Future Energy Savers

Good people quality work

We had 5.5kw solar and 18kwh battery installed on our house back in September 2025 by Future Energy Savers. I will start with all the good things. Everyone we talked to was very nice. The kept us informed as to what was happening and what to expect. The installers were very professional. The workmanship was very good and clean. They completed the work in one day and had it up and running before they left. It took a while to get a final inspection from the city and a while longer to get PG&E to activate and track the power we sent back to the grid. Now here is the part I am not so sure of. By the time PG&E got us approved and started tracking the power we sent back to the grid it was well into October. Days are getting shorter, more cloudy days, sun is lower in the sky and morning fog. All this means we generate less solar power. When we initially sat down with the salesman he sold us on this idea because we are suppose to have a net zero electricity bill. Now may be this isn’t fair but looking at my PG&E bills right now I can’t see how we can generate enough power in the sunnier times of the year to offset the power we are buying now. Especially when you consider that the price we pay for electricity is much more than what the pay us. All this being said, I would still go with Future Energy Savers because of all the good things. A company that cares about the customer and does quality work is not easy to find. Maybe after I have had this system for a year I will find out that my bills balance out fine. Reading reviews on line I see that systems under preforming is a big complaint. If I were to do it again I think I would upsize the battery and put a few more panels on the roof. I will try to give an update once I have had the system for a year.

Solar Installation

We decided to go with Future Energy Savers because of the technology the offered. In particular on the inverter and storage side of the equation. The Generac equipment offers a dedicated inverter enhancing the efficiency of conversion and the battery pack is modular allowing for greater flexibility. The installation was very professionally done and minimally invasive. The only reason for not receiving a 5 star rating: it would have been beneficial to be educated on the 30% reserve on the battery that is standard to protect against outages and the life of the battery. it also would have been nice to have documentation on how to protect the longevity of the batteries. It would be beneficial to have easier access to the different pre-programmed time of use settings that Generac has to offer. This took a bit of individual research to find and interpret. Overall we were very happy with our experience with Future Energy Savers.

After meeting with 3 different companies for solar estimates and plans, we settled on Future. Not only was their sales department fantastic and communicative, but their installers were equally impressive. We did have one snafu where two of our panels were misaligned during installation, but after contacting rainf the office, a technician came to fix the issue.

Positive Overall

I’ll admit I had some preconceived notions about solar as a legit value proposition but the sales and engineering team at Future really helped to see it as a viable option. The missing piece of the equation was incorporating battery storage into a system. This allows for complete self sustaining power without pulling from the grid at peak hours and when there’s a power outage. As a pool owner, I assumed there’s no way panels could drive the pump, A/C, and appliances simultaneously. Turns out they can. I had previously installed pool solar on the roof and assumed that there wasn’t enough space to get the number of panels to make it worthwhile. Turns out there is room and the engineering team did a great job piecing that together. I also didn’t fully understand the tax credit and that it applies to the entire installation cost including the battery—which gets you 30% back if you itemize. The entire installation process went quickly from start to finish. Future takes care of all local permitting and paperwork with your city. The physical installation of panels/battery storage and electrical wiring for backup circuits only takes 1-2 days. After that you’re at the mercy of PG&E to get scheduled for inspection which is needed to become an authorized seller of power back to the grid. Unfortunately, this process moves very slow. I basically gave a full month of power away to the grid and got zero credit from PG&E. Although my experience has been positive overall, there are some issues that should be mentioned. First, there’s no transparency in pricing. They basically price by size of overall system. You won’t find any itemizations for panels, inverter, batteries, etc. And there’s no way of knowing the parts vs labor breakout. I found this very frustrating. Second is service. There are basically 2 techs on staff to service an entire region. Just getting on the schedule is a chore. Communication is poor and unresponsive at times and Reception has no visibility to the schedule. They pass the request on to the service dept and then you wait. If you’re lucky they’ll have a slot in 2 weeks. Prepare yourself for the realities of the new PG&E NEM3 solar pricing schedule (EELEC) plans which reimburse at a fraction of what they charge you from the grid. While Future has no control over this, they should fully study this new pricing structure and the impact on the expected pay back period. Despite producing more than I use, I haven’t been able to achieve net zero cost on my electric bill. Future modeled my ROI based on an outdated NEM TOU pricing schedule that is no longer available to solar customers. Although I’ve been able to reduce my electricity costs approximately 50%, I was expecting more based on information provided in my consultation with Future. Overall, I’m very pleased with my installation and the service Future has provided. I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone in the market for a renewable energy solution.

Excited Solar Owner!

We are SO happy to own a solar system and get out from under PG&E. The Future Energy Savers (FES) sales process was transparent & professional. The sales rep met with us in-person at our home & answered our many questions. The process of getting solar plans approved by our HOA had a few hiccups. Things went sideways between one FES employee and our HOA, so we had to run interference to get plans approved. From our perspective, it seemed to be a personality clash. Solar installation was great! The FES installers were pleasant, efficient and knew what they were doing. The system installation looks great on our home -- and the system seems to be working as it should. Thank you Future Energy Savers!

Great start, poor finish

When looking for solar I went to a local home show and booked appointments with everyone there. Out of about a dozen companies, I selected Future Energy Savers as Breana was knowledgeable about not only her products, but the competitions as well. She was not pushy, and presented the information I needed to determine the size system I needed. I am a techno-nerd, so I did my own calculations, and came up with about the same sized system she proposed. About half the other companies were off my more than 25% from that. Breana is a shining star among her peers. We signed the agreement early in March, 2024, and work began Mid April. Things were great with the prep and installation, completing a ground mount system and having it operational in 3 days. Rob dealt with all the problems from PG&E and the county (nightmare), got production started a little early, and the crew completed the task a day ahead of time. After that, things kind of fell apart. Being a ground mount system, there was about an 80 foot trench, roughly 3 feet deep in my yard, which could not be filled until the final inspection. The installer said Rob should make the appointment tomorrow for final when he finished the work. Mitchell called me a week later to schedule the final. After the final, he said that they had gotten very busy and someone would be out in a week or so to fill in the trench. Not great, if you are too busy to finish a job, why are you starting new ones? By the time one of the guys came out unannounced to start filling in the trench almost 3 weeks later, I had almost fallen into the trench once, and had to rescue a kitten out of it once. 4 days later a crew came out to finish filling in the trench. They moved most of the dirt back in so it was level, leaving a mound about a foot wide and a few inches tall where the dirt was piled from the trenching. The trench soon dipped, as all the dirt was not returned. The also did not move the mounds of dirt left over from drilling the ground mount holes. I ended up borrowing a tractor to finish up the work. Over all, I would consider Future for additional work should it be needed. Dirt work is easy enough to repair, and at the same time, the easiest to get right.

Good system, difficult install

We picked Future after getting quotes from three companies, and appreciating the idea of well-established Generac equipment. And had the misfortune of signing up right before NEM 2.0 ended, which led to a long 6-month delay installing (including city permit delays) and some problems with the initial install crew. Future sent a very experienced follow-up crew that buttoned up the install quite well. Dinging Future for poor communication about what to expect when, but in the end everything was installed and functional exactly as described. Couple of months later, PG&E had a night outage and it was so very nice to have lights and refrigerator still running on battery.

Overall Experience with Solar Panels

I appreciate the fixed payments, worry-free heating and water, and sustainable benefits for the environment. It is also convenient that I am charging my electric car. The reason I gave 4 4-star review is because of the timeliness response to customer service. It may take multiple attempts to get ahold of someone when we need assistance.

Rollercoaster with a great finish

Solar was always on my mind and I always had intentions on going out and exploring what was out there, but time would go by and like almost everyone I was a little too busy and solar never really took precedence. One day in April a solicitor arrived at my door and initially I was going to turn him away, but since they were selling solar I decided to take a listen. I don't remember his name, but he went into detail about what we could potentially save and what equipment they would be using and how it would be installed compared to how some other companies sub their work out (Future Energy Savers do all of the work). This was a great selling point as if I had an issue that was covered under warranty I wouldn't have to reach out to a third-party. Anyway, we decided to move forward and we got our quote which we accepted. A little time went by and I figured that they would get ahold of me when things would start to move and we would get things scheduled. I did receive a call about a month later asking if I would like a quote from the visit that was made. I was a little confused so I let her know that I already received a quote and was already approved for a loan. This sparked confusion across the board and this is when they started to get the ball rolling and a Project Manager got ahold of me. The Project Manager let me know that they would get ahold of me when they can schedule me in and I was okay with that. A few weeks went by and I decided to call the phone number that was posted on the website and I did try to cancel because I felt like I was forgotten about again. Dispatch explained that their vans had been broken into at their business and they were trying to get everything back up and running to how things were before the theft. She ultimately got another person in touch with me and he explained that they would have someone out in early July. I told him that sounds good and I understand about the theft, but would have liked to have been informed that there was a delay to unforeseen circumstances. The first week of July comes and goes and I give the representative a call and he tells me that another person should get ahold of me soon. Eventually he does and he schedules me for the following week which is looking like late July and now we have the ball rolling. The day before he calls and says that they have to reschedule to the end of the week and I say I understand. I work in service and sometimes I have to reschedule. The day before the next scheduled date I get another call and he lets me know that he is sorry, but we have to reschedule. I say okay, but now I'm getting a little unnerved due to the whole process going back to when the solicitor came to my door. Finally at the end of the week he calls me again and I let him know that I would like to cancel everything. I told him I don't feel comfortable moving forward with a company that has forgotten about a customer twice and now has rescheduled an install multiple times. He said he would start the process and apologized. Fast forward about a month. I get a call from Energy Saver's VP of Finance and she asked me why I decided to cancel everything. I described everything and she explained how they have had an issue with a certain individual and they believe they have remedied it moving forward. She sincerely apologized and showed amazing customer service. I once again decided to move forward and after that everything was seamless. The technicians did an outstanding job. They were very reliable and knew what they were doing. After it was commissioned I was extremely happy and glad that I moved forward. The Solar/Battery combination is great to stay off the grid during Peak hours and some days I would only be taking 6-7 kW and giving back up to 25 kW. I'm extremely appreciative of the perseverance and initiative of the team to reach back out because I really did want to get solar. My energy bill from last year to this year showed a dramatic drop due to the install. Solar/Battery combo is the way to go!

Solar Installation

After interviewing solar companies, I had it narrowed down to two choices. I then spoke with family and friends and decided to hire Future Energy Savers. James, a sales rep and I made an appointment and discussed what, when, where and how the solar panels would be installed as well as the pricing of the equipment and installation. The installation was completed in one day and because I was home, I was able to oversee the work progress and ask questions immediately. One hiccup that happened was the city required a fire inspection that was not considered during the inspection time frame. I also had to wait for the CU's to be installed since they were not on site at installation time. One day I noticed the lights on the inverter and WI-FI were not as they should be, so I called immediately. I happened to return home when Steve was resetting everything. He mentioned the ON/OFF switch was OFF. He said my gardener may have accidentally bumped it. Since this switch is so important to the functioning of the inverter, it would be nice if a cover was part of the installation equipment. I am noticing a great savings on my PG&E bill already.

Great Way to Save on the Electric Bill

We were first approached by Future Energy in mid May 2023 and we scheduled a sales representative to come by on 05/11/23. Brianna came to our house and explained the panels, the battery, the costs and the expected timeline. Considering the continued increase in the price per kW in our area, we decided it was a good alternative and Future Energy seemed like a good option. We were offered certain incentives such as a free EV charger and additional discounts if we wanted to participate in their Ambassador program which would involve leaving a review after installation sharing our experience. On May 16, our sales representative, Brianna, came back to bring some papers we needed to sign and get the ball rolling. We paid ⅓ of the total amount a day or two after we signed the papers with Brianna, and had someone come take a look at the house and ensure we met all the prereqs for the solar system. We were then instructed to wait on the town as they could come by to review and blueprint and approve the install. In the meantime, we received an email from PG&E with a document that required our signature. Unfortunately, we were not informed that this would be a required step, so it wasn’t until a few days later that we reached out to Future Energy, we were told that we needed to take action on said email. WIth the number of spam we get, it would’ve been helpful to know we should be on the lookout for something coming from the utility company. On June 26th, the crew came over and installed the entire system, including the EV charger and the backup battery. During the final walkthrough with their team lead, we pointed out that there was some debris left on the ceiling and some cables hanging from the panels, but by that time, the install crew had already left. The white box that functions as a modem did not work, so the team lead let us know that he would have the guys come back later that week to clean up, fix the cables, and bring a new box so that the system would communicate production to the Generac battery and load the information on the Generac app. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Consequently, the system failed the 1st inspection on the week of July 16. Although the system was installed on June 26th, it did not function properly until early to mid August. For lack of technical terms, I can only say that there was an issue with half of the panels and they were not generating energy for the entire month of July. However, Future Energy was able to fix the problem and get the system fully functional. We do not regret the decision we made as far as the system size and the battery backup, as well as the company to do the install. We understand that no company is perfect, so we just sincerely wish Future Energy had taken care of the issues in a more timely manner. Overall, we would choose to do business with them again in the future.

Future Energy Savers - Recommended Installers

We had been looking at installing Solar over the last few years and finally decided to pull the trigger and go with Future Energy Savers. The sales consultant was very knowledgeable and described the proposed system and a fairly accurate timeline of what it would take from beginning to end. He told us that after we signed and went through the initial steps that there would be a couple of months where it seemed like nothing was happening but that time was used to acquire the equipment and necessary approvals from the city. The installation process was very smooth and quick. The install was clean and very professional looking. There were some issue with the city that did delay the interconnect to our power company but once that was done everything was working as expected. We now get a monthly bill from our power company for about $7.

FUTURE ENERGY

As we could not make up our minds as to get solar panels, the contractor lady who came to our door was very efficient at explaining how solar worked and breakdown of all costs and rebates. We decided to go ahead and go for it since the rising cost of pg@e was getting so high. We had a few problems with the system itself at first as did not have the correct breakers to turn on if the power went out. It was eventually resolved and the system was corrected. All in all it was an ok experience. And Generac is one of the top solar brands there is. We are looking forward to seeing our bill and comparing it to last year. Although we thought our tax rebate was coming out of 2022 taxes but th government said we had to carry it over to next year. So now we have to wait for our rebate.

Overall, we had a good experience with Future. We were able to get our panels installed quickly. Prior to installation, everyone was very responsive. After was a different story unfortunately. We did not hear from them for almost 2.5 months after, and we have tried several times to have someone help us set up the app as we were having issues, and we’ve just been sent in circles. But again, overall everyone was very professional and responsive when it came to purchase and installation!

Satisfied Customers!

We had our system installed just a few months ago. We had looked into solar a few different times over the last few years, but just hadn’t made the commitment. We finally decided to go with Future Energy Savers for a couple different reasons. I can’t say enough good things about Briana, the energy consultant that came to our house. She was kind, knowledgeable, and very friendly. She made sure to check into different programs and available discounts in order to get us the best price. She was not pushy at all and explained what size system we needed based on our energy usage and did not try to sell us more than we needed. One thing I really like about this company is that everything is done in-house. There are no subcontractors. So, if you have an issue, you only have one number to call. We have only had our system a few months, but I am really looking forward to seeing the savings in the hot summer months!

Great company

I met Future energy at the state fare. The representative was knowledgeable and provided me with an appointment with a sales representative. The Sales rep. Answered all my questions and when i asked for time to think about it, he left his contact and left without a hassle. very low pressure, just how i like it. The installation team was clean, they cleaned up and left the house spotless. After the install, they too time to explain the way the system worked and reiterated the company's policy on standing behind their work. After install, the Administration team was quick to reply to my questions and help me get my interconnection with the power company. I would recommend them for anyone's energy needs.

Finally Caved for Solar, and Happy

Not sure why Future Energy Savers finally convinced me, but their sales pitches appeared more honest and forthright. Once I met for discussions, they answered my questions, walked me through the process and had options which were based on my current needs plus projected increased use since I wanted to finally run my hot tub more often. I was happy with the plan and moved forward. Install was good, and glad they had an expert & experienced supervisor running and monitoring this though, because several of the team were new but the supervisor kept me apprised of all that was going on and trained me on operations. This part was all a good experience. My only issues and an area of opportunity for improvement is the sense of urgency for FES to install and facilitate all the paperwork to actually be up and running with full savings benefit. While they initially talked me through next steps, it seemed like I kept having to inquire on status of each process and I'd hear back timely but was always the same; we haven't gotten to that yet or still working on it. Part of this was also that I asked about additional rebates from PG&E and told yes, FES would help me. Subsequently when asked for help, never heard back from original sales rep and management bounced me around a couple of times and then said no there wasn't any current promotions. So, from install to full electricity savings was almost 3 months. Now though, I'm happy I went solar and confident Future Energy Savers was the right choice!

Fast and easy service

In February 2022 I had my consultation with Kate from Elk Grove office. Kate explained the product, savings with solar compared to not having them, cost and installation.The installation was professional with employees well represented Future Energy Savers. I highly recommend them and already benefiting installing solar

Excellant product and installation

My husband and I went to the State Fair in July not expecting to buy a solar energy system but Future Energy made it easy and worthwhile for us to do so. They were not pushy, although our research did show that some of the information we were given (current and future SMUD rates especially) was not completely accurate and made it appear that our benefits could be greater than they will be. Once we did our research and made the decision to purchase a system the process went very smoothly. We were not able to get as large a system as we needed due to our roof and shade issues but they were able to optimize one to make it work for us. The permit was obtained quickly and the work was started and completed within less than two weeks. We were glad to know they do not use subcontractors and each employee we met was polite and explained all we needed to know, including thorough instructions on how the monitoring system works. We love having access to the Solar Edge monitoring system and knowing exactly how much energy we are producing. Based on our energy production, energy use and cost of our system we don’t know when we will break even, and it may be quite a few years. However, we are happy with our system and the expectation is that each month we will pay less than our bill normally would be and that as electricity costs go up, our bill will not go up as much.

Great Experience Overall

I really did want to give 5 stars in this review, but one minor nit that may or may not bother others prevents me from doing so. First, the positives- from the original knock on the door to the installation, the process was painless and everyone at FES I interacted with was polite and professional. From first visit on my doorstep to system installation took only one week. The installation itself was done in ~8 hours- pretty amazing considering all that has to be done. Why not 5 stars? Well... part of what sold me on this system was the salesman's pitch about power optimized panels and being able to monitor the per-panel output of the system. This was a sell-up feature vs. cheaper panels. When I activated online monitoring for my new system, I could only see total output, not the per-panel output. I looked into this and found online owner's manuals that do support read-only access to all diagnostics of the system. I called the manufacture of the system and they confirmed the capability and offered to walk FES through how to enable this. I then called the FES office about this, they referred me to the person doing the final install inspection, who in turn told me that they do not enable the additional diagnostics. I bought this system outright and feel like I should have full access to its capabilities. Further, since I do not have low level insights into the health of the system, I asked what conditions are being monitored and trip an alert on their side. I wasn't given anything specific to that end- meaning I just have to trust that things are working and issues are being looked for. This isn't very reassuring, especially given the cost of the purchase and the fact that a) the salesman was either misinformed about or miscommunicated system functionality, b) the manufacturer confirmed additional monitoring details in a read-only manner are available, c) FES was unwilling to work with me on this Something like the above may not matter to others, but it does to me, hence the 4 star review. I need to stress that everything else about the sales process, installation, and functionality of the system merits 5 stars, so if you aren't looking at power optimized panels or prefer to treat the system as a black box and never look at it after installation, then FES is a great choice.

Gone Solar

We had been thinking about looking into getting Solar Panels for our new home, but had not had the time to make any calls. Then we heard a knock on the door and were introduced to Robert. We scheduled an appointment to meet with him the following week. He was very informative and was able to answer all of our questions, even ones we did not know we had. After reviewing everything, we decided to go ahead and invest in the new age of power. The application process was easy and quick. On installation day, the crew showed up on time and worked diligently to complete the process. With the number of panels we had installed, 22, it did take them two days to complete. But let me tell you, when they were done, you could not even tell that there had been workers there. They cleaned up very well after themselves and left NO mess. We just received our first bill from SCE, once the Net Metering was completely set up, and it was only $13 and change. This was during an extreme heat wave and we had had our air conditioner running 24/7. So glad we made the decision to go with Solar. Thank you Future Energy Savers for everything.

Solar Service

Overall, I was pleased with the experience I had with Future Energy Savers. The initial sales information was much more informative than other solar sales folks. They got into much more details about the different style of panels and how they calculate what will be needed. The installation took less than a day and they color matched everything to the exact paint hue. The program used (Enphase) to monitor the power to the grid has some variance (about 3-5% discrepancy) and it is difficult to know if that is just SCE not being mindful or something in the internal programming. The app is easy to use and you can see the output of the panels. Again, overall a good experience.

Overall, I was pleased with the experience I had with Future Energy Savers. The initial sales information was much more informative than other solar sales folks. They got into much more details about the different style of panels and how they calculate what will be needed. The installation took less than a day and they color matched everything to the exact paint hue. The program used (Enphase) to monitor the power to the grid has some variance (about 3-5% discrepancy) and it is difficult to know if that is just SCE not being mindful or something in the internal programming. The app is easy to use and you can see the output of the panels. Again, overall a good experience.

The company itself is great. My husband and I have wanted out from under Edison's thumb for a while, and Future Energy was recommended by a close friend. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and they really take the time to answer your questions. However, I removed one star only because some information was misdelivered and then misinterpreted. Future Energy implied that the federal tax credit would be 30 percent returned to us on our tax return; then the finance department further implied this by telling us that, "most people just take the 30 percent they get back and put it into the panels, which drops the monthly payment to x amount." Though having the information ahead of time would not have changed our decision, when tax time came and we were told that it would NOT be included in our tax return, and instead sits in a governmental account until next tax season, it was surprising and unexpected. If the company had adequately provided us with the information, then we would not have been blindsided and could have accounted for it. Nonetheless, the company is friendly, provides excellent service, the workers are friendly and professional, and they are always willing to work with the customers. Despite the unexpected twist, I am pleased to be out from under the thumb of SC Edison, and I know that my family will enjoy the benefits of owning panels and producing clean, dependable energy for years to come. Thank you Future Energy.

So far so good

So far everything is well and good experience. And thanks a lot, it got installed before the triple digits hit us, I know it made the difference during these past few weeks where the the A/C had to run 24/7. The people are so far are very receptive. The costumer service always been nice and courteous. The Engineer is so far straight forward and able to answer my inquiries. I'm still waiting for at 2 billing cycles so I could really see how much the impact is from having it vs not, then I'll update my review. The only thing I don't like so far is that to get the company's extra discounts, you have to listed as referral source with your phone number being potentially be called by prospective customers to ask your insights. Well for me I don't like talking to strangers especially if I don't see them that is why I give them 4 stars.

So Glad I've "Gone Solar"

My solar panel purchase and installation was much easier than I ever thought it would be. My one regret is that I felt a little pressured to make my decision the very day the salesman spoke with me; the pressure was that I might not be eligible to receive the Ambassador discount [about $4000.00] if I waited to decide. Because, after he left I felt I hadn't done due diligence in looking at other company's offers and prices before just signing on the dotted line for such a big investment. Aside from my one regret I have been SO pleased with everything else FES has done. 1. They made it very easy for me to get a loan, at a VERY fair interest rate, with a Bank they work with (so I didn't have to go in search of a loan on my own - which would have delayed the process for me). 2. The installers were prompt, professional, and courteous. The installation started in the early AM and was done before noon. 3. FES had made all the arrangements with my HOA in order to proceed within their guidelines, and also made all arrangements with the city inspectors, so I did not have to think twice about either of those hurdles. 4. FES sent an employee to meet and facilitate the final (post-installation) inspection. 5. It was a few days less than one month from the day I signed the paper to move forward to the day my system was "up and running". 6. And, lastly, FES had a representative make an appointment with me to sit down and go through a completion checklist so that I would be comfortable with the workings of my new system. My system has routinely been delivering the promised amount of energy and my P.G.&E. bill has dropped to exactly what Dale had estimated .... around $40.00. So, for example, July, 2016 my energy bill was $207.84, and July this year it was $39.83. Because of the kind, courteous, and prompt service I have been afforded by FES employees, as well as the performance of my solar system so far I would DEFINITELY recommend that a prospective buyer strongly consider this family-owned, community-minded company to meet their solar energy needs.

Solar panel installation

Company made the process simple and painless...so far.