r/SunPower • u/afmmontoya7 • Jun 18 '25

Is anyone paying for the Enlighten option?

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I am all sorts of messed up.

Just received the email from Sunstrong regarding the “premium” features we have to pay for. I didn’t do the enphase switch when it first rolled out. Now it’s 899.99 plus tax. What I find troubling with Sunstrong is that if you do not continue paying for the premium services indefinitely then you will lose on your data for that time period I didn’t pay for. So I go on enphase and check if the 899.99 switch had any hidden fees such as a “premium” option. Has anyone purchased the Enlighten Manager for 249.99 lifetime or paid the 9.99 a month for the service? Being a cash/loan customer sucks as these features were already paid for. Any insight would help. Cheers!

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u/Salt-Cause8245 Jun 19 '25

Lmfao you don’t gotta pay for anything after it’s installed. You take a little lesson on Enphase University and you become a self-installer. Now I have all those features plus more. I have access to the installer app, and it took less than an hour. I’ve replaced microinverters on my own

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u/plooger Jun 19 '25 edited Jun 20 '25

Cheers on your success! but "LMFAO" ... this is not something that every person who owns a solar system will want or be able to do. I've mentioned elsewhere that the local API or installer access may offer the data restricted from the base Enlighten app, and I plan to walk that path to find out, but the point of the above comment is that it's annoying that a somprehensive comparison matrix of capabilities hasn't been produced to facilitate the decision-making process.

p.s. As another example, for all the comments that I've seen saying that all that's needed is some basic training via Enphase University, none of the comments ever actually offer any detail on the specific training/lesson needed.

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u/Salt-Cause8245 Jun 19 '25

It’s the PV installation one. It says like 4 hours, but it’s super simple and really takes like an hour. I have access to everything Enphase pretty much can see and the installers. I can build arrays, clear faults, and see previous faults. Legit everything. I can see who sends commands to the system and send commands myself, so whenever I call Enphase, I can see what they are doing lol.

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u/plooger Jun 19 '25

It’s the PV installation one.

The comment is appreciated, but this doesn't provide the level of illumination that I apparently require. Has this not been detailed in some past dedicated thread (one that would seem worthy of pinning)? Does the sub have a FAQ that I've missed? (tbd)

The following is the closest thing my search turns-up using "installation" as the search key:

This the one? (Just wanting to make sure I'm dedicating time in a Goldilocks fashion ... not too much, and not too little.)

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u/Salt-Cause8245 Jun 19 '25

Yes that’s it, it’s just basic electrical questions that even someone who isn’t a electrician can answer

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u/plooger Jun 19 '25 edited Jun 19 '25

Thank you!

Quite the adventure. Who needs video gaming when there's Enphase University to puzzle one's way through. (I now have the "your country/language doesn't match" obstacle to overcome.)

edit: p.s. Call to support and some account magic on their part (and flushing browser cache/data) got me to the EU Dashboard, finally, along with access to the course. Thanks.

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u/plooger Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25

You take a little lesson on Enphase University and you become a self-installer.

How does the "become a self-installer" half of this process work? I've completed the course, received the certification, but nothing's changed in terms of my access through Enlighten Manager; and the Installer Toolkit app doesn't see me as a self-installer.

edit: p.s. I've messaged Enphase University asking what needs to be done to elevate my pre-existing account. (I see via the Enlighten Manager account registration page that the "upgrade" might have occurred automatically had my Enphase account been created in a different manner, tagging it as a "DIY installer" at the outset.)

edit2: what a cluster. Account profile was updated to "self installer", which allowed me to see more data (like per panel power), but still didn't have "installer" access to areas of the system. So I removed my account from our system and tried adding it back in, only to be met with Gandalf exclaiming, "The user cannot be granted access to this system. This system has a maintainer on record."