Solar Universe Tri Valley

Solar Universe installed panels on my roof a few years ago. Thanks to Enphase Energy, if any of the panels needed to be replaced due to microinverter malfunctions, they quickly came out to my house and replaced any problem panels. They also verified performance on the spot.

Brief summary: excellent service beforehand, during, and on follow-​up. They will explain everything to you at whatever level you need explained; I am highly technically minded and they were willing to deliver highly technical information as was appropriate.
My only concern, and the **only** reason I awarded four instead of five stars, was how after installation I was finding bits of wire, cable ties, pallet strap and screws around my back yard, which I found upsetting because I have two small children and a dog. I spoke to the owners about requiring their installers to keep waste bags on-​belt and they took my suggestion seriously; I hope to hear from their future customers that literally no trash has been left behind.
Clarification: the amount of stuff left behind was enough to fill up one snack size zipper baggie (that’s the smallest one you’ll get at grocery stores). Most of it wasn’t sharp or poisonous but there were a few screws and some sharp sheet metal bits, which numbered between four and 10.
Furthermore, because of the north-​front orientation of my house and the low-​profile mounting racks under the panels, it is literally impossible to see the system from anywhere but my back yard. It does not change the aesthetic of my house.
I brought on Solar Universe as a partner for my primary residence in Dublin, California. Kent Steele, one of their specialists, was with us for over a year before we decided to take the plunge. Because we have four redwoods in the back it was important to us to take several sun samples from our target location over the course of the year before we decided to move forward; obviously this was wise because redwoods never really stop growing and we were able to determine exactly what their future growth would mean for our future energy generation.
Clarification: the sun exposure numbers were measured over two hot seasons and one cold season so we could determine how much a full year’s growth would decrease the sun exposure. It wasn’t decreased by much, so we figure we have the full 20+ years of expected sun exposure even in spite of our four redwoods to the southwest.
So Kent came over three times over almost a year to take those aforementioned samples from my rooftop. My wife and I were pleased with the figures so we went forward with a 4.25KW system which has literally changed the way we work with our energy company. This past year we generated over six megawatts of electricity, coming very close to wiping out our entire year’s energy cost. Our true-​up bill at the year’s end was $ 180, which is on the high side, but the monthly was never more than $ 6 and often was net negative.
We look forward to recommending Solar Universe *over* Solar City for anyone who speaks with us about our installation. We passed inspection the first time and were awarded permission to switch on on March 3, 2014. It has been a pleasure — even financing the system outright I am paying $ 50 less per month than my average monthly electricity costs were before. Therefore, to own a system the savings were INSTANTANEOUS *and* I got a huge tax credit.
You can’t go wrong if you have your own property, that property is in good shape, and you’re willing to buy an electricity generator to sit on top of it. Get it from Solar Universe and you’ll be sitting pretty with best-​in-​class service and a group of people who will continue to look after you long after the installation is done.

I just purchased a 5.5Kw system installed by Solar Universe right after the July 4^th weekend. Twenty LG 275w panels with microinverters.
I got 4 quotes from different solar venders and Solar Universe was very competitive. Jeremy was my solar rep and he was outstanding in keeping in contact with me throughout the whole process. He was very patient with my questions and was 100% dedicated to getting a system that met my requirements.
Solar Universe presented my proposal in a very nice report without any pressure to purchase. They worked with me regarding some electrical issues and took care of it from their side. Install went very fast and smooth and the panels are working great. They installed the panels and painted all electrical conduits to match my house. The electrical install was done professionally.
They handle all the paperwork that needs to be submitted to PGE and keep you updated on the status of the switch over. They set up the website portal so you can get web updates on your panel production (if you have micro inverters). It really has been very hassle free big house upgrade.
I recommend everyone to call Solar Universe (Livermore) for a quote when you are ready to look into solar. You won’t be disappointed
One particular vendor was incredibly rude and high pressure to get to my house for a quote and very high pressure during the quote process and after. Their price was also double what Solar Universe price for a 5.1Kwh system. Solar Universe was not rude or high pressure at all. Do not let other vendors bad behavior tarnish the reps of other companies. I learned a lot during this process.
A big shout out to my Unilocal friend Kelleye B who has been a solar buddy in this whole process. :)

Solar Universe’s installers have been fantastic. Very communicative through delays that were out of their hands. Showed up promptly when they said they would. Cleaned up carefully and made sure not to do any damage. Overall great work.
The Dans, Chris, Natalie and even the owner Deb worked diligently to make sure that the entire process was as seemless as possible.
I would recommend Solar Universe to anyone looking for solar.