Highlands Energy Overview
Highlands Energy is a clean energy solutions company based in California. The company was founded in 1985 and has upwards of one hundred employees. They claim to have worked on over 300,000 central valley customers’ homes.
Their business is made of two parts, they work with California Public Utilities Commission to provide no-cost weatherization, home repairs, and appliance upgrade services to qualified homeowners. They also offer solar power installation.
Highlands Energy services and features
Highlands Energy Products
Specific Solar Panels Offered
Highlands Energy does not list the specific types of solar they offer on their website. In fact, they go into very little detail as to what services they offer in regards to solar. However, through research, we found that they provide solar products from the following brands SolarWorld, CanadianSolar, Hanwha SolarOne, Enphase, and SolarEdge.
Services Offered by Highlands Energy
Weatherization– Highlands Energy offers weatherization through the Energy Savings Assistance Program which is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. Through this program, they offer no-cost home upgrades and repairs to make homes as energy efficient as possible. To receive these upgrades you must be found to be eligible either through an income assessment or through a free home assessment.
Once deemed eligible customers can receive any of the following services: Attic Insulation, Refrigerator Replacement, Microwave, Room A/C, Furnace Repair/Replacement, Water Heater Repair/Replacement, and more.
This service is completely free, with Highlands Energy receiving payment from the state.
Solar Installation- Highlands Energy also offers solar installation. Unfortunately, their website offers little to no information on what they offer.
We do know that they work with several high-profile and well-respected solar brands. For more information on the solar systems offered customers must contact them for a free quote.
Highlands Energy Costs
For the weatherization side of Highlands Energy business their service is free for eligible customers. Everything is paid for by the state of California. Whilst this sounds great it must be noted that several customers online and complaints about the service.
Some customers suspected that the team sent by the company actually created problems in order to be able to fix them and in turn charge the state. Whilst this did not cost the customers themselves any money, it did inconvenience them.
Other customers felt that Highlands Energy had wasted money. Customers who had already invested in energy savings measures felt the company ripped out the customer’s solutions so that they could install their own. Some customers felt the products Highland Energy fitted were often sub-par and less efficient than what the customer had originally installed. Customers also state they were offered services that the company either then withdrew or never carried out.
On the other hand, other online reviews were more than happy with the work done by the team at Highlands Energy and felt they had received excellent work at no cost.
Sadly Highlands Energy offers no information on the price of their solar solutions on their website. The only reviews we could find online that mentioned cost indicated that Highlands Energy offered low prices but at the cost of sub-standard work.
On the whole, even as a free service, the Highland Energy weatherization program sounds like a bad deal. If you think you’re eligible for the service we would advise looking at other companies. In regards to their solar panel installation service, there just isn’t enough information available online in regards to price.
Highlands Energy Legitimacy
Highlands Energy appears to be a legitimate company but with some caveats:
| The company is accredited with the BBB with an A+ Ranking |
| Licensed in California as a contractor |
| BPI Gold Standard Contractor |
| Minority Business Enterprise |
| Transparent with contact details |
| Works with California Public Utilities Commission |
This is where the good news stops, however. The company only has 3.⅗ on google reviews and its score is similarly low on other review sites. Negative reviews paint a disturbing picture of a company that uses the Energy Savings Assistance Program to make money out of vulnerable people.
Several customers felt that they were given sub-par and inefficient products by the company whilst others felt the company created issues so that they could be paid to fix them. One customer was told they had a gas leak and was told it needed to be repaired, but was then told by another contractor that there was no leak.
The company also shows no certifications or qualifications for solar installation on its website. For a company that claims to have been in operation for over 30 years and serviced thousands of homes, there are also surprisingly few reviews online.
Whilst Highlands Energy appears to be legitimate in that they are BBB accredited and licensed to operate in California we would not be comfortable describing them as trustworthy.
Highlands Energy Maintenance
The bad news continues in regard to Highland Energy’s approach to maintenance. Their website and reviews make no mention of maintenance in regards to the solar side of their business so we can make little comment.
On the weatherization side the majority of customers online seem to be unhappy. Reviews indicate that the company is hard to get hold of and becomes evasive when customers have complaints. Several customers felt that the company wasted their time and offered services with no intention of ever providing them.
When customers finally did get a visit from Highlands Energy’s teams they often seemed to feel that work was poorly done and of poor quality. Several customers complained that Highlands Energy staff showed no respect for their properties and not only failed to clean after themselves but in some cases caused damage to properties.
Our experience with the company reflects the opinions of some of its customers. We did contact Highlands Energy through their website and never received a reply which is disappointing.
Some online reviews did state that customers were happy with the company. However, these would seem to be in the minority.
The SolarEmpower view
All in all we can not recommend Highlands Energy. Reviews for their weatherization service online appear to be almost universally negative. While the service is free, customers were not happy with the quality of the service or the products provided.
For the solar side of their company they just do not provide enough information. The fact they make no mentions of certifications on their website is particularly troubling.
All these things combined mean that we would advise anyone in California who believes they are eligible for the weatherization service to look elsewhere. Likewise, even if you’re looking for a low-cost solar install we would advise you to look at other installation services.
| 💲Cost: 5/10 | ✅Legitimacy: 5/10 |
| ⭐️Quality: 3/10 | 📞Customer Service: 3/10 |
Contact details
Phone: 855 789 3637
Address: 5114 E. Clinton Way #111, Fresno, CA 93727
Email: [email protected]
