Building Energy

I discovered Building Energy through Energy Sage's site, and worked with Nik Ponzio on my house's needs for both a new roof and 5-6kW sized solar PV array. Overall, Building Energy was very professional, knowledgeable, patient and understanding of my needs. They don't use pushy sales tactics, and they took the time to truly understand my current and future electrical needs in order to tailor a practical solution that fit my budget. I was impressed right away by Nik's knowledge of the process, and the fact that he first spoke with me on a Saturday. He came out for a site visit quickly afterwards, and consistently followed my MANY emailed questions. The pricing for the solar install was very competitive and had I been able to afford an all cash transaction, BE would have been my first choice. In the end, ironically, I actually chose a different competitor, and did not use Building Energy. My choice came down to the financing terms that the competitor had that was exclusive to my particular lender. This is something that is obviously to no fault to BE. Then why still write a review? Because I was so impressed with BE and with the help I received from Nik, I feel compelled to write something positive about my experience. Based on their work in the Burlington, VT area, I have no doubt that BE is a quality contractor with true professionals of the green building craft. I'd recommend to anyone to work with Nik Ponzio and his colleagues if you're seriously considering solar and other green building initiatives. As you can see from other reviews, their clients speak highly of them and for good reason. I will keep them in the front of my mind for my future needs.

Building Energy's quote came in higher than one of their large, national brand competitors, but the professionalism of the process, the quality of the installation, and excellent customer service made it well worth it. They began the job on-time and correctly estimated the total time. When I expressed surprise that some elements of the system configuration would not be in my control (specifically, the mode for the use of batteries between back-up only and maximizing self-consumption) they found a work-around for me. I am pleased with the experience and the results and would recommend them to others.

Building Energy installed a 15.84 KW solar array on my roof 8 months ago. The installation process went smoothly and was even completed a month or two ahead of the originally committed schedule. Building energy handled the permitting process with the state of Vermont and GMP and sent me regular progress updates. Through the first 7 months of operation, according to the Solar Edge app, the total solar power generated was approximately 1% higher than the simulated estimates in Building Energy's proposal. The only negative thus far is that the total solar power generation calculated by the Solar Edge app has consistently over-estimated by about 5% the actual power measured by GMP's meter. As a result, the actual power to date is about 4% below the simulated estimates. On the positive side, thus far the array has been operating perfectly and has been completely maintenance-free.

I was new to solar panel installation. They were helpful and patient through each step. I ended up doing two projects with them.

We're been enjoying our solar panels for the last 14 months, which are performing very much as advertised. It's great to see a monthly power bill of less than $30! The entire Building Energy system was installed quickly and professionally, and a minor issue with data transfer was taken care of quickly as well. I would definitely recommend Building Energy to anyone contemplating adding solar to your energy mix.

Everyone on the team was very kind and helpful. I now have solar panels and an electric heat pump. Everything is functioning very well!