CleanFactor Energy reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
CleanFactor Energy is not worth your time or money. The owner stops returning calls once you send a deposit, leaving projects incomplete and permits unfiled for months. One reviewer in Redwood City waited six months and eventually discovered the company never even submitted permit paperwork despite repeated assurances that approval was imminent. Another had panels installed but never connected to the grid, watching them sit useless on the roof for months while Phil Mickelson ignored their emails. Nine separate reviews document the same pattern: fast talk up front, then radio silence after you pay. The company scored just 3.0 for post-sale support, with nine negative mentions outweighing the nine positive ones. It also logged 3.6 for value, with eight reviewers specifically flagging wasted deposits and incomplete work. Earlier reviews from 2013 through 2017 praised Phil's consultative approach and efficient installs, some completed in under two weeks. But something shifted dramatically in 2020. The recent track record shows a one-person operation that overpromises and underdelivers, leaving homeowners chasing refunds and scrambling to find new contractors mid-project.
If you're willing to bet thousands of dollars that this time will be different, go ahead. But nine recent reviewers learned the hard way that CleanFactor takes your deposit, goes silent, and leaves you with nothing but regret. Find a company with a working support infrastructure.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
pitoz found Phil great to work with, but the project never reached completion. After the crew installed the equipment, they spent months making repeated calls to get utility service connected and saw no progress. In the end they were left with panels in place but no active system months after installation — a case of good on-site interaction without the follow-through needed to make the system operational.
Fred watched Phil install solar panels on his home and get the system through inspection quickly. Months later he discovered the array still wasn’t hooked up to PG&E and the SFGoSolar rebates Phil promised never materialized, so the system delivered no real benefit. He called and emailed repeatedly; Phil kept assuring him he would handle the utility connection and rebate paperwork but failed to follow through, and eventually stopped answering calls. Fred felt repeatedly lied to after years of dealing with contractors and ended up with panels on the roof that weren’t supplying power or enrolled for the promised rebates — a clear reminder to verify that the installer completes the PG&E interconnection and rebate filings before assuming the job is done.
Bill hired CleanFactor Energy to install a $15,000+ system through San Francisco’s GoSolarSF program after finding the company on the authorized list. Philip Mickelson (Phil) showed up the next day, conducted a careful site visit and answered every question, which made the project feel promising — until Bill handed over a $1,000 deposit. After that, contact evaporated: Phil became difficult to reach and only replied every couple of weeks, often with assurances that turned out not to be true. The design and permitting phase was supposed to take about four weeks; eight weeks in Bill discovered there were no plans and no permit application. A call to the Department of Building Inspection confirmed there was no record of any filing. Bill gave Phil another four weeks to fix it, but Phil never filed the permit. What had been pitched as a six-week job stretched into months; six months later Bill was still chasing a refund and any real progress. Older reviews pointed to problems going back to 2020, and the most recent ones echoed the same pattern. The takeaway that lingered for Bill was stark and practical: a one-person contractor offering a long warranty but failing to file permits left a
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 65
Clean Record
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 15 years
Among the longest-standing installers in the market.
BBB Rating
Not BBB rated.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
Contractor License
License information could not be confirmed.
What You Can Expect
Bill K. had a 7.5 kW system put on his Redwood City home in August 2014 by Phil Mickelson and the CleanFactor crew, and he discovered it nearly matched expectations: during the first 12 full months the array produced about 98.3% of the designed maximum. Because it was a drought year with less cloud cover than usual, that translated to him being able to use roughly $140 more electricity before owing anything to PG&E — essentially a nearly perfect balance between production and his household consumption. The installation felt hands-on and professional from the start. Phil showed up in person two days after the first phone call, they worked through the proposal over a couple of days, and the crew completed the bulk of the roof work in two long days with a short follow-up on the morning of day three. CleanFactor handled all PG&E paperwork and remote signatures, and the building inspector complimented the quality of the work. A small snag taught a practical lesson: the inspector had suggested applying silicone to screw heads in some existing flashing, Bill procrastinated on that, and after one heavy rain he got a leak — it turned out to be the exact flashing the inspector had pointed‑
Edward O. discovered that his residential solar system, installed by CleanFactor Energy, carried a written 10-year installation and service warranty — but the moment he needed help that warranty became useless. When the inverter stopped communicating with the monitoring app, he reached out for service and ran into silence: the company website was gone, Phil the owner didn’t return calls, and no one answered. Left with a nonworking inverter still under warranty, he ended up hiring another contractor and paying out of pocket to get the equipment serviced. The image that sticks is a signed warranty on paper and no company left to honor it.
After months of comparing bids in 2020, Barry W. chose CleanFactor Energy to install a 5.25 kWh rooftop solar system on his Bay Area home. He connected with Phil, whose patience and willingness to spend hours on the phone answering every nagging question became the standout part of the process; Phil also stepped in to smooth coordination problems when the roofers messed up communication so the project still finished on schedule. CleanFactor offered a lot of customization, and Barry ended up with LG panels and Enphase microinverters. Roughly eight months after installation the system has been producing well and price came in better than most competitors he’d considered. His one lingering concern: he tried contacting Phil a couple of times about adding a battery and didn’t get a response—likely a result of high demand and expiring federal tax incentives, but enough to make him worry about responsiveness if a real problem arose. Overall, the defining detail for him was the consultant’s hands-on attention and the company’s ability to navigate contractor hiccups to deliver a well-performing system.