Goodhew Electrical and Solar Reviews
4.2
Leave a review Based on 36 ratings Aus Ranking
- 5 star 7
- 4 star 22
- 3 star 7
- 2 star 0
- 1 star 0
Average Customer Review
- Value 4.19
- System Quality 4.21
- Customer Service 4.17
- Installation 4.54
Timeline
Reviewer supplied photos:
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.
Based in the Redlands for 10 years, Goodhew Electrical & Solar is one of Brisbane's longest standing solar companies with over 15000 systems in the area alone.
Goodhew specialise in Solar Electricity, Solar Hot Water & Hybrid Battery Power for residential homes, commercial businesses as well as Sporting Clubs.
Goodhew also have a maintenance & support centre to assist with all maintenance checks, technical support and servicing on all solar systems, even those not installed by Goodhew.
We only use quality products and employ own staff to insure that we are getting nothing but the very best for our valuable customers.
Goodhew Electrical and Solar Solar Reviews
Very content with off grid system
We are very happy with our off grid solar system with lithium battery. We are having hot water, induction cooking etc all on the one solar/battery system. It is now doable to be completely stand alone and don’t use any fossil fuels anymore. For anyone who considers them I recommend Gavin Goodhew. I have spoken to many potential suppliers and installers after my 2 year journey until I contacted Gavin and finally found someone with knowledge which has worked out very well. Happy to explain to anyone that is interested. 10kw Solar panels and 13.8 kWhr battery seem to do the job even with the sun now at it lowest position. Show additional information
This Brisbane company, based at Cleveland in the Redlands, first installed a 16 Panel, Monocrystalline 2.5 kW system on my roof in the Redlands in 2011. When 9 panels developed Snail Trails and I expressed concerns, the panels were replaced promptly under warranty. In due course I had a problem with the inverter and replaced with a more efficient type and 2 extra panels still maintaining the nominal 2.5kW.
I always found staff very helpful when I had a question, so when I moved to Central Queensland in February and was getting bamboozled with all different quotes at different prices and models ratings, I got back to Goodhew who gave me a competitive price on a 6.5kW Panel, 5kW Inverter system and a special price on a 4.5kW Battery installed. This has proved adequate for our needs with a credit from Ergon on a monthly bill.
We have now used a total 63kWatts/Units from the Grid, which includes cooking, air conditioning and other domestic activities not connected to the battery for after-hours since March, as the battery is ample for our needs after sunset. The installation also diverts power during maximum generation times to the Hot Water heater, which is less expensive than the Overnight Tariff which I had disconnected. The solar meter which displays both Solar Power returned to Grid and total Grid Consumption, is read remotely by Ergon and I can also monitor the performance by Wi-Fi.
As all of this was recommended by Sales and promptly and efficiently installed by a team who travelled a round trip of about 1060 kilometres here to do this, I definitely recommend this company for any person considering a Solar Installation. Show additional information
I always found staff very helpful when I had a question, so when I moved to Central Queensland in February and was getting bamboozled with all different quotes at different prices and models ratings, I got back to Goodhew who gave me a competitive price on a 6.5kW Panel, 5kW Inverter system and a special price on a 4.5kW Battery installed. This has proved adequate for our needs with a credit from Ergon on a monthly bill.
We have now used a total 63kWatts/Units from the Grid, which includes cooking, air conditioning and other domestic activities not connected to the battery for after-hours since March, as the battery is ample for our needs after sunset. The installation also diverts power during maximum generation times to the Hot Water heater, which is less expensive than the Overnight Tariff which I had disconnected. The solar meter which displays both Solar Power returned to Grid and total Grid Consumption, is read remotely by Ergon and I can also monitor the performance by Wi-Fi.
As all of this was recommended by Sales and promptly and efficiently installed by a team who travelled a round trip of about 1060 kilometres here to do this, I definitely recommend this company for any person considering a Solar Installation. Show additional information
The Installers arrived on the date and time arranged, did an excellent no fuss installation ,installed 18 panels and the inverter, started at 0800 and were finished by 1430. All the staff at Goodhew were friendly and efficient.
Show additional information
Great old fashioned service and really good prices very happy customers here
Show additional information
Excellent service and back up support from a local business employing local people. Great staff with great customer service. I upgraded a second system on an investment property as a result of the initial service
Show additional information
Re Quality of System: Too early to tell.
Re Installation: Arrived 1.5hrs late and didn't finish in one day as promised. Are to return in 1 week to fit panels. So still WIP hence N/A.
Re Customer Service: Were first to respond and with the lowest quote so that was Good but delayed installation was poor so I have marked average. Show additional information
Re Installation: Arrived 1.5hrs late and didn't finish in one day as promised. Are to return in 1 week to fit panels. So still WIP hence N/A.
Re Customer Service: Were first to respond and with the lowest quote so that was Good but delayed installation was poor so I have marked average. Show additional information
As the system is only just installed, it really is a bit early to say much about backup service, quality etc.
Show additional information
Thanks again.
Show additional information
I decided on an SMA inverter. This has Bluetooth technology to talk to your computer. Except that it only talks to PC's, not Apple computers because SMA has not bothered with the software for anything other than Windows.
Show additional information
Small mis-communication with the installation - but was resolved very qucikly and service was exceptional.
Would recommend Goodhew any day. Show additional information
Would recommend Goodhew any day. Show additional information
Pre-sale: I did a fair amount of investigation before committing to spending this money. This included getting a number of quotes
through SolarQuotes.com.au and others. I also spoke to the owners of one of your systems in my street so by the time I contacted you I had already made up my mind to a large extent. Nevertheless Andrew King was a very helpful individual and I was happy to continue with the order in the belief that I had made a suitable choice and signed a contract on the 22nd of November 2013. On the same day I paid $1000.00 deposit by direct transfer to your
account and received a Sale Order to that effect (with my deposit debited from the total) by mail a few days later.
Installation: I received a call in late December to tell me that the
installation would be carried out on the 6th of January 2014. The crew did their work in a very meticulous and professional manner and from what I observed during the day and since then, I have no complaints about their workmanship. I presented one of them with my personal cheque for $5991.00 as previously arranged, to pay for the remainder of the contract. I was asked if it would be OK if your office issued a receipt and I agreed. That amount was drawn from my account the next day.
Product: I chose to have an SMA Inverter despite the additional cost and Simax panels knowing that the latter were made in China.
Both have shown to be effective even if not as good as I expected.
The SMA inverter, although having Bluetooth technology built in, will only communicate with a "Windows" environment, i.e. not with my Apple computer. This is obviously not your problem and I have argued with SMA but without success. The display on the Inverter is also set to communicate any fault messages in german and although I have brought this to the attention of your staff member Peter (who inspected the item on the 30th of January) it has not been resolved. Reading the SMA Installation Manual (Page 50 - Display
language) seems to me to show that changing this would be a relatively simple procedure, unless I have misunderstood something.
Your contract documentation states that the Simax solar panels are warranted (by the manufacturer) to produce "at least 90% of their as new power output for 10 years.". Energex inspected the site on the 21st of January 2014 and in the 42 days of continuous operation since then, I have observed only 6 brief periods where the displayed output has been greater than 4kW (for a 5.4 kW array) and it has peaked at a mere 82% of the "as new power output" as far as I have been able to observe. So I would say that the Simax claim is very optimistic in the real world, to say the least.
However, today we reached the total of 1MWh produced in the above 42 days which amounts to an average of 26.8 kWh per day and I am confident that my electricity costs will be negligible in the short & medium term. It remains to be seen how well the system performs in the long term.
After-sale: On 4 separate occasions I have asked to be issued with a
receipt for the final payment I made on the 6th of January. On the 20th of February I finally received an email of a copy of the original Sale Order dated the 22nd of November showing a total payment of $6991.00. This is obviously not a document I would want to use in the case of a warranty claim so I will be using the installation date of the 6th of January and the "switch on" date of the 21st of January for the Manufacturer's warranty period if any such action becomes necessary.
Finally, I'll repeat what I have said earlier. I am reasonable happy with what I received for my money. My research prior to ordering this system indicates that what I eventually got was probably as good as I could expect for the amount paid and given the circumstances and the industry environment.
I chose Goodhew because it is a local and relatively small company and I have not regretted that decision.
Show additional information
through SolarQuotes.com.au and others. I also spoke to the owners of one of your systems in my street so by the time I contacted you I had already made up my mind to a large extent. Nevertheless Andrew King was a very helpful individual and I was happy to continue with the order in the belief that I had made a suitable choice and signed a contract on the 22nd of November 2013. On the same day I paid $1000.00 deposit by direct transfer to your
account and received a Sale Order to that effect (with my deposit debited from the total) by mail a few days later.
Installation: I received a call in late December to tell me that the
installation would be carried out on the 6th of January 2014. The crew did their work in a very meticulous and professional manner and from what I observed during the day and since then, I have no complaints about their workmanship. I presented one of them with my personal cheque for $5991.00 as previously arranged, to pay for the remainder of the contract. I was asked if it would be OK if your office issued a receipt and I agreed. That amount was drawn from my account the next day.
Product: I chose to have an SMA Inverter despite the additional cost and Simax panels knowing that the latter were made in China.
Both have shown to be effective even if not as good as I expected.
The SMA inverter, although having Bluetooth technology built in, will only communicate with a "Windows" environment, i.e. not with my Apple computer. This is obviously not your problem and I have argued with SMA but without success. The display on the Inverter is also set to communicate any fault messages in german and although I have brought this to the attention of your staff member Peter (who inspected the item on the 30th of January) it has not been resolved. Reading the SMA Installation Manual (Page 50 - Display
language) seems to me to show that changing this would be a relatively simple procedure, unless I have misunderstood something.
Your contract documentation states that the Simax solar panels are warranted (by the manufacturer) to produce "at least 90% of their as new power output for 10 years.". Energex inspected the site on the 21st of January 2014 and in the 42 days of continuous operation since then, I have observed only 6 brief periods where the displayed output has been greater than 4kW (for a 5.4 kW array) and it has peaked at a mere 82% of the "as new power output" as far as I have been able to observe. So I would say that the Simax claim is very optimistic in the real world, to say the least.
However, today we reached the total of 1MWh produced in the above 42 days which amounts to an average of 26.8 kWh per day and I am confident that my electricity costs will be negligible in the short & medium term. It remains to be seen how well the system performs in the long term.
After-sale: On 4 separate occasions I have asked to be issued with a
receipt for the final payment I made on the 6th of January. On the 20th of February I finally received an email of a copy of the original Sale Order dated the 22nd of November showing a total payment of $6991.00. This is obviously not a document I would want to use in the case of a warranty claim so I will be using the installation date of the 6th of January and the "switch on" date of the 21st of January for the Manufacturer's warranty period if any such action becomes necessary.
Finally, I'll repeat what I have said earlier. I am reasonable happy with what I received for my money. My research prior to ordering this system indicates that what I eventually got was probably as good as I could expect for the amount paid and given the circumstances and the industry environment.
I chose Goodhew because it is a local and relatively small company and I have not regretted that decision.
Show additional information
Relevant install information was made clear to the engineer.
Show additional information
Goodhew provided the system in the timeframe they stated.
The two men who installed the system were quiet, clean and efficient. They left the site clean after they had finished.
Just by chance, the two installers had to return the following day to pick up some equipment they had left behind. They went out of their way to check the system and found the controller was not working. They said they had a spare in the truck and replaced the faulty unit immediately. No paper work, no checking with the boss.
Several months later I had a query and they were quite happy to explain the situation over the phone.
I like to use local companies and I certainly was not disappointed with my choice.
Show additional information
The two men who installed the system were quiet, clean and efficient. They left the site clean after they had finished.
Just by chance, the two installers had to return the following day to pick up some equipment they had left behind. They went out of their way to check the system and found the controller was not working. They said they had a spare in the truck and replaced the faulty unit immediately. No paper work, no checking with the boss.
Several months later I had a query and they were quite happy to explain the situation over the phone.
I like to use local companies and I certainly was not disappointed with my choice.
Show additional information
We got a 3 kw inverter. The system was turned on this morning and was putting out 855 w at 9 am.
Show additional information
System fitted without any hidden costs to grid. Problem free experience again. Would recommend supplier to others. One system installed in metro area, second system in rural location.
Show additional information
While it has not been installed yet i feel everything will be ok. My main concern was that the panels are not going on the north side and I have been assured that 12 panels on the eastern side will be enough to give me some good reduction on my power costs the company I am using came with a personal reference from a friend and is a local firm near Brisbane.
Show additional information
We chose a 1.5kW system with a larger inverter, so that we can add extra panels later. We only had the system installed yesterday, but the service has been very good since I first rang for a quote. We were quoted an eight week delay from deposit until installation, and this was accurate.
Installation took place in one afternoon, and the installer organised the forms for Energex and Origin.
I haven't had the opportunity to see the wheel in the meterbox turning backwards yet, as it was dark when I came home today!
Will give more feedback when the meterbox is connected to the grid, and we (hopefully) save some money. Our last bill was a doozy - $849 (three extra people staying), almost twice the one before, so we are hoping for some improvement, as well as being kinder to the planet. Show additional information
Installation took place in one afternoon, and the installer organised the forms for Energex and Origin.
I haven't had the opportunity to see the wheel in the meterbox turning backwards yet, as it was dark when I came home today!
Will give more feedback when the meterbox is connected to the grid, and we (hopefully) save some money. Our last bill was a doozy - $849 (three extra people staying), almost twice the one before, so we are hoping for some improvement, as well as being kinder to the planet. Show additional information
