ActewAGL Reviews
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About
ActewAGL is a Canberra based company who’s main business is the sale and distribution of electricity and gas energy. The company says that it also provides solar energy systems. They also say that they are working to encourage the use of renewable energy sources, offering support and advice to those interested in installing solar or wind generation systems in their homes or businesses. Customer testimonials and details of solar products were not available. One customer review was available, and the customer rated the company well for value for money, and system quality; and reasonably well for installation and customer services.
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ActewAGL Reviews (28)
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Average Scores
4.1/5
Value for money
4.2/5
Quality of System
4.3/5
Installation
4.0/5
Customer Service
- 5 star 3
- 4 star 17
- 3 star 7
- 2 star 1
- 1 star 0
18 September 2019
22 January 2019
I am still waiting on getting my meters changed so have not been on yet. Only was installed yesterday. They seem to have done a great job. Were very attentive with questions when I was signing papers etc.
Not sure what to say about Quality of System as yet. However, it was on a par with the quotes I got. In fact the guy from Solar Hub said to go ahead with the Solar for Low Income Households if I qualified. Thought that was positive advice since it meant I would not go with them!
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Not sure what to say about Quality of System as yet. However, it was on a par with the quotes I got. In fact the guy from Solar Hub said to go ahead with the Solar for Low Income Households if I qualified. Thought that was positive advice since it meant I would not go with them!
05 December 2018
Original Review on 03-04-2018:
I had already a 2Kw solar system installed by ACTEW AGL some 8 years ago and have been very pleased with the results. That is why I was pleasantly surprised by their quote for a 5Kw this time. It was installed on time and no hassles at all. I can fully recommend ACTEW AGL8 months later we asked Ray: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Better than expected.28 October 2018
Original Review on 26-02-2018:
Hi Finn, I have already written to you about this. I could not recommend Solarhub to anyone. They said I did not need a new meter! The first salesman was brassy like a used car salesman and the second totally lied. He said an electrician was 99% SURE MY METER WAS OKAY. Accidental caps lock :-) ACTEW were up front, professional, gave all relevant information etc. Pumping heaps of power and meeting our daily consumption average on most days, even when partially cloudy.Cheers
8 months later we asked Michael: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Yes, performed above expectations.25 September 2018
Thank you for all the information received from your website. we had to go with who we felt comfortable and overall value for money.
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31 July 2018
I had a quote from someone you recommended, as well as a company recommended by family, and a third company, ActewAGL, who is the energy distributor (and also a retailer) in the ACT.
All three companies told me different information on a number of different aspects which made it confusing and difficult to make a decision.
I went with ActewAGL because they were best able to answer the questions I had in a clear way. I challenged a number of things I had been told by other providers and they were able to verify their answers too. They were also the cheapest which doesn’t hurt.
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All three companies told me different information on a number of different aspects which made it confusing and difficult to make a decision.
I went with ActewAGL because they were best able to answer the questions I had in a clear way. I challenged a number of things I had been told by other providers and they were able to verify their answers too. They were also the cheapest which doesn’t hurt.
02 June 2018
Original Review on 02-10-2017:
Installers arrived on time as advised by mail and phone call.Very nice, polite, well dressed, and went about their worth diligently and quietly.
Installation of Inverter on wall was finished off very neatly.
Panels installed 6 weeks ago. Inspections finished and system turned on two weeks ago.
Not sure if system is connected to grid - info not apparent on Inverter.
Sill waiting for the person who is supposed to come and explain the operation and wi fi aspects.
8 months later we asked Elizabeth: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
The estimated savings have so far been as quoted.10 April 2018
Original Review on 09-08-2017:
8 months later we asked Mat: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Yes08 April 2018
We qualify for the $3000 rebate on solar from the ACT Goverment and actewagl administer the scheme - hence our decision
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26 February 2018
Original Review on 14-06-2017:
a. I went with a 2 step approach1) panels and inverter - hybrid ready
2) battery unit - as I don't know how much battery capacity I need until I get some stats, also there isn't a convenient location for the battery placement with a slab and structure over it. In addition I hope to have better options in the future when I make this move.
b. I also went with a mid range tier 1 panel as it was considerably cheaper and in my ball park and the return on investment was not there if I went premium
c. opted for 20xTalesun Hipro 290w + Solax SK-TL5000e @ $10,500. That inverter because it has the EPS function during outage (when I get battery of course)
Q: should the solax inverter come with the BMU module as shown in the brochure or is it right to be charged later? just wondering if I am being ripped off...
9 months later we asked Ben: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Yes. Has only been working since Friday last. Took a long time to get there.24 January 2018
Being installed next month.
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27 November 2017
03 October 2017
02 August 2017
I suggest you contact the 3 businesses that contacted me and suggested stop using generic quotes and put some effort in customer service.
None offerd intrest free or any other payment option and everything was too hard . I found actew very good .
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None offerd intrest free or any other payment option and everything was too hard . I found actew very good .
08 May 2017
Thank you for your website.
The information about the basics was clear and provided useful information about the panels and inverter.
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The information about the basics was clear and provided useful information about the panels and inverter.
26 April 2017
It's impossible to put into words my disgust at the way this project was handled by ACTEW. From the start I wasn't told that they in fact sub contract the work.
The salespeople have little experience in Solar and this caused enormous problems with the fitout and final connections. Also my electricity accounts were higher than expected and this took many long drawn out phone calls to sort. Totally unprofessional.
I cannot recommend ACTEW as a Solar supplier. I don't take this lightly.
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The salespeople have little experience in Solar and this caused enormous problems with the fitout and final connections. Also my electricity accounts were higher than expected and this took many long drawn out phone calls to sort. Totally unprofessional.
I cannot recommend ACTEW as a Solar supplier. I don't take this lightly.
28 March 2017
26 January 2017
Time will tell if my decision regarding an installer was the right one.
Actew Solar was able to very promptly arrange the installation of the system, which was great. And, so far, there have only been a couple of small teething issues. Incorrect advice was provided regarding the date of the system inspection, which resulted in a delay of a couple of weeks in turning it on. And, the timers on the inverters were not correctly programmed at the time of installation, which resulted in some odd readings until this oversight was corrected.
The system seems well priced, although in retrospect - knowing what I now know as a result of information provided by two of the recommended Solar Quotes installers - I am left wondering if I should have gone for more premium inverters and smarter panels. Also, I had assumed (perhaps naively) that the remote wi-fi monitoring of the inverters was built in. It turns out that this is not the case and that two wi-fi dongles have to be purchased separately if I want to have this function.
The installers used were prompt, timely, courteous and (inverter timer programming oversight aside) seem to have done a good job.
Customer service (incorrect advice on the system inspection date aside), has been good so far. I would have to comment however that the initial customer service I experienced with the two Solar Quotes installers who contacted me (SolarHub ACT and Solargain ACT) was excellent and - on that basis alone - I would absolutely recommend them!
Overall, even though I did not end up going with one of the recommended Solar Quotes installers, I have actually become a huge fan of Solar Quotes and have highly recommended it to friends.
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Actew Solar was able to very promptly arrange the installation of the system, which was great. And, so far, there have only been a couple of small teething issues. Incorrect advice was provided regarding the date of the system inspection, which resulted in a delay of a couple of weeks in turning it on. And, the timers on the inverters were not correctly programmed at the time of installation, which resulted in some odd readings until this oversight was corrected.
The system seems well priced, although in retrospect - knowing what I now know as a result of information provided by two of the recommended Solar Quotes installers - I am left wondering if I should have gone for more premium inverters and smarter panels. Also, I had assumed (perhaps naively) that the remote wi-fi monitoring of the inverters was built in. It turns out that this is not the case and that two wi-fi dongles have to be purchased separately if I want to have this function.
The installers used were prompt, timely, courteous and (inverter timer programming oversight aside) seem to have done a good job.
Customer service (incorrect advice on the system inspection date aside), has been good so far. I would have to comment however that the initial customer service I experienced with the two Solar Quotes installers who contacted me (SolarHub ACT and Solargain ACT) was excellent and - on that basis alone - I would absolutely recommend them!
Overall, even though I did not end up going with one of the recommended Solar Quotes installers, I have actually become a huge fan of Solar Quotes and have highly recommended it to friends.
02 August 2016
ACTEWAGL used a Canberra local electrical subcontractor A1 Electrical Services to install the hardware - their speed and quality of work was most impressive, taking around 3 hrs to install 6.24kW roof system and cable up the inverters. They contacted us the evening prior to installation to confirm their attendance and arrived spot on time and mob handed to get the job done quickly and efficiently. They cleaned up after themselves and you would never know tradesmen had been on the premises. ACTEWAGL followed up only two days later and swapped out the electrical meter with the minimum of fuss. Just waiting for the inspection which has been scheduled before turning the system on. All communications with ACTEWAGL were responded to promptly and comprehensively throughout.
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18 December 2015
While the Solarhub and the ACTEW quotes were within a few hundred dollars of each other for an outright purchase, the ACTEW deal with 1/3 up front and the balance at 2 years Interest free offered best value. By the time the Solarhub 5 year repayments option would be completed the total repayments would be in the order of $10,000 instead of the $7700 I am paying now.
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05 July 2015
14 August 2013
03 January 2013
Decided to accept quote mid November. Install date end January. Apparently, due to short supply of panels.
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29 December 2012
12 September 2012
Original Review on 26-04-2011:
17 months later we asked Jeff: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
More than i expected. We are a family of 4 and have an 18 panel system that more than meets our needs and we haven't had an electrical bill for the last 12 months due to the buy back scheme. In addition we are running a credit on our system.05 September 2012
Original Review on 08-11-2010:
22 months later we asked John: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Yes. It seems to produce a reasonable amount of power consistent with the weather conditions. The output for the first year was almost exactly what was predicted by the salesman.03 June 2011
Time will tell if this was a good investment. The jury's out at the moment.
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11 February 2011
The big issue for us was the required upgrading of the meter box. I'd have to say that the quotes that we had were very confusing in that some clearly proposed cheaper panels and inverter, but the end price was greater. I really didn't know whether I was being diddled or not. Buying solar panels was an experience that was more complicated than I think it should have been.
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Good installation. Poor after-sales service.
Sales and installation were fine. After-sale service is poor.I needed a new meter, which was installed when I wasn't here.
Then nothing. I called up week later as no one had contacted me. Apparently the sales reps handle it. I emailed the sales person and was told it was easy.
The two different manuals aren't aimed at users, but installers. I turned it on, apparently it works but nothing is going to the grid.
I'm sure it'll get fixed, but it's pretty obvious that once the sale goes through you're on your own.
Also it would help if the person who installed the meter didn't leave the manual on the ground outside my door on a rainy day.