I'm in the last two days of completing a system here in El Cerrito. I'm a private home inspector and have known Larry for many years in a professional capacity. Reuben is the new person in charge and is already doing an outstanding job. The level of professionalism and care for the client within this institution is extraordinary. We get so used to working with people who are subpar, that when you work with someone who is first rate, especially an ensemble cast like this, it sort of bowls you over. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable and patient and friendly and the job gets done without any unnecessary hitches. Their communication is terrific. The email or text about everything on a regular basis so you're never wondering what's going to happen or when. As a client and a professional, I cannot recommend this company more highly. Matt Cantor ACI CANTOR INSPECTIONS read more

A1 Sun is a true local gem, committed not only to providing excellent project management and customer service, but also to hiring, fairly compensating, and retaining a skilled and dedicated staff in Berkeley. The Giustino family's lifelong passion for solar, including an enthusiasm for education as well as installation, has clearly infused the ongoing enterprise with a cohesive sense of collaboration and commitment. I had a VERY complex design and installation project, requiring careful and consistent long term scheduling and coordination under various tight PGE deadlines. A1 Sun came through with flying colors. Could I have found some fly by night discounter with a lower quote? Possibly, but I would have been nuts to pass up the true value that A1 Sun delivered, and it's a good feeling to support such a dedicated local enterprise. Thanks folks, A+ to A1, and Solar Power to the People! read more

An unusual review... I did NOT do business with A1 Sun. I tried to, but after extensive emails back and forth (which took a lot of their time), they determined that it was much more advantageous economically for me to repair my existing system rather than getting a new one. They even referred me to appropriate repair businesses. What a decent, ethical thing to do. You can be sure that when I do need a new PV system I will be calling A1. read more

Excellent customer service. I had a problem with my solar and their service was outstanding. They went the extra mile to get me back running at full capacity. I would highly recommend this company. Mike read more

Professional and high quality service. Couldn't be happier with the install and setup.

We recently completed a solar + battery installation with A1 Sun and are very happy, both with the process and the result. They were able to jump in on short notice and install footings as our new roof was installed as part of a larger project, after our discussions with a previous contractor fell through. They also coordinated timing with us such that we could get the most recent generation of Enphase battery and meter collar installed, which helps future proof our system, and results in fewer moving parts overall for increased reliability. They were professional and clear communicators throughout - I recommend A1 Sun without hesitation. read more

They communicated with us clearly and frequently during the entire process. They began with a detailed analysis of our needs, and calculations of the solar potential of various parts of our roof. We had to wait several months for the installation, but they had clearly informed us about the waiting time when we signed the contract. The installation took two days, as they said it would, and it went very well. They have been professional, transparent, and responsive every step of the way. Our neighbors recommended them, and I would enthusiastically recommend them to anyone else in the neighborhood. read more

I have recently completed installation of solar panels with battery backup by A1 Sun. They have been extremely responsive and professional at all points along the journey, and I could not be more pleased with the work that has been done. Everyone from A1 Sun I dealt with was personable, professional, knowledgeable, and responsible. This company clearly takes pride in the work that they do. read more

We wanted a solar electric system that was future-ready, with enough power to start making our home fossil-fuel-free, and A1 Sun delivered. They were very informative in the assessment/proposal phase, and mindful of details in the installation phase. Their rates were competitive. We were also installing a new roof and they seamlessly coordinated with the roofing company. Their designer was able to work around some challenging roof geometry to give us the system size we wanted, and it is producing like gangbusters. The Enphase Enlighten app (when consumption monitoring equipment is installed) will produce data on electrical production, consumption, importing from and exporting to PG&E. It was a great experience from beginning to end, and we highly recommend their services. read more

A1 Sun - The bulk of the installation, with a change in orientation on the right to work around roof geometry. - Solar Installation Near Me - Berkeley, California

I wish I could give more than five stars. A1 Sun and crew went above and beyond to bring my solar power project over the finish line. I contracted with a terrible solar company first who went bankrupt after stealing money from clients for unfinished and ill baked projects including mine. Despite the complexity of my half baked solar project, they didn't decline my request for help. They demonstrated awesome creativity to make use of the footings installed by my previous contractor. They painstakingly managed comms with PGE. When they said I was covered, they meant it and walked the talk. I wish I had worked with them from the beginning. If you are wondering which solar power installer, I can guarantee that they are the best hands down. read more

A1 Sun just finished the installation of my solar system--9 panels and 3 batteries. I was in a rush last year to put a new roof on my house and A1 Sun worked with my roofer to get the solar system mounts/brackets installed before the new roof went down. That was VERY important to me. Then they finished up the rest of the system as soon as they could, which was this summer. They took care of dealing with my county building and fire department for all permits (my batteries are mounted outside so it was not a typical design). The entire crew is very professional and everything went smoothly. I couldn't be happier with my system. read more

A1 Sun was fantastic. Everybody who interacted with us was patient and kind. They helped us coordinate the work with a roofer, which we really appreciated. The new system is working better than we expected. The Enphase app seems superior to others. Our electrician told us that he never sees any problems when A1 Sun does the installation. Because of the high quality of their work, they are more likely than other companies to be around if we need help in the future. read more

The company itself, A1, and the individuals in it are great people to work with, very helpful and professional. However, they are associated with Enphase who provides them with equipment and the software that runs the system. The hardware is fine, the software is awful. They are trying to implement AI and they are not succeeding, to the detriment of A1 customers. The software is so bad that its costing customers lots of money by routing power to PGE when it's cheap and getting power from PGE when it's very expensive, the reverse of what they should be doing. You would be better served is you looked elsewhere. read more

Had an excellent experience getting our small 13-panel system approved by the NEM 2 deadline in 2023, and installation was on-time and flawless. The cost fell in the middle of several quotes we got. Even though it cost a little more than a national, bigger company, we are very happy we went with a local business because their customer service is worth paying more for. A1 Sun's staff were very responsive and the foreman and installation crew put us completely at ease. The only snafu was at the end with a payment / administrative mix up. Customers have to always pay attention to the details. read more

A1 SUN WAS FANTASTIC. We have done many projects on our house, from small repairs, to a full kitchen remodel, and the experience we had with A1 Sun was the best by far. The entire process, from the initial estimate, to the final inspection were smooth. One of the biggest downfalls of any house project (in my experience) is communication. Not so with A1 Sun. We knew exactly what was going to happen, when it would happen, and who would be at our house. On top of it all, our system was installed and running BEFORE the original install date. When has that ever happened? Another important consideration - we used a local, well established company, so our money supports our community, not a large retail brand. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A SOLAR ENERGY INSTALLATION, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY CONTACT A1 SUN. read more

Can't say enough about these guys at A1Sun! I did my homework and narrowed it down to a few companies. I decided to go with A1Sun at the end because they were the most recommended by my neighbors, courteous and professional company I have ever dealt with. My main contacts were Ed and Anthony (with a shout out to Nick and Larry). They were happy to answer the many questions I had and never seemed annoyed. They did an assessment and made a strategic recommendation for my home. They also pulled all my permits, PG&E stuff, and simply took care of everything! In the end, I'm saving a significant amount of money on my energy costs! Also, did I mention that the entire process (from the first call to finished was in less than a month! Thank you A1Sun for taking great care of me! I would give more than 5 stars if possible. read more

A1 Sun - Solar Installation Near Me - Berkeley, California

Left multiple phone messages trying to arrange solar panel and backup battery installation. They never called back.

Anthony at A1 Sun helped me out big time. I had solar panels and backup batteries installed by another company, but they suddenly went out of business and left me hanging. Anthony agreed that A1 Sun would take over the maintenance of my system and was also very helpful explaining the PG&E rebate process with me. I regret not having them install my system in the first place! What a great company! read more

We couldn't have been happier working with A1 Sun to design and install a solar plus battery storage system. Everything about the experience was phenomenal. They were methodic and deliberate during the design process, exploring and iterating on many options before deciding on the system we installed. The solar plus storage system works great and looks amazing. The quality of work and quality of communication made the onsite construction the least stressful home improvement work we've ever done. read more

A1Sun just completed installing a new system on my roof within the past week. Working with them has been a pleasure. They are knowledgeable, thorough, polite and responsive. They handled all of the necessary permitting and red tape with ease, which was even more complex than it would otherwise be, as it was necessary to upgrade the main electrical panel at the same time. It was not a quick or simple process to get all of the entities together to make this happen, but it is finished and we are beyond delighted to be moving further away from dependence on PG&E. Working with a local company on this project has been lovely; I feel certain we would not have received the same level of personalized care from a larger solar installation entity. Great thanks to Larry, Kathleen, Ed, Keli, Anthony and everyone who helped make this happen for us! read more

Excellent analysis, design, installation, responsiveness, and follow-through on our large (9.6 kw) PV and battery system. Well done.

It's been almost a year since we had this excellent company add 14 panels on our roof. We are a retired couple with a 2700 sqft home. Kids are grown. For our use according to PGE we needed fewer than 14 panels, but since I felt very confident in this company's integrity and workmanship, I requested additional panels that would serve a larger family when we sold this house. The panels work well as far as I can tell. No issues. The company was very efficient. They definitely knew what they were doing, and installed this beautiful system on my house. I had needed a new roof, so they recommended Lovett and Lovett Roofing to do the job, as it would be well coordinated. And it was! Communication was excellent. They kept me informed, explained the details in non-technical jargon, and displayed a good work ethic. In a couple of weeks I had a new roof and a beautiful set of panels. Their price was very reasonable. I had done mounds and mounds of research with other companies. There was one other excellent company, but it was a bit pricier, so I decided to go with A-1. We are extremely satisfied. Thank you A-1 read more

I'm again trying to resolve the same problem I've had for a couple of years. At first A1 Sun was more responsive than the last time and it looked like the problem was on its way to being resolved. But once again we've returned to the problem of non-response. Overall: Good installation but poor follow-through on service going forward. Update: They finally came out to fix the problem after I made some negative comments on Yelp. Hurray for the power of Yelp! I hope they'll make some communication improvements to help serve customers better going forward. Update #2: My wife said that when they finally got on the job to take care of the problem, they arrived quickly and took care of the work very well and were very nice and even taught me some things about electrical work, that they deserve 4 stars. read more

So, how do I rate a contractor? (1) Communication. From telling me what's being done to why to when it's being done, I want someone who will communicate with me. I have NEVER worked with a company more communicative than A1 Sun. I knew when they were coming, what they were doing, how long they were going to be there, and so forth. If I had a question, I emailed them and had a response within HOURS, not days. They were truly an amazing group to work with. (2) Quality of work. I work from home, so I get to watch the work from start to finish and yes, I pay attention. They did excellent work throughout. (3) Quality of workers. The people who came to work on my house were uniformly wonderful, up to and including knocking on my door to suggest that I bring my "little ones" (cats) inside just in case anything fell off the roof (nothing ever did). They were conscientious. They were friendly. I honestly enjoyed having them around. How often can you say that about the workers at your house? (4) Clarity of the bill. I got an itemized bill before the project started. I was warned of one cost overrun because of dry rot in my roof. I paid EXACTLY the estimated amount, plus EXACTLY the overrun estimate. Nothing like knowing exactly what you're paying. (5) Ease. They showed up. They did everything. They even handled the PG&E paperwork. I signed one e-Document and now I have solar power. Couldn't have been easier! In short, they were fast, they were friendly, they told me exactly how much it would be up front, and they did quality work. I cannot imagine hiring any other solar company after having worked with them. read more

I have a lot of experience with this company dating back over a decade: they put in my uncle's solar system, my mom's system, and my mom's best friend's system. Then they upgraded my mom's system and we got our own system put in at our house in 2009. All of those experiences were excellent. We then had them out to upgrade our panels in late 2019 and install a complex batter backup system. Late last year there was a PG&E power surge that wiped out the battery backup system's motherboard. A1 replaced it promptly and at no charge. While onsite to do that warranty service, they noticed 6 of our panels had heat damage on their undersides. They worked with the panel vendor, LG, to secure replacement panels and swapped those in for the bad panels, again at no cost to us. I really appreciated how A1 had our back and stood by their products and installation and got us fully operational promptly. read more

We had been contemplating solar for several years but I had been overwhelmed by the information out there. Do you lease or buy? Types of solar panels? Which company provides the best service? Finally, I found numerous recommendations for A1 Sun through Next-door. I am so thankful for these recommendations. From the estimate to the completion of the project, Joel and his team made the process so easy for me. They kept me updated on the progress of the project such as the design based on our electricity usage, the timeline for the installation, and every step in between. Furthermore, their team handled all of the paperwork, including the permit and final inspection from the City of El Cerrito. Anthony helped me so much with getting the PG&E rebate for the backup battery. I appreciate all of the people who helped to make this project as painless for me as possible. If I could rate them more than 5 stars, I would. read more

Today, the A1 Sun team just completed the work on my 8.2KW DC system on my roof. this was a very steep roof with a 50 degree angle where we had 14 panels and another 14 panels on a 30 degree angle above my garage. Larry, Ben, Keli, Max, Mike & Reggie did an excellent job. they paid attention to the fine details, took their time to make sure they were safe and did an outstanding job. This inlcudes processing the city permit and the rebate program along with inspector sign-off. I am very happy with their work and I strongly recommend A1 Sun if you are considering solar panels. In addition to the great on site work, they gave us a very competitive bid. I received a total of 3 quotes and their price was close to another company but seemed very honest in their commitment. I trusted Larry with our solar system and they delivered excellent work. I have been tracking our solar production and so far, our 2 way meter shows we are producing more than our usage. we did this by design since we accounted to purchase an electrical vehicle within 2 years. Overall, no more electric bills and soon no more gasoline vehicle. This is awesome and it's worth the investment!!!! read more

I just had a giant solar electric system installed on top of my 100+ year old house in Berkeley. Larry worked with us to address the challenges of mounting such a large system on such an old house--the solutions he came up with were rational and cost effective. A1 handled all the paperwork, permits, and PG&E interconnection very efficiently. Also, when there was a price drop in components after we had accepted the bid, savings were passed on to us. VERY impressive. The crew was friendly, considerate and fast. We are very happy with the results. read more

The A1 Sun team did a wonderful job on our solar install. I was worried about our older roof, but it was no problem for them. They are highly professional AND considerate. Great communication, handled everything, I'm delighted with the outcome. read more

When we decided to get solar panels on our Berkeley home, we talked to a few folks, but a-1 impressed us with their friendly and knowledgeable service, walking us through every step of the process helpfully. They coordinated everything with the roofers that we had at the same time and we ended up with electric power flowing from the sun after only a week of their work. Their crew was friendly and passionate about solar, a fun group to have working on an ecologically minded project. read more

Excellent work and amazing customer support from everyone at A1 Sun! We shopped around (a lot), did our research (a lot), talked to references and A1 Sun was the clear top choice! They worked with us very closely to design the best placement of the panels, used the most advanced equipment, and responded quickly to questions and changes. The installation crew was so polite and efficient and explained the job clearly. Recently, we were hit by PG&E's planned power outage, which caused some irregular reporting but A1 Sun's follow up support was excellent. It was definitely a pleasure working with A1 Sun! read more

A1 Sun, is the OG of solar panels! A North Berkeley mom-and-pop shop; they've been around longer than all the big conglomerates. You can't go more green than using a local company. I send referrals to Larry and he gets in touch with them within minutes. He knows what he's talking about. I've referred several of my interior design clients to him; and A1 Sun did the solar panels install on the roof of the building that houses my firm's interior design office, the White Building, which was built in 1924 and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places: http://oaklandwhitebuilding.com/restoration.html read more

From beginning to end (we just started producing power two weeks ago), dealing with A1 Sun has been a pleasure. The are very knowledgable about solar installations, what's available, how to evaluate it. They worked with us through a number of possible configurations, improving the design as they went along, and ending up with something that does a good job of giving us (and PG&E) power in a way that satisfies the realities of the location and the requirements of the regulations. As for installation, friendly competent young people, great workmanship, steady hard work, and a illingness to work around our sometimes-awkward schedule (we work at home and at times need quiet.) A joy to work with. read more

If it wasn't cool enough that my electric meter runs backwards AND that I got a huge credit from PG&E (I did not have to complete a single form) AND I will be getting a huge credit from the IRS AND my electric bill was ZERO last month AND I feel all warm and fuzzy about my contribution to the environment AND my neighbors are all envious....Larry, Ben and John at A1 Sun are consumate professionals who got the job done on budget, ahead of schedule, were neat and clean and just a pleasure to work with; the kind of firm I whole heartedly recommend. read more

A1 Sun helped us to get permitted on work that had been done by a previous owner of our home. They were very helpful in walking us through the permitting process and very nice about scheduling as well as making sure we understood every step of the process. They also seem to have a good relationship with city inspectors, got appointments quickly, and helped us to understand the extra work we had to have done to come up to current code. We are now happily operating a permitted solar system! It's a very cloudy day, but it is so cool to see our production. Thanks, A1 Sun for all the help! read more

A friend recommended A1 to us. We were tremendously impressed with their thorough analysis of our situation, and with their willingness to answer our many questions about the system and its financial implications for the future. After comparing their bid with that of a large national company, we decided to go with A1. The crew was superb, the installation and inspection went smoothly, and we couldn't be more pleased. A1 is a local company, and we're confident that if we should need them in the future their follow-up will be as terrific as their attention to detail has been throughout this process. We heartily recommend A1 to anyone thinking of installing solar! read more

Great job by a great team. I have a standing seam metal roof and was looking for a contractor familiar with this type of installation. Even though it should be a much easier and less labor-intensive installation than an asphalt shingle roof, other contractors had actually had higher than normal bids since they weren't knowledgeable about and geared up for this type of installation. Thankfully A1 was and I got a superlative system (Sunpower) at a great price. Excellent meticulous and considerate installation by Nick and crew. Feel lucky to have found them. read more

A1 just completed installed photovoltaic system on our house. I was very impressed with their professionalism, promptness and thoroughness. I started by getting bids from 5 different companies and I was inclined to dismiss A1 because they were smallish and their sales pitch wasn't quite as slick as some of the others. Their bid was the lowest but I was primarily concerned about quality. As I began to evaluate the bids I found was that there were pieces to the the permitting process the others hadn't included. The house was built in 1902 and required some structural work in order for the roof to support the panels. A1 walked me through the entire permitting process, explaining what needed to be done at each step, from permitting to collection of my rebates. Then they proceeded to handle the entire process for me. Their crew was great! They showed up on time, were courteous and quick. My General Contractor commented that they knew what they were doing and the quality of the work was first class. I was particularly impressed with their follow through on all of the paperwork, I didn't have to do a thing. They did the work they promised, and more. Their price turned out to be the lowest. Great integrity and it was a pleasure working with these guys, truly outstanding! Love those electric bills! read more

We just had a solar system installed by A1 for our home on the coast. This was an especially tricky installation because our house is surrounded by trees and the actual installation would be installed on a vacant lot next door with a long run to our meter. Also, to get to the site requires ascending a very steep hill with considerable amounts of poison oak pretty much everywhere. We contracted with the builder of our home to build a custom frame for the panels and racks, and to lay the conduit to the solar site. Due to the complexity of our situation, we had five companies come out to our site. Some were quite good to deal with (e.g., Luminalt; Sun, Light, and Power) and some were less good to deal with, but we found A1 to be the best for our particular situation because: 1. Larry (the proprietor) was the most concerned with designing a system that would not only meet our energy needs, but that would also not cost us an arm and a leg and also would aesthetically blend in with our home and the area around our home. Our sense of Larry is that he really cares about his customers and about doing the job right. 2. I have some knowledge of solar energy systems, having run my room on solar while I was in high school and being a regular reader of Home Power magazine. Larry was both knowledgeable and patient in answering my endless questions about different panel and inverter types and his answers to my questions were always prompt, clear, and helpful. Additionally, Larry was really good about discouraging me from adding optional gadgets to the system that would make it cost more without really benefitting us, and he always discouraged me in the nicest possible way. :-) 3. A1 was very accommodating regarding ordering and installing the equipment that my wife and I felt would be best for our particular situation (e.g., panels that would perform well in foggy conditions). Moreover, A1 was not only willing to collaborate with our home builder on designing and installing the system, they were even eager to do so, unlike several of the other installers we considered who were either neutral about it or who insisted on bidding for doing everything, including the permitting, which our builder and we wanted our builder to handle. 4. A1's bid was the lowest of those we entertained. Also, when we made our decision to go with A1, the California solar rebate rate was about to drop into a lower tier. Larry and Kathleen worked extremely hard and rapidly, to get our rebate application paperwork completed and submitted in time for us to get the higher rebate rate. 5. A1 is a family-run business. Larry, the owner, has decades of experience in the solar industry. His wife Kathleen works in the office and their son Ben heads up the installation crew, all of whom were super friendly and worked incredibly hard on site to install our system (e.g., 9 AM to 7 PM days). They worked extra hard to get our system to a point where it could be turned on before the weekend so that power could flow back into the grid as soon as possible. As well, we have a special needs dog who barked at them much of the week they were here and Larry, Ben, and the rest of the installation crew were all incredibly patient and friendly with her (and us!). 6. Another Yelp poster remarked on how clean the A1 installation crew left his job site. We had the same experience. In fact, our builder and his crew had kindly left electrical wire and water hoses set up for the A1 team to use when they arrived and so the A1 team reciprocated by disconnecting and coiling up all extension cords and hoses, in addition to the regular clean up at the solar site and inverter installation area. We could hardly tell anyone had been working at either spot! With this company, you get a personalized, caring approach coupled with superior technical know-how without the overhead of dedicated salespeople that you sometimes see with the larger companies. There are a number of merges and acquisitions taking place in the solar installation industry with bigger companies swallowing up smaller ones. In fact, one of the companies we looked at got taken over during the bidding process, which is an unsettling proposition. This trend makes the type of personalized approach that A1 offers all the more important and worth supporting. Finally, my uncle, who was a contractor for over 15 years, and my mom's best friend, who is extremely picky, also had A1 do their solar systems in Berkeley. Both are incredibly happy with A1 and their work. In the case of my mom's best friend's set up, she decided after the installation was done that the conduit run across her carport was too visible and too reflective, so A1 came back and moved the conduit and painted it to match the color of her carport, all at no charge. I recommend this company with highest enthusiasm! read more

We used A1 Sun to install our solar panel system in Kensington (north Berkeley hills). We had solicited 3 bids and A1 Sun not only had the lowest bid but they were extremely open and honest about what could be done in our situation. Due to a stand od eucalyptus trees on our house's southern exposure, a type of system using microconverters was used to guarantee the best results. The other two companies didn't even suggest this option which leads to a much higher amount of energy being collected. This is a family-owned business led by Larry Giustino. I originally called Larry because of a recommendation from a friend in Berkeley who had used A1 Sun and was extremely happy with the result. He not only designed the best possible system for us but was always happy to explain the different options and what could be done to get the most for the money. When the bid was still outside of my financial capability he suggested a different but still extremely reliable manufacturer which made the system totally affordable. Larry worked hard to get us the California rebate before the amount of the rebate was about to shrink in value so the California rebate together with the federal rebate paid for approximately 38% of the total system price. Larry's son Ben leads the installation team and they were extremely polite, friendly, and hard workers. They even took time out to always greet my barking dogs and give them a nice back scratch to boot. They worked long days and always cleaned up after themselves. They even made a last-minute change to the design so that the panels would be more aesthetically pleasing, at no additional charge. I can't recommend A1 Sun with any more enthusiasm. Everything they did was prompt, efficient, professional, and friendly. If you don't get an estimate from A1 Sun, you are missing out on a great company! read more