Alba Energy LLC Overview
About Alba Energy LLC
Alba Energy specializes in designing, engineering, and installing commercial and residential solar-powered systems throughout Texas. Founded in 2013, the company aims its services at residential and commercial customers, basing its business model on continued referrals and maintaining relationships with its existing customer base.
Alba Energy has experienced rapid growth and generates around $1.6 million in revenue annually. The company’s success has resulted in its expansion to consist of between 20 – 25 full-time staff across six offices throughout Texas.
Solar Panels and services offered by Alba Energy LLC
Specific Solar Panels Offered
Alba Energy does not provide the exact specifications of each solar panel it uses; however, they do mention that they only use high-efficiency, tier-1 panels from industry-leading manufacturers in their installations.
Our research indicates that the company chooses from various brands depending on each customer’s needs and financial situation. Here is a list of solar panel brands that are available from Alba Energy:
| SMA America Panels | SolarEdge Panels | Tesla Panels |
| LG Solar Panels | Enphase Solar | Trina Solar Panels |
| Sonnen Solar Panels | Hanwha SolarOne | REC Solar Panels |
Specific Types of Solar offered
Alba Energy offers two main categories of solar systems: residential and commercial.
Residential Systems:
Residential system installations are the company’s main service. The company has assembled a large portfolio of previous work samples of residential solar installations that vary in size and complexity.
The company designs each system not only to ensure maximum efficiency but also to ensure that it looks aesthetically pleasing and adds value to the home.
Commercial Systems:
Alba Energy aims to work with businesses in creating more sustainable work environments while assisting them in reducing high energy costs.
By going solar, business owners are able to offset peak demand charges that can add up to thousands of dollars over time.
Additional Services:
In addition to its solar installation service, Alba Energy also offers the following services to its customers:
- Battery Storage – Alba Energy offers solar-plus-battery storage solutions that reduce the user’s dependence on the grid and maximizes the use of renewable energy.
- Contracting Services – Alba Energy also offers their customers end-to-end contracting services. This includes:
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- Roofing
- Electrical Contracting
- General Contracting
- Construction
- Solar Repair and Maintenance
Installation costs and process
Costs
Customers can save money on their systems by taking advantage of the 26% Federal tax rebate and net metering incentives, which is something that Alba Energy helps its customers to claim. The company requires conducting a consultation to provide the exact pricing for their service but does prioritize quality above all else.
Of the sources that we scoured, we managed to find 57 reviews for the company. Among the review comments were several mentions of Alba Energy offering competitive prices when compared to similar companies.
Legitimacy
Alba Energy is legit. Here are some of their accreditations:
| Alba Energy LLC has been registered with the Texas Secretary of State since the 19th of December 2013 – SOS ID# 0801901342 |
| The company is NABCEP certified ID# PV-102216-015042 |
| Alba Energy LLC has completed numerous residential and commercial projects across Texas, which can be viewed on its website. |
| The company is transparent and provides contact numbers and addresses for each of its offices, as well as a contact request form on its website. |
Our research indicates that the owner, Sean Bukowski, is also the owner of Bukowski Law Firm, a real estate law firm that shares the same head office as Alba Energy.
Bukowski Law Firm is the appointed agent of Alba Energy LLC, which suggests that the company is fully backed by strong legal representation – a definite positive sign for the solar company’s legitimacy standards.
Maintenance
- As a full-service solar company, Alba Energy does not need to contract out to any installers or electricians. Everything from first contact to project completion with the company is done in-house, which allows them to offer better prices and control their workmanship.
- The company offers a 10-year workmanship warranty.
- Alba Energy also offers a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty on all solar panels it installs.
Based on the customer reviews, the company seems to deliver on its promises relating to maintenance, as numerous customers mention that the company provides excellent customer service and ongoing support.
However, there were two negative reviews. One was related to a warranty issue, and the other to a financing issue.
Here is the warranty-related issue customer review:
| “Warranty Repairs.
Alba Energy will not honor warranty repairs. After emailing and calling them for more than a week, Mr. Craig Miller contacted and promised to get the issues fixed. Mr. Miller now refuses to fix the problem. Bad customer service.” |
Customer service (review analysis)
Despite the two negative reviews received, the vast majority of customers have provided extremely positive feedback that points to the company providing excellent support and responsiveness – which contradicts the solitary negative review related to poor maintenance.
Here is an example of one of the positive reviews:
| “I installed 36 solar panels on my home in November of 2015. The company that installed them, Alba Energy, did a fantastic job. In January my electric bill was $8.00. In Feb and March the local electric company owed me $20.00! I did have an issue with a panel last month and Alba completed the repair within two days. Outstanding customer service!!! |
The SolarEmpower View
Alba Energy LLC seems to provide its customers with good value for money and has assembled a strong portfolio of projects that vary in size and complexity. The ongoing maintenance and communication levels provided by the company have largely exceeded its customer’s expectations, which is also very encouraging.
However, we cannot ignore the two negative reviews received and would prefer if the company was BBB accredited. Therefore, SolarEmpower views Alba Energy LLC as a higher-tier solar contractor but also suggests that customers exercise some caution when considering using the company.
| Cost: 8/10 | Legitimacy: 9/10 |
| Quality: 9/10 | Customer Service: 8/10 |
