Though they haven’t made up a decision about which car to purchase, there is no doubt in their minds about who they will hire for the solar installation — AMECO Solar, of course.

Solar System Type: Solar Electric (PV)

Solar System Details: 27 PV Panels with a Central “String” Inverter

Electric Bill After: $6

Reduced by 98%!

To say that Sarojni and Bruce are environmentally conscious is an understatement; the Long Beach-based couple should really be considered environmental pioneers. They were recycling many years before the city provided curb-side bins and have always maintained a composting system at their home.

As a landscape designer, Bruce uses drought-resistant plants whenever possible while his wife Sarojni created the Long Beach Green Guide, a comprehensive online directory & resource for green products and services in Long Beach.

In an effort to meet other eco-minded people, Sarojni attended the first Long Beach Green Drinks gathering in the fall of 2007. It was during one of these events that she met Todd Fanady, one of AMECO Solar’s representatives. They talked about his bio-diesel fueled car and briefly discussed the benefits of solar energy.

Shortly thereafter, he visited their home to evaluate it for solar. “Todd really educated us during the first consultation. I honestly had no idea how electricity is powered by so much coal,” Sarojni explained. The couple recognized that solar would not only benefit the earth, but would also benefit their finances.

“Since we were already accustomed to paying high electricity bills at an average of $250 a month, we decided to apply that money to a solar loan instead. The idea was that the solar system would be paid off in 6-7 years and then our energy would be completely free,” Bruce explained.

Though their roof had some challenges, the AMECO Solar installers were able to use a special technique to bypass 2-3 inches of insulation panels and mount the solar panels into the wooden support beams. Bruce shared, “We were pretty impressed, the installation went really well.”

The couple’s solar installation was completed mid-December of 2007. Now, almost 6 years later, Bruce and Sarojni are happy to use renewable energy to power their home. “Relying on fossil fuel is not the answer,” Bruce stated. By installing solar panels, they hope to encourage social change and inspire more of the community to go solar as well.

Location: Van Nuys, CA
Solar System Type: Solar Electric (PV)
Solar System Details: 14 PV Panels with a Central “String” Inverter

Electric Bill Before: $200
Electric Bill After: $9
Reduced by 96%!

Originally from Malta, Pat has spent much of her life traveling around the globe. After seeing so many natural wonders up close, she decided to lead a green life as a way to preserve the world’s treasures. Whether driving her Prius hybrid car, following a mainly vegetarian diet or tending to her organic garden, she always aims to be environmentally conscious.

When her daughter installed solar panels on her garage in Arizona and was extremely pleased with the results, Pat was convinced that it was time to install a solar system on her home. “Just the idea of the sun going to waste when it could be doing all these good things made me want to go solar,” she said.

Of course, the fact that she could save money by using solar energy was an added benefit. The hot weather in Van Nuys often required her to use the air conditioner driving up her electricity bills to $200 a month.

Technicians for Sustainability, the Tucson-based renewable energy company that installed her daughter’s solar system, recommended Pat get in touch with AMECO for her solar installation in California. She explained, “They told me AMECO is a reliable and long-standing company, so I called you right away.”

During the site evaluation, AMECO Solar Consultant Todd Fanady discussed her solar options and explained the different steps of the installation process. After their conversation, Pat decided to install 14 PV panels on her roof. Shortly thereafter, the AMECO crew arrived and took only a day and a half to install the solar electric system.

Since her solar system has been turned on, Pat has received two bills with zero electricity charges. She enjoys checking the solar monitor to see how many pounds of carbon dioxide she has saved so far. In just a few months, she has already saved 2,800 pounds!

Happy that she’s reducing her carbon footprint with solar energy, Pat tells everyone about her great experience with AMECO. Her friends in Northridge already took her advice and are now using an AMECO solar system to power their home as well. She’s hoping more people will follow suit soon.

Solar System Type: Solar Electric (PV)

Solar System Details: 22 PV Panels with a Central “String” Inverter

Electric Bill After: $1.74

Reduced by 99%!

‍

With retirement on the horizon, Linda and Dan started to evaluate their monthly budget and figure out ways to reduce costs. After some research, they quickly realized they could save a substantial amount of money by going solar.

Before they installed PV panels on the garage of their Santa Ana home, they were paying about $250 a month for electricity. However, when guests would visit during the summer and they had to run two air conditioners in the house, the bill would creep up to $300 or more. “Our electrical bill was becoming a large expense and Edison was continuing to increase rates,” explained Dan, a chemistry teacher at the local high school, “We wanted to invest in solar energy before our bill got even higher.”

The couple researched many solar installation companies, receiving estimates from a total of four firms. Though they were originally impressed by our reviews on Angie’s List, they eventually signed a contract with AMECO because of the no-pressure sales environment and the knowledgeable staff. “Todd really knew his stuff,” Linda said, “He went above and beyond to answer all of our questions, many of which were too difficult for the other companies to answer.”

After a quick and easy installation by the AMECO crew, Linda was extremely happy with the result. She immediately shared photos with her friends on Facebook, wrote her own glowing review on Angie’s List highlighting our personal customer service and even sent a handwritten note thanking us for the solar system.

While solar is saving the couple money in the short term, they are well aware of the long term financial benefits. Investing in a solar electric system will give them a 20% return-on-investment, significantly more than any other type of investment that they could make at this time.

Now that solar energy is powering their home and the savings is going straight to their bank account, Linda and Dan are prepared for an easygoing and enjoyable retirement. Congrats to another pair of happy AMECO customers!