11/30/2014
Anonymous
Berkeley, CA
I spent more than 3 months evaluating different solar installers and installation options, and I could not be happier with my final choice to go with Save a Lot Solar. John Orfali and his team did a fabulous job through every phase of the project. In the design and planning, he was responsive, thorough, explained things very clearly and provided ample documentation. For example, a big issue that keeps coming up is string inverter vs. micro-inverters. Bottom line is the Enpase micro-inverters John uses are fabulous; I'm so glad he was insistent about. In addition to being able to monitor the system from any computer, tablet or smart phone, they let each panel operate at their optimal at any time. My roof has many different orientations, and I can see tree shadows at times on my panels. With a single string inverter some other installers wanted to use, the system would have been seriously compromised. <br /><br />On price, the many options available can be confusing. Not only was John's price the best per kW, he worked hard to keep his price low. He provided a connection and did all the work to secure a zero-cost loan for the tax credit portion, a big help to paying for the project. I took so long discussing with various contractors, that when we cam back to Save a lot Solar with a modified plan, the cost of the panels had increased. But John honored the original price per kW, taking the cost increase out of his share. One requirement John was very clear about was that we needed to cover the engineering to evaluate and design reinforcement for the attic under the panels. Our house was built in 1880, and has had many renovations, so this turned out to be a much more complicated and expensive effort than anyone could anticipate. John's crew did the reinforcements that turned out to be required at no extra cost, and he covered most of the extra cost of the engineering. <br /><br />The construction was done amazingly quickly with a good size, highly experienced and capable crew. Working late in the afternoon on the final day, they noticed that their work had caused some debris from the roof tiles to fall on the deck. Not only did they completely clean up all their work, they even took time to sweep the decks and make everything nicer than when they started. John then spent time ensuring everything was working, getting all the computer connections working, and continues to monitor our system for problems. He took care of all the building permit paperwork and inspections, and he took care of all the PG&E paperwork. The new SmartMeters don't have dials that run backwards, but it is hard not to stare at it during the day and see the usage with a minus sign, and the total kWh value decrease.<br /><br />I give my highest recommendation to John Orfali and his Save a lot Solar crew. Not only will you Save a lot, but this will be one of best run home construction projects you will ever have the pleasure of contracting.