DES Electrical Contractors TAS Reviews
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About
Update 19th July 2024, Under New Ownership and all customers will be supported!
DES Electrical Contractors (DES) is a Tasmanian family owned company (Devonport Electrical Service).
DES commenced operation in 1986 and has actively been involved with major projects throughout Tasmania. We started grid connected solar in Tasmania in 2005 and are Tasmania's largest Enphase micro inverter installer.
We are Clean Energy Council accredited in both design and install for gird connect and stand alone solar systems
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The views expressed by reviewers are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of SolarQuotes Home Electrification Pty Ltd, which makes no representations as to the accuracy of the reviews. For our full disclaimer and further information, see our Terms of Use and our Review Guidelines.
DES Electrical Contractors TAS Reviews (28)
Show Most Recent reviews from All time across Australia
Average Scores
4.0/5
Value for money
4.3/5
Quality of System
4.4/5
Installation
4.5/5
Customer Service
- 5 star 4
- 4 star 21
- 3 star 3
- 2 star 0
- 1 star 0
28 August 2023
18 September 2022
Original Review on 02-02-2022:
Another happy customer
I went with DES Electrical as I could get more watts on my limited roof space with the sunpower maxeon 5 panels at 410 watt each all with emphases microenvrters.DES have been excellent to deal with so now i am a electricity producer should have done it years ago and thank you Finn for your site and knowledge on what’s what
8 months later we asked Morton: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
It is now that i have changed my tariff so it covers hot water.a little more exspensive but using things like dishwasher at of peak times and having the hot water on a timer so its only heating a couple of hours a day is making a lot of difference. now i want to put more panels up and look into battery installation17 June 2022
Installed much quicker than we expected
We got a call out of the blue saying that could start our solar installation tomorrow. That was also the day that our container from the UK was arriving - what could go wrong?No issues as day 1 the solar guys fitted out our shed, day 2 and 3 they fitted the house. They changed the layout a little to give us a better return. The two guys from DES were great. Friendly, hard working and kept us up to date. No worries.
08 August 2021
DESolar Install Review
Pretty straight forward. On time, pretty clean afterwards, cable work and other stuff looks fine02 August 2021
Great communication, excellent service.
Sales/quoting process was very simple. Technician came to my house and walked me through the process including install, operation and functions.Installation was over 2 days. Very painless. Tidy, polite.
Customer service was exceptional on all levels.
29 July 2021
Original Review on 27-11-2020:
My experience I have no idea about value for money
I still don't know if the installation is connected to the grid. As I had an existing small installation I was told that it was tohappen automatically. Not sure whether that is the case.
The installation procedure was fine.
The sales process was somehow shady. I asked for a contract and received something I definitely couldn't sign.
After that I decided to do without and paid the advance to get started as we had already the approval from Aurora.
8 months later we asked Ute: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
it certainly has29 June 2021
Go local and go with experience.
The sales quote was professional, polite and friendly, the salesman was very professional and obviously knew his subject. No pressure either, unlike others. The installation was delayed by weather a bit, but no problems. The installers were very neat, punctual, did neat work and cleaned up after themselves. The connection process was easy as I had a smart meter in place. My system was completed on a Tuesday and was operational the next day. Truly a seamless, trouble-free, hassle-free quote and installation. I'm a very happy customer. And they're a long-term local business, which I prefer to support.Inverter rating: 5/5
19 July 2019
There are a lot of sharks out there trying to make money on really poor systems. So important to do the research and Finns web page filled in a large part of the research, thank you.
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09 April 2019
Original Review on 07-08-2018:
D.E.S. were the total deal. Nigel responded very quickly to the requirement made an appointment and quoted accordingly. His knowledge coupled to quality goods made my decision relatively easy. The job was agreed the waiting time was reasonable given the prevailing weather conditions. But when the installation took place the team from D.E.S was very professional, knew their roles and completed the task without any issues. They left site clean and removed any waste. D.E.S. were are a pleasure to deal with and hopefully this will be the case into the future as the system ages. I have to mention Solar Quotes as being a very helpful website and recommend to any person's that they should use your expertise to ensure they are not led down the proverbial "Garden Path"8 months later we asked Tony: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
12 Months out from installation and the package has performed to my expectations. I have had no issue with installation and the emailed monthly reporting, anytime client access and phone app from Enphase is most valuable when calculating performance. I have found the install very robust which has withstood some very high winds here in Tasmania. If the system continues to perform as per what i'm experiencing now I have no reservations in recommending Solar as a viable alternative to offset your household power consumption. When batteries evolve into a reliable investment then the package and sustainability will be complete. Many people look at this arrangement on the basis of pay back over time. I look at it as an investment and I am receiving a better return on my investment than from a financial institution. I can see my investment every day and knowing it has added value to my property15 October 2018
I was only contacted by two companies and the one I chose was very professional and helpful...
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13 October 2018
Original Review on 06-02-2018:
I found DES very helpful and knowledgeable. The system is more expensive but good quality. The only negative is the time it's taking to get the system in and operating.Solar Quotes was extremely helpful and sent us some very good info.
8 months later we asked Steve: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
We are less than impressed so far. The returns have not been as we would have expected. We're hoping the summer months give us a more favourable result.14 August 2018
Because I only had one quote, I really can't comment on value for money. I really wanted to go with a local contractor for convenience of service and also to keep the money in the area
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16 April 2018
31 March 2018
10 March 2018
23 September 2017
Original Review on 21-01-2017:
The Sales Rep, Office Staff and Technicians were excellent to deal with: good staff means happy customers!They all responded quickly and fully to any queries that we had. They did what they said they'd do when they said they would! They always checked with us when there were any variations in plans.
Pleasure to deal with - very highly recommend.
8 months later we asked Chris: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
As noted above, computer control to match load with panel array output would be great. Otherwise, 16 mini inverters is the next best configuration.Utterly miserable feed-in tariff is outrageous!
11 March 2017
Nigel came to the house and explained the product in terms I could understand, he was very helpful. Also they were quick to get things underway when I decided to go ahead with the install. Only letdown was that the installers were friendly, proficient but in a hurry and that was reflected in some things identified after they had left to go on holidays.
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30 December 2016
Original Review on 30-04-2016:
If you do not use the power when it is produced you lose it to the grid for a small amount of compensation. I use a hybrid system using solar tubes for hot water and solar panels for electricity. The solar tubes are excellent generating hot water for most of the year, storage is obviously included. However I would assume that if you used your solar panels to heat the water and had the hot water cylinder on a time switch, your wastage back to the grid would be negligible. The solar tubes produce the equivalent of 1.5kwh. The feed in meter gives you the total of unused power fed into the grid from the panels, and the charged power taken from the grid. Which is basically everything you need to know. Power production on a dull day is negligible, hot water production is less affected.8 months later we asked Peter: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
It really is very good, but I must emphasise I use a hybrid system of solar panels and solar tubes. On a bright day the panels will produce over 20kwh on my 3kw system. I will use about half of that, the system will import one or two kwh, and the grid gets the rest. No complaints really since our grid is government owned. Bill for the winter quarter, $250, including the government rebate of $90 for pensioners. I also use a pellet fire for heating, but unlike the rest of Europe it is doubtful if Tasmania understands what pellet fires represent. If you are getting on in years, keep pellet fires in mind. Like log fires but a lot less hassle.23 December 2016
Not the cheapest - but a far better system in the long run (I went for micro inverters - to protect myself from any single point of failure and the be ready for batteries when the economics make sense)
Installation was excellent - worked around my needs and made no mess. Turned up on time - they had the run of the house even while I was out. No problems at all.
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Installation was excellent - worked around my needs and made no mess. Turned up on time - they had the run of the house even while I was out. No problems at all.
30 November 2016
Original Review on 01-04-2016:
Devonport Electrical representative who made first contact was Nigel Charlesworth - actually well know to me through his family - was a credit to his trade. Fantastic to deal with and very knowledgeable about all things solar.Tradies who installed system were top class, very experienced, operators and did an absolutely outstanding job - panels perfectly aligned, cabling neat and tidy, installation in meter box looks like it grew there !!! Congratulations on a job well done.
I have since recommended Devonport Electrical to a number of friends and associates and could not speak highly enough of their overall performance. While possibly not the cheapest, I found their costing very competitive and the quality of job was worth the few extra dollars that it may have cost.
8 months later we asked Geoff: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
Unfortunately the weather in Tasmania during the first 3-4 months following the installation was atrocious and we did not gain a great deal of benefit - clouds seem to over ride effectiveness somewaht !!! Since the sun has been shining more regularyly, and the days have drawn out somewhat, the system seems to be working at peak performance, most days producing more power that we consume. The Enphase on-line monitoring system works brilliantly and it is very easy to regularly check on both production and consumption levels. As a result of this information, we have also been able to reduce power consumption during periods of lower generation and now have optimised usage to the best of our ability. The interest in battery storage is mainly as a result of the governments some what non-supportive decision to charge top dollar for the power we have to buy, and only pay a minimal amount for excess that we may export back to the grid. Hopefully batteries will have come down sufficiently in price to allow us to begtter conserve what we do make for when we actually need it. At this stage I am not considering going completely 'off grid' - but one never knows?17 July 2016
Original Review on 16-11-2015:
We chose an Enphase micro system, as it is more or less future prove - to a certain extent. The supplier explained everything very thoroughly. This system makes it easy to add storage once it becomes available in 2016. We'll need storage in order to make the investment pay and to get full benefits from the installation. It will bring the cost of the full installation to about $15.000 or close, but it should mean that we will almost wipe our electricity bill apart from the 3 winter months. Currently we import too much back into the grid, which is uneconomical with an import tariff of only 6cents.8 months later we asked Mike: "Are you happy with the performance of your system so far?"
The installation performs to our expectation. I'd love to add 4-5 Enphase storage modules , but with the costing that is currently floating around it is not attractive at all. I'll wait some 12 months or so and revisit it then. I am pretty sure with all the different storage systems coming on to the market at present, there will soon be a substantial price pressure occurring. Already now you find bundled offers popping up. I can't save more money, just got to be a bit patient.30 September 2014
NIGEL MADE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTOOD ALL ASPECTS OF THE SYSTEM AND INSTALLATION WHICH BEING AN OLDER PERSON WAS IMPORTANT.
I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RETURN TO DEVENPORT ELECTRICAL FOR OTHER SERVICES .
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I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RETURN TO DEVENPORT ELECTRICAL FOR OTHER SERVICES .
20 May 2014
Satisfied with sales person and immediate installation to meet my request
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01 May 2014
The professionalism of the sales person with follow up & information provided was first class & explained in simple terms.
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16 September 2013
System is 5.5 kW.
Thank you for the availability of your site to get knowledge and an idea of costs via multiple quotes.
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Thank you for the availability of your site to get knowledge and an idea of costs via multiple quotes.
22 December 2012
18 June 2012
The selection of the solar supplier was based on positive feed back from friends who have used this supplier.
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19 May 2011
Very good company to deal with, very honest and trustworthy. Furnished all the appropriate info, questions are answered promptly and factually. Made it very easy to come to a decision based on the right information. Would recommended Devonport Electrical.
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Hassle Free From Start To Finish
I went with DES mainly because I decided on micro inverters over string inverters. Right from the start DES were very punctual and efficient. (Another local company failed to turn up on two occasions to give a quote....!) The DES salesperson was always punctual, very knowledgable and was happy to answer my many questions. The installer did a great job; it took three and a half days. Getting the cabling from roof to meter box was a bit challenging but he came up with a great solution - very neat and tidy. He also didn't mind me seeing what they were doing from time to time and was also happy to answer my questions. Within hours of the installer 'signing off' the job I was producing power. The Enphase APP is also quite informative.The system was the dearest of the quotes I received but hopefully it will prove to be of high quality in the long run.
From my experience I recommend DES.