Electrical reviews in San Francisco, California

I chose solar union after comparing their bid and their reviews with 4 other companies. They proposed first rate panels, converters, and batteries, and their price was competitive. They were also the only company that could meet our generation needs based upon a complicated roof situation we have. They were extremely prompt and efficient with pre-installation design, surveys, and scheduling. They were able to begin installation 2 weeks after we signed the contract. There were some modest delays in completing the installation (I never expected it to be a one or two day installation, as they had stated, it took more like 5 days, but still it was fine). The quality of work was overall very good. There were delays in the final City approval in Oakland, as the City has been reviewing their policies with regard to PV battery backup systems.

We are generating significantly more than we had anticipated and are using very very little transmission line electricity. We are putting back about 10x what we are using, so that should mean some savings.

They have post service support guarantees that of course I have not been able to confirm, but they are good communicators and I anticipate that they will perform according to our contract.

Overall a good experience.

The people I worked with were very kind & patient. They explained everything in detail. Ali, my initial contact went above & beyond. Always available even when on vacation. The guys who installed the panels were very kind & efficient. It only took then 3 1/2 hours to install them. It was a very warm day to work on the roof but they worked efficiently to get it done so quickly. They left no messes. SolarUnion was a class company to work with. I found them in the Diamond certified book & they were everything the book described. I truly recommend them as a class company.

It has been a pleasure working with SolarUnion on two independent solar systems. They were flexible in timing of our install, seeing as how we needed a new roof prior to being ready for solar systems. I highly recommend their services!

We had a great experience working with SolarUnion. They were very quick and informative at every step of the way. The only hiccup happened when there was unexpected cost required during installation to get our house up to code. I wish that we had been been prepared more for this possibility.

I would recommend this company to others. Thanks!

Update - I am still waiting for a transformer upgrade and we're at over a year and a half since the install, and PG&E is saying it won't be until April 2025, nearly 2 years since I first started this project.
SolarUnion also came out after I had to figure out there is a way to potentially use the SolarEdge inverter to limit the amount of power going out to the grid (supposedly this is supposed to work). Goes to show they don't even know how their systems work. That was September 2024, and I still have not seen any sort of reduction in my solar bill, so that's probably not even working now. Who know's if the system even works that they installed. Stay away from these people.

We hired Solar Union to update and expand our legacy solar installation. They gave us an initial estimate for the new panels and inverter, which was accurate at the end of the project. In addition, they installed a new inverter on our existing array, so we could manage the entire installation as one system. The cost for that was quite reasonable. A minor area of improvement would be communication and coordination between the office and the field installers. The main project was completed quickly and efficiently; they were on site when they said they would be and completed the installation very near when they said they would. After the installation was complete, the inspector requested a small change to the installation, nothing major, but it required disconnecting the house from power. I asked the office to give me advance notice so I could plan for it, but the installers showed up a few days later with no warning. I was working online all day and could not go offline, so I declined. When I talked to the office, they apologized and set up a new appointment. The crew was there on time and the cut over went smoothly. To sum it up: Solar Union was MUCH less expensive than the company that installed our first system, was MUCH more transparent and reliable, and we are very satisfied.

We were very pleased with the installation and are very much enjoying having a mini-solar plant on our roof. It's a big job to do all the design, the permits, the install, and the interconnection. Nice work all around Solar Union!

Solar union installation was good - I had a system installed by them last February and it has worked great the whole time. They were professional, fast and communicative. Unfortunately they did not stand by their word on sending the referral check. After the system was installed I referred other costumers to them, and they promised a $500 referral check. They never sent the check despite multiple inquiries and promises to do so over almost a year.

We had a great experience working with SolarUnion. After receiving multiple bids, we thought SolarUnion's was the most competitive and comprehensive. They took care of the permitting process which, though not fast, I was glad I didn't have to do. The install took a single day - the guys were incredibly efficient. The app that pairs with the panels offers more information than you could ever want. We've had to do no maintenance and received a refund from PG&E for producing more than we used. I definitely recommend them.

My experience with SolarUnion was both pleasant and seamless. Everyone from the initial contact, to the drone operator, account managers, and installers was professional, courteous, and congenial. The pace of the assessment, installation, and billing was neither rushed nor delayed, but considerate and well-paced to match my calendar. Their installation looks perfect from the panels on the roof to the painted controller/inverter on the outside wall. The kWh production is working as advertised and properly sized for my electrical consumption. Best of all, my PGE bill has already plummeted as promised! I'm quite happy with the whole experience and results, and recommend SolarUnion whole-heartedly.

My experience with Solar Union was very positive. They worked with me to size the system and answered all my questions. Through out the process, they took care of all the paperwork and permits. The installation crew was professional and efficient, where they started and completed installation in one day, panels and battery. Their work was excellent as I watched them install. Solar Union’s office crew (ladies), were equally professional and responsive. They returned calls with answers to questions in a timely manner which I greatly appreciated. In the end, final inspections with PGE and city inspector were arranged by Solar Union and all necessary paperwork handled by Solar Union. An appropriate 5-star review.

SolarUnion installed our solar panels back in 2019. I'm copying this review from the one I left on Yelp for convenience, but I'm happy to say that two years later we've still experienced no problems.

SolarUnion was great to work with! Karissa was fantastic and clearly described the process, benefits, and performance expectations without any hard sell. SolarUnion was comparable in price (a little cheaper) than other quotes we received, but we were really sold on the customer service. The energy consultant they sent out (Mark?) was also friendly and answered all of my questions. Once I approved the drawings, the permit only took a couple weeks and then the entire installation was done in a single day! I couldn't believe how quickly everything was completed. I left for work without solar and came home to ten fully installed panels without ever seeing a worker!

We've had the panels for about 9 months and everything is great. We had really big storms shortly after the installation and am happy to report no signs of leaks. I haven't compared the energy generated against SolarUnion's minimum guarantee (something it's competitors wouldn't explicitly state), but I'm generating more than I'm using and am happy with that.

I recommend SolarUnion to anyone looking for a no-pressure, friendly, fast solar installation!

I researched a number of Solar Firms before choosing Solar Union whose office is in San Francisco. From the first phone call to Solar Union through the final process of hooking up with PG&G has been perfect. The staff are friendly, responsive, professional and knowledgeable. The process and timeline I was given and the associated actions were met with efficiency and friendliness. It was a simple process for me, and my electric bills dropped drastically. I am sorry I didn't act sooner. Solar is the way to go. And, Solar Union is the company to work with!

It was a pleasure to work with SolarUnion to install our solar panels. They did all the work with the permitting, they provided very quick feedback to any questions and their quote was very competitive. The installation was top notch, efficient and fast. Their installation crew was extremely knowledgeable and skilled. After the installation, SolarUnion worked with the city inspector to get the installation approved. The work from planning to completion was seamless.

My project with SolarUnion went so well that I was delighted to recommend them to neighbors and friends. The back office kept me informed every step of the way: they were very clear on what SolarUnion needed on my end and the timing of their project. The workers who came were friendly, fast and efficient. I had a sloped roof and they were amazing moving the panels to the roof and attaching them beautifully - all in a single day's time. It's important to me that we all do our part to help the environment and putting solar on your roof is a major step. Thank you SolarUnion for your fine work moving all of us closer to a greener environment.

I chose Solarunion for the following reasons:
1. They have been doing this for many years.
2. The estimator came to my house and took pictures, where the panels would be placed, and made a recommendation as to size of the system.
3. I was kept informed every step of the way. Especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.
4. The installation was very professional. the lead installer was very detailed oriented. He showed me how the system worked.
5. Permit approval -- This went very smooth. There was just one additional requirement to add a second ground wire attached to the water line. This was corrected within a day.
I was also surprised how quickly PGE was able to approve the interconnection agreement to allow me to operate the system.
6. Cost -- Middle of the estimates I received. However, their professionalism and quality of installation won me over.

While the sales and install process was straightforward, after-sales service is *extremely* disappointing.

We have had our system for approximately 2 years and recently it shut down after detecting a ground fault. When contacted for help, SolarUnion insisted on advance payment of $1,000 for a service call to be scheduled, and refused to consider whether the fault could be due to workmanship and therefore covered under warranty.

I had to chase them to schedule after payment and received an appointment almost 3 weeks later. Now, after waiting at home for service techs to arrive, I'm advised that the appointment was postponed for another week (the communication I received implied it was just a different time during the same day).

Every day of delay is costing us money in addition to the cost of the service visit we had already had to front. I'm very disappointed in Solar Union's follow-up and professionalism.

I put solar panels on my home in San Francisco in 2018. Karissa Gallo was the agent I worked with. The whole process was smooth and relatively easy (The inspector had to come out twice but not a big deal). I have since sold my home and not only did I recouped my money on the solar, It actually increased the value by a very high percentage.
Karissa was and is (I have called her about the other two homes I would like to have solar put in ) always available for any questions I have.
I referred her to two of my neighbors and they also got solar and are very happy about it.
I love that solar is a win-win situation. It lowers the cost of electricity as well as helps the environment.
As long as I keep getting the great service I am getting from Solar Union (Karissa & Diane) I will never go anywhere else.
RH

Got a hold of Solar Union via Energy Sage (at the time a free non profit solar energy consultant for homeowners). Once we compared quotes from the two companies that Energy Sage provided, we chose Solar Union. We struck gold with Solar Union! We were assigned a consultant to help us with funding and through design and construction. He communicated with us every day through financing and helped us decide which of the two systems; DC or AC output, made sense to us. Answered a ton of newbie questions about pros/cons and kept everything straight while I hemmed and hawed about which to use. Then Solar Union designed the panel layout with our energy usage data and a satellite image of our roof. The design oriented the solar panels with an unobstructed view of the sky. We went through permitting seamlessly (albeit slowly) and the installation took less than a day! (5 - 400W panels). We now have a web based monitoring system via Enphase. We can monitor each panel's daily output. Couldn't have been easier, couldn't be higher quality. Panels mounted securely, conduit laid perfectly vertical and horizontal. Combiner box level. Great work! Entire process was about 6 months or so.

Solar Union was great to work with. I had a complicated install job, Roof was being replaced, I wanted the roofers to waterproof the solar panel supports which required Solar Union to come out on the day my roofer was present and come back after the roof was completed to continue the installation. No problems at all. Recommended to friends and they got their system.

Solar Union did a good job on the overall new solar project on our house in San Francisco. I would definitely recommend. The panels have been operating flawlessly for almost a year now. They were a bit more expensive than other quotes but they are a large enough company with different businesses and I expect will be around to fulfill their 25 year warranty. They also recommended a roofer who was able to meet the timeline and provided a very competitive quote.

It took a few times back and forth of reviewing the plans and providing feedback because the engineers doing the layout couldn't initially figure out how to fit the panels in the planned space from the original quote. I ended up going up on the roof to collect more exact measurements, looking up the code myself to explain how what we originally planned will still meet code requirements, and providing a sketch. Additionally the drawing had a couple errors with the electrical panel and inverter at the wrong end of the house and incorrect, undersized inverter model. I would rather they had been able to get this right without my help but getting all the details right is really tricky and I would expect this of every solar installer.

After this was all squared away I didn't hear anything for a few weeks, which was expected since construction start was planned quite a few weeks away, then got an update, and nothing for 4 more weeks until a call saying they will arrive the next day to do the install! A little more advance notice would have been nice, but the date and time worked fine.

Installation went great, completed in about 2 days. The installers were really knowledgable. They followed the plan, called in to discuss changes that were missed in order to meet code and tweaked accordingly. I worked in residential construction for many years and I checked their work on wiring and waterproofing and it was all high quality work. The inspection was smooth - only concern was they used flex conduit in the basement for a long run instead of rigid, but the inspector let it pass.

From first phone call to getting PG&E permission to operate and enabling the inverter was a bit more than 6 months which was quite a bit longer than the 3-4 months quoted, but still reasonable.