Zenernet Solar

I contracted with Zenernet over 14 months ago. The system is on and running yet they haven't converted the system over in 6 months. They refuse to answer calls, reply to emails, and don't bother with texts. It's all about new contracts and you'll soon be an old contract w no service. Do Not Hire

My husband did extensive research when he started shopping around for a second system and a backup battery as we were screwed with the first company we went with. He chose this company based on their amazing reviews even though I didn't feel comfortable at all since it wasn't a local company. Another deciding factor was the rebate we were supposed to have processed for our battery which would ultimately make it free.

My husband dealt with Robert Healy (senior energy consultant) throughout the process and said he was extremely helpful and communicative. During installation, there was a lot of miscommunication in regards to what they said and what SCE told us, it almost felt like we were doing most of the leg work in processing everything. The installers would just show up whenever and although they were professional and polite, they would go missing for long periods of time while they took up all our garage space with the panels. They also had shut down our first system for a month which resulted in an outrageous electric bill for us. When I asked about that when they came back a month later, they said it shouldn't have been shut off and turned it back on.

In almost a year since having the panels, we still paid a bill every single month with a supposed 125% coverage. We went back and forth between this company and SCE with NO solution or help. We were frustrated and were told that it's because the weather was overcast and the panels weren't getting enough sun and that's why we were stuck with a bill.

Nearing a year later, we can't get a hold of anybody in regards to the battery rebate!! My husband has emailed and kept getting passed around over and over with now zero communication from this company. Robert emailed to tell my husband on January 5th 2022 that the rebate was being processed and it would go through by the 7th, that was the last we have heard on the rebate status and we have been ignored ever since.

I don't know if all solar companies are like the two we have used, but it's completely unacceptable and unprofessional. We wouldn't recommend them at all!

TL;DR: It took over a year to get my solar panel system installed and activated, and it only got completed that quickly because I stepped in and managed the project myself when Zenernet wouldn't.

I signed a contract with Zenernet for a solar panel installation in August of 2021, based on fantastic reviews for customer service and being rated as one of the best solar companies to work with. Additionally, Zenernet offered Tier 1 panels. We weren't planning to finance the system, so there were no issues with banks, etc. Our original estimated installation date was the week of November 22, 2021.

After signing the contract with Zenernet and approving the final design, we were waiting for the permit to install the system from the city. It was taking a long time and our estimated install date came and passed. I had a Zenernet project manager calling me weekly to give me an update that amounted to "still waiting for the permit" for about 5 or 6 weeks until I decided to investigate myself. A five minute google search brought me to my city's permit website. I looked it up and the project permit was rejected by the city almost immediately after Zenernet filed it due to it being filed under the wrong category (it was filed under "electrical" instead of "solar"). I called Zenernet to tell them about the issue and they said that they had already fixed it and re-filed the application but I didn't see that on the permitting website. I looked a few hours after talking to Zenernet, and what do you know, there was a brand new application filed under the correct category. Oh well.

Several weeks and months passed with various reasons for not making any progress. I got an email from Zenernet saying that I was being assigned a single project manager to be my single point of contact as several customers had complained about having to communicate with multiple contacts at Zenernet. I replied to the email, cc'ing my project manager, and got an auto reply email from them basically saying that they're too busy and will get back to me whenever they have time. I continued to get passed around from one rep to another for months until finally Zenernet informed me that the installer that they hired for my project indicated that I needed to do some landscaping work in front of where the inverter panel would be located, but they didn't have any information about what exactly needed to be done. We went back and forth on this for weeks until I asked to talk to the installer myself and was informed that the installer wasn't responding to requests for info from Zenernet. I told Zenernet that it appeared that the installer might need to be replaced if they won't respond to their requests and won't tell us what landscaping work needed done.

Several weeks passed again and finally Zenernet informed me that they found an alternate installer who was more responsive. The new installer was on the ball and found issues with Zenernet's system drawings, etc and fixed their paperwork, essentially without being paid. The new installer ultimately fixed Zenernet's system plans, city permit application and submitted an application for interconnection with the electric grid. Meanwhile, Zenernet seemed to completely give up on managing the project. I heard nothing from them for weeks on end and my messages would often go unanswered or take weeks to get a response. The new installer got all the paperwork in order and (finally) scheduled an installation date (scheduled for early August 2022). When the installer went to Zenernet's warehouse to pick up all of the equipment the day before the installation, no one was there to get them the gear. They spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon just sitting there waiting for their equipment. They tried calling my project manager and the Zenernet CEO with no response. I did the same when the installer called me and told me what was happening and that they might need to reschedule. I also called every contact I had at Zenernet, including emailing the CEO and calling both his office and cell. Someone finally got them the equipment at the very end of the workday.

We got the panels installed in early August 2022 and all that was left was to get connected to the grid. Meanwhile, Zenernet was emailing me "updates" about my project that were months old. I kept replying that the panels were installed and if they wanted to be helpful, they could work on getting our application for electrical grid connection approved. I never got a reply to that. I tracked down our interconnection application and walked it through the process myself and got connected. Later, I got another "update" from Zenernet and I told them the project was done but they didn't respond. Once they called the installer and realized they were done, they sent me the invoice for the final payment, saying they wouldn't help with the interconnection until I made the final payment. Continued in attached photo.

The WORST customer experience of any type of company - ever.  After almost 6 months of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments, they finally admitted that they couldn't deliver the promised system.
After many requests (and many months) they finally sent out two "techs" to review the situation and recommend a plan.  Several weeks later I was told that they couldn't install the battery due to the location of the sub panel.  What were the "techs" looking at?
I was promised a return of my $1,000 deposit in 1 - 2 weeks and today (3 weeks later) they tried to send me $320.
They blame the inability to complete the project on the HOA - even though the HOA provided written approval.  Zenernet also obtained a permit from the City.
I'd give them NEGATIVE STARS if that was possible and am in the process of filing a complaint with the District Attorney's office.

Once again, I dealt with the exact same issues as in so many other reviews.
Zenernet is the worst possible choice you could make to install a solar system. Granted getting Solar installed in San Jose (dealing with all the city permits, inspections, and lets not forget our friends at PG&E) is not a cake walk. But DO NOT USE ZENERNET if you want to keep your blood pressure under control.

Absolutely the worst company to work with.  All their 5 star reviews on consumer reports are lies!!   It's owned and operated by Jews that will take your money but will never respond back to you.  Do not work with this company

I agree with all of the one star reviews. Beware of this company. They are deceptive and unresponsive.
We signed a contract and they required an immediate deposit. We changed our minds when we saw who would be doing our installation. We did it within the 72 hour window but the fax number to notify them was an HVAC company in Nova Scotia - who said this wasn't the first time they had Zenernet calls.
We were promised a 10 day refund 14 days ago. The VP of Operations has an "out of the office" email response.
Zenernet used local companies to do installation and won't tell you who so you can check their service.
They won't guarantee an install time frame. Buyer Beware!

I just wanted solar! ZENERNET CANNOT DELIVER - Run away!!

I entered into a contract with Zenernet Solar, in March of 2021, to install solar panels and a battery backup system on my home in Fremont, CA. They sent a subcontractor from Fresno (3 hours from my home) to start the job on July 26th of 2021.
The subcontractor, EcoBright Solar, "completed" the job in August. However, their work never passed city inspections and was never approved by PG&E for switchover to my solar gear. It turns out that they filed incorrect plans, left my new break box empty, and never connected the solar system to my existing utility service.
EcoBright has since been brought up on numerous fraud and embezzlement charges in the Fresno area. There are multiple accounts of them doing exactly what they did to me.
Meanwhile, nearly 18 months after I signed a contract, Zenernet has never been able to get my system approved by the City of Fremont or PG&E. I have demanded that they remove the equipment that was installed by EcoBright and start again. they refuse.
I could have torn down my house and rebuilt it in 18 months. These clowns have failed at every juncture, and have left me holding an worthless pile of non-functioning solar equipment.
So do yourself a favor and practice the ABZ's of Solar - ANYBODY BUT ZENERNET!

Coming up ONE YEAR since we signed a contract with Zenernet to purchase and install a solar system and STILL DO NOT HAVE A FUNCTIONING SOLAR SYSTEM.  Repeated failures to finalize installation due to Zenernet's failure to properly  address the relocation of an existing electrical panel location adjacent to a gas meter, a common issue in older homes in my area. This is after an initial and subsequent inspections by Zenernet as well as PG and E.  PG snd E  did not approve the susequent plan and Zenernet is still not addressing the problem.  Repeated attempts to resolve this issue are unsuccesful, and Zenernet owner J P Gerken, has not been responding to emails or phone messages.  The  company has proved to be one of the worst we have ever dealt with.  I cannot warn you enough to AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY.

The sales process was great compared to what I experienced with pushier competitors.  The salesperson (Tara) was super knowledgeable and took the time to have several video calls and answer all of my questions.  When she didn't know she would find out.  That is the last positive interaction with Zenernet.  I met with the project manager in the first week of January who told me I would be receiving updates weekly, only to never get back to me.  I was told permits were being submitted multiple times and while I thought we were waiting on the city FOR 6 WEEKS, Zenernet "forgot" to submit the paperwork.  It took 4 more months before the panels were finally installed.  The process dragged out months longer than necessary and I still cannot get answers around city inspection and actual activation/power generation.  If I could start over I would use a choose a more reputable option in the Bay Area.

I could never recommend Zenernet. Stan F. is a great salesman and very informative. Everything else has been a disaster. We signed our contract more than a year ago, in September 2021. Big mistake.  After an initial flurry of planning and design, we ceased to hear from our first project manage in late November.  Despite repeated efforts to contact her, or anyone at Zenernet, no progress was made until early March, when we had an hour-long phone call with someone who told us our first project manager had been fired, and the contract and plans for our system lost.  After that phone call, it took all of two days for the County to approve the plan.  Since then, we had three additional project managers;  we don't why changing managers was necessary, but not having consistent lines of communication was not helpful.  When their subcontractor, SunCapital, finally arrived, they came untrained if at all.  They usually lacked the equipment, materials, and know-how to perform the job at hand. I lent them my tools because they didn't have them.  Many times they did not come on days when they had promised to.  They left their lunch garbage, lumber, and cement bags on-site, and screws in the driveway.  We waited weeks and I finally picked up after them.  Our ground-mounted system failed inspection FIVE TIMES.  The Enphase tracking system promised in their literature still doesn't function correctly.  The original estimated date of completion stated in the contract was to be Dec 1 of 2021 (last year).  It is now nearly 11 months later.  Zenernet finally told us, after dozens of calls and emails to them, that they couldn't finish the job.  We have decided, for our own mental health, to give up on Zenernet.  Looking back on this, I think we should have sued them.  That's what we get for treating people decently. Please don't be fooled by their slick website graphics and informative salespeople.  I could never recommend Zenernet to anyone.  Ever.

I started searching for a trustworthy, reliable Solar Installation company 8 months ago. My situation is  'non-conforming' i.e. a Concrete Tile roof. Zenernet was the only company who assured me that they could install on the Concrete tiles without replacing (doing a comp) with asphalt tiles. After 3 months, a change in the representative personnel, and weeks of phone silence, they finally sent me a preliminary plan of what it may look like, with our energy savings attached. It was not cheap. The price they gave me was a large investment. I decided it would be worth it in the long run. They pushed for me to sign, and after some negotiations on procedural checkpoints, I did. Phone silence. A notice that the project manager had changed, and then phone silence and another project manager change. In short, they never came up with a complete plan, sent a representative out with a picture that wasn't our house, who was expecting to install that day, without a permit or final plan authorization, or any panels or equipment on site. Even shorter, the process was rife with dis-information, obfuscation, non-communication, inexperienced staffing, and the corporate push to 'SIGN SIGN SIGN" and then we'll leave you hanging. Oh, they also said they had a crew of installers in Southern California, which at that time, they did not. They are not allowed on the property.