Cali Energy

Susan A.

The end of Jan 2023 we started our solar journey out of curiosity while researching a re-roof on our house. When we learned about the April 14th NEM 2.0 deadline--panic ensued. City of Santa Monica's Dept of Sustainability directed me to EnergySage which got me 7 ballpark quotes including Cali Energy.

Here's how Cali Energy beat out the other ballparks then 3 final quotes:
-By providing the unique advantage that no one else could/would give: An on-site survey/tech visit to assess and measure our roof.
-This gave us the comfort level to accept a final quote and sign a binding contact knowing there was a certain accuracy superior to the other three final quotes (which gave quotes based on satellite images).
-They had a ""no-pressure, we're just here to give you the info you need"" sales attitude. (Thank you Alex and Diana!)
-I was a solar-noob on a scary-tight deadline. I learned a lot and fast. Sometimes I emailed Cali Energy 3x a day. They were always kind and patient.
-They were willing to fast-track and rearrange their normal process to get our application into SCE before the NEM deadline.
-I did a deep dive across multiple sites of their reviews-all stellar.
-They included consumption monitoring as a part of the install instead of a hidden extra charge.
-Even though they'd never done work in our city and knowing its reputation for strict construction regulation, they were willing to get a city business license just to do our project.
-They gave us more for our target price of around $3.5/kw

Once we awarded the job, 9 calendar days later we received our very impressive Roof Mount Plans. A few days later it was submitted to the city and SCE for Interconnection Request. ONE MONTH BEFORE NEM DEADLINE! While we waited for SCE's go ahead, we got our new roof put on, took a little construction vacation, then scheduled the solar. We had 3 non-consecutive days of install. The crews were nice and hard-working. (Each day was a different set and size Large, XL or Small, depending on speciality that day.) In fact, they kept working so long we had to make them stop for fear the city inspectors would come down on us all :).

Last week we got our first electricity bill. It was thrilling (delivery charges only $12.38) and disappointing (Nonbypassable charges: $22.03). I've posted an image of the consumption monitoring on our first full day of solar.

It was a very good day when Cali Energy decided they would quote our project. Lucky, lucky us.

Paul S.

Cali Energy has been a great company. They provided us with a solar system bigger than we had planned and within our price range. The installation went smoothly and did not have to wait long and they did a very nice job. Their customer service is very good and took care of everything from getting permits, to installation, and submitting the application to Edison. If you plan on getting solar, I would definitely give them a call. We are very happy that we chose them.

Tim R.

OK, I'm ready to go solar! Had my panel upgraded by Got Light Electric [(see my review) 5 stars] to get ready.

Next thing to do is research. DroneQuote and Energysage were the first outfits I reached out to. Multiple quotes (7 to be exact), some conversations and submitting my LADWP bills to all. Now I heard that 4/15/23 was a deadline date where the electric companies (i.e. So. Cal Edison) would claw back rebates for credits, and everyone I spoke with said yes that is true, so I felt some urgency to this get this done.

After getting the quotes and the multiple communications from these outfits, I went to Yelp to see what my community had to say, Lord, Help me, I'm glad I did (saved over $20K).

A shout out to Paul S. of Torrance. His review turned me on to Cali Energy and Maria, as they were not included in the companies referred to me, and I had not heard of them.

I was so impressed with his detailed review, and even though I had not heard of this company, I made a phone call and asked for Maria. She took all my information and told me that my electric company LADWP was not part of the deadline. WOW! I could have just waited to move forward, but I was sold on her honesty! You can't get any better than that!

She scheduled her tech to come out to do a detailed job walk within the next couple days. And, boy, I was really impressed with him. He happened to to be a close relative, and I liked that, a close family owned company.

Long story short, after I awarded them the contact, she was able to get the permit in a couple days, and schedule the installation date the very next week. I was thinking several weeks, but that was fast.

Their crew came out and installed all 24 panels in 11 hours, a very long day. Then the final crew came out to finalize the pieces and get ready for inspection. All went well and LADWP came out to install the final roof connection. A week later a LADWP tech come out to remove my old meter and install the new solar meter.

All this took 3 weeks! Maria was in constant communication with me by text (which I prefer) and updated me on all aspects of the installation.

I waited a month to post, so I could see how the system was performing. The Enphase software is spot on, in real time reporting, in all the aspects regrading my consumption and production (software is free).

I received my first electrical bill (today) and even through it has been only one month (out of a two month cycle), my bill has decreased 86% (any number you put in can compute the difference). After a full 2 month cycle, LADWP will be owing me money!

OK, I'm done. It takes me a while to write these reviews and include pictures, but when a company preforms above and beyond expections, it is only fair that I spend 45 mins or so to help my Yelp community. Thanks again Paul S.

Shawn W.

Cali Energy came out to install our Solar Panels and updated our electrical panel. Outstanding job done by the crew that came out! Professional, courteous, and thorough. VERY detail oriented from beginning, through inspections and completion of the project. Answered ALL my questions and explained things easily. I would highly recommend this group to people who are considering getting work done.

Paul S.

Cali Energy provided excellent communication, design, installation, and final turn-on. From our updated quote to turn-on it took about five weeks.

We initially went with another installer in March of 2022. The installer we picked dragged their feet on detailed design and finally told us that they couldn't do it in August of 2022. I contacted Diana at Cali Energy, who had submitted a quote earlier in March. We also had a specific request to site the combiner box on the north side of our house for cosmetic reasons. We also asked that the AC line from the combiner be routed underneath our house to the main electrical panel. She was able to accommodate that request in the system design and provided an updated quote with a parts list. Within a week, we saw that LADBS permits had been pulled and she provided us with an install date. At this point, I asked for alot of the detailed design information, and they were happy to provide it. The install crew ran into a small problem with the mounting clamps, but solved it quickly. A week after the install, we had an LADBS inspection, and received a new electrical meter a couple days after that, with permission to turn on. We're very happy with Cali Energy. I only wish we had picked them first.

toni h.

Great job with my solar installation. Very friendly and responsive. Prompt call back on all my questions. Very happy with the service, timely installation and clean installation. I would recommend to friends and family

Richard D.

Everything about this company is First Class. Very professional in every aspect. Great communication and expertise at all levels. The did an excellent job!

Scott N.

I reached out to Cali Energy based on their capability of installing a solar panel system on a commercial style flat roof, which my home has.

I was introduced to their consultant, Elery Tan, who walked me through the details of how the rack system would be installed. This gave me great comfort, as I had recently installed a new torch down roof, and I wanted to preserve the integrity of the roofing membrane. Elery also correctly sized my system based on my consumption history, shade analysis, etc. I actually wanted an additional two panels beyond the recommended 34, but Elery said there would be no cost benefit to doing so. That's integrity; recommending NOT selling a customer something they asked for because it doesn't add any benefit.

Elery also introduced me to REC solar panels, which provide an exceptional warranty and guarantee of output; comparable to the best panels on the market, for a competitive price.

The installation team at Cali Energy is top notch. They work extremely efficiently and know exactly what they are doing. My 34 panel system was completed in one day. Although the LADWP inspector requested an additional quick disconnect switch, Cali Energy quickly took care of this and it was then a matter of just a week or so before I received my permission to operate from LADWP.

My system is outperforming expectations and I am currently producing well in excess of my usage, and that's with keeping two electric cars charged, running a pool motor, etc.

I highly recommend Cali Energy if you are considering a solar panel system.

Arianna G.

know that the company is located in LA, and therefore I want to highlight how determinant the team is. I live in San Francisco, and it'd seem to be a complication, but not for them. The communication was excellent throughout the process. They always got back to me quickly and with the answers to all of my questions. It is really hard to find a company that will deliver excellent customer service to the end. It is especially hard when you are dealing with contractors. Fortunately, this company exceeded all of my expectations. I would give more than 5 stars if I could.

Peter P.

THIS IS THE ONLY REVIEW YOU NEED TO READ. I've been researching and contemplating solar for the past 3 years. I got over 15 quotes from yelp and energysage. Cali-Energy was the 3rd/4th company rated on energy sage and their quote was very competitive with the others.

My experience is mind-blowing. I'm not sure if its different cases with cash or finance deals....but from beginning to end was about 2-3 weeks. I'm talking about design-permit-install-approval-and ON. Their main guy you can tell knows his stuff. They don't mess around and just get straight to the point. Maria @ front office is responsive and is on point as well.

These type of home improvement transactions, you never really know what you are going to get....But I can tell you that I'm 100% satisfied and happy with the results.