Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The Solar array was purchased in 2021 with a ***** ********l to supply power to the building during complete outages, at a cost of $53k.
  The system has always had quirks, but works except in a total grid failure. Grid failures have been a disaster for us the last year and I have reached out to Lumina to address this as we have a 5 yrs warranty.
  On August 5, 2023 I logged several calls to Lumina to fix an intermittent problem as the ***** kept shutting down and not supplying power to the building, even with a full battery and a sunny day. It happened many times over the next couple of days. Eventually, Lumina sent out some techs and they ran diagnostics. They found a couple of issues but did not notify me of any fixes. We operated normally for the next 4 months until another grid failure...
  
  At 7:12, Jan 10, 2024 we experienced another grid outage and our system failed again. The system shutdown 47 times over a 5 hour period and I called them several times in a panic.
  Eventually the ***** shutdown permanently until the grid came back up in the afternoon.
  During the 5 hour outage, our 10k Monogram Fridge stopped working, I am told by GE it could not take the stress. I had to go to Lowe's and buy a generator for $800 to get us back up so I could work from home.
  I want to make this very clear. The system works fine during the day and the ***** supplies power to the building overnight and then recharges during the day. On sunny days we produce approx 6.9 - 7.5kw per hour to a draw of approx 1.2 - 3.2kw per hour. So we sell a lot back to the grid. Our bldg is 2X12 construction and is insulated with foam and we heat by LP so nothing out of the ordinary.
  We let LUMINA design the system based on our needs, and we upgraded the circuit panel as per their request at our expense. I am now being told that the battery is under-powered and will not work. The batter alone was 13.5k and its our second one as the first failed within weeks of install.
  
  ...out of characters...

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  ******,
  
  I appreciate your message and apologize for the delayed response. Firstly, I want to express gratitude for your business.
  
  I understand the challenges you're facing and would like to address your concerns proactively.
  
  When it comes to designing batteries, various factors come into play, including the interaction between different loads and the battery. Let's break down the issues into two key aspects:
  
  1. **System Functionality:**
     Based on our team's assessment, the system appears to be operating as intended. The perceived "tripping" issue arises from the simultaneous demand of multiple loads, causing the system to shut down.
  
  2. **Battery Sizing for Outages:**
     To align the system with your requirements, there are two potential solutions:
     - **Option 1:** Adding an additional battery to your setup. This would double the capacity, providing increased load capacity for AC draw output.
     - **Option 2:** Installing a smart load panel capable of limiting the output of your appliances. While this is a more cost-effective option, it would still impose restrictions on the appliances you can run simultaneously.
  
  I hope these proposed solutions address the problem at hand. We are more than willing to delve into further details and explore additional alternatives if needed.
  
  Looking forward to resolving this matter collaboratively.
  
  Best regards,
  
  Colin *****
  CRO, Co-founder
  Lumina Solar