We recently had Poulin Solar Pro install our whole home solar system here in Albuquerque. They were amazing. Poulin Solar Pro handled every single detail of the process and provided the most outstanding service I have ever received on a project of this scale in my home. Their prices are fair and honest and having a local, family owned company who has been remodeling homes for more than 40 years was important to my peace of mind.
The first appointment began at our home. Our roof was inspected and measured. We provided some details on our energy consumption from our utility bills. The very next day, we received our solar plans from Poulin, along with an initial quote.
We then visited the gorgeous Poulin Design Center, home of Poulin Solar Pro - which made me ache for a new kitchen - no wait! a new soaking tub! Once we had negotiated our final price and package and had our final quote, we signed. I even negotiated a $250 gift card to Poulin Marketplace, their home decor store right next door, which I quickly spent on some fabulous items for our home while enjoying excellent artisanal coffee from their espresso bar.
We opted for their financing, since it's with Nusenda FCU (our preferred bank). That process was also smooth and our interest rate is VERY low. With funding secured, and a signed contract, we were put on the schedule for install. We were able to get started with the physical install about 45 days after signing.
This may seem long, but it isn't. The work that occurs during that 45 days is enormous - there's permitting, scheduling, forms at the city, county and utility levels, etc.. This was the piece that kept me up nights when my husband first thought he could just "DIY" solar for us.
Once install day came, the crew arrived with Steve Poulin himself there to greet us and get the crew going. We were introduced to the site manager, a lovely young man who never tired of my excitement and litany of questions. The fact that Poulin uses no subcontractors and employs and screens it's own professional, licensed installers was incredibly important to my peace of mind - working from home alone with a crew of strangers, you want to know they've been properly vetted. The crew was onsite for 2 days. Each evening, they left their area as clean as, if not cleaner, than they found it.
After install, there was another wait of about 3 weeks in total while all of the many inspections were scheduled and completed (Poulin handled all of that - we just had to be around to let PNM and the city inspectors in).
The most glorious moment was when my husband woke up that first morning we were connected to the grid and watched the dials spin backwards on our meter, and the second was when he plugged our Ford Lightning in to charge at our very own EV charging station (Poulin does those too). We were also able to take advantage of PNM's EV charging program. We charge our truck between the hours of 11PM and 6AM and receive power at a reduced rate of 3 cents per KW.
Even after we were up and running, the service from Poulin did not end. A few weeks after project completion, we received a VERY helpful letter and email from Poulin outlining all of the important info and steps we would need to take to receive our tax breaks. They could have just told us to go to the IRS/state website or a tax preparer, but they didn't do that. They actually took the time to research and compile an easy to follow guide for us.
Finally, and this was SUPER important to me, the solar industry is new and many start up companies have started to fail or have already closed due to market demand vs. competition. There are also some scary predators out there. One of those tried to sell us on the same package we got from Poulin, but for twice the price.
As a marketing person myself, I saw this coming and insisted we find a company that we could be reasonably sure would still be around in a few years if we needed support. Poulin is a real company with multiple enterprises. They have grown slowly and thoughtfully over the years and have a staying power none of the others, local or national, can bank on. So, if you live within 80 miles of Albuquerque, I would skip all the worrying and wondering and just call Poulin. You will love solar! read more
