Enchanted Solar Overview
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Enchanted Solar is a solar distributor that was founded in 2009 and provides residential and commercial solutions for the entire state. The company is a small limited liability company run by president and owner, John Bodnar, and has less than 20 employees and earns a revenue of less than $5 million per year.
Enchanted Solar Breakdown
Enchanted Solar Services
- Commercial/Residential photovoltaic (PV) system
- On-/Off-grid solar system
- Roofing services
- Solar EV charging system installation
- Solar panel installation and repair
Enchanted Solar Products
The company partners with Enphase, LG, Unirac, Advanced Energy, and SunWorld. Listed, are examples of some of the products offered.
Solar Panels
ND-250QCS (Sharp): A multi-purpose 250-watt polycrystalline solar module that comes with a 15.3% efficiency, a 25-year limited warranty on power output, and 10-year limited warranty on materials or workmanship. As this product is manufactured in the US, it qualifies as an “American” good under the “Buy American” clause.
Sunmodule Plus SW 275 (SunWorld): Part of the Sunmodule Plus series, this panel is an American-made product that utilizes monocrystalline cells and gives out 275 watts and 16.4% efficiency. The panel has a 25-year performance guarantee.
Batteries/Inverters
Model 3TL (Advanced Energy): A three-phase string inverter that comes in four output options (12 kW/16 kW/20 kW/23.2 kW); its operating voltage ranges from 423 to 528 V and it has a peak efficiency of 98.2%. The product possesses a standard 5-year warranty with an optional 5-, 10-, or 15-year extension.
Enchanted Solar Costs and Installation Process
Costs
Enchanted Solar does not provide prices for any of its services, nor does it give information on the pricing of its products. However, the average installation cost of a solar system within the state of New Mexico ranges from $14,000 to $20,000; from customer experience, the average price that can be expected from Enchanted Solar is in the region of $16,000 for installation.
This makes the company competitive in its offerings.
Installation
The general installation process involves the following steps:
- A site visit to gauge a potential quote that will encapsulate system design, size, and potential power output.
- Designing the solar system and drafting a proposal for the installation.
- Communication with the customer as permits is applied for the installation.
- Installing the solar system and monitoring how it performs going forward.
Enchanted Solar Legitimacy
The company’s license number is EE-98 92835 and is listed as an active company under the New Mexico Secretary of State portal website. The company is not an accredited business by Better Business Bureau (BBB), however, it does possess an A+ ranking with one filed complaint in 2021 concerning ineffective power output.
Maintenance
As of lately, the company has not been readily available in answering inquiries from prospective customers. However, when tracking its interaction with past customers, the company is responsive. There appear to be mixed feelings about the maintenance work by Enchanted Solar, where some customers feel that they are not responsive enough when issues arise while others are more than satisfied with the care and attention they receive.
Customer Experience
Most reviews are favorable with most customers being highly satisfied with Enchanted Solar’s professionalism, sales process, quoted prices, scheduling, installation quality, and post-sales support. However, it should be noted that these posted reviews and experiences are relatively dated.
Over the years, the business has garnered roughly 25 reviews across the web and the most recent experiences are around 2018, with a bulk of reviews coming in during 2013/14. For prospective customers, this presents two areas of concern: firstly, for a business that has been running for over 10 years, the lack of reviews is concerning, and, secondly, the lack of current customer reviews means the company’s current level of quality cannot be accurately gauged.
The SolarEmpower View (Conclusion)
Unlike a typical solar company, Enchanted Solar is unique in that it provides potential customers with information on every part of a solar system and how each part is meant to function; this information is typically only accessible through individual research or by talking directly to an engineer. However, the availability of such information comes at a price as Enchanted Solar focuses its site too much on general information and not on specific information such as the products or services it provides.
The lack of information and reference on the solar company only serves to work against Enchanted Solar and gets in the way of building trust as a lot of the information and reviews surrounding the company is outdated, which is another area of concern. As such, Enchanted Solar does not come as being recommended until the company addresses its information gaps and highlight to prospective clients more recent customer feedback.
| Service: 6/10 | Quality: 7/10 |
| Customer Satisfaction: 7/10 | Availability of Information: 3/10 |
| Overall: 6/10 | |
