Excite Energy reviews

Paul Coble spent two years weighing solar options and worked with Heath Kerin and Excite Energy throughout that stretch; Heath stayed patient, answered questions, and never leaned on him to decide. He moved forward with a system for his ranch-style home, and the install finished a month ahead of schedule — the crew was pleasant to have around and the work was tidy. The most striking moment came when Pacific Gas & Electric experienced an outage: the array and batteries switched to backup power in about three seconds, keeping the house running without fuss. Over the two years since activation (noted 9/18/24), the system has produced 28.9 MWh total — roughly 14 MWh per year — and this year has exported 7.5 MWh to the grid while importing 5.5 MWh, so the household is a net exporter. PGE’s efficiency benchmark for similar homes is 422 units for the same period; Paul’s usage was just 114 units, even though he has been charging an electric vehicle at home for the last ten months. The system has performed flawlessly in daily use, and Paul has consistently recommended Excite Energy to friends who ask about going solar.

Doug B. came back to Excite Energy (aka Solar Norcal) for a second 15 kW system with battery within three years — and the reasons are unmistakable. He shopped seven local solar vendors in 2019, including Tesla, and picked Heath and Vince because they delivered the lowest price, top-tier workmanship, and had the first system up and running in under a month. That roof-mounted array kept the lights on through PG&E outages for about 2.5 years and cut his monthly bill from roughly $300 to about $10. Customer support stayed top-notch throughout. Today the new ground-mounted system began making power — about 14 kW at startup — and he noticed the equipment and overall build are a step up from the first install because Excite is using newer, more reliable components. He called Heath a wizard for handling special requirements, praised the installation crew as terrific, and collected a 24% federal tax credit on the project. The standout: after two full installs and sustained outage protection, he’s watching 14 kW come online from a ground-mounted setup and already plans to buy stock if the company ever goes public.

In 2018 Carlos Jamis set out to install a ground-mounted PV array in his backyard and contacted six companies. Several firms pushed roof-only installs and one declared a ground mount impossible, but two competitors and Solar NorCal offered bids. He chose Solar NorCal because their proposal used higher-quality components with better specs and longer warranties, and because Heath made himself readily available to walk through options and committed to finishing before year-end so they could capture the larger 2018 rebates. The crew completed the ground installation on schedule and the system has performed to its ratings. When a SolarEdge inverter failed recently, he alerted Heath and the still-in-warranty unit was swapped out by the team without hassle. Even three years after installation he still calls Heath with PV questions; Heath consistently answers promptly and takes the time to explain things. What stuck with him was that the company delivered higher-spec equipment, met the rebate-driven deadline, and backed it up with responsive, long-term service.

Shari B. hired the company to fit a solar system and battery and quickly discovered they were very eager to schedule the install and collect payment, but slow to answer follow-up questions or provide promised information. She endured four Teams calls about the project, and on one of those calls the owner never showed up for the training she expected. Over time she learned the crew had admitted to getting so busy they pushed her to the back burner — not the kind of transparency she wanted from a contractor. She also found the battery contract and technology behind the system less up-to-date than alternatives she’s now installing elsewhere. Her practical takeaway: don’t hand over final payment until every training, paperwork item and technology detail is delivered and verified, because the company may become much less responsive once they’ve been paid.

When SV K. discovered the inverter died four years after Solar Norcal put panels on their home, they watched Heath move fast — securing a SolarEdge warranty replacement and installing the new unit within 24 hours of receiving it, with no out‑of‑pocket cost because SolarEdge covered the hardware and Solar Norcal honored a 20‑year labor guarantee. SV had shopped around first, collecting four or five bids; Heath’s price wasn’t the cheapest, but he answered technical questions in depth and demonstrated the confidence that convinced them to choose experience over the lowest bid. The quick, no‑cost repair months later is what really separated the experience from a typical install: prompt local support, a long labor warranty, and a technician who stayed engaged years after the sale. One practical takeaway from SV’s experience is caution about central inverters — they wish they’d known more about SolarEdge failure risks and would consider Enphase microinverters next time so a single inverter fault won’t shut the entire system down.

Grant decided to put solar on his home 2.5 years ago and shopped several contractors from his area and the Bay Area before choosing SolarNorcal. He picked them not because of slick sales tactics but because Heath showed up as an electrical engineer with deep technical knowledge, no pressure, and a string of personal referrals from satisfied neighbors — exactly what they wanted as they worked to reduce dependence on PG&E. Heath’s proposal was competitively priced, communicated clearly throughout the process, and the installation finished on schedule. The system has performed well, and Grant remains just as pleased today as when it was new. What really stood out to them was that other local companies actually contact Heath for help designing their own projects, which underlined that they weren’t just hiring a contractor but an engineer who stands by his work.

Nikki Forbes chose the company for a residential solar installation, and more than a year after the work was finished she remains completely satisfied. She experienced standout customer service at every step — attentive care and clear communication from the owner, through the installers and project manager, to the office staff. The job itself met her expectations, and the team's follow-through left no loose ends. What she remembers most is the consistent, top-to-bottom service: that coordinated, reliable attention from everyone involved.

Erin Andrews had a 20-panel system installed in April 2019, and what stayed with her most happened more than a year later. Fifteen months after the install, Heath discovered the system had stopped reporting, reached out, and helped get it back online within a week — Vince handled the on-site repair and both parts and labor were covered under warranty with no forms or hassle. She found SolarNorcal’s customer service consistently attentive: Heath made time to walk through options and technical details, and returned calls and emails promptly both during the evaluation and after the contract was signed. Their price beat three other companies she contacted — Tesla, Sierra Pacific, and SolarWorks. The installation itself went smoothly: the grid work finished on schedule and the crew kept the site clean, aside from some permit sign-off delays that cropped up. The detail that will stick with her: proactive monitoring and a one-week, no-paperwork warranty fix that took care of everything.

Armando hired SolarNorcal for a 40-panel rooftop system to replace a roughly $5,400 annual PG&E bill (at 2015 rates). He ended up with a setup that produced a several-hundred-dollar credit at the yearly true-up. Over the last five years one optimizer, one panel and one breaker failed, and each time SolarNorcal repaired or replaced the part under warranty without fuss. He found Heath, the owner, pleasant and easy to work with — the standout detail being the big shift from a large annual bill to a credit combined with straightforward, no-hassle warranty support.