Essential Solar

Essential Solar Reviews

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99% 0%
4.6

Based on 726 ratings

About

Essential solar is a family owned renewable energy company established in 2012.

We are a high-quality retailer, designer and installer of both residential and commercial solar PV rooftop generators.

Our success lies in our devotion to quality of products and our enthusiastic staff dedicated to 100% customer satisfaction. We are committed to providing the right solution to each and everyone of our customers while focusing on Performance, Quality and Reliability.

At Essential Solar we regard every company and residential customer an important part of our business. We pride ourselves in providing exception advice, support and service from our first consultation to years after installation.

As well as the environmental benefits of solar power, we understand that an important driver to install solar is to save money. Our qualified CEC design team will ensure the best panel layout for your premises based on a number of factors, including shading, roof availability and electrical parameters to maximise efficiency of your system and providing the best financial return.

Of course, purchasing a solar PV is a long-term commitment so the reliability of the components of the entire system is critically important and for that reason Essential Solar’s CEC accredited installers will only install Tier 1 products. We are accredited direct service partners with Fronius Australia and believe our business relationships is an important aspect of our company to be able to supply our customers with the latest and most efficient products on the market and continue to provide our customers with the best support possible.

Don’t waste sunlight – make the sunshine work for you.

Reviewers report paying: $3,300 - $8,800 for depending on hardware choice and installation difficulty ( how is this calculated? )

Panels, inverter and battery brands

The views expressed by reviewers are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Peacock Media Group, which makes no representations as to the accuracy of the reviews. For our full disclaimer and further information, see our Terms of Use and our Review Guidelines.

Essential Solar Reviews (726)

Show Most Recent reviews from All timeacross Australia

Average Scores

4.4/5

Value for money

4.6/5

Quality of System

4.8/5

Installation

4.7/5

Customer Service

  • 5 star 273
  • 4 star 406
  • 3 star 42
  • 2 star 4
  • 1 star 1

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Great job

Sales/quoting process was good, only one of the three quotes where someone came onsite before providing the quote.

The installation ran well, punctual, polite, timely and tidy.

Everything was organised.
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Good quality installination and good sales staff

The whole process was simple and quick. The installation was of good quality and the staff acted in a professional manner. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain a feed in tariff as AusNet do not allow any export to the grid
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Responsive service

Responsive customer service and the (sub-contracted) installation team was great.
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Great installer

I would recommend Essential Solar as a great installer. Communication with customers seems like is on the top level. Also, I liked the quality of the installation. The one thing that could be better is communication between office employees and the installation crew. The reason for that: I often contacted the office and we discussed my skylights, which I want to keep, and which I don't need any longer. I specified that the panels could be installed over them. On the day of the installation though the manager of the installer crew told me that the skylights that I don't need should be removed in advance. Eventually, the crew kindly removed the unnecessary skylight themselves however it wasn't communicated to me by the office team.
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Generally excellent installation and service

The sales process was generally very good. Some photographs of the installation site didn't make their way to the system designer. Consequently the design had to be modified. But this happened smoothly with no resulting delay. Installation was quick and tidy. I observed and notified one minor issue at 4.30 pm a couple of days later. A person was on site fixing it at 7.45 the next morning. Incredible service. Essential solar looked after all the paperwork and organised grid connection including modification of my electrical meter. The system has performed well. I opted to have a "smart" meter installed. This is mounted in the switchboard and allows monitoring of what is happening (power generation and consumption) on my mobile phone. This has been useful in deciding when to run appliances, heating etc, to minimise power consumption from the grid during periods of low solar .panel output
Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Original Review on 27-04-2023:

Top performance

Very well organised. Took the time to actually visit our premises. Quote came through quickly together with all the technical specs. Again were quick to put wheels in motion once quote was accepted, installed within 3 weeks and inspected day after. Great work all round. Original ratings

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5

Value for money: 5/5
Quality of System: 5/5
Installation: 5/5
Customer Service: 5/5

10 months later we asked Lloyd: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"

So far so good. System has performed exceptionally well, and this is reflected in reduced power bills and less reliance on gas due to reverse cycle air cons installed shortly after. System more than covers the air cons during daylight hours.
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Essential Solar - they did a great job

After my initial enquiry they scheduled a timely appointment. The consultant explained the different options and we were able to make a decision at our meeting. The consultant was very courteous and knowledgeable. They undertook the work within the agreed timetable. The independent engineer who approved the work commented that Essential Solar had done a very good job.
Inverter rating: 4/5
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Fantastic Installation

I liked that Essential Solar did a thorough physical inspection of the roof before the installation date and as a consequence had to reduce the number of proposed panels. The installation team were prompt, friendly, professional and informative and tidied up upon completion. When an unexpected problem occurred they modified the layout so that the overall system size was unaffected. The system still is awaiting official inspection but that has been organised.
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Support from beginning to end

We are the very happy new owners of a 9kw solar system. We were delighted at every step - from sales to install to connection - by the people at Essential Solar with whom we interacted. Great team, very competitive pricing and incredibly patient with all our questions. Managing to squeeze in an install start before the end of the year was a big bonus. Can't recommend Essential highly enough.
Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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My roof layout is awful and Essential Solar delivered.

I have a terrible roof layout for solar, 2 bedroom unit with all sorts of odd roof lines.

Most installers I contacted promptly ignored me and the few that responded basically told me not to bother / it wasn't worth it.

I'm stubborn and fortunately I lucked upon Essential Solar who were more than happy to put together a proposal for me. It was exactly what I wanted and the price was extremely reasonable given the circumstances I had put them under.

System is x9 JA 440W solar panels + 9 IQ8AC Enphase microinverters on a variety of faces/orientations with consumption monitoring. 4 East (Roof), 2 North (Garage / Carport), 1 North (Roof), 2 West (Roof).

The installers did an excellent job, didn't break a single tile on my roof (Concrete tiles) and didn't leave a single leak. Everyone I dealt with throughout the entire process made it extremely easy.

Would definitely recommend.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Essential Solar Installation

Fact Finding very good with Hayley.
The quoting process was good and Hayley worked hard to provide the system best suited to our home.
The installation was good.
We were delayed as a new swirchboard was required.
Anthony did a great job with the install,very courteous,punctual and well organised.
Customer service with Ed and Jessica were very helpful and quick to respond.
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professional service

Essential Solar where professional in all aspects of the process from sales and quotes to customer service and installation I recommend the to anyone who is looking to install solar
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Great Company to deal with from A to Z

My system has been installed now for about 4 weeks and things have been going well. Essential Solar is a professional outfit and dealing with them was a refreshing experience. From sales to installation, to aftersales documentation, the team has it together. I would definitely recommend.
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11kw system Essential Solar

Had my system installed by essential solar. The salesman was a nice bloke, the system he offered was a little more expensive then some of the other quotes. However he seemed to really know his stuff and I trusted he was offering me a good value system.

The installation took most of the day, everything seemingly went well.
The only criticism I would have is some of our garage epoxy and tiles out the backyard were damaged on installation day. Otherwise not a bad experience.

Currently waiting for the paperwork to be processed in order to have the system connected to the grid.
Early signs are that the system is producing well.
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Very good install

I had no problem with Essintialsolars quoting or sales team, I could contact them without any fuss and they always returned my calls and were patient and had a very good understanding about solar products. Very happy with the install Anthony and his worker were very courteous polite ,they cleaned up after the install was complete. Customer service was professional and prompt. They organized my grid connection after the install.
Panel rating: 5/5
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Good Installation, great customer service!

Amazing service from Asad. He visited my place and talked through his recommendations. I am an electrician, so I have a good understanding of the products and what we were after.

Asad was calm, friendly and helpful, even with the numerous questions I had. I was quite fixed with what I was trying to achieve, and Asad was very accommodating.

Installation was completed sooner than they initially advised, and we were up and running. The installers did a decent job.

We consistently have been producing 50+ kWh per day. Although I have nothing to compare the system to, I believe it is performing well. We are consistently hitting the export limit, so hard to see how it would perform if our load increased. We will be purchasing an EV soon, so will be able to get a better picture of its performance.
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Professional installation team.

Site visit was essential part of quotation.
This part of the process of listening to the customer's requirement and providing the best solution was excellent.
Site installation team had to be coax initiallly to accomodate customer's requirement for best outcome.
Once this was establised the rest of the installation went smoothly and professtionally.
Customer service kept me informed at all times. They do return calls.

Inverter rating: 4/5
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Excellent service

Essential where knowledgeable, they done a excellent job with the install. They kept in constant contact and where able to accommodate for my requests on panel positioning paralleling north and east, inverter and panel brands ect.. I would use them again if I had to do it all over.
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Super Customer Service

Always kept me informed and nothing was a problem, highly recommended.
Inverter rating: 4/5
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Solar Extension

Essential Solar installed my first 9Kw system in 2018 and it has performed very well. In Nov 2023 I decided to upgrade my house by replacing the 20 year old ducted gas heating system with new a 3 phase air-conditioning systems that meant upgrading my incoming supply. At the same time I decided to install 3 phase heat pump for the pool and that allowed me to free up space on the roof by removing the pool solar heating panels that don't heat up the pool on a cloudy day.

I requested Essential Solar to look at extending my current array and integrating the new extension with into the 3 phase incoming supply. Their engineers came back to me with a plan to install a further 8.8Kw system and they provided me with the yield report that examined the estimated average daily energy output by month.

The installation took a day to complete. They did an excellent job and didn't even break a tile! I was most impressed with the panels they used and micro inverters are the way to go. Enphase monitors the system and I can see in real time what I'm consuming and generating.

I highly recommend Essential Solar.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Amazing installer

The quote was provided very fast, we asked questions and had all answers answered. We were so satisfied from start to finish. Works and looks amazing. Could not be happier with the final product.
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Confused no more!

I loved the fact that I had the support of Solar Quotes during this process, this very much put my mind at ease. Each of the businesses that provided quotes to me were professional and I ended up torn between two quotes that were very similar and both contacts were approachable and informative however, I chose Essential Solar because their representative came out to my house and was able to go through everything with me face to face and answer my questions. I was comfortable and never felt inferior because of all my questions. He provided me with a few quotes and went through each thoroughly explaining the differences and the pros and cons of each of them. I never felt pressured to choose the most expensive (which I did not), or that I had to go through his company because he had made the effort to personally come to speak to me. I was also able to request inhouse installers rather than subcontractors. I am just waiting for the inspector to come out and I am ready to go. Everyone at Essential Solar have made every step a stress-free process, and I thank them and Solar quotes for their assistance.
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Essential Solar is 2nd to none.

Essential Solar installed 21 panels to the roof of my home in Thomastown a few years ago. When my son who lives in Epping was considering having solar panels fitted to his home I had no hesitation in recommending Essential Solar.

Prior to ringing a Solar Panel installer I had read up on the different brands, performance and prices so I would have some knowledge about the product and pricing. When calling Essential Solar they were the only company that recommended Panels and Inverter that were listed as being in the top range.

Their Customer Service Representative was polite, professional, knowledgeable but not pushy, he was able to answer all my questions and gave additional information to what I myself had read. During the installation and follow up I really felt that I was in good hands, they organised the grid connection and assisted me to set up the display on my phone so I could check any time of the day or night to see how my system was performing

The after service follow up reassured me that I had made the best choice and would not hesitate in recommending Essential Solar to my family and friends.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Very Pleased with solar installation . . .

A representative from the company made an appointment & arrived as arranged. He was pleasant, informative & left me feeling confident that all would go along as discussed.
On the day of installation, 3 men arrived & quickly got to work & on with the job.
They were efficient, professional, there was no cleaning up after them. Very pleased.
The electrical inspector arrived within a couple of days. All good
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Professional Installation

Essential Solar did a great job with my solar install. The person who visited my premise was not pushy or trying to force a sale but provided me with a lot of options. Though initially I did not go with an install, I contacted them after a year given there were 440W panels available.

The team provided me with all the quotes I needed and once accepted sent over someone to measure if the panels will fit.

The install was neat and the installer made sure he was complying with all the rules and regulation in regards to the space required from the edge of the roof etc.

My only call out to essential is to have more stringent measuring process as when the installers came over they had to reduce 2 panels as they were close to the ridges.

Post install I have had a few questions regarding monitoring and the team has been extremely helpful.

Overall I would recommend them and contact them if I need any solar installs to be done in the future.

Inverter rating: 5/5
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Happy Days -

Solar Essentials contacted me within 48 hrs of my request for a quote and arranged a sales representative to attend onsite for inspection and discussion of system requirements within 7 days.
Sales agent was very knowledgeable, courteous and took the time to tailor the proposed system to our specific needs and budget.

Installation was booked and complete within 4 weeks of quoting - with post installation grid connection and safety inspection arranged within 2-3 days by Solar Essentials. Installation crew were polite, tidy and punctual.
Only one small mark down to 4 stars regarding installation (affecting remote monitoring of system only) - this will be rectified shortly.

Great after sales support and customer care!

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Excellent experience with Essential Solar.

The process of installing solar with Essential was seamless from start to finish.
Our salesperson Firoz visited our property, and we discussed what type of system would suit the household's needs and budget. Initially, we set a low to medium-price setup. It was nice that he was not pushy with any particular product or system. He gave us space to investigate if this was suited. After investigating a bit more on how we may use solar in the future we asked Firoz for a second proposal with higher-end products with micro inverters. In the end, Firoz supplied us with three comprehensive quotes and we chose higher-end solar panels and microinverters.
We chose REC 410W Alpha Pure Panels to possibly lessen the risk of failure and avoid service calls or replacements. We have a two-story building and everything is more expensive and problematic to fix than a single level. We liked the reviews of the REC panels. We liked the idea of micro-invertors for two reasons. One for safety and efficiency and two to negate having the inverter at the front door. I am aware string inverters are perfectly safe but sometimes for peace of mind is worth it.

The Essential Solar trades were so professional, and respectful that we hardly knew they were there. They arrived as suggested and left everything tidy. The appropriate noise level was a plus because we've experienced trades over the years who set up extremely loud music all day and don't think about home office workers or shift workers around us.

I would not hesitate to recommend Essential. They delivered as expected. Even to the end when our energy provider was causing a delay in the coordination of our meter (solar) configuration the lovely Jessica sorted it out re-sending all the documents that Essential had already sent out and following up because our provider had lost documents.

Panel rating: 5/5
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Essential Solar

Essential Solar sent someone to inspect my property before i was given a quote. The quote was very detailed and professionally presented. There was a delay in the installation but i was told beforehand. The new inverter is not yet in the country. I was constantly updated. Install is clean. Customer Service was great. They organized the grid connection as well as meter upgrade. Nothing to complain.
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Review

Great service from initial contact through to install.friendly and capable staff. Definitely recommend these guys!
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Great Quality Installation after a long install delay.

OK, first the bad. We paid the deposit on July 31st and the install was completed October 3rd. We opted for the 10kW Fronius inverter which we knew was not available at the time, however the communication as the expected date drew near fell short of par. I think if we didn't chase daily for an update we may still have been waiting.

We had a site inspection prior to receiving the quote and one large item that was missed was the size and length of the supply cable to our house which is vitally important to the maximum permissible feed in. (Read the great article on Voltage drop (or rise) on Solarquotes). This was a fairly significant additional cost.

Now onto the good. The communication from Jess, who was our first point of contact right through until past completion was awesome as was the technical specialist Tan who was dedicated to make sure we received the system we required.

On installation day the team and in particular the lead electrician were exceptional, courteous, and quickly resolved any issues that arose during the install. The quality of the install was second to none and they left the site spotless.

The electrical inspection was arranged in the same week (amazing service) and a minor issue for compliance was resolved the next day and the system signed off and operational by the end of the week. The forms we submitted to our retailer, and we were receiving feed-in credits on October 14th.

Would I recommend Essential Solar? Absolutely. They handled everything from design, all approvals right through to inspection and connection with our electrical retailer. The installation was top notch and performing better than we could have expected.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Solar Installation Made Easy

Essential Solar were the only company to send a Sales Rep before quoting. They were able to assess our needs, provide recommendations and advise that we would need a new switchboard before we could proceed with the installation.

The whole team at Essential Solar were friendly and polite and answered any questions promptly. They arranged everything and guided us through the Solar Victoria application for the grant.

The installers were great. They showed up on time, were very friendly and cleaned up when the job was completed.

Essential Solar arranged for the final inspection of the installation and helped to organise the the notification to our energy retailer and connection to the grid after the installation.

Overall, Essential Solar made the whole process easy. Thank you.
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Original Review on 03-01-2023:

Very efficient installer

Their salesman gave me an excellent understanding of what Solar is all about and a run down of the process involved in installation. The installers were very obliging and carried out the work with a minimum of fuss The grid connection was completed within 10 days and went very smoothly. All in all I was very impressed with their service. Original ratings

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5

Value for money: 4/5
Quality of System: 5/5
Installation: 5/5
Customer Service: 5/5

10 months later we asked Duncan: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"

Definitely……is making a vast difference to my power bill and proving a worthwhile investment.
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All happened seamlessly

All aspects of the installation were professional, and very competent. Sales rep and various tradies all turned up on time and were able to meet with us at times that worked for us! Independent inspection and grid connection happened seamlessly. Would cheerfully recommend Essential Solar to anyone.
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Great Company to work with

Looking to install Solar I kept coming up with a either telephone number only, or a private house address, I also came across brokers who owned nothing just trying to get you on board then flog you off to a installer no face to face just a voice on a telephone, I tracked down where I could the address to the phone number then would keep looking a I wanted a sales office with a warehouse eventually I found Essential Solar and got talking with David the owner who explained how solar worked, also I wanted a long standing company with a track record, the proposal David presented me with looked good so I went with Essential Solar the installation was great with everything working as was explained to me.
Jessica in the office was very helpful with the paperwork that had to be done.
I would recommend Essential Solar.
Ray.
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Happy Customer

Quoting was Good. Firoz came by (The Only solar company to conduct a face-to-face quote out of 3) and explained the system and how it would best be used and set up on our property. Communication was good with timely responses to emails and submission of paperwork. Installation went well with only minor issues identified. These were addressed and corrected almost immediately to a high standard. Connection to the Grid was achieved a short time after installation without issue. Overall a good experience and I would highly recommend the Essential Solar Team.
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Smooth sailing

Essential Solar was a delight to deal with. Everything from the initial callout, installation, and post installation, has been smooth and easy. Asad the technical sales advisor was very knowledgeable and could answer all my questions during the quote. Edmond the customer support Officer responded quickly both with my calls and emails. The installation was neat. The installers knew what they were doing, no complaints on that end. Regarding price, it was the best deal I could find, making choosing this company a no brainer. Highly recommended solar installer.
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Really responsive customer service and at a great price

Essential Solar did a great job from start to finish.

Super punctual and responsive, their price was cheaper than the 4 other quotes I had received.

Super happy with the final product!
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Very professional

I received several quotes but Essential Solar were only one of two companies willing to come out and visit. I trusted their sales person who also had some good suggestions on the various array arrangements and orientations on what was quite a tricky roof area.
After booking the installation team turned up on the agreed date, were friendly and professional and did a very neat job.
We are very pleased with the system and the whole experience. They weren’t the cheapest, but were far from expensive either. We paid a bit extra for glass panels (as we are very near the sea) and were confident we were getting quality components installed for a very good price. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a quality, painless solar install in Melbourne.
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Job Well Done

The sales and quoting was done in a non-aggressive and informative manner. Installation was done within the time period quoted and the customer service provided to ensure that the system was connected to the grid and operational was excellent.
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First rate design and installation

It all went smoothly and professionally: a 6.6 kW array with microinverters replacing a 3 kW string that was in the wrong place, regularly shaded and nearly useless.

The installation team went the extra yards to cope with a significant number of cracked cement tiles.

Early indications of system performance are very good.

Panel rating: 4/5
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Essential Solar & Sonnen Battery

Essential Solar installed solar panels for us in 2020. It was a difficult installation because of the layout of the house over three levels and the relatively limited roof space, but they came up with a clever and neat method of installation.

We subsequently wanted to add a battery to our system and sought Essential Solar's advice. They advised us that, because we had a small number of panels, to wait a while whilst a suitable small-system battery became available.

Ultimately, a Sonnen battery was installed in July 2023.

The installation process went well. The installer was on time, quick, informative and the installtion is neat.

Battery rating: 5/5
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Great service. Attention to detail. Good price.

Proper site visit and quote. Good information, advice and explanation of process. Kept in touch while electricity switchboard upgraded. Rapid installation. Polite and efficient workers. Good products.
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Great company

Reliable, comes to your house to quote, unlike some who quote over the phone, come when they say they will, also get polite reply to any query. Highly recommend.
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Fantastic engagement from quote to grid connection

Essential Solar were the first to respond to a request for quote. They came out to the property assessed our needs and the structure of the house and potential shade impacts. They provided three options. The quote and initial design was provided on the spot. They understood we were getting other quotes and were patient while we went through the process.

Once we accepted the quote installation was completed within 2 weeks with all paper work and engagement with our wholesaler and retailer all handled by Essential.

We couldn’t have been happier with the response, quality of work and follow up with the wholesaler and retailer.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Clean and neat installation and very informative during the installation process

Sales and quoting process was a great experience. Adam from Essential Solar went above and beyond to understand our needs and gave us multiple options and redo multiple quotes until we found our perfect fit. Installation did not fall far behind from expectation. The team was polite and punctual, they did their absolute best to provide maximum efficiency while keep all cables and wires as neat as possible, all modifications or adjustment was communicated prior. After installation everything was clean up. Customer service is also excellent as all inquiries were responded almost immediately.

The process from start to finish is seamless and effortless.

Panel rating: 5/5
Inverter rating: 5/5
Battery rating: 5/5
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Very neat installation

Essential Solar was the the only company that actually visited my home to quote and answer questions personally. Once I selected them to install the process ran smoothly through all the necessary stages to get connected to the grid.
Inverter rating: 5/5
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Great installation and easy to work with

Sales and quoting process was smooth and we were able to understand the quote.
Installation was punctual
Customer Service was great, they helped organise the grid connection after the install
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Expert advice, Expert installation to Old Fashion Customer Service

Overwhelmed with the number of sales call, I was fortunate to be directed to a local installer advertising in the local rag. Timeliness to establishing the consult appointment and flexibility to change when my work commitments commanded, demonstrated I was being treated as a customer not a transaction from get go! The consultant Firoz was more than pleased to share his knowledge of Solar operations as I indicated my ignorance from the outset. He took the time to draw pictures to highlight how and what works best for our roof. Installation process was seamless by Nic and the boys, with no evidence of mess left behind. Jessica was our go to person in the office and epitomised the professional, courteous and caring service from this wonderful Solar Installer. The owner should be very proud of his Team that delivered just old fashioned customer service putting the clients interest at the forefront of the delivery. Well done David on building a business that remains customer centric!!!!
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Very organised team did the installation and the salesperson was helpful when providing quote.

Very organised team completed the installation and the salesperson was helpful and undertook a site visit when quoting.
Inverter rating: 5/5
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