It was time for us to install solar panels. Charlie Johnson (owner and founder of Makello) came to our house and gave us several options to choose from, all with clear cost-benefit and return on investment information. Once we agreed on a system, the process was very quick and painless. Charlie works closely with Sam from Green Energy EPC, and it was refreshing to see how well the whole team came together to see our installation done well, and in a timely fashion. Charlie stayed with us throughout the process, and made sure we were happy with the final result. We are!!! If you are looking to install solar panels, and are a bit daunted by the choices out there. I recommend you speak with Charlie. He is knowledgeable, will answer all your questions, and see you through a solution you will be happy with. read more

Wipomo did a great job getting my solar system designed to keep costs down while at the same time making sure that I had adequate capacity. The owner, Mr. Charlie Johnson, is an affable, bright, and thoughtful person. Somebody with what seems to be a conscience, which is becoming rarer and rarer these days. There's a million companies out there nowadays pitching residential solar installations in California. And now, everybody is rushing to get grandfathered under the original net metering program, which SDGE hates. How dare we threaten their exploitive monopoly?! Don't hesitate to call Wipomo with questions about energy efficiency. Charlie will be glad to help point you in the right direction - it's more than just solar photovoltaic. read more

Charlie Johnson (Wipomo) made a great first impression when I met him to spec my energy needs and recommend a suitable install size for my home. He was clear on his deliverables and committed to providing a no-nonsense experience. Charlie and his team did a fantastic job of designing the system and making sure to consider future needs - all this while being cost conscious. Wipomo met every time commitment, reviewed and followed up on each step of the install process. Charlie and Sam (Green Energy EPC) worked together with me to design and delivery a first rate system that has performed flawlessly. Highly recommend Wipomo for your renewable energy needs. read more

My husband and I had been considering installing solar panels to our townhome on and off for a few years, and it was our first conversation with Charlie Johnson that convinced us to make the big leap. First, Charlie is very personable and knowledgable about energy production and solar technology. He didn't oversell us on buying too many solar panels and provided several visuals to help us find the "sweet spot" where were producing enough energy for our needs. Second, he also helped us navigate our HOA bylaws to proceed with the installation. As the first household in our community to request installation, his company submitted a proposal plus all the permits on our behalf. Even during the tedious months that followed before the board finalized approval of our installation, he was there to walk us through alternate scenarios and suggested who to speak to in the realm of solar (legal) rights. When installation was finally approved, it was fast and quick without any interruption into our daily routine. We're so overjoyed to be onboard the solar train and glad Makello was the company. read more

I got quotes from 5 different solar providers. I had a unique situation as I had just purchased a electric car, had less than a year of electricity usage in my current home, and planned to expand my usage in other ways (AC, instant hot water, etc). Other companies did a quick lookover of my usage on SDGE and gave me a quote. One 'big name' company that did a plan over the phone after looking at satellite images even suggested I put solar on the first story of my garage roof that is completely shaded by the second story of my home from 11 am onward. When I suggested that this was a bad idea they came back with 'they were the experts'. Wipomo provided me a thorough study that included information about my energy usage, my planned changes to usage, and specific solar possibilities, and the ROI of the project. Charlie, the owner of Wipomo also had numerous suggestions for other energy improvements to my home. While doing the sun and shade survey on my roof he noticed some minor issues with the roof itself (broken roof tiles, etc), took pictures, and showed me them so I could get them fixed. Charlie was friendly, honest and I'm very glad I went with Wipomo for my solar needs! read more

We just had solar installed by Green Energy EPC, but it was my Charlie at Wipomo that got the ball rolling. Charlie is basically an 'energy geek'! You can tell he loves his craft and how to find ways to maximize. I read other reviews complaining about his inspection of lightbulbs. I suppose I get that, but it's all about a lower bill right? Charlie and Wipomo and Green Engery EPC were all great to work with and everything went pretty smooth. I've gotten about 7 solar quotes stretched out over the past 5 years and I finally went with Charlie and crew and so far so good! Some of these other reviews are funny to me how things were totally misunderstood. See for yourself. He's got my thumbs up! read more

Charlie was referred by a friend that is very active in climate change so I knew he was someone we could trust. We had other bids for solar panels, with a quantity twice that of the bid we received from Charlie and Green Energy EPC. They used the latest technology panels. We are extremely pleased because the price was low enough that we could pay cash! Charlie is a wealth of knowledge and I trust him to work with us toward a greener lifestyle. read more

Although Green Energy EPC did our solar installation (see review under their name), it was Charlie Johnson of Wipomo who first met with us to survey our needs and recommend the size and type of installation to fulfill those needs. Charlie and Sam (of Green Energy) worked seamlessly together with us during this process. In addition to a "plain" roof-top installation, Charlie also told us about other things Wipomo has developed: (1) provide batteries for a totally off-grid system if we needed that, which we did not; (2) install electric car charging stations; (3) change hybrid cars into more-efficient plug-in hybrids by installing batteries; (4) make a simple modification to a gas water heater to preheat the water with solar-produced power; (5) provide a limited amount of electricity directly from the solar panels in the event of a grid power outage (normally, if the SDGE grid is off, the house does not receive power from the solar panels). Other companies I called for bids did not impress me. One salesperson wanted only to talk about financing. I told him I wanted system details or he could leave. He had to talk on the phone with his boss for ten minutes before returning and discussing our energy needs. He still did not want to even look at what type of roof we had or see how far it was from the roof to the electrical breaker panel. Another, well-known, company gave us a bid without even making a visit. Wipomo and Green Energy looked closely at our flat roof to determine how they could best install the mounting points. They examined our breaker panel to determine if it would have to be replaced which it did not. They of course also looked at our electrical usage history to determine what size installation we needed. read more

Not your typical solar sales people. I called the owner, Charlie, after seeing some of the other Yelp reviews last year. Charlie himself came to inspect my house along with an assistant of his. They weren't pushy in any way to sell me panels which was a change. They were more interested in changing my light bulbs. I found this a bit odd. I followed them around as they went through examining my lights. This did in fact take a bit of unnecessary time. I was looking for solar panels, not new light bulbs. For this reason, I decided not to go with Wipomo, although I can see a customer base that would benefit from this different approach. read more

Not sure where these great reviews came from. Charlie came over to give us an appraisal for Solar in Summer 2016. Expecting to see a crew of solar installers scope out my roof, he brought over some high-school/college interns to measure my roof. Not sure if they were licensed installers, this made me uncomfortable. Charlie is a rather knowledgeable man when it comes to efficient lighting being able to decrease power consumption however. Though again, he had his interns take way too much time examining every bulb in my house. I don't blame them however, they are very young and didn't seem like they had any real training. I ended up going with a more reputable and established Solar Company for my system. Wipomo just did not seem like a company that knows enough about actual installation. read more

Wipomo is a Solar power and EV conversion, battery storage co. I was impressed with them because I had done A LOT of research on solar and they were the most straight forward with a fair price quote (the first time) of the 6 or 7 other company's I interviewed! I also liked that they are up on the latest innovations and the authentic interest they have in clean renewable energy for all the right reasons. They made some custom design choices that are great for my roof situation and I just really like the whole team! So much so that I applied for a job with wipomo and am now their social media person! So, Tweet, Instagram or FB post to me with any questions! But that aside, wipomo is a really good, trustworthy solar power company. read more

Seems like a total scam. I met the "owner" named Charlie at a San Diego Fall Festival last year. It appeared to be a one-man run solar company. I was interested in putting solar on my home but Charlie seemed more interested in coming inside my home to inspect light bulbs for some reason (Sketchy!). Soon afterward, I researched his company address and found that it belongs to another solar company. After mistakenly giving this man my contact information, he kept calling me! Insisting on coming to my house to "survey in the roof and light bulbs". Beware of this scammer and potential home intruder! I ended up going with a respectable and well known solar installer like Solar City instead. Felt so much safer with them at my home than a one-man so called "solar expert"! read more

Charlie Q. Johnson of Makello (aka Wipomo) recently helped me to analyze my energy needs, and develop a plan to reduce my utility costs. Using Makello's proprietary software, Charlie was able to use my actual energy usage data for the last two years (imported from SDGE) to analyze when and how I was using my electricity. He helped me to decide on what size solar system I needed while optimizing cost savings. He personally oversaw the purchase and installation of 75 LED bulbs in my home which I wanted to do before getting solar panels. As a result of switching to LEDs, I was able to reduce the number of solar panels by three, avoiding an additional $4,000 in costs. Charlie assisted in writing my contract with Green Energy EPC, a great company located here in San Diego that did a fantastic job of installing my solar system. I highly recommend using Makello (760) 230-3788 as a great starting point for analyzing your energy usage, solar needs and planning for the future. read more

Before having my solar system installed I talked with four different companies. Charlie Johnson of Wipomo, a representative from Green Energy EPC was the one person that was head and shoulders above the rest. Not only did he answer all of the questions I had but offered a great deal of important facts that I had not thought about. Even if you have talked to other representatives you definitely need to talk to Charlie before making you decision. He is very knowledgeable about solar and has a wealth of information. He was the one that sold me on Green Energy EPC. He made a point of doing a follow up to check on how my system was performing. If you are thinking about solar I highly recommend Charlie Johnson read more

We chose Green Energy EPC after interviewing 4 other home solar system providers, and we are SO GLAD we made the right decision. The initial in-home evaluation was conducted by Charlie Johnson of Wipomo and his diligent team (works in tandem with Green Energy EPC) to meticulously examine and determine our energy usage, needs, and future requirements. We felt that this individualized attention resulted in the solar design being the right configuration for our home. We did not end up with more panels than necessary (some companies wanted to install more than needed), thereby saving money. Charlie is personable and, as an engineer, has wide knowledge about solar and all energy-related options. We also chose, with Wipomo's help, to change out 80% of our light bulbs to LEDS, which significantly reduced the number of panels needed as well. We now know we are doing everything we can to insure that we see a huge reduction in our energy costs. Thanks to Wipomo and Green Energy EPC! read more