Andrew
5/5
Highly satisfied with saharasolar
Great value package tailored to my requests with 25/30 year panel warranty and 10 year inverter warranty. Installer has done a very neat installation, consumption monitor is working well.
Geoff
5/5/5
We have recently had a new solar system including battery installed. Dealing with Simon and Jenny has been a delight and they were very attentive to my aims for an outcome. Ben did a fabulous job on the installation and a really nice guy to boot. Thank you all for a great outcome.
Tom
5/5
Fantastic installation standing the test of time
My PV system was actually installed in November 2017 by Sahara Solar but I didn't want to review it until I'd given it some time. The system itself has so far operated without a hitch which is exactly in line with expectations. The Fronius inverters were considered standouts at the time and still appear to be. The quoting and customer service by Simon was standout and one of the reasons I chose Sahara over the alternatives. Also key with Simon was that he actually listened to what I would like and knew what to therefore offer rather than insisting on something that simply isn't to my needs or liking - a trap that many a salesman falls into and in fact one other did. Simon's willingness to answer all my questions and to do a deal to get the sale across the line was also great as he included the Fronius consumption meter module at no extra cost - as it turns out this is icing on the cake as I can see now the value it brings so would have actually been worth paying for anyway. The installation topped it off - Ben's service, workmanship and professionalism was beyond reproach. He is the benchmark I use to measure any tradespeople I engage for anything since. No one else comes close yet. He was punctual, friendly, efficient, courteous and cleaned up properly before finishing.
Warren
5/5
Above expectations Simon Miller was the first to respond to my request for quotes and visited my home a couple of days later. He was very cordial and clearly well versed in all aspects of solar. He recommended a system to meet my household needs (including a replacement hot water unit) and came up with the most aesthetic placement of the panels and inverters. Ben, the installer, spent almost 5 days on the installation. His professionalism was unbelievable, as was his willingness to provide guidance and advice. Ben completed the grid connection promptly and I am now waiting on the energy retailer to finalise the feed-in arrangements. All in all a tremendous experience and I have passed on those sentiments to two of my neighbours who have also expressed interest in solar.
Joanna
5/5
Simon came out, inspected the property, discussed our options and gave a very competitive quote. Communication was great, and Simon answered all my questions (I had a few) about the quote and various options for addressing shading issues. No hard sell, just honest and practical advice. Ended up purchasing a 10kw system and heat pump hot water cylinder (the price below included the hot water cylinder). Ben installed the system, and did a great job. Very tidy job.
Grid connection after the install was a breeze, except when the electricity retailer wanted to charge $420 for sending a truck out to disconnect the controlled load (which Sahara had already done when they installed our hot water heat pump) but Sahara helped deal with that too. Awesome. Couldn't be happier. Highly recommended.
Danny
5/5
Any one out there looking a solar system should go to Sahara Solar, l had requested 4 quotes from different companies and Sahara Solar came back to me with the better price and a far better system, l also installed a battery back up , l would like to thank Simon (knowledge) was brilliant and Ben the electrician the workman ship and his knowledge was also brilliant , l would recommend them to anyone.
Nikki
5/5
The only supplier that came out to quote and understood our different electrical set up. Great sales support, listened and gave options and understood our need to keep the 2 phase power.
Robert
4.67/5
I only just had it installed 3 days ago so a bit hard to answer all the questions, but as far as service and installation goes, Sahara did a fantastic job.
David
4.25/5
I dealt with three suppliers and all were prompt and helpful but, at the end of the day, I went with Sahara as Simon went the extra mile to design a system that suited me best and at a reasonable price. Installation was very good and neatly done by Ben.
Anon
4.25/5
Sales Rep provided more tips and information than other's and at the end, dropped the quote by $500 to beat some else's quote (I probably pushed and negotiated too much).
Danny
4.5/5
It was a real pleasure dealing with Sahara Solar throughout the entire process. Simon is very knowledgable and has a lot of experience in the industry and is very easy to deal with. I had a 10Kw LONGi system with an 8kw Fronius inverter installed. Ben conducted the installation and did a fantastic job. He was also a real good guy who's easy to deal with, punctual, informative and a very experienced installer. The system is running really well and FIT has recently been activated. After sales service is also fantastic with Simon quick to respond and very informative. I would highly recommend Sahara Solar and can't speak highly enough of the quality of service they provided.
Bill
4.75/5
Ben was the installer and he did a fantastic job. The weather on the day was 40c and he worked right through the day. I was telling him to leave and take care of his health but he reckoned he was fine. After the job was finished he took away all the packaging etc and left the place clean and tidy.The sales guy was very good too, he explained everything and answered all my questions. The system works perfectly and i'm very pleased with it.
Jane
4.5/5
We have a 6.5kw system with 21 x LONGi 310W Tier 1 PERC Black Frame Modules with 1 x Fronius Symo 5.0kW inverter 3 Phase Dual Tracking inverter. We have had the panels in place for 2 weeks but are not connected to a FIT yet as we are changing suppliers, so this is slowing things down. Our best day was 40.2 kwh of input which I think is amazing, the average daily production for the last 2 weeks in September 2018 has been 28.9 kwh. I took a few months to make a decision, Simon isn't pushy and was happy to answer any questions I had. Ben installed the system and did a great job. We are very happy. I'm amazed at the production even on an overcast day, can't wait to get the FIT set up.
Bill
4.25/5
We had the system installed by Ben, who went beyond the call of duty by working all day when the temperature hit 40c. The job was finished on time, and Ben cleaned up after him and checked everything was working as planned. I'm very happy with every aspect of the install and would recommend Sahara to anyone looking for a good solar company.
Nat
5/5
I decided to go with Sahara Solar because I felt that Simon was very knowledgeable and his advice made sense. Once we established the brands that I would find acceptable, we quickly settled on the optimum system that would satisfy my needs. Ben, the installer, is fantastic. Couldn't ask for a nicer bloke. He is a good electrician, very knowledgeable, and takes pride in a quality installation. His work is neat and clean. He will not rush the installation. He'd rather come back the next day and finish the job properly. I would have no hesitation in recommending Sahara Solar to anyone, but as always, if you want a good system, for a great price, do your research before requesting any quotes.
Paul
4.5/5
What a pleasure dealing with a company, sales person and installer that are expert and professional in their field. From helping us to understanding our needs to understanding the technical information, Simon made this process easy. Ben (electrician) who install our system took absolute care with placement of our panels and inverter. Simon and Ben have been available to answer questions post installation. We are very happy with our new system and are looking forward to many years of energy production.
We would highly recommend Sahara Solar if you are considering investing in Solar energy.
Graham
5/5
I found Sahara Solar to be a highly professional and efficient company. The manager - Simon Miller - is a qualified engineer and has a systematic and knowledgeable approach to design and installation of your system. He provides sound, scientifically accurate and valuable advice on all aspects of the job including cost benefit analysis and likely payback periods. Now that he has advised me on the critical issues, I am confident that I have installed the optimum system configuration for my house. Simon will only install a system that is comprised of high quality components as there is no point in installing a solar system that will require thousands of dollars of ongoing maintenance - say if the inverter fails, which is becoming a reasonably common problem with the bargain systems advertised on TV. You will therefore need to pay a little more than the bargain basement prices advertised on TV for a cheap system. I compared quotes for the same panel and inverter hardware quoted by Sahara and their quote was the most economical of the four I received. Simon installed a high quality Austrian designed Fronius inverter for my system and I am impressed with its functionality and web based data monitoring system. When initially installed, the factory inverter settings were not quite fully optimised for my local street voltages. Without the extensive data monitoring system, I probably would not have realised that I was losing about 10% of energy harvest due to this issue. This turned out to be a simple inverter setting issue that was quickly changed with the help of Simon, Ben the electrician/installer and Fronius. Electricity company coordination was also quick and simple. Sahara Solar provided the paperwork and I submitted it to the electricity retailer. United energy had the meter remotely re-programmed and the system was properly connected, configured, running, web monitored and metered within 4 working days of submitting the paperwork.
The site work was carried out by Ben - a young, but experienced electrician. He did his utmost to satisfy my every wish regarding site installation details. I am a retired engineer and quite fussy about wiring standards etc. and Ben spent a lot of time making sure the entire wiring system was fully concealed, roof tiles were not damaged and the panels were installed exactly where I wanted them. Ben was always willing to listen and discuss the job and nothing was too much trouble for him.
I am in no way affiliated with Sahara Solar - having never dealt with them before and I have nothing but praise for this company.
Pros - see above. Cons - nil.
I can highly recommend Sahara Solar.
Rob
4/5
We looked at 4 suppliers. Three from your service and one other. The one other was dreadful, being hugely over-priced, lacking in knowledge, and cheaper components to boot. Of the 3 quotes provided one was very slow to respond and missed the opportunity. The other two were both very good, knowledgeable and professional. I have used the information on your website extensively and would recommend it to others.
After much deliberation we confidently selected Sahara Solar following a compelling meeting with Simon Miller. Simon continually listened to what we were looking for and provided a solution that was tailored to our needs, and fairly priced. The panels and inverter seem to be well rated and good quality. The installation was very well executed and a quality job by a quality installer (Ben Watson). The system we got was larger than we set out to get, but it is proving its worth on the more overcast days and enabling us to generate enough power to see us through most days even with a reverse cycle AC heating our living area. We would (and have) recommended others to Simon. The only down side is the rubbish that goes on between retail electricity provider and wholesaler that means we are still waiting for our meter to be fixed to provide FIT. Why is the easiest bit the hardest to get done? (Not the fault of Sahara, just a frustration that will resolve over time and at our expense).
Secondary review 8 months later:
The system is still performing well and has had no failures or repairs. No leaks in the roof either! As a bit of advice, if you can afford to do it, go big when it comes to number of panels. Sahara solar convinced us to do this and it was good advice. It is May now and our 8.5kw system is still generating enough to run our 9.5Kw reverse cycle air con to heat the house from around 9am to 3 pm on many days. We are now saving on power and gas. Got to be happy with that. The larger solar system also gives us enough capacity for battery charging if we head down that path at some stage. Couldn't be more pleased we went solar.
Darryl
4/5
I chose Sahara Solar because they provided a quote that couldn't be matched, and although it was a larger solar system than what I had planned (5kW), it still worked out better and I was getting a kW for less than a $1000. At first I got the impression that Simon (the engineer) was pushing for me to accept a larger solar system (8.7kW), but now, I realised that a larger solar system will feed in to the grid on good days and in winter it will still be able to supply power to the house during the day. So all in all as it turned out to be, it was not the case.
Simon advised me to invest in 2 new inverters, so I could utilise the solar power during the day to warm the house and therefore cut-down on my gas. After all the electricity is free during the day.
The installation was carried out by Ben and you couldn't have asked for a better electrician. He was at the premises in early hours of the morning and carried on until evening. It took him 2 days to complete the installation of 33 panels and inverter plus all the other electrical wiring neatly done and I had power to the house on the second day, and all rubbish was collected and taken away.
Ben had to move my TV antenna due to the shadow on the panels and this was done to my satisfaction without a word.
Ben assisted me in selecting a secure and shady place to fit the inverter even though it was a fair way from the main switchboard, and I am glad this was done with a lot of thought, as now I realise how hot the inventor gets on very hot days in Melbourne.
I am now making 55kWh on a good day and 25kWh on a bad day which is more than sufficient to power my house (required 10-12 kWh) and feed in to the grid as well.
I am told that the solar system installed is compatible with battery storage if required at a later date.
I was never thinking of installing solar, but now since I have had this installed I sorry that I didn't do it earlier on.
In short, I am happy with the whole process provided by SolarQuotes and Sahara Solar and I am one happy customer.
Stephen
4/5
Simon was happy to come and talk to us face to face and offered us a good deal on a system larger, than what we initially considered.
Ben who installed the system was efficient and punctual.
The system allows us to log online and monitor the performance on a daily and monthly basis.
It is a good feeling to see what energy is being generated from your own Solar power plant.
Rob
4/5
Ben installed it as in a day with no fuss or bother. He was friendly helpful and efficient.
I am looking forward to a reduced power bill.
Griff
5/5
Despite going with Sahara Solar, Essential Solar also provided excellent service up to the point that I selected Sahara Solar. Green Sky also planned to quote but a mix up by me delayed their inspection and during that time I went with Sahara. I would be happy to recommend all three companies to quote.....
Danny
5/5
Any one out there looking a solar system should go to Sahara Solar, l had requested 4 quotes from different companies and Sahara Solar came back to me with the better price and a far better system, l also installed a battery back up , l would like to thank Simon (knowledge) was brilliant and Ben the electrician the workman ship and his knowledge was also brilliant , l would recommend them to anyone.
Stephen
4/5
Simon was happy to come and talk to us face to face and offered us a good deal on a system larger, than what we initially considered.
Ben who installed the system was efficient and punctual.
The system allows us to log online and monitor the performance on a daily and monthly basis.
It is a good feeling to see what energy is being generated from your own Solar power plant.
Bruce
4/5
They did everything I asked.
Murray
5/5
Just awaiting the installation this week which has been delayed by our power infrastructure companies 'red tape' but i'm sure it will be as good as the rest of the experience with Sahara Solar
Dev
4.75/5
Very good salesperson in Simon and the installer has also been great to work with. Simon is very easy going, very thorough yet simple in explaining the system and very patient in answering any questions I had. Ben the installer was very good to work with and left the place clean when he left.
Anoma
4.5/5
Great sales person to the installer, hassle free great customer service.
