Alternate Energy Hawaii Review
Solar, battery, solar water heating, AC and roofing installerBased in Pearl City, Hawaii (O‘ahu)Profile updated October 13, 2026
Is Alternate Energy Hawaii a good choice?
Alternate Energy Hawaii fits O‘ahu homeowners who want solar, batteries, solar water heating, AC and roofing from one local company. It says it was founded in 1993, uses its own employees as installers and backs PV work with a 10-year workmanship warranty. It publishes no system prices and no roof-leak term. Ask which panel and battery models your quote uses and get the warranty terms in writing.
- Price
- Quote required; no system price on the company pages we reviewed. Costs
- Coverage
- HI only: homes and businesses on O‘ahu. Service area
- Warranty
- 10-year workmanship warranty on PV, per the company; panel and battery terms come from the makers. Warranty
On this page
Why choose Alternate Energy Hawaii, and why you might not
What Alternate Energy Hawaii does well, and where to be careful, compared with the installers it competes with most.
Reasons to choose AEI
It does your roof, AC and water heater tooAlternate Energy Hawaii puts in solar, batteries, solar water heaters, AC and roofs. Of the three alternatives below, only Haleakala Solar also does roofing.
Its warranty on its own work is 10 yearsIt covers its own solar work for 10 years. Hawaii Energy Connection also lists 10 years. Haleakala and RevoluSun list no term for a system you buy.
It names its equipment brandsIt names REC and HD Hyundai panels, and Tesla, Panasonic and Enphase batteries. Its pages mention other panel brands too, so ask which one your quote uses.
Its own employees do the installAlternate Energy Hawaii says its installers are its own employees. It says it has worked on O‘ahu since 1993.
Reasons to look at others
No roof leak warranty listedIt lists no warranty for leaks where the panels are bolted to the roof. It lists no term for the inverter, the box that turns solar power into home power. Ask for both in writing.
It lists only buying or a loanYou can pay cash or take a loan from Hawaii State Federal Credit Union or Sungage Financial. It lists no rent or PPA plan. Haleakala and RevoluSun list a PPA (you pay for the power; the company owns the panels).
Some owners waited on repairsIts negative reviews describe repair calls with no answer, an inverter problem not fixed after three visits, and a leak from a solar water heater. Ask what a service visit costs and how fast a technician comes.
Alternate Energy Hawaii reviews: what customers say
Each review site shows its own score; we read them on October 12 and 13, 2026 and do not combine them or add our own rating.
- Google4 / 557 reviews · Pearl City, HI office listing only, not company-wideRead reviews
The five positive reviews below praise prompt, tidy service visits, and two reviewers say they revised earlier complaints after the company fixed the problem. The five negative reviews describe unreturned calls about repairs, including an inverter case unresolved after three visits, microinverter errors, a recurring leak from a solar hot water install, repeated pump replacements and paid service visits. These are issues to ask about, not a measure of how often they happen. Ask Alternate Energy what a service visit costs and how quickly a technician comes out.
5 recent 5-star reviews
“I would recommend them to anyone.”
Gary · Read on Google
“It's really great to see a contractor that honors their commitment to make things right.”
harry c. · Read on Google
“The entire team from sales, electrical and installation crew were great to work with.”
Hilton R. · Read on Google
“Salesperson Dave Thompson and the electrician Trevor are great to work with.”
Liz A. · Read on Google
“The office was very quick to schedule service, the 3 technicians were so professional, clean and friendly.”
James J. · Read on Google
5 recent 1- and 2-star reviews
“I called and was told to give the system a few days to reset and call back if the problem continued.”
Brandy R. · Read on Google
“I don’t normally like to leave bad reviews, but after about 6 months of trying to get someone to check PV system , I am beyond frustrated.”
Craig C. · Read on Google
“We keep having leaks from where they installed our solar hot water.”
Debbie R. · Read on Google
“Basically the pump system they use overheats the tank causing premature failure.”
Bron F. · Read on Google
“Now, if you have Ac units it can take a month to have someone in to service them (my guess is they do not have enough employees to manage the demand).”
B Vee · Read on Google
How we picked these: the five newest 5-star and the five newest 1- or 2-star reviews with written text on Google and Trustpilot, as of October 2026 (57 reviews read, back to Jul 2, 2015). We found no Trustpilot page for Alternate Energy Hawaii on October 12, 2026. Each quote is one sentence, word for word. Picking the highest and lowest ratings shows the range of experiences; it is not a representative sample, and we did not verify what reviewers describe.
How much does Alternate Energy Hawaii cost?
Alternate Energy Hawaii does not publish a system price on the pages we reviewed; it says each estimate is site-specific. Ask for an itemized quote showing the cash price, system size, panel and battery models and, if you finance, the financed total with APR and fees. For state price ranges, see our solar panel cost guide; for how the plans compare, see loans, leases and PPAs.
Purchase
You own itYou pay the full price. The company asks for a site-specific estimate.
Credit union loan (Hawaii State Federal Credit Union)
You own itA loan for PV, storage or solar water heating through the credit union, which sets the terms and approval.
Solar loan (Sungage Financial)
You own itA loan for PV, storage and roofing through Sungage Financial, which sets the terms and approval.
Plans as listed on Alternate Energy Hawaii’s financing options page, read October 13, 2026. No lease or PPA is listed.
Alternate Energy Hawaii says it installs REC and HD Hyundai Energy Solutions panels (why AEI page) and names Tesla Powerwall, Panasonic EVERVOLT and Enphase storage on its storage page. Its storage page also mentions Panasonic panels, and its homepage says it has installed Mitsubishi Electric panels since 2011, so ask which brand your quote uses. Your written proposal should list the exact panel, inverter and battery models, the system size in kilowatts (kW) and the forecast yearly production in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
What does Alternate Energy Hawaii’s warranty cover?
Coverage | What AEI publishes | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
Solar panels | Maker’s warranty; REC Alpha listed at 25 years | The panel model in your quote and its maker’s term. The company lists HD Hyundai panels at “up to 30 years, model-dependent.” |
Panel output | REC Alpha listed with a 25-year performance warranty | Confirm in your proposal: the output guarantee for your panel model and its term. |
Inverter | Not published | Confirm in your proposal: the inverter model, its maker’s term and who pays labor to replace it. |
Battery | Maker’s warranty; terms vary by product | Confirm in your proposal: the battery model and its maker’s term. The storage page lists 10- to 15-year maker terms without a clear match to each product. |
Labor and workmanship | 10 years for PV | What the workmanship warranty covers. The company says work by another company on its system voids its warranties. |
Roof penetrations | Not published | Confirm in your proposal: who repairs and pays if a leak starts at a panel mount. |
Company-published terms from Alternate Energy Hawaii’s why AEI page, photovoltaic page and storage page, read October 13, 2026. Your signed agreement decides what applies.
The company also lists a 10-year warranty on solar water heating. That covers a different system, so keep it out of this comparison.
Where does Alternate Energy Hawaii operate, and which licenses were checked?
Alternate Energy Hawaii’s homepage says it serves homes and businesses on O‘ahu from its Pearl City office (read October 13, 2026). Its planning guides name Kapolei, Pearl City, Ewa Beach, Mililani, Kaneohe, Hawaii Kai and Waipahu. A listed town does not mean every address qualifies or that EcoGen can connect you with the company there.
Showing Pearl City, HI (headquarters)
Office address (1)
- Pearl City, HI (headquarters)96-1276 Waihona Street, Suite 114, Pearl City, HI 96782Show on mapOpen in Google Maps
Address from AEI’s website, read October 13, 2026.
Licenses
We found 1 active license record in state registries (October 13, 2026). Check the license yourself under the exact business name on your contract. A license check confirms registration, not workmanship quality.
Hawaii1 recordActive, checked Oct 13, 2026
- License
- Contractor license
- Number
- C-26041
- Registry check
- Active, Hawaii DCCA professional licensing, checked October 13, 2026
- Note
- Registry lists ALTERNATE ENERGY INC; expires 09/30/2028. Hawaii files this license as CT-26041; the C is the class prefix.
Alternate Energy Hawaii’s homepage says it was named a Tesla Premier Installer in December 2023 and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating. Its why AEI page says it holds Mitsubishi Electric Elite Diamond Contractor status for HVAC. Its homepage also calls it a certified 5-Star CertainTeed roofing installer. These are company statements; we did not verify them.
Alternate Energy Hawaii compared with three other installers
All four companies work only in Hawaii. We chose the three most like Alternate Energy: Haleakala also does roofing and solar water heaters, RevoluSun also does AC, and Hawaii Energy Connection lists the same 10-year warranty on its own work. Every fact comes from the company profiles linked below.
| Alternate Energy HawaiiThis page | Haleakala Solar | Hawaii Energy Connection | RevoluSun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Solar, batteries, AC and roofing on O‘ahu | A Tesla Solar Roof, solar water heaters, roofing | Solar with a battery in every new system | Solar, batteries and AC, with many ways to pay |
| Head office | Pearl City, HI | Kahului, HI | Aiea, HI | Honolulu, HI |
| States shared with Alternate Energy | Its only state | 1: HI | 1: HI | 1: HI |
| Roofing | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Ways to pay | Buy, credit union loan, solar loan | Long-term financing, PPA | Buy, loan | Buy, loans, on-bill financing, PPA |
| Labor warranty | 10 years on solar | Not listed | 10 years | 25 years with its PPA only |
| Roof leak warranty | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed separately | Not listed |
| Brands named | REC, HD Hyundai, Tesla, Panasonic, Enphase | Tesla | Q CELLS (suggested) | Tesla (batteries) |
| Google score* | 4 (57 reviews) | 4.1 (64 reviews) | 4.8 (81 reviews) | No Google listing found |
*Each Google score is for the company’s head-office listing only, read October 12 and 13, 2026.
Full profiles: Haleakala Solar · Hawaii Energy Connection · RevoluSun
Before choosing Alternate Energy Hawaii
Ask for these in writing:
- An itemized quote with the cash price and the financed total, including the APR and all fees.
- The exact panel, inverter and battery models, the system size in kW and the forecast yearly production in kWh.
- The warranty documents for your payment plan: panels, inverter, labor and roof penetrations.
- Your local service contact, and who handles utility approval and warranty claims.
- The exact company on the contract, such as Alternate Energy, Inc., and its license for your state.
Before you sign, read the quote line by line and bring our questions to ask a solar installer.
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How we researched this profile
We read Alternate Energy Hawaii’s own pages on October 13, 2026: homepage, why AEI, financing options, solar financing, photovoltaic, storage, residential solar, solar panels, O‘ahu solar company and FAQs. We did not check its license in a state registry. On October 14, 2026 we also confirmed the Pearl City address in its Google Business listing and its Hawaii business registry record (through OpenCorporates). We did not buy a system, request a quote, visit an office or interview customers. Alternate Energy Hawaii did not review this page.
Our installer methodology explains what we check.
Sources (10)
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Homepage (address, license, service area), read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Why Alternate Energy (history, workmanship warranty), read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Financing options, read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Solar financing Hawaii, read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Photovoltaic, read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: PV and storage solutions, read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: Solar company on Oahu, read October 13, 2026
- Alternate Energy Hawaii: FAQs, read October 13, 2026
- Google Business listing: Alternate Energy Inc. (Pearl City address), read October 14, 2026
- Hawaii business registry record for Alternate Energy, Inc., via OpenCorporates (head office Pearl City), read October 14, 2026