It's done! For us , it had been a little longer project than…read moreanticipated based on our home. But it's done! Thank you to Dan Moran, our project manager, who was always available whenever I called with answers or solutions. Dan has a very calm demeanor and an easy flow in explaining different processes and how the system and the app work. I really appreciated Juan Carlos, our electrician. In addition to upgrading our panel, he had to do a couple of hole patches in our wood siding , which is out of his general scope of work , but did a nice job at it. Juan was very thorough and I appreciated his cleanup when he was done.There was no scraps of wire, electric tape, nothing left on the ground, which was very much appreciated. And as a side note, there are four houses on our street who have used Northern Pacific Power for their solar needs. Which I would think in itself, is a pretty good recommendation.

Five stars for the installation -- outstanding project manager and crew: responsive, punctual,…read moreprofessional, top-quality work. One star for the sales process. When we raised concerns, I believe the salesperson my partner dealt with wanted to make things right, but sales leadership stepped in, dismissed our concerns as unfounded, and offered nothing. Those concerns were (and still are): 1) Sketchy contract execution. NPP offers a 5-year prepaid lease in partnership with Balto Energy. It lets homeowners offset installation costs because the leasing company collects a 30% federal tax credit (no longer available to homeowners) and, in NPP's words, "monetizes that tax credit over 5 years." The contract was executed by sending the DocuSign to just one partner, with all owners lumped onto a single signature line -- one person signing on behalf of the other. For a married couple in California, that's legally questionable under community property law, given a) the encumbrances placed on jointly owned property, and b) no power of attorney authorizing one spouse to sign for the other. I never saw the agreement until installation was underway. 2) Misleading claims. My partner was told, verbally and in writing, that we'd "own the system outright" at the end of the 5-year term. In truth, the contract contains only vague language about a fair-market-value buyout, with no detail on how to initiate it or who to contact at end of lease. We've had zero contact with Balto through this entire process -- only NPP -- yet NPP's sales director told us they have no role in the lease agreement once it's signed. In other words, they don't stand behind the product they sell. Don't be like us -- do your diligence (especially if you're over 65 and new to solar leases), verify every claim against the actual contract language, and make sure all owners review and sign every agreement.

Vital energy just updated my solar system and they were great to work with. This system is so much…read morebetter than my old one; no comparison. The company was very responsive and answered all my questions readily. All in all, an excellent experience.

I'm aware of the fact that it's to-date one of the few negative reviews for Vital Energy, but I'm…read moregoing to share my warning to others, as it could suggest that they may not be of the same quality as before. Vital's quote was higher than most others we received, but given their reviews, we decided it was worth the extra spend for a clean install. Pre-install had delays and miscommunications. I know this is common with projects, so I remained positive. I was sent engineering plans for my approval. I saw that these revised plans were for a smaller system than what I had originally agreed to. The change would have made it easier for the installers, but would have netted me less energy, with no adjustment to my cost. To the PM's credit, he attempted to draw my attention to these changes when they were sent for my approval, but I nevertheless saw it as a proposed change constructed to benefit Vital with no consideration toward me, and delayed the process even more as I had them change back to the original agreed-upon system size. I remained positive. On installation day, one of the installers broke my new and expensive inverter. I said no big deal, I'll talk to the PM and we'll figure something out. Even though the system wasn't fully functional due to the broken inverter, but I nevertheless paid everything that was due that day, withholding only a documented amount equivalent to a replacement inverter until we can find a resolution. The manufacturer would only replace the broken inverter it with a used device under warranty (i.e. one that another customer has returned and has been refurbished) with a shorter warranty window. Rather than demand a new inverter at the company's expense, which I believe I fairly could have, I proposed options which included a partial credit for the downgrade (and the warranty hassle and ~two months lost solar generation). After waiting weeks for a reply, I followed up and their finance specialist accepted responsibility for the damage IN WRITING and agreed to the credit. I spent hours on the warranty process, found an oversized box, and shipped the broken unit. This is where it unraveled. Right after the resolution, CEO Jason Jackson, got involved for the first time, deflected blame, and said he thinks my equipment was defective (a manufacturing defect somehow caused a piece of hard plastic to snap off?), asked to inspect it and offered to handle the warranty for me. I told him that the package was already shipped, and that I would have very much welcomed his examination and warranty help three weeks ago (rather than the radio silence I received), but the resolution reached, device shipped and warranty in motion. And despite his self-proclaimed "30 years in the industry," didn't appear to have a grasp of the situation as he incorrectly called the inverter a "battery," and required correction. He also accused me of breach of contract for temporarily withholding a small amount due to the breakage. Meanwhile, I noticed flickering lights in several rooms. Nothing suggested a solar connection, so we called an electrician... three visits and $1,300+ later, he traced it to loose connections and a stripped lug in equipment the installers had just worked in, attributing it to the install with a high degree of likelihood. I had been willing to absorb that bill just to move on. Instead, as the CEO kept trying to walk back the written agreement, I was told my warranty might now be partially void because a licensed electrician had worked in the same area, and the Vital threatened a lien on my home while I was withholding the remaining balance awaiting a corrected ledger and the heat detectors their own permit plans required. Five employees of Vital were copied in to the email thread which created an audience, so I eventually decide to email Jason directly to remove the risk of humiliation for him (I detected a hefty ego), and gave him a generous compromise offer. I made major concessions to just get this over with and we finally put it to bed. I was pleasantly surprised that he did not ask me to sign an NDA as part of a compromise, because now it allows me to share my experience here. The field crews were likable and professional, and even the installer who broke the inverter seemed like a knowledgeable, decent guy. Leadership is what failed here, at real cost in time and stress. Do your due diligence, and weigh the ownership of any company you hire. There are plenty of reputable solar companies out there...

Earthwise Energy is great to work with. Jason the owner is very responsive and has excellent…read morecustomer service. I have a design build company based in the Napa Valley and Earthwise Energy is my go to Solar company. Excellent prices and even better customer service.

We signed a contract with Earthwise. It was towards the end of the year and a pretty busy time for…read moresolar installations. They finished the job on time. Their workers were friendly and respectful. The company has been responsive to questions. We love having solar

I hired SonoMarin Solar to remediate a solar installation that had been left with permitting and…read morecode-compliance issues by another contractor. The original solar work had been done in conjunction with a reroof, and by the time SonoMarin became involved, the project had become a complicated and stressful situation. The process took about six months from my first communication with SonoMarin to completion, in part because the original contractor's surety company was involved. Nick Paggi worked with the claims representative to explain the deficiencies and help resolve the issues. He was incredibly patient in providing updated estimates and documentation to satisfy the adjuster. Throughout the process, I appreciated that he was willing to take on a difficult remediation project and see it through. Nick was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. Ayelet, the office manager, deserves a special mention as well. She talked me off the ledge on multiple occasions when the process became frustrating, and I really appreciated her patience, communication, and reassurance. Ray managed the onsite work and inspections and was also great to work with. He kept things moving and made sure the necessary work and inspections were handled properly. The crew deserves credit as well for working through some unsettled weather on installation day, including periods of light sprinkles, to get the job done. After the experience I had with the original contractor, working with a company that was knowledgeable, responsive, and actually followed through made a huge difference. SonoMarin took on a complicated situation that wasn't of their making and helped get everything resolved. I would definitely recommend SonoMarin Solar, particularly if you have an existing solar system that needs remediation, permitting, or to be brought up to code.

We had backup battery systems installed at two different homes--one in Napa and one in Marin--and…read morehad an excellent experience working with SonoMarin Solar on both. The original solar systems were installed years ago by SolarCraft and Ambrose. When it came time to add a backup battery in Napa, we chose SonoMarin first. That project went so smoothly that we later asked them to install a battery on our older, more complex Marin system as well. Despite the added complexity, they handled both installations efficiently and got everything up and running without drama. Ayelet in the office deserves special mention. She provides near-instant responses to texts and emails, keeps everything moving, and somehow manages to coordinate all the moving parts with ease. If you've ever dealt with solar projects, you know how valuable that is. She had seemingly infinite patience for my never-ending questions, handling them with professionalism and speed. She also helped me apply for relevant rebates and helped interface with the nightmare that is PG&E, making it all look easy. The whole team jumped through hoops to get the system in before the tax break expired. SonoMarin is a small company, localled owned and run by the same people I originally worked with at SolarCraft on our first install years ago, which really shows in the level of care and accountability. Avner and Nick have built a great company. Pricing was competitive--frankly, all three bids we received were in the same range--but the execution and communication set them apart. I would recommend SonoMarin without hesitation.

SunFirst just completed the installation of a 10.5kW SunPower system on our Eichler in Terra Linda,…read moreand they really came through for us! To say that we have a "complicated situation" on our roof is an understatement. A recent remodel had resulted in tons of electrical conduit, HVAC ducting and fire suppression pipes criss-crossing the nearly-flat roof. Kim and her team were able to design their way around those challenges, and executed in record time! My experience working with their CEO, Kim, was efficient, direct and honest. The rest of her team was informative and helpful, going above and beyond expectations on multiple occurrences. Price-wise, they ended up coming out quite favorably too, compared to the two other installers I shopped them against. I would recommend that, if you're intending to pay cash for your system (or finance it through other means than their solar lenders), you be upfront with them to start with, since hidden fees from the solar lenders can start raising the price of a system, a practice that the installers apparently contractually aren't allowed to talk about. This is probably a general rule, as opposed to being something specific to Sun First. Overall, a 5-star experience, and we're so excited to be running our home off of the power of the sun!

Sin First was so customer service-oriented that I chose them for my rooftop solar. I was so happy…read morewith their performance that I have recommended them to family and friends. We all had the same stellar results. They are straightforward, honest, reliable, and professional and they stay on schedule. They will answer all your questions and go over all the details. I was so impressed with the team and that is why I was happy to pass their name to all who asked why I chose Sun First.

Having East Bay Power Systems design install and certify a rooftop solar panel system has been a…read morewonderful experience. Working with the team (Darlene, Jeff, David etc.) to get the system designed and installed was very easy, they took care of everything, including getting the city to approve the design/installation for PG&E. Installation was a simple one day process, and best of all, we were essentially off the grid the next day. Interestingly East Bay Power Systems use American made solar panels (Aptos) and an American made power backup system (Tesla). Not only does the system perform flawlessly, because of there high output of the Aptos solar panels (up to 450W per panel) the whole array of 10 panels is virtually unseen. As an added bonus, they set up a Tesla app on your phone so you can see at a glance how mush power the system is generating, how much is being used to power the house, how much is used to charge the backup system and how much power is being sold to PG&E. For a system this good, overall cost was relatively low, far less than what I was quoted 5 years ago by two different companies. You may have noticed all my reviews to date on Yelp have been 5 star, this is deliberate. Life is too short to focus on that which does not make us happy. This is why I restrict my reviews to those things/places/services that make me happy and appreciate life. Sure, I have been to some really dreadful shops, hotels and restaurants etc., but, like I said, life is too short to spend time thinking and writing about them.

The product is good, the process left us wanting…read more Eric, David, Jose and the crew did an excellent job. My frustration was with the post installation process. I got answers from Darlene that did not make sense. Sometimes her computer was down other times her phone was down. Sometimes she would call to give me a message only to realize that she had called the wrong customer. Did not enjoy working with her. Finally, Kara engaged and we got the Permission to Operate about two months after the install. Supposedly Jeff (the Business Owner) is no longer with the company and has gone back East, so not sure who is leading their future efforts. For future customers: hang on to a portion of the payment till the Permission to Operate is received not just the installation.

Simply Solar installed our system (18 panels, 2 Powerwalls) 4 months ago, and everything has been…read moregreat so far. Before Simply Solar, I had been looking for nearly a year, and had gone through the estimate process with 6 different vendors (both local and national). It felt like I was dealing with the worst auto salesman. Slimy, expensive, impatient, unprofessional... it sucked. I found David Frank and Simply Solar on a local parent group discussion where basically *everyone* recommended them. I remained skeptical, but set up a call anyway. Best decision ever. They're not the very cheapest, but they're close. And the whole crew just made me feel at ease every step of the way. Shop around, but definitely include David and crew when getting quotes.

Update: After some back and forth with the COO of Simply Solar, he finally agreed to uphold the…read moreterms of our original contract and do the removal / reinstall at no cost, per the terms of the signed agreement. We have contacted them requesting a date to reinstall the panels, but have not heard back. Our roof was completed on 9/20, and we are now waiting for the reinstall date to be scheduled. As the timeline for our roof was known when we first requested the removal / reinstall, we are at a loss as to why we are having to wait 5-6 weeks to have the panels put back up on our roof. At this time, they sit stacked on our deck, with the rails piled off to the side. Thankfully we have space to accommodate all of the parts, (the rails are 30 feet long and a tripping hazard). We hope that the parts will not be damaged during the almost 2 months they will be sitting on the ground, assuming the work is done in the next 3 weeks. We still have not been told a date for the reinstall of the panels. This is now costing us money in lost solar energy.

Update: I had them come out to install an outdoor outlet and fix a couple problems. They showed up…read moreon time and got the work done perfectly in one hour. 5-star experience. ----------------------- I contacted B. Henry's Quality Electric when my solar inverter needed replacement. Even though they didn't perform that work themselves, they referred me to one of their installers and, in the process, saved me money by bypassing the markup they could have charged. That level of honesty is pretty rare. They could easily have kept the work in-house or added a layer of profit, but instead they focused on what was best for me as the customer. They also followed up several times by email to make sure everything was going smoothly and that I was happy with the outcome. Great customer service and a company that clearly values long-term relationships over short-term profit. Highly recommended.

Bill and his team are phenomenal. Very responsive and attentive to detail. His workers Rigo,…read moreJohnathan and Vicente did an amazing job. I strongly reccomend supporting small businesses like BHQ.

I highly recommend Pac Solar (Eric Miller) if you are considering solar panels…read more We recently installed panels on our new roof and he coordinated everything with our roofer. Everything went off without a hitch!! Eric is very professional and thorough, the process is straightforward and he explains everything along the way. Once PG&E monetizes the system Eric provided a comprehensive binder with all relevant documentation, above and beyond our expectations. We will be adding more panels in the future as our electric needs increase, looking forward to working with Eric in the future!

Installed our system about 10 years ago; it needs some repairs. Doesn't answer any emails and was…read morevery bad about it in the past as well. I assume that he is out of business, but his webpage is still active. I wouldn't use him, as he's not reliable, in case he still operates.

The team at Solar Craft was fantastic from sales to install. Russel, Michael and Maddy were…read morethorough and prompt with info and responses. Plus the team took extra time to explain how we could get more value from our set up. Andrew was very helpful on site helping to ensure we had the correct system specified. Aaron and Matt were extremely patient with how the installation looked, while also making sure it would all pass safety inspection. They were friendly and very hard working in the late summer heat! Highly recommend Solar Craft and their team! w was very helpful on site helping to ensure we had the correct system specified. Aaron and Matt were extremely patient with how the installation looked, while also making sure it would all pass safety inspection. They were friendly and very hard working in the late summer heat! Highly recommend Solar Craft and their team!

SolarCraft installed our first solar panels in 2010. Our electric bill went from $600 a month to…read more$40 a month. They did a fantastic job designing and installing 54 solar panels on our roof. The panels have been working great for the past 16 years. Recently we had to replace our roof. Because the current solar panels are so much more efficient, we decided to replace them. Zach, Maddy and Mike, from SolarCraft, worked very closely with us to design our new PV system, arrange the removal of the old system and coordinate the installation of the new system. The crews did an amazing job! Carlos C., Dominic, Carlos L. and Jose carefully took the old panels off. Colton, Ricardo and Matt did the intricate installation and Talon came by to make some final detailed adjustments. Everyone who came to our house and worked on our project was super polite, friendly, extremely knowledgeable, professional and considerate. They helped to make our roof replacement and solar panel installation much easier and I truly appreciate all their efforts and hard work. The new panels look absolutely beautiful and are generating an incredible amount of clean energy, all from the sun! Many thanks to SolarCraft for a fantastic job! I highly recommend them.