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Chico Solar Works reviews
• updated MAR 3, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
Chico Solar Works can handle the installation fine, but their follow-up feels like a coin flip. One reviewer paid $30,000 for solar and a generator that never worked right, left three unreturned messages for the owner, then got hung up on by office staff when she complained. Another waited seven months for repairs on a downed system without compensation. We found 16 reviews praising post-sale support and 8 flagging issues, a split that suggests inconsistency rather than a reliable track record. On workmanship, the company scores solidly: 28 reviews mention clean install crews, timely activation, and careful roof work (they even matched adobe texture when cutting in a new breaker box). The trouble surfaces when something breaks. Enphase monitoring glitches took weeks to acknowledge and a month to fix, despite being 'rather common' per the manufacturer. If you want fast panels on your roof and hope nothing goes sideways, Chico Solar Works delivers. If you need confidence that a problem will get solved without a fight, the pattern is shakier.
If you're weighing Chico Solar Works, know that installation quality is strong but post-sale responsiveness varies. Consider how much risk you're comfortable with if your inverter goes dark or your monitoring app lies to you for a month.
3 Stories That Stood Out
Olivia discovered in an October update that the generator on her home had been installed without permits and by unlicensed electricians. She had paid more than $30,000 for a combined solar-and-generator package; the solar system, installed almost a year earlier, worked fine, but the generator installed in December never operated correctly. The unit refused to auto-start during outages, the battery frequently needed a jump, and during one blackout she went three days without backup power. Jody initially responded kindly—sending techs and asking her to give the company another chance—but the problems persisted and, since June, she has been asking for the generator returned and a full refund. Interactions later soured with a manager identified only as L, who switched tones when told the call was being recorded, accused her of not knowing how to operate the unit, and told her the company doesn’t do returns because “not Walmart or Costco,” then hung up saying it was too early to listen to her. She left three messages for Bill, the owner, and has not received a callback. All she wants now is a refund for the generator so she can hire a reputable company to replace it.
Greg B. picked Chico Solar Works because they could replace his roof through Chico Roofing Company, and he was willing to pay a bit more to have one contractor handle both jobs on his home. The crew finished the solar installation in a couple of days, PG&E signed off within days, and the electrical upgrade to a 200A breaker box ended up looking almost invisible — the installers matched the adobe texture and paint where they cut into the wall. That attention to finish is what stood out most. Two frustrations tempered an otherwise smooth process. He discovered the monitoring app was reporting "Consumed" energy incorrectly by including produced power, so his consumed numbers rose with panel output. Enphase confirmed this can happen, but it took a few weeks of back-and-forth (including Greg contacting Enphase himself) before Chico Solar acknowledged the problem, and about another month to fully resolve it. He found it disappointing that the installation team didn’t recognize the issue even after he described the behavior. The other concern: at least one panel has a couple-inch scratch. For now it doesn’t affect performance, but Greg worries it could cause early failure; he hasn’t (
Glenn C. walked into solar expecting a roof-mounted system (installed March 2016) that would wipe out his PG&E bill, but the experience turned into a string of missed promises and unresolved payments. In 2019–2020 his system sat offline for seven months; technicians showed up three times, never spoke with him, and left only door hangers to note their visits. No compensation followed for that long outage. The system itself ended up undersized on purpose: the company designed it to meet about 80% of his needs rather than the full offset he expected, so he ended up with fewer panels than he would have purchased to zero his bill. The shortfall shows up every year — his annual true-up has been running about $3,500. On top of performance issues, the finances never got straightened out. He financed the system for $39,000 plus a $500 add-on he agreed to so two sales reps would split it, paying $39,500 with the expectation the company would refund the difference if the HERO program paid off. Since his one-year anniversary in 2017 he says the company still owes him roughly $12,000, even though the county refunded around $3,000 in HERO set-up fees. He started the process trusting the on
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 75
No Red Flags
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 12 years
Operating longer than most installers in the market.
BBB Rating
Not BBB rated.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
What You Can Expect
Joe had his roof replaced, and from the tear-off through the laying of the new roof a professional, efficient crew handled every phase. He discovered a sales team that stood out for its flexibility — willing to negotiate and work with him in ways larger, out-of-area roofing firms would not. Between the competent on-site crew and a sales process that adapted to his needs, the project moved smoothly, and he ended up with a solid new roof and a deal that fit his situation.
Susie bought her house new 35 years ago, and after an especially rainy year leaks started showing up in the old composite-tile roof. The tiles had been set too close together, drainage was poor, and moss had taken hold, so she reached out to Chico Roofing for a full replacement. Chico offered fair pricing and sent a crew led by foreman Jesse. They repaired the worst areas, replaced the roof, and treated the drainage and moss problems so the leaks stopped and water damage is no longer a concern. The crew worked politely and considerately, kept the site clean, and hauled everything away at the end of each day. Communication stayed straightforward throughout — Chico answered questions before, during, and after installation. The result is a roof she calls the most beautiful on her street; she walks daily and enjoys checking roofs, and now she takes particular pride in seeing hers.
Michael arranged a large solar install with Solar Works and, once the system was in place, discovered he couldn't get anyone to call him back. He kept reaching out for ongoing service but the account went unserviced and his attempts were met with silence. He left the project with frustration over responsiveness — for him, “poor customer service” doesn't come close to describing the experience.
Shanta had a solar system installed in 2017 and initially enjoyed a smooth installation and startup. Years later she ran into persistent inverter communication problems and found herself bounced back and forth between the original installer and SolarEdge without a clear fix. She also encountered an office employee named Rhi who behaved unprofessionally—snickering, raising her voice and ultimately hanging up during a call about the ongoing issue. What stands out is not the installation itself, which went well, but the current combination of unresolved inverter faults and dismissive frontline customer service that left her frustrated and still waiting for a solution.
Steven Cushing hired Chico Solar Works to put solar on his home. During the site survey the crew discovered missing shingles and repaired the roof before installing the panels. He ended up with a neat, professional-looking installation and is already seeing lower energy bills. The detail that stood out was that the team handled the unexpected roof repair as part of the job, leaving both a sound roof and immediate utility savings.
Glenn C. walked into solar expecting a roof-mounted system (installed March 2016) that would wipe out his PG&E bill, but the experience turned into a string of missed promises and unresolved payments. In 2019–2020 his system sat offline for seven months; technicians showed up three times, never spoke with him, and left only door hangers to note their visits. No compensation followed for that long outage. The system itself ended up undersized on purpose: the company designed it to meet about 80% of his needs rather than the full offset he expected, so he ended up with fewer panels than he would have purchased to zero his bill. The shortfall shows up every year — his annual true-up has been running about $3,500. On top of performance issues, the finances never got straightened out. He financed the system for $39,000 plus a $500 add-on he agreed to so two sales reps would split it, paying $39,500 with the expectation the company would refund the difference if the HERO program paid off. Since his one-year anniversary in 2017 he says the company still owes him roughly $12,000, even though the county refunded around $3,000 in HERO set-up fees. He started the process trusting the on
Bob E. had a residential solar system installed about three years ago and has watched it run reliably ever since. He noticed his PG&E True-Up bills stayed quite low because the installer sized the system correctly — three years of steady performance with minimal year-end charges.
Linda had a solar system installed on her home just over a year ago and has been pleased with how well it performs. The installation crew sized the array to match her usage, and after twelve months she ended up paying only $120 for electricity. Her single regret is not adding one or two battery packs at the time of installation — the low annual bill proved the system worked, but she would have liked the extra storage from day one.
Erik S ran into trouble during the inspection phase of his solar project. He faced four separate failed inspections — one might be a fluke, he figured, but four felt like a pattern. When he raised the issue, an employee named Bill responded that "mistakes happen," and the company declined to acknowledge a systemic problem. Frustration led him to leave a one-star review. The detail that sticks: four failed inspections met with a dismissive "mistakes happen" reply instead of a real attempt to fix things.
Long-term Satisfaction
Long-term satisfaction for Chico Solar Works drops to 3.2 ★ compared to early reviews. This decline is worse than 75% 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.