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ALIVE Solar & Roofing reviews
• updated MAR 3, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
ALIVE Solar & Roofing is the rare contractor who will show up a year later to fix someone else's mess for free. We analyzed reviews spanning a decade and found two patterns that set this company apart. First, their service team treats post-install repairs like they're working on their own home. When one customer's inverter module failed and required three trips because the manufacturer kept sending bad parts, the service manager kept coming back until it was fixed under warranty at no cost. In another case, a family's Tesla Powerwall was cutting power to their home multiple times a day, shutting down a father's medical equipment, and the team arrived the next morning after learning about it. Second, they handle dual solar-and-roof projects with unusual attention to detail. One crew noticed minor roof damage only visible after tearing off the old shingles, walked the homeowner through exactly what the repair would cost before proceeding, and finished ahead of schedule. We did find occasional communication lapses during the permit phase, one customer went weeks without an update before discovering the city had already approved their work. But 85 reviewers mentioned the post-sale support by name, often years after installation, which suggests those early hiccups don't predict how the company will treat you long-term.
If you want the lowest bid or the flashiest sales pitch, keep shopping. But if you value a contractor who'll return your call three years from now when something breaks, ALIVE is worth the premium.
3 Stories That Stood Out
Dave Hanson found Alive Solar through Tesla’s list of qualified service providers after his home’s Tesla Powerwall and gateway began shutting the entire house off repeatedly. Even with seven years at Tesla under his belt, he hit a wall with Tesla customer service, and the intermittent outages—day and night—left the family on edge. His father uses a CPAP and has a serious heart condition, and the machine kept losing power; on top of that, a faint burning smell from the gateway switch box made the situation feel urgent and dangerous. Jesus, Alive Solar’s service manager, showed up the very next morning after hearing about the CPAP and the smell. Within minutes he identified what was wrong, communicated clearly, and went out of his way to help, combining technical expertise with calm, professional care. What stuck with them was the fast, empathetic response that turned a threatening, stressful problem into a clear diagnosis and real relief for the family.
Joseph needed a replacement communicator module for the rooftop solar inverter on his home after the original one failed. What began as a straightforward repair quickly required multiple site visits and back-and-forth troubleshooting with the inverter manufacturer, and the problem kept revealing new complications that weren’t Alive’s fault. Through the whole stretch, Jesus and the Alive team stayed engaged, professional, and quick to respond — they didn’t shrug it off or shift blame to the manufacturer. They persisted until the manufacturer agreed to replace the entire inverter, and Alive handled the coordination so the swap and repairs were completed fully under warranty with no out-of-pocket cost. The detail that stands out is how the crew hung in there through repeated visits and manufacturer wrangling to get a brand-new inverter installed and working at no cost to Joseph.
Larry M. bought a home that already had older solar panels and, because his neighborhood faces seasonal SDG&E shutoffs, decided to add more panels plus a couple of Tesla Powerwalls for backup. He talked with three installers and ended up choosing Alive Solar after Adam sketched a solution that would replace the old inverter so the existing panels could be brought into the new system and monitored alongside the new array. That integration — reusing the legacy panels instead of leaving them isolated — became the defining difference. A “Costco”-style company refused to integrate the old panels and proposed a separate, haphazard layout, while a third installer offered a similar technical approach to Alive but without the extras. Alive Solar included two extra panels at a slightly reduced price, and the install itself went smoothly; the crew repeatedly told him "you're the boss" and kept checking that he was satisfied. What stayed with him most was that Adam’s recommendations proved consistently accurate and the team’s attention to getting the job right felt like part of the company’s DNA.
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 94
No Red Flags
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 11 years
Operating longer than most installers in the market.
BBB Rating: A+
Excellent BBB standing. Strong complaint resolution.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
What You Can Expect
Julie L had Alive Solar and Roofing install a rooftop solar system on her home ten years ago, and a decade later she still sees almost zero electric bills. She discovered the array has performed flawlessly over the years, producing steady savings month after month and delivering long-term value far beyond the initial investment. Alive handled the project with professionalism and thoroughness: the team walked her through every detail, answered all her questions, and followed through on what they promised. The installation itself went smoothly, and the quality of the work has held up to time and weather with virtually no issues. She found the combination of clear technical expertise and genuinely attentive customer care uncommon. The most memorable outcome for her is simple and concrete — a trouble-free system that keeps cutting her energy costs even after ten years.
A decade after Julie L. had Alive Solar and Roofing install a solar system on her home, she still faces almost no electric bills. She chose Alive and found their team professional and trustworthy from the first walkthrough; they explained the plan, answered every question, and kept to their promises. The installation itself went smoothly, and the panels and workmanship have continued to perform without problems for ten years. The blend of solid technical skill and attentive customer care made the whole project feel reliable and straightforward. The detail that lingers: consistent, nearly‑zero monthly electricity costs even a decade later.
Lu Phan got their solar system up and running in January 2023. Carol sized the array to meet their needs and guided them through the whole process from start to finish. The install crew worked efficiently overall, but made one misstep by putting a nail through an exposed section of roof that Lu had already flagged—crews returned and repaired the damage to their satisfaction. They ended up with a functioning system that has been online since January 2023, and remembered the experience for Carol’s hands-on help and the prompt fix of the roofing issue.
Gus C hired Alive Solar and Roofing just over two years ago to reroof his 3-bedroom, 2-bath house and put solar panels on the new roof. He walked away impressed: the crew handled both the roof replacement and array installation cleanly and professionally, and the system has cut his SDG&E costs dramatically — he used to pay more than $600 a month and now pays a much smaller amount (he withheld the exact new figure). He also discovered an extra perk at annual true-up time: his exports to the grid earn him a credit each year. He still runs several gas appliances and expects to replace them with electric ones down the road, so the savings will only grow. The memorable part of his experience was getting the roof and the solar done by the same team and then seeing that yearly credit show up on the bill — a practical payoff that made the project feel worthwhile.
David Z. had solar panels on his home installed years earlier, and when the original installer went out of business this company stepped in to manage the system. Over the past couple of years he ran into several problems and found the team extremely responsive—answering questions, diagnosing issues and arranging repairs. He didn’t fully grasp how the panels and monitoring worked at first, but the crew took the time to walk him through it in plain language. He worked mostly with Jeremy, who handled coordination and customer communication, and Javier came out to replace an inverter that wasn’t functioning properly. The combination of quick responsiveness, clear explanations about monitoring, and Javier’s successful inverter repair is the detail he keeps coming back to.
Derek Escobar wanted solar for his historic Escondido home but was working with a tight budget, and he found Alive Solar addressed both concerns. The team patiently walked him through the process, timeline, and tradeoffs, then put together options that fit the house’s historic constraints and his wallet. Installation delivered a system that has performed flawlessly — more than a year after activation he hasn’t had a single issue. What stuck with him most was how they tailored solutions around the budget and the property’s character, leaving him with reliable performance and real peace of mind.
Julie Litchfield had been saying no to solar for more than five years because every salesperson who knocked on her door or approached her in stores failed to explain the details. Then Adam from Alive Solar & Roofing took the time to sit down, walk her through how solar works, lay out the realistic options — including what it would look like if she chose not to install anything — and left her free of any pressure. She experienced a genuinely professional meeting and an installation process backed by attentive customer service and regular follow-up. The crew finished the job cleanly, and the system began saving her a significant amount on energy costs. More than seven years on, she still carries a credit on her electric bill, a concrete and lasting payoff from the decision to go with Alive Solar & Roofing.
Cat had solar panels fitted to her home in early 2015, and the installation itself went off without a hitch — Adam and his crew worked professionally and courteously. She found the standout detail wasn't just the tidy install but the follow-through: Adam kept monitoring system performance and made sure everything ran at full efficiency. She even received calls from the team asking permission to stop by and inspect a panel if something looked off. What lingered in her mind was that the job didn’t end at handoff — Adam stayed involved, checking performance over time rather than disappearing once the panels were up.
Danny chose Alive Industries for a large, complex solar installation and watched the company make the entire process feel seamless from planning through completion. He partnered closely with Adam, who invested significant time designing and optimizing the ideal system and even went out of his way to source and integrate specific features they wanted. The install crew arrived pleasant, kept the site clean, and stayed attentive to the household’s needs — a level of care Danny found rare in construction. After a year with the system operating, the panels have outperformed the original projections and his family has yet to pay for any power. The detail that stuck with him most: Adam’s hands-on, customized approach directly produced better-than-promised energy results.
Long-term Satisfaction
Long-term satisfaction for ALIVE Solar & Roofing holds steady at 5.0 ★. This is better than 91% of installers we looked at.
Long-term reviews carry the most weight in our methodology because they are most representative of what you should be paying for: a system that will perform for years.