CS Solar Reviews
About
CS Solar commenced business in 2009 and is own and operated by Simon Lacey. As an already successful electrician, he became fascinated with solar power after seeing a system installed. Since then, the business has installed residential and commercial systems across Melbourne and Victoria, concentrating on the eastern suburbs of Melbourne in recent years. We are proud of our reputation and enjoy hearing from our customers about their results.
We employ our own installation crews. Our customers love dealing with the business owner, and we have gained hundreds of our jobs out of the good word of mouth. We have now installed thousands of jobs all over Victoria of all different sizes. Although based in Mooroolbark/Croydon area, we have done many installs in regional Victoria. For example, we installed one job in Portland around eight years ago; we have now installed around 30 systems from good word of mouth. We pride ourselves on ensuring the customer is completely satisfied with the job. We rely heavily on their recommending us to their friends and family.
Like most solar businesses, our earlier installations were domestic in the 1.5 – 2kw size market. However, these days majority of our household customers install 6.6kw systems with the occasional 2.5 & 3kw. Under the current regulations, 6.6kW systems are generally the largest residential allowed on a single-phase home. In addition, we have installed many commercial systems, with 10-30kw systems the most popular for commercial businesses and small farms etc.
We don’t like installing systems that won’t cover at least 50% of our residential customer’s consumption.
We want all our customers to have economic power bills and, most importantly, NO hassles.
We are planning to continue developing our strong presence in the domestic market and small commercial. However, we see a significant area of opportunity in the small to medium-size business with daily consumption under 500kw/day. We feel Solar PV can make a real difference here. We also plan to exploit opportunities that arise under the various government grants for larger-scale users.
The other area we see a real long-term opportunity for us is the Grid-Tied Battery domestic/small business/services market. However, we are very conservative about what products in this area we will recommend. We have seen too many "flyby nighters" come in and leave customers stranded over the long term.
We are now entering a significant new growth phase with a current state government committed to a robust renewable policy. With many years of experience, we a looking forward to an exciting period in Victoria History.
Panel brands currently installed
Inverter brands currently installed
Inverter brands previously installed
Battery brands currently installed
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CS Solar Reviews (27)
Show Most Recent reviews from All time
Average Scores
Value for money
Quality of System
Installation
Customer Service
- 5 star 14
- 4 star 11
- 3 star 1
- 2 star 0
- 1 star 1
View Timeline
20 November 2023
05 October 2023
An incentive was offered by CS Solar for this review. Learn more here.
Would recommend
Good quality service an communication. Always answered any questions I had and the quality of work was excellentPanel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
17 September 2023
Professional, helpful and certainly recommend
We used CS Solar to remove our old 3kw system and replace it with a new 9kw system. We found them very knowledgeable and professional (and patient with our requests on multiple systems). Simon gave us good advice and steered us in the right direction to get a high quality system that has exceeded our expectations. Installation and setup went smoothly and without fuss. We would certainly recommend Simon and CS Solar.Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
22 July 2023
Great Stuff, love using the dishwasher knowing it's getting paid for.
Great mob of guys who carried out their work very professionally. Very neat installation, cleaned up after themselves. All round very happy.Good follow up, neighbour's kids threw a rock over the fence, which stuffed up one panel. Simon fronted the next day and replaced, no trouble at all.
Inverter rating: 5/5
02 March 2023
Happy Customer
Professional team, easy to talk to, organised easily & happy with the result! Thanks guys!05 December 2022
Faultless Installation
Simon was incredibly helpful and worked hard to get our system up and running. The products are really high quality and have made a huge difference to our energy usage. He was available for any questions regarding rebates and the what was involved in the process. Everything was coordinated well to ensure the installation was handled effortlessly and promptly.10 July 2022
Fantastic installer
Offered a few alternatives, in price and quality of system, responded well to all queries.Installers were kind courteous, and assisted by giving the maximum panel angle possible, also went above in working with switch board to fit switches in.
30 June 2022
GreT customer service.
Owen and simon from CS Solar we’re fantastic. They gave me multiple options on both price and quality of panels and inverters, actually came to the address to measure and inspect the property rather than just use google to quote, totally transparent and easy going. And answering all my questions without hesitation.Very happy with this company.
21 February 2022
Easy and informative!
Very informative and helpful to make the right decision on which system to install. Really listened to our needs and provided quotes once we understood the different options to suite our needs. Installation went great, guys did a great job!Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 4/5
11 December 2021
Great service
CS solar took the time to look at our house in person straight away. They worked out exactly where our panels and inverter could go, whilst giving us the best possible system within our budget. The customer service was great! We were always given updates and any questions we had were always answered promptly. Thanks CS solar!26 November 2021
Reliable and easy
CS Solar were great to work with, moved things around to squeeze me in before Christmas, really nice and comparable price to other companies I looked at.24 November 2021
Satisfied
Overall experience was good installer professional, friendly and seemed efficient.Some minor miscommunication/misunderstanding in respect of equipment/performance of system around panel capacity and inverter capacity
15 November 2020
Fantastic installers
We had Owen come out to give us advice about where would be the best place to install the panels and how many we could fit on, he was friendly and knowledgeable and supplied us with the quote a couple of days later. Once the covid pandemic restrictions were lifted it enabled Simon to get in touch and organise the installation. Simon and Daniel came and it took two days to complete. They were both efficient, tidy and friendly they left nothing for us to do after they left. Simon is contacting Ausnet in regards to the grid connection. The inspector came out three days after installation and said everything was okay.19 June 2020
CS Solar Panels installed very happy customer
CS Solar are a fantastic company which I highly recommend!Job was completed on our very large home efficiently and has been so effective!
Highly recommend CS SOLAR!
I guarantee you'll be happy.
Panel rating: 5/5
12 June 2020
Highly Recommend! - Fantastic Installers, Very easy to deal with and the quality of the installation was second to none!
Extremely informative during the sales and quoting process. The way it was explained to us how the solar system works, what the solar system would most likely offset and the tariffs that were available at the time made it very easy to make an educated decision.The technicians who completed the installation were professional, polite, punctual and tidy. The technicians ran through how the system performs, how to check readings and permanence of the system. Once they were finished they left the site as if they were never there, clean and spotless.
For us the after installation process was a breeze CS Solar arrange their inspector, connection to the grid seamlessly and we were amazed with how our electricity bill had been basically cut in half saved $600 once the system had been on for a whole quarter!!!!!
Inverter rating: 5/5
05 June 2020
Will tell you what you want to hear. Avoid
Wow I am shocked that CS Solar is still trading. I was told by them late last year that they were facing bankruptcy when I asked them about a warranty issue with one of my solar panels on a system they had installed as the panels have a 20 yr warranty.They flat out told me that they were getting out of the solar business and for me to call another electrician to sort my issue out. When I tried to ask more questions and said that my solar wasn't working due to a faulty panel they couldn't have cared less and said mate I'm sorry i cant help and hung up.
But this wasn't the first time that they have hung up on me as I found out many years down the track, after my solar system wasn’t performing that well and wanting to try and recoup the $11,000 outlay with the tarrif.
I found out through the manufacturer that I should've had a 3 phase inverter installed but only a single phase inverter was installed even after stipulating that we have 3 phase and they said yes mate we’ve got it all sorted and not to worry. Well fool on me CS Solar.
When I found this out I called to ask them and they were adamant that single phase is no different than a 3 phase inverter. Well it seems that the manufacturer and countless other advice from other solar technicians must be all wrong and suggested that I put a 3 phase inverter in and potentially has cost us a lot in feed back revenue.
When I made them aware of this they told me i was wrong and hung up on me. I tried to call back but they wouldn’t answer my calls.
So as you could imagine I am VERY surprised that you are still trading CS Solar.
Avoid.
Panel rating: 3/5
Inverter rating: 1/5
Supplier Reply:
Hello Trevor.Thanks for the opportunity to respond to you about your various issues in a forum where we are not repeatedly subject to high levels of abuse and bad language. Abuse and language that was so poor that we chose to disconnect our returned call on several occasions. We believe you last contacted us around March of 2019. This review is dated 5 June 2020. Your system was installed in November 2012.
We Apologize to those who must read these long reviews but unfortunately the many misleading comments and misinformation that has been written in your review needs to be addressed.
- We will assume that given it was 7 years after your installation before we heard about any problems that it had been working perfectly for that time. No person would not wait that long if there was a problem.
- Your 5kw system was installed and the final industry standard independent inspection conducted on the 2 November 2012. It came with the following industry standard warranties.
o Warranty on installation – 5 years. It is now also required by the Clean Energy Council to be an approved solar retailer. CS Solar is happy to have that accreditation. Your system’s installation is no longer covered by the warranty.
o Your Trina Panels have a 10-year Manufacturer warranty on them and a 25 year performance guarantee. If there is a fault with your panels you would still be covered. This is the only part of your system that is still covered by a warranty.
o Your PowerOne ABB inverter, came with a 5 year warranty and hence is no longer covered. It is now 8 years since your system was installed.
- It is a good idea of all owners of solar systems to have service calls on a regular basis, to check the performance and to mitigate any potential problems. This is often suggested by the various network owners. We, like all businesses in this field and similar fields charge for this. Given your solar system is installed in Wonthaggi and we are based in metropolitan Melbourne, it would be economical for you to use a local supplier, or electrician. We could help you find one if there still is a problem. We have done this for many of our country clients. As the solar industry is now older there are more country-based installers. We often refer country leads to several companies. Both Sales and Service leads. If there is a problem that is shown to be a warranty-based complaint, we would support whatever was necessary to facilitate the claim against the manufacturer. Fortunately, we have only had to do this on very few occasions.
- Yes, it is true we were considering closing the doors around the time you first called. The Federal government at the had a negative impact on the industry. The then recent Victorian government solar program had been poorly introduced and had caused massive problems across the small scale residential solar business. You may recall the large protests and media stories of the time. They were organised by the Australia Solar Council on two occasions on the steps of parliament. There were some sad reports of suicide in the industry. Fortunately, we coped. It was an
extremely stressful time. The current state government program now is going very well and is a godsend to the industry.
- The single phase/3 phase inverter question. The most important question to answer here is you have not been financially disadvantaged by having a single-phase inverter. The credits for your feed in-tariff would be no different. (see explanation below). The practice of installing single phase inverters on 3 phase power is not uncommon. It does save you a higher installation cost.
o Your ABB inverter is a single-phase inverter.
The meter used by your power company is what is known as a 'polyphase' meter. In effect if the amount of power used across the 3 phases is less than what is being produced you will receive credit for it, even though the solar inverter is only on one phase.
o Traditionally all 3 phase import/export meters have calculated exports like
this:
o 1) Look at the total amount of energy being consumed on all 3 phases
o 2) Look at the solar being generated on the single ‘solar’ phase.
o Subtract the solar energy from the 3 phases usage.
o Feel free to check this with Ausnet, who is the energy wholesaler in your region. Their phone number is Phone 1300 360 795
o Installing an inverter such as yours has not cost you any money in relation to your power bills and your potential savings. You will have made the same savings. A single-phase inverter also costs less to purchase. Particularly in 2012 when your system was installed. This reduced your cost of your system.
We are thankful to the opportunity to answer your questions. CSSolar.com.au
29 October 2019
Professional Punctual and Honest
We would highly recommend CS SolarClean workers they listened and answered our questions
Inverter rating: 5/5
10 March 2018
29 September 2014
13 November 2013
25 October 2012
14 June 2012
So far, we are very happy with the entire job.
29 May 2012
29 October 2010
01 June 2010
31 May 2010
27 May 2010
Knowledgeable and meticulous
The team were one of the few who visited prior to providing a quote, spending some time to check around our property. After providing quotes for several options, they left it to me to communicate and were very patient with the back and forth of questions. The team then installed within a week or two. They were polite and tidy, and even returned because they weren't happy with the quality of one of the panels. They've guided us through each step and there has been minimal work required on our behalf. We're very excited watching the monitoring app each day now.