Unbound Solar Overview
Unbound Solar is a solar solutions company headquartered in Ashland, Oregon, with another location at Mount Shasta, California. The company was founded in 1992 under the name Wholesale Solar. It started as a wholesale distributor of solar equipment and complete solar power systems. In October 2020, the company rebranded itself as Unbound Solar to reflect its broad offerings to a more comprehensive range of customers.
Unbound Solar’s current annual revenue is reportedly $3.8m. The company became 100% employee-owned in 2012. It has 26 employees and grew its employee count by 10% last year. The current CEO of Unbound Solar is Wil Van de Wiel. The company has reportedly designed and delivered over 20,000 residential solar installations that have produced over 100 MegaWatts (MW) of energy per hour.
Unbound Solar products and services
Unbound Solar is a solar power system retailer. It is not a full-service solar company and does not offer any professional installation services.
The company offers equipment from over 50 different manufacturers, which enables it to design unique solutions for its clients, depending on their needs.
Unbound Solar offers off-grid and grid-tied solar power systems. It also offers several solar kits specifically designed for RVs and boats.
Do It Your Way
Unbound Solar works with its clients, promoting its “Do It Your Way” approach. Under this method, the company works with customers to design a solar system that is specific to their needs.
The company’s uniqueness is that it does not participate in the installation process.
Customers can choose the components of their solar system from various manufacturers and can mix and match them.
Do It Your Way means the customer can choose to take as much responsibility for the project as they would like. Once the company delivers the solar equipment, the customers can opt to install it themselves or hire local contractors.
According to the company, Do It Your Way will lower total solar costs, and return on investment will be quicker.
Solar panels
Unbound Solar recommends the following solar panels.
- Astronergy Solar Panels: These panels have a workmanship warranty of 10 years and a performance warranty of 25 years. The panels have an efficiency of 18.9% and offer third-party insurance.
- Heliene Solar Panels: These panels are recommended by the company as the best solar panels made in the US. These panels offer a 10-year workmanship warranty and a performance warranty of 25 years. The panels’ efficiency is 19.26%
- LG 375 W solar panel: Unbound Solar recommends this panel in its premium packaged system. They have a workmanship warranty of 25 years and a performance warranty of 90.8% efficiency after 25 years. Efficiency is 21.7%.
Solar Panels for RVs / Mobile Applications
Unbound Solar recommends the 115-watt flexible panels of Sol-GO.
Unbound Solar recommends Solarland and Ameresco solar panels for small-scale remote applications, depending on the application.
Solar Inverters
In String Inverters, the company recommends the SMA Sunny Boy line. These inverters feature a Secure Power Supply (SPS), a plug that can output 2000W of emergency power in case of grid outages.
Micro-Inverters
Unbound Solar recommends Enphase IQ7+ micro-inverter. This 290W micro-inverter offers a 25-year warranty, matching the industry-standard 25-year warranty on solar panels.
Batteries
The company recommends the Discover 48V Lithium battery as an off-grid battery for homes. The battery has a long lifespan and affordable flexibility to expand the system in the future.
Other batteries recommended with modest capacity are the Crown 6CRV220 and Crown 12CRV110.
Feedback from reviews
After an analysis of reviews, the company is rated as 3.5/ 5.
According to the reviews, Unbound Solar offers an impressive selection of components from a wide range of solar manufacturers.
Customers appreciated the ability to build their own custom solar power system after mixing and matching components from the manufacturers.
Some customers found that some of the company’s off-grid systems were slightly underpowered.
The company received mixed reviews on customer service and support follow-up.
Costs
Since the company does not work with clients during the installation process, it can offer solar equipment at much lower costs than turn-key or full-service installers.
Also, by keeping upfront costs relatively low, the customer can expect a much quicker return on investment. It will also be far less expensive than having a full-service solar installer take care of everything.
Unbound Solar does not offer bulk discounts on purchasing more than one solar panel at a time.
According to reviews, the base prices of the company’s solar power systems are very competitive. However, Unbound Solar charges extra for custom wiring instructions.
Guarantee and Support
When a customer purchases a full system, Unbound Solar offers a full guarantee as a solutions partner throughout the lifetime ownership.
The company also offers lifetime support once the equipment is installed.
Legitimacy of Unbound Solar
Unbound Solar is a legitimate business.
- It has been in the solar energy business for thirty years
- It has sold over 20,000 complete solar power systems.
- Unbound Solar is open in its operations and displays its address, phone number, and mail on its website
Unbound Solar view
Unbound Solar is a reputed retailer of solar power equipment with three decades of experience. However, it may not be everyone’s best option as they do not provide installation services.
As the company was originally a solar wholesaler, most of its solar power system components will be almost the same as what a local solar installation company would provide. However, Unbound Solar’s prices will be cheaper.
Contact details
Address: 1661 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: https://unboundsolar.com/
Phone: (800) 472-1142
Mail: P. O. Box 6326, Beaverton, OR 97007
