Shinnova Solar Overview
Shinnova Solar is a small-sized solar panel installation company headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas. Founded in 2016, Shinnova Solar is relatively new in the solar industry; however, it has built a strong reputation as a reputable brand in a short time. With locations spread across Kansas and Missouri, Shinnova Solar also offers roofing, siding, windows, and door installations to help homes become as energy-efficient as possible.
For its solar aspect, Shinnova Solar offers only grid-tied options for residential, commercial, and agricultural projects. It carries a 4.9 out of 5-star customer rating, is BBB accredited, and provides a variety of solar panels from which to choose.
Shinnova Solar Solar Panel Services and Features
Specific solar panels offered
Shinnova Solar provides solar panel options from American-made and international suppliers:
- Jinko Solar: manufactured mainly in China but also Florida, this company is among the highest rated globally. This is due to excellent quality at great prices. Not as efficient as industry leaders like SunPower and LG, but most definitely value for money. It offers ten different solar panel options.
- Solaria: highly-rated South Korean company with panels that pair efficiency with lower-than-average costs. It offers seven different solar panel options.
- Panasonic: a very highly-rated brand, with production taking place in the USA and Malaysia. Higher output rate than most of the competition, Panasonic offers ten different types of solar panels.
- SolarEdge: budget-friendly, but reports of faulty components and poor customer service means this brand should be approached with trepidation. Offers six different solar panel options.
It’s also worth noting that although Tesla is listed as one of the brands Shinnova Solar uses, it’s not fully clear if it uses just the Tesla battery or Tesla solar panels too. As for inverters, Shinnova Solar uses SMA America, which is relatively well-rated.
Specific types of solar solutions offered
Shinnova solar offers grid-tied systems for residential, commercial and agricultural properties.
Other Services:
- Roofing: new roof installation or remodeling options are available, especially if a solar panel project is to be mounted on the customer’s roof.
- Siding: remodeling and proper insulation for house sides to improve efficiency when regulating indoor temperatures.
- Windows & doors: different window options are available that help with circulation, insulation, and energy efficiency, without sacrificing security and décor.
Installation costs & process
Costs
Shinnova Solar’s average installation cost is approximately $13,800, which is a bit above the median amount for the Kansas area. However, each solar panel installation project is different, and costs will almost always differ.
Free estimates are part of Shinnova Solar’s offering, and it prides itself on ensuring that customers are fully aware of and understand what the project will entail. For example, one customer review highlighted the company’s use of “an accounting firm that does all of the forms needed for your next tax season included in the deal.”
Shinnova Solar guides customers on accessing the 30% tax credit and offers various financing terms. One of these is that when opting for a financing option from Sunlight Financial or Mosaic, Shinnova Solar will make the customer’s first 12 loan payments.
Legitimacy
Shinnova Solar is a legitimate business:
- BBB accreditation since 2017 and an A+ rating.
- It is NABCEP-certified.
- Transparent with contact details on its website.
- State of Kansas business entity number #8491904, with a letter of good standing.
- Information about the company is easily accessible across different websites and platforms.
- 297 5-star reviews.
Maintenance
On the company website, Shinnova Solar explains that in the rare case of panels needing any cleaning, a simple hose will do the job if the rain doesn’t. It also states that solar panels require little maintenance over their 25-year warranty period.
One customer noted that the company observes output levels and acts promptly if anything appears off, while another said that two follow-up calls were made to ensure that the customer was satisfied with the installation. Another reviewer spoke of a faulty inverter that was swiftly replaced, although there was a negative observation made by someone else about the system having been installed for a year but still not functioning correctly.
The vast majority of reviews are positive, with only nine negative reviews out of 306. It’s worth noting that of those nine, only two were actually to do with solar panel projects. The rest were centered around cold-calling, which Shinnova Solar denies.
Customer Service (Review Analysis)
95% of Shinnova Solar’s reviews are five stars, bringing its average rating to 4.9 from 306 reviews. Since there are so few negative reviews about its installations, we’ll take a closer look at one in particular before doing the same with a positive one.
Lambasting the company’s lack of communication with him, the customer explained that despite buying a solar energy system in October 2020, it wasn’t fully installed until August 2021. Even then, it was not switched on. The customer also revealed that two weeks before writing his review, a company representative said Shinnova Solar would contact him to explain how to turn the system on. It appears, however, that this did not happen.
He went on to state that even after making two payments to the company, he was still not generating any power and that the two-star rating he gave was a “gift.”
On the positive front, this customer rated Shinnova Solar as “great to deal with…from start to finish”. He praised the sales representative who helped deal with the HOA, while Shinnova Solar took care of all city permits before setting an installation date. In addition, the customer praised the crew for its organization and for sticking to the timeline set while clearly explaining how to use the monitoring app. The customer also mentioned that two different follow-up calls were made once the system was up and running to ensure that he was happy with the product and that all was well.
This positive review is just one of the many around, with clients praising Shinnova Solar’s work on doors, roofs, and windows. This shows that the company takes all aspects of its offering seriously, not just its solar panel installation projects.
The SolarEmpower View
Shinnova Solar is an excellent company and is highly recommended for solar panel installation. Apart from offering different panels to suit various budgets, customers speak very highly of the sales team and the installation crew.
The lack of negative reviews is a very healthy sign of a company that takes pride in its quality of work, although some people did complain that they were receiving numerous calls to buy solar. The company addressed these complaints with requests to contact its customer care team to ensure these people were never bothered again.
| Customer Service: 7/10 | Legitimacy: 9/10 |
| Solar Panel Options: 9/10 | Maintenance: 7/10 |
Contact Details
Phone: (877) 560-2624
Address: 1136 Adams Street, Kansas City, Kansas, KS 66013
