California Solar Electric reviews

Linda J Randall lives in a part of California where PG&E outages happen regularly, so she had California Solar install rooftop panels and a Tesla Powerwall to protect her home and cut energy costs. One year in, she found the company stayed connected through the application, installation, and the system’s early operation, making the process feel managed from start to finish. The array sits neatly on the roof and is almost invisible from the street, but its performance is anything but unobtrusive: the system transfers to backup power seamlessly during outages and still produces significant energy on hazy days. The controller proved especially useful by anticipating severe weather and automatically shifting the Powerwall to 100% charge, so she didn’t have to worry about manually protecting the battery. That automated behavior, along with months of zero PG&E bills, validated her decision to invest in the battery and the idea of essentially prepaying for power. She found California Solar thorough in sizing the system, coordinating with other contractors, and completing the installation, and she connected the quality to the company’s worker-owned ESOP model — employees had a clear stake,

Douglas, a former owner of a solar electric company, hired Cal Solar for an initial installation and then expanded the system about a year later. He found the sales team straightforward and not pushy—helpful because he already knew the configuration he wanted. Early in the process he encountered a weak site evaluation that forced design changes and pushed back permitting for the first install. Once crews were on site, the installers performed strongly, and the project wrapped up smoothly with the utility hookup and follow-up work completed without fuss. He also appreciated the thorough documentation Cal Solar provided. With his industry background, he judged Cal Solar as better than most—strong workmanship and records, but buyers should double-check the site evaluation up front to avoid permit delays.

Mary Anne S. found the most memorable part of the process was the ongoing support — even a year after install she called about how to clean the panels and got a clear, helpful answer. From the first meeting everything had been laid out up front, so she never felt awkward asking questions during design, installation, or afterward. The crew stayed professional and straightforward throughout, and the practical payoff showed up in a much smaller electric bill. She ended up with lower monthly costs and the reassurance that responsive help is still just a phone call away.

After comparing several bids and doing thorough research, Dave Putnam chose Cal Solar for a residential solar install. He discovered they stood out not just for a tidy installation but for clear, patient guidance through the available options—taking in the details felt manageable and there was no pressure to sign. Keeping the money in the local community and backing an employee-owned company also helped tip the decision. The project stayed on schedule despite wider supply-chain delays, and the Cal Solar crew coordinated seamlessly with the contractor installing a permanent whole-home generator. The only real hiccup came from PG&E, which delayed moving his account to solar billing and caused months of overcharges; Cal Solar wasn’t at fault and Dave eventually received a full refund for those overpayments. About a month after the system’s first anniversary, the PG&E true-up showed the array had produced surplus power and he owed nothing.

Regan J. returned to California Solar Electric Company—the team that installed their system in 2004—after a newer Roseville installer left the array down and stalled on repairs. Frustrated by slow responses and a $150 diagnostic visit that produced a $4,000-plus repair estimate, they reached out to Kris and owner Laars at CSEC for a second look. Kris and Laars dug into the problem over the phone, volunteered alternative solutions they knew would forfeit any sale, and walked Regan through a do-it-yourself install step by step. Instead of a costly service call, the fix cost $449 and had the system back up in three days; the Roseville company had taken more than two weeks just to schedule a visit and then said it would be another month. What stood out was the team’s customer-first approach—researching options, sharing all the information, and even having the owner personally guide the repair—so Regan ended up committed to using California Solar Electric for life.

Gary had California Solar install a rooftop system on December 6, 2024, and the array went live the very next day. He found the crew easy to work with and the process smooth. When he opened his latest PG&E statement, he discovered the true-up balance since activation on December 7 was only $5.34 — a result that beat the company’s pre-install production modeling by a comfortable margin. The standout detail for him wasn’t just the friendly service but the concrete performance: the system produced enough to leave a near-zero true-up after activation.

Frank and his wife Vickie, homeowners in Grass Valley, CA, ended up working with California Solar on two separate installs: a grid-tied system three years ago and a Tesla Powerwall added this past summer. He met with Ellis Garvin at the start of the first project and again for the most recent one, and every interaction felt friendly, professional and reassuring. Across both jobs they never encountered anyone who left them feeling uncertain — instead the crew routinely went above and beyond expectations. That level of care built steady trust over time, so much so that they felt compelled to show their appreciation with a Harry & David gift.

Douglas brought California Solar in for a full residential setup — solar panels, batteries and controllers — and ended up with more than just a working PV system. The crew installed a 220 outlet in his garage and tracked down a string of faulty outlets in the living room that hadn’t worked since he bought the house 12 years earlier. He found the installation smooth and appreciated that the team took care of those extra electrical repairs rather than leaving them as separate jobs. The memorable part wasn’t only the solar-plus-storage system but the practical extras: a usable 220 outlet and living-room outlets finally fixed after a decade.

Allen ended his solar project with a small, memorable flourish — California Solar delivered flowers after the final county inspection — a nice contrast to what was otherwise a very data-driven, smoothly managed residential installation sized to produce just over 100% of his yearly electricity use. He first met with Lindsey, who walked him through the whole process: the exact panel count required, the projected cost after the 30% federal tax credit, and a month-by-month graph that compared his expected usage with projected solar generation. From there Stacy took over and kept him updated at every step while California Solar handled the PG&E application, pulled permits, drafted a panel layout for his approval, and scheduled the final county inspection. The installers arrived courteous and professional, worked cleanly, and tidied the site each day. The takeaway: precise, transparent planning (that monthly usage vs. generation graph) paired with attentive project management — plus the unexpected personal touch of flowers — made the experience stand out.