Clayco Electric reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
Clayco Electric delivers solid solar installations without drama. We analyzed their track record and found 68 reviewers singled out their project management, more than any other strength. One San Diego homeowner ran quotes from ten companies and eliminated half for missed appointments or pushy lease offers, then chose Clayco because Clay designed the system around existing stone-coated steel roofing and came in thousands under the next bid. The installation crews work fast. A 20-panel system typically goes up in one day, and reviewers mention Andrew, Oscar, and Dan by name for painting conduits to match the house and leaving job sites clean. Clayco handles all permitting and utility paperwork in-house, which 59 reviews flagged as a plus. But post-sale support lags behind their install quality. We found 9 complaints about unresolved warranty claims and communication breakdowns after activation, including one review alleging the owner demanded full payment before commissioning the system. (One reviewer also accused Clay of threatening a lien over a billing dispute, which reads like a soap opera but points to friction when things go sideways.) If you value a tidy install at a fair price and don't expect white-glove follow-up, Clayco fits the bill.
If you need a clean, quick install and can handle occasional bumps in post-sale support, Clayco is a safe bet. If you want a company that will chase down warranty issues as aggressively as they chase permits, keep shopping.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
Alex L. chose Clayco for a home solar installation a year ago and appreciated how thoroughly they managed the project. He watched them handle all the county permitting, carry out a careful installation, and set up wifi monitoring so his family could track the panels’ "real-time production." About a year later he discovered several microinverters were failing; Clayco diagnosed the problem quickly, coordinated with the equipment manufacturer, and arranged replacement microinverters despite covid-related backlogs. They installed the new units promptly and restored system performance and monitoring. What stood out was the hands-on follow-through—Clayco owned the issue from diagnosis through replacement—leaving him satisfied and glad to have supported a local business.
Dan shopped six bids for a 17-panel system for his home in Encinitas — four through EnergySage, one from Tesla, and one from a local referral — and sized the array to meet current and projected use. He narrowed the field on price: Clayco came in lowest at about $15,000, with the next two bids within roughly $100 and Tesla about $3,800 higher for the same system size. He told every installer he wanted the best economic offer and would judge them on value, not just brand. During site visits most contractors inspected the old breaker box and concluded it lacked the capacity to support the planned system. They recommended either cutting the system roughly in half, having a new box installed for $2,000–$3,000, or that he arrange the box replacement himself. Those findings would also, they warned, likely cause SDGE to refuse a permission-to-operate unless the box was upgraded. Clayco took a different tack. Clay, a licensed electrician who did the visit, recognized the 40+-year-old enclosure and pulled a file copy of the missing bus-capacity sticker. He determined the bus capacity actually was adequate, avoiding the costly box swap. To protect himself, Dan asked Clayco to put a firm fix
Bryan H. hired Clayco Electric to install a rooftop solar array and a Tesla Powerwall, and paid $38,744 up front—80% of a roughly $48,430 contract—charged through the supplier. He watched Clayco refuse to activate the system until he handed over the remaining $9,686, even though the job was not complete: the city inspection had passed but the approved engineering plan required a heat/smoke detector that Clayco never installed, and the system was never commissioned. Clayton, the owner, sent a wireless sensor bought from Amazon that didn’t meet the plan and then avoided installing a compliant detector, leaving a safety gap in place. Bryan ended up rewiring the rapid-shutdown connection to the correct Powerwall and commissioning the system himself; Clayco only returned weeks later to swap a faulty switch. Meanwhile they tracked mud into his garage and onto his brand-new roof and never cleaned it, mounted the Powerwalls directly on the garage floor without his permission (forcing him to repair drywall and reinstall baseboards at his own cost), and left the array offline for weeks while demanding final payment—resulting in roughly $2,000 in extra electric bills over a month. Clayco even
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What You Can Expect
Maxey shopped several quotes for solar for a very small house and picked Clayco Solar because Clay offered the best price and stayed responsive by email. They chose to replace the roof first — knowing the solar carries a 30-year warranty, Maxey wanted the roof to last as long — and Clay patiently coordinated the contract, system plans, permits and utility approvals so everything was ready the moment the roof was done. Clayco performed all the solar and electrical work in-house (no subcontractors), and Dustin and Sean installed the panels in a single day on October 23, just two days after the roof finished on October 21. Paperwork began in July 2023, TEP flipped permission to operate on November 15, and the household immediately saw electric bills fall from last summer’s $100–$160 range down to roughly $40 or even zero. Maxey opted not to add a battery yet — spare energy is sold back to TEP for credit — and would consider an extra panel and battery later if an electric car shows up. What stands out is how Clay handled the paperwork and approvals up front so the install could happen quickly and the system was producing and cutting bills by mid-November.
T experienced a nearly flawless process from the initial quote through permitting, scheduling and installation of a residential solar system. A year after activation, they found the array operating as designed and the project had unfolded smoothly with no permit or scheduling headaches. The most memorable detail: even on SDG&E — one of the region’s most expensive utilities — the system had already produced a sizable credit heading into winter. The clear takeaway is a trouble-free installation that translated into real, measurable savings on a tough utility bill.
Debbie Van Martin hired Clayco Electric Team (CET) to put solar panels on her home and the crew finished the job in August 2021 — about two months after she signed the contract. CET followed the schedule they laid out, moving smoothly from planning to mobilization, installation, inspection and final commissioning. The AET installation crew kept the work area safe, paid close attention to cleanup, and left the property tidy each day, which she appreciated. When she reached back out in 2023 with questions about system operation, CET returned promptly and delivered knowledgeable, helpful technical support and customer service. Across both the initial install and the later service call, she found the company consistently professional, responsive and timely. The most memorable part of the experience was that the team not only stuck to the original timeline but also stayed available and capable when she needed help two years later.