Mana Solar
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Author: Kaitlyn Short
Hawaii is known for a number of things, and constant access to beautiful sunshine is one of them. As a result, there was a growing need to help homeowners protect themselves from consistently rising energy costs by harnessing the power of the sun — something that is available year round on the island. This need is what sparked the Mana Solar leadership to ultimately take action and create solutions.
Mana Solar provides custom solar solutions for Hawaii residents looking to save money on monthly electricity bills while also becoming increasingly energy independent. Rather than consistently rely on the utility grid and its unpredictable rising costs, Mana Solar is helping put power back into the people’s hands.
With a more predictable power bill and a quality production-backed guarantee, Mana Solar clients are learning that generating and owning their own power saves them money in the long run simply by switching to renewable energy sources. The qualified team at Mana Solar is prepared to help prospective solar clients take the leap into clean energy.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Full Home Backup
- Limited Grid Need
- Financing Options
Full Home Backup
Even though Hawaii is known for its warm, tropical weather, storms can still impede energy sources. It is important that all solar systems, particularly in Hawaii, have a backup system in place.
Mana Solar clients will be set up with ATS features, also known as an automatic transfer switch. That means in the event of bad weather, the solar system will automatically switch over to the full home backup throughout the power outage. Not all providers can provide this service.
Limited Grid Need
In order to reduce reliance on the utility grid, Mana Solar installs systems complete with batteries that are charged during the day through the solar panel’s capabilities. The battery is then used to power the residence in the evening and at night when the sun is no longer up. This is another way Mana Solar works to reduce the reliance on the utility grid.
Other solar installers may not offer this battery solution which means that homes will still pull energy from the utility grid at night. That is not the case for Mana Solar clients who utilize this set up.
Financing Options
Purchasing a solar system is a financing investment. While it will pay off in time through monthly energy savings, the upfront cost is something many homeowners cannot afford to take on. As a result, Mana Solar offers alternative financing to help those interested in having a solar system installed but are not interested in paying in cash and upfront.
Each client interested in using alternative financing will meet with a Mana Solar sales representative. This professional will review current utility bills and determine the best system while identifying different loan services and loan rates. Not all solar companies offer multiple loan options to clients, but Mana Solar provides that financial flexibility.
The Bad
- Undisclosed Equipment Information
- Workmanship Warranty
- Limited Service Area
Undisclosed Equipment Information
With Mana Solar, clients are given the opportunity to select what equipment they want installed depending on preferences and some key features and solutions. This allows clients to have a customized solar solution complete with hand-picked parts. That being said, it is unclear what those equipment choices include exactly.
Most solar installation companies will publicly disclose equipment partnerships. This information is important to many prospective solar clients, which is why most choose to release brands and manufacturers. Mana Solar has not disclosed this information, making it difficult to determine the quality of equipment available through its service.
Workmanship Warranty
Warranties are commonly offered by solar companies. Generally speaking, the equipment manufacturer will back the equipment or production warranty, covering issues relating to energy production or equipment faults. It is up to the actual solar installation company to cover its craftsmanship.
Typically, a solar installation company will offer a workmanship warranty backing its installation work. This protects the client from any issues stemming from the connection and installation work. These warranties are usually 10 years in length. Mana Solar makes no mention of offering a workmanship warranty, so it is unclear whether it is offered by the company.
Limited Service Area
There are benefits to working with a local company that is entrenched in the community it operates in. However, there are limitations to working as a local solar provider as well. A majority of solar installation providers are local providers, meaning those operations only service one state or certain populated areas. Mana Solar falls into this category, only servicing clients within the state of Hawaii. Outside of the state of Hawaii, Mana Solar will not be able to take on the project.
The drawbacks of a local service provider is that if a homeowner lives outside of the geographic service area, they will have to identify a different installer to manage their solar project. Some solar companies have found ways to expand operations and service clients in multiple states or a region of the country. That is not the case with Mana Solar.
The Bottom Line
Mana Solar provides complete end-to-end solar installation services for residential clients. Systems installed by Mana Solar come complete with full home backup capabilities which is important in inclement weather situations.
Rather than rely on the utility grid for a majority of energy needs, Mana Solar helps customers drastically reduce the need for the utility grid and provides solutions to minimize energy drawn from the grid as much as possible. To finance solar system installation, Mana Solar offers a number of alternative financing solutions to make the investment possible and affordable.
While there are a number of reasons to consider Mana Solar for solar installation services, there are drawbacks to what the company offers prospective solar clients. For starters, it is not publicly disclosed what specific solar equipment Mana Solar has access to.
Additionally, there is no mention of a workmanship warranty despite it being a standard offering within the solar industry. Lastly, the service area is restricted to certain Hawaiin islands.
Homeowners looking to find a more reliable and clean source of energy to power their home while also reducing monthly electricity bills will likely benefit from what Mana Solar provides its clients.
