Kumukit

I thought I would wait for my first electric bill before I post a review… $ 18!!! These guys are awesome. Edward Im was my salesman who came after I saw commercials on TV. We called four different companies, and Edward seemed the most straightforward. He was the only one to explain the actual needs of our house because we don’t have a true south facing roof. I had heard that the big scam is the salesman will write the bid as a south facing roof, then when the engineering report comes in, you get up-​sale prices for the system you need. My wife and I both agreed Edward was the most trustworthy salesman and the price was right, so we signed. HECO application went out in late August 2015. HECO approved our panels in November and then we waited two months for our home owners’ association (associa) to approve and for electric permits. Installation occurred the end of January 2016. Permits took another month to close (Hawaii time). Net meter was installed the end of March. All of the paperwork has already been delivered to our accountant who said everything was clear and easy to apply to next year’s taxes. Would definitely recommend.

In the market of Solar and photo voltaic systems, I was totally lost and didnt know the first thing about these systems but that it would net gain you savings on your electricity costs. Luckily I had a good friend who used Kumukit and recommended them to me. I contacted Kumukit’s Edward Im who is one of their authorised representatives. We arranged a meeting where Ed explained all of the basics to me about a PV system including the application, approval and installation process. He made it very simple to understand for a Solar dummy like myself. I asked a lot of basic questions but I can at least say that I am now much more educated about the entire process. Once the application was filed with the local energy provider, it was a waiting period which I was told might be as long as 1 year. To my delight, I received the approval letter in about 6 months. Ed again met with me and explained again the process and expectations on the install and results of what I could expect from the PV system. He makes recommendations based on your past usage and also any future plans such as electric cars or additions that would affect your electricity usage in the future.
I was then turned over to the installation gang and was contacted by Beverly to schedule the installation date and sent over all of the protocols and FAQ’s prior to the date. I was all set and ready to get this going!
The install crew headed by Derek was super and they came out and completed the installation within a day. The electrical conduit line was ran nice and neat from the solar panels to the electrical panel main. They were doing such a good job that I even brought them lunch!
Post install with Kumukit’s I.T. team was set up by Hunter and my ONE and only gripe is that they didnt show up for 1 hour on the scheduled visit so had to reschedule.
Justin showed up for the rescheduled follow up and he showed me how to download and monitor the panel production online and even on my phone app! Its so cool to be sitting on the beach or anywhere and see how much electricity the panels are generating.
The final visit was with Eddie to close on everything where he showed up with some nice gifts in hand! He had some nice Kumukit t-​shirts, insulated shopping bag and a gift card — thanks Eddie! You can come over anytime!
Eddie explained the entire system again and what to expect during the seasonal changes in the sun. Kumukit has some pending installation of devices to the systems which will allow the user to monitor and show the different usage of outlets in the house. Cant wait for this one to get implemented! Better unplug my old hi-​fi set now!
The last step that needs to be done is the swap out of the electrical meter by the local utility provider which I understand should happen within 2 to 3 weeks after the local permits are approved and closed. (note that the PV system does require the city and regulatory permits but KumuKit handles all of that for you!).
I have seen my utility use and charges go down already from the partial period last month. Cant wait to see the next and will cross my fingers for even more savings $$.
Great experience with Kumukit (AKA Hawaii Energy Connection LLC) starting with Eddie then to their office gang — Beverly, Hunter, Melissa, Deborah & Justin. All of these people behind the scenes work seamlessly to make each step easy and flawless. Thanks to all of you!
Thanks Kumukit and Eddie who I will highly recommend!

My sales rep Eddie Im did a fabulous job from start to finish. I’m impressed with the professionalism and the final product. He walked me through and explained in great detail the product, install and use. It turns out several of my patients have used his services as well and all have been extremely satisfied.

As a residential building contractor in Honolulu, avoid this company at all costs. Classic bait and switch on installing PV in my own home. Lack of follow up with paperwork as in the other reviews, lack of timely communication to tell me they didn’t have enough staff to install in 2015 before the end of the year, despite telling me they could apply and generally receive for a commercial permit in two weeks, and no in house support of their sales team. This company is walking a fine line of deceptive trade practices. Call another company for your PV.

Firstly, my selection of 2 stars is that I’ve experienced not so good service from the Kumu Kit people (Hawaii Energy Connection). Its been nearly a year since we’ve started the process to obtain Solar and we have not yet gotten it. It has not been a grid issue but a paperwork issue with the Kumu Kit people not following up with HECO on their questions on our application. I learned this by calling HECO. For the most part the service to date is not good in all regards, main office and salesperson. They just don’t followup with you. I’ve had to call their main office for updates and to pass on updates I learn from HECO. The advertising on the radio makes them sound great when in fact for me it hasn’t even reached the level of good. I would advise people to look at the other Solar Providers and compare and contrast the packages they’re offering to make the right decision. Try not to be swayed by their advertising. I’ll continue to update this review as we move through the process.

Had our PV installed March of 2015. Edward Im was fantastic, no sales pitch, just the honest clear and easy to understand explanation of the PV installation process, cost, finance (if needed), tax credits and care of your PV system. Other PV companies wanted a down payment to cover the «paperwork». For KumuKit it was zero. When HECO approved our application Edward reached out to us and got the ball rolling. The Kumukit crew was professional and hard workers. They showed up on time, installed the system and finished that same day and cleaned the area both inside and outside the garage. Conduit installation and electrical wiring was professionally done and neatly routed. Post sales, Edward continues to reach out to usto check on our system and told us not to hesitate to call him if we had any questions. Overall, 5 star experience. Highly recommend KumuKit. Just ask for Edward, he’s the best.

I would not recommend Kumu kit to my worst enemy.
First and foremost I would like to say that the guys that came out to install were bomb! I suggest each and everyone of them to go work at more reputable companies because their talent is being wasted here.
This review is on my salesman wil and the Kumu kit office staff.
There are so many things that went wrong but I will just say that I have been waiting for about 5 months for my PV to be turned on by HECO. Kumu kit had sent them the wrong paper work 2x now postponing the approval of the installation of our meter.
My electric bill is about $ 300 – 400 a month, times that by 5 and I could have saved about $ 2000. Did they offer to compensate? Of course not… because they don’t care.
With that money I could have gone with a better company…
Pay the extra money and go with a company that actually cares about you!

We got our solar PV and water heater installed prior to Thanksgiving 2014. Finally received our go ahead from HECO. Thanks in part to HECO, we were delayed a year because of «Grid» concerns in our area. Anyway, our salesperson was Eddie Im and he was fantastic throughout the whole process. He recommended the correct number of panels based on our family size, AC and other major appliance usage, roof size and historical electric bills. Once we received the approval from HECO I contacted Eddie and he quickly got the ball rolling. Approval from our community association and C&C building permits all within 1 month, our Solar PV and Water Heater was installed and have since saved on our electricity bill (only $ 18.29 monthly now). True we are not «really» saving monthly due to our Synergy Loan through ASB but we are investing in our home and welfare, not HECO’s shareholders. Mahalo to Eddie (Sales), Installers Ikaika (Crew Chief EJ), John (Lead Installer), Derrek, RJ, Russell, Gerome and Bobby (Plumber). They all did an outstanding job! The installation crew was professional and courteous and kept the work site safe and clean. Mahalo also to the IT Technician that came to our house to install the Envoy Communications Gateway… sorry forgot to get his name. Eddie did a followup visit post installation to ensure everything was in order and functioning. He scheduled another followup visit to address some cosmetic issues with the conduit that was corrected the following Monday. We are enjoying our solar PV and water heater and would highly recommend anyone shopping for PV to contact Hawaii Energy Connection dba KumuKit (808−524−7336) and ask for Eddie. «We Love our KumuKit!»

Had my solar installed just before thanksgiving 2013. Joy was absolutely awesome! Very personable, helpful, knowledgable, listen to my needs and did almost everything for us! Completely flawless from start to finish! I can’t tell any difference in my electric except that I only pay a meter read charge from HECO every month! I love my kumu kit and love Miss Joy!!! Thank you!!!

If you’re looking for an Honest, Local company Hawaii Energy Connection’s KumuKit is the way to go. My salesman was Richard K. (
) and he was able to assist me throughout the process. You should ask for him as he is a nice person who let me know all the benefits of solar and supported me throughout my process. I had several quotes from other companies and the balance of value and quality was easily the best with KumuKit.
Better get a KumuKit!!!

DO NOT HIRE Kumu Kit aka Hawaii Energy Connection. Repeat – DO NOT HIRE Kumu Kit. After researching PV systems and meeting with a few other solar providers, we decided to go with Kumu Kit because the salesman, Eddie Im, said our bill would decrease to below $ 20, like everybody else. WRONG! We live in a small house, compared to most, and have five people in our family (two of them small children). Our bills before we installed PV was well over $ 400, almost reaching $ 500 during the summer. Our entire roof is now covered with panels – maybe 30 panels – and after spending $ 45,000, we’re still paying HECO over $ 200 for electricity. When I called Kumu Kit, Eddie said that our family was using more energy. Uh, NO, we’re not. Our habits didn’t change and we didn’t expand our family recently. The company brought down their tech people to assess our house, but how am I supposed to know that what they’re telling me is true? They say it’s working. If it was working, then why am I still paying over $ 200 per month to HECO? Kumu Kit just wants your money and you’ll still end up paying for the system AND paying HECO. Not worth it! I should’ve gone with another company. Our relatives with larger families installed PV the same time we did (they fortunately went with another company) and they’ve been paying under $ 20 ever since they installed. But Kumu Kit doesn’t believe anything I say. They have my $ 45,000 now, so it doesn’t matter to them.
I’m like Chris in Aiea – I get ILL when I see their TV ad. I keep thinking about my wasted $ 45,000 and NO results. Paying half of my original bill is not bad, but when you think of how much I paid and was promised, NOT GOOD. Good luck with your PV installation. And if you want to save money, DO NOT HIRE Kumu Kit or Hawaii Energy Connection.
Now, Kumu Kit bought a sponsorship with the Honolulu Magazine trying to sell solar water heaters. Like I said, they’re just out for your money. DO NOT HIRE Kumu Kit!!!
Kumu Ki doesn’t deserve any stars…

If you’re shopping solar electric you’ll soon find out that the choices in companies are overwhelming! We shopped around for a year, after numerous amounts of meetings crunching numbers and so on, we chose Kumukit! We are so happy with our choice and our overall experience! The support and knowledge of our consultant Sonny Leandro was beyond our expectations! He always answered calls or returned them shortly after with the answers to our questions. Very motivated and friendly! Two thumbs way up! Also we like the fact that they handled the permit part of the transaction with our association and the city. At the conclusion of our transaction they gave us all of our paperwork we would need for our records in a neat packet and Sonny, once again, came over to explain our system and answer any remaining questions! My advice is go with Kumukit and ask for Sonny Leandro as a consultant you will thank me! You’re welcome in advance!

I just got my Solar installed by KumuKit. My sales rep Mario Fusco was awesome! He worked with us very closely on our needs and came up with the best option for us for now and into the future. WHen I had any questions, even if they were the same questions I’d asked before, he would always gets the answers for us in less than 24hr if he didn’t know the answer. He is very patient and thorough! We needed to get our electrical upgraded which was done by Schenk Electric in Kailua which was another awesome company! Both companies worked really well together to get our electrical box updated and panels up as soon as possible! I’ve worked with several other sales reps in the past, but Mario had our best interest for our family needs! We love our solar and our new quality of life!