Watts Up Engineering LLC

Adam clearly explained everything and we had no surprises. He explained all the components used and why they were best for our installation. We did a lot of research before getting this done and are glad we went with Adam. It takes a while for inspections which is outside your installers control. We've had our panels for over a year and waited to review based on longer experience. We are seeing the expected production, and our utility bills have been as low as $20. We have gas furnace and hot water, which accounts for most of our bills. We didn't do batteries based on recommendation from family member in the industry, who told us to wait for the price of batteries to come down. If we do batteries later we will call Watts Up Engineering.

I decided to go with Watts Up Engineering based on a few factors: they are a local company and had relatively good reviews at the time (which I now strongly suspect were self-produced). I expected good customer service and timely communication. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. Choosing this company was a mistake. They were not the cheapest option, despite my multiple inquiries, and I made an even bigger mistake by paying the owner, Adam, upfront. He offered a discount and gave repeated assurances and guarantees that everything would run smoothly. Sadly, it did not. I started working with them in April. Once payment was received, communication became completely one-sided. Adam would only respond when it suited him. When he finally did respond, he downgraded the scope of work, claiming that my existing generator outlet made things “too complicated” and that they didn’t have time. He mentioned doing a relay “for free,” but said they were too busy and backed out. The relay was not explicitly listed in the contract, and he clearly used that as an excuse to avoid it. This was the first red flag, but at the time, I was just relieved to get a response and agreed to move forward. The roof reinforcement and panel installation were eventually completed on August 27th, after several reschedules. At that point, I thought we were close to completion. We were not. After installation, the ghosting began. I was given weak excuses for weeks, such as waiting on special placards from the manufacturer (items that are readily available on Amazon with next-day delivery). During this time, I learned about the option for an emergency outlet that would allow limited power during outages. When I asked Adam about it, he said it couldn’t be done unless I paid extra for an outlet that “wasn’t in the contract.” After paying nearly $30,000, this response was absurd. I ended up installing the outlet myself with the help of a licensed electrician friend. At that point, the system had not yet been energized or passed inspection. Adam claimed the work was done incorrectly, despite both my electrician and the city inspector saying it was fine. Still, to keep the peace, I agreed to remove it and let Adam reinstall it later. By the end of October, communication had completely broken down again. I was either ignored or told they “didn’t have time.” At this point, I filed a complaint with the BBB requesting that the project be completed. That resulted in an immediate response. Adam replied to the BBB, claiming that I had voided my system warranty by installing the outlet—even though the warranty had not yet started. He scheduled a visit to “verify” the system before inspection. During that visit, he told me I had “made a stink on the BBB” and that he was going to “teach me a lesson.” I was shocked. I genuinely believed we could still resolve things professionally, but it became clear that nothing about this situation was normal. After that meeting, I was ghosted again. The city inspection was still pending, and Adam refused to schedule it, claiming he “didn’t have time” and that I would have to wait. It became obvious that he was deliberately stalling, so I would miss the deadline for the federal tax credit. By mid-November, the situation became urgent. Adam insisted that only he could schedule the inspection. When I contacted the city directly and explained the situation, they were understanding and agreed to schedule it themselves. This was the second inspection—the first had failed due to missing placards on DC cables. Ironically, these were the same placards Adam claimed he was waiting for from the manufacturer. I had already purchased them myself from Amazon for $10 just in case. The inspector returned, and of course, the placards were wrong, but I was able to install them, and the inspection passed. I thought we were finally done. We were not. The final step was the WE Energies inspection. They required system schematics and exterior placement details. Since I could no longer rely on Adam, I completed everything myself. WE Energies responded and copied Adam on the email. I wasn’t worried—until Adam secretly sent them a photo showing that the meter was allegedly too close to my deck. As a result, WE Energies refused to schedule the final inspection unless the clearance was increased. Although the deck was already three feet from the wall, they required three feet from the face of the meter. This requirement was never raised earlier. Adam deliberately sabotaged the project and his own client. It was now December—snow on the ground and freezing temperatures—and I was forced to modify my deck. With the help of friends (who were stunned by the story), I managed to get it done. They reviewed my communications with Adam and even saw camera footage from my home cameras where he threatened me, stating that I “made a stink” and that he would “teach me a lesson.” My friends are now fully aware of Adam and Watts Up Engineering. Now, you are too.

Adam at Watts Up was super helpful, including a referral to a roofing company that gave us the best quote by far and did a fine job (we wanted to put a new roof on before putting up the solar). Really appreciated that! Our house was built in the 1940s, and being a bit older, caused some challenges that resulted in additional site visits. Adam and Watts Up persisted, and the final install is neat and tidy. I am very happy with all of the work and assistance Adam and Co provided. Highly recommend! I waited a few months (now five) before writing this review so I could speak to how the solar is performing, and happy to say it is meeting expectation. Presently it appears ROI will be in 10.5-11 years, which is a bit more than the 9.3 estimated by Energy Sage, but there are still many uncertainties and I would be very happy with 11 years!

All of the other solar installers had a very cookie-cutter approach and similar designs with widely variable price estimates. It was clear they wanted to get in and get out with the simplest design to maximize their return. Adam’s design improved upon all the others using proven, durable tech and cost came in at the lower end of all the other estimates while he delivered almost 50% more power. He also provided generator installation for back up power and an electric car charger for future EV. His engineering background and mind gives him an advantage over all the other salesmen representing the hordes of other solar companies currently flooding the market. If you’ve already had other bids, talk with Adam first and I bet you go with Watts Up. His crew are also hardworking and just good people.

After becoming a registered member of Energy Sage and acquiring 2 quotes, I began to seriously consider all the information at hand. It was a selling point that I could talk first hand with an engineer at Watts Engineering after deciding their quote most appealed to me. I called and was immediately in conversation with Adam, who answered all of my questions and gave me confidence his company could provide the quality of service and end result my wife and I are seeking. The fact they are a local company doing all the work, have all supplies on inventory, have installed over 1000 systems, have a string-inverter system (one stand alone inverter vs. one inverter in each panel), provided a thorough, realistic and prompt guaranteed quote, good for 30 days, and that they have what I believe is a knowledge base to best serve us in the installation and service of their system ... all contribute to our decision to contract with them.

Adam did a great job working with us on the installation. He did a good job explaining the quote and what was included and what wasn't. He did a good job walking us through the process and spent a good amount of time explaining everything. There were some hiccups with the utility, but Adam kept us in the loop and all of those were things outside his control. It was nice to have Watts Up manage all the paperwork and communication with the Utility.