The Solar reviews

Margie W. wanted SunPower panels on her home to shave down a $2,400 annual PG&E bill, so Davis Northnagel from The Solar Company came out, walked her through net metering and used modeling tools to design a 16-panel array projected to cut the bill to about $200 a year. Before committing to the layout, the crew put solar photon detectors on the roof and logged a full week of sunlight data; the engineers reviewed those measurements and recommended a small adjustment to the initial plan. Project managers then handled all the permits and paperwork with the city, county and HOA, and the install, which Davis had estimated would take a half day, wrapped up in four hours. The system has worked flawlessly for 18 months with no issues, and what sticks from Margie’s experience is the combination of careful, week-long on-roof measurements followed by a precise, quick installation.

Channa P. moved forward with solar after enduring high electric bills and a first installer who vanished after the initial meeting. She chose The Solar Company and found the whole process startlingly fast: after arranging her own financing she signed the contract and the crew was on her roof just a couple weeks later. The 30-panel system, scheduled for two days, went up in a single day — Kenny and his crew worked like a well-oiled team and cleaned up so thoroughly they left no trace. Although she was told the utility switch could take six weeks, PG&E swapped the meter in about ten days, so the house was running on solar roughly a month from start to finish. Whenever questions came up, Kimmie and Robert answered promptly. Seven months after installation she hosted a neighborhood “solar party” organized by Felicia; Robert showed up to talk with guests and even paid for the catered lunch, which helped neighbors see how the system worked in real life. Doing the project in December also helped — permits moved quickly, TSC wasn’t backed up, and PG&E was available. Now in year two, she’s run the numbers and found that by the end of the first year she had paid about as much to her loan as她

S B. had a solar array finished about 18 months ago on a house that got a new roof less than two years earlier—after the roof had been tested in rain and with hoses and showed no leaks. Soon after the crew mounted the racks, a leak turned up right at the roof penetration for the rack. The installer offered to send someone but warned that if their tech determined the leak wasn’t their fault, the homeowner would face a service charge of several hundred dollars. Frustrated, they ended up sealing the spot themselves with Henry’s roof patch. The panels otherwise work fine and have lowered energy bills, but the lasting memory is the company’s after‑service stance: buyers who purchase systems (not leases) should read the contract closely and verify who covers roof penetrations and potential service‑call fees before committing.

Jim C. hired "The Solar Company" in September 2014 to install a SolarEdge system on his home, and the original installation went smoothly. When he later needed service, he discovered the company appears to be out of business and stopped returning calls. SolarEdge first steered him to SunPower, and SunPower in turn referred him to SkyPower in San Ramon. SkyPower handled the service work quickly and competently, and he walked away impressed enough to use SkyPower for any future service needs. The standout detail: a tidy installation in 2014 was undermined by an unreachable installer, and a local specialist (SkyPower) ultimately rescued the situation.

Smokey H. installed solar in July 2015 on a carefully restored, circa‑1887 Queen Anne Victorian and discovered the first-year PG&E true-up amounted to just $89. They had been paying $150–$380+ a month for all‑electric service before the switch, and now make a $129 monthly solar payment instead. Choosing The Solar Company came down to strong endorsements from the California Dept. of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau, plus friends who'd had panels put on seven years earlier and remained happy. Gretchen, Heather, Scott and the rest of the team oversaw everything — securing the city permit, protecting the historic roof during installation, and literally flipping the switch — handling the project in a thorough, timely and respectful way. Since the install, Gretchen or Heather check in every couple of months to see how things are going; there have been no problems. SunPower’s monitoring lets them click to see real‑time production, dollar and carbon savings, and a breakdown of usage. The lesson that stayed with them: avoid jack‑of‑all trades contractors and pick a company that specializes in solar — in their case, The Solar Company — plus the ongoing follow‑ups and easy‑to‑g

Mike L. had solar installed on his home in 2015 and everything seemed fine until the crew swapped his main electrical panel. When the electrician removed the old, labeled panel and fitted the new one, he only labeled the three circuits that feed the solar array and left every other lighting and power circuit unlabeled. Because the installer had the old panel in hand, Mike expected the contractor to transfer labels as each circuit was pulled and landed; instead he ended up with a panel that requires a separate electrician to trace every circuit. That tracing is now a sizable, avoidable out-of-pocket expense and the reason he judges the electrician’s workmanship as unreliable. The detail that stands out: the installer had the original labeled panel but still didn’t relabel the house circuits, so buyers should confirm labeling is done at the time of installation to avoid paying to have circuits traced later.

Bobby S. hired the company for a residential solar install and ended up calling almost daily through a drawn-out, problem-filled startup. He pushed until they finished the work, and their post-install follow-up was decent — he got a few performance check-in calls — but the install itself felt like “pulling teeth,” with one excuse after another as issues cropped up. The system turned out undersized for his actual usage, though he had agreed to the contracted size; months later he discovered he needed more panels and asked how many could be added to the existing inverter and wiring and what that would cost. The company quoted the same per‑watt price as the original full install, even though only panels needed installing, so he opted to keep buying power from PG&E rather than pay again. A couple of years on, he learned his father was dealing with the same company — a coincidence that solidified his frustration and worries about warranty coverage. The clearest takeaway: the crew completed the job and checked in afterward, but the bumpy installation, repeat excuses, and steep add-on pricing left him unwilling to expand the system with them.

Andy inherited a 44-panel solar system that the previous owner had installed through the company. When one of the main electrical boxes stopped working, he discovered the installer was unreachable—calls and messages went unanswered—and he now believes the company has gone out of business. The striking takeaway: the full array still sits on the roof, but a failed main box and no service contact have left him without a way to get the system repaired.

Gail S. loved the solar system itself and the installation crew, who left the panels looking and performing great. What soured the experience came after the sale: the company's salesman, Richard, promised to give her $500 out of a $1,000 sales bonus and their friend who referred them would receive $1,000. The $500 never arrived — Richard left the company and, according to Gail, their names never got recorded — and despite monthly reminders the referral payment for their friend never showed up. When a problem popped up on a Saturday, she began calling every number she could find for the company and hit nothing but disconnected or busy lines, leading her to conclude the company might have folded. No advance notice or handoff to another service contact came through, which added to the disappointment. The clear takeaway for buyers: the installation crew did an excellent job, but get any bonus or referral promises in writing and secure a contingency contact for service, because Gail ended up with a well-installed system and no company to call when something went wrong.