Save a Lot Solar

Reputation is everything. So glad I found Save a Lot Solar and owner, John Orfali. Locally owned (Oakland, CA), services entire SF Bay area. Fair pricing. Very professional, low key, straight-​forward. High-​quality components. Installers are his own employees, not subs. Delivers what he promises and, in my case, ahead of schedule. No drama. Could not be happier.

very good company, efficient, good price, always courteous, excellent work

I cannot tell you how happy we are with the installation and the set up of our solar panels from John Orfali and Save-​A-​Lot Solar. The process was fast and the work/​isntallation was on time and efficient. The permit clearance with the City of Berkeley was lightning quick. We dodged a rainstorm and a hailstorm between the installation of the panels and the inspection. The final inspection went without a hitch. I highly recommend Mr. Orfali and his ability to anticipate all details making it easy for the homeowners.

John was definitely a content expert, and incredibly patient to explain the options, the science behind them, and what makes the most sense for my home. He was very responsive to questions throughout the process, and was very punctual with their appointments and timeline. Highly recommended if you’re exploring solar panels as a way to cut down on energy costs long term.

A friend recommended Save a Lot Solar. Everything was flawless — from explanation of what to choose, analysis of our electric bills, installation (sensitive to the contemporary design of our metal-​roofed house) to signing up online with PG & E. And, it was all remarkably affordable.

John and Save a Lot Solar were recommended to me by a friend who had a system here in Piedmont. I got 4 quotes from both local companies and national companies. John was the least expensive and one of the most responsive. SaLS installed a 9 panel system on a difficult roof, with some shading issues. John spec’d high quality components with solid warranties.
Installation took 2 days after permits. John’s crew was professional and pleasant. John handled all permitting, connecting to PGE, and setting up a web-​based interface to monitor the system.
I have already recommended John and Save a Lot to several friends. Overall, a great experience!

Found Save A Lot Solar contact details from the Californian First approved vendors list. John owner of the company was very responsive and it was a pleasure to do business with him.
Gave me the best quote on the first go.
He managed the whole project in a very professional manner. Delivered on all his promises in a timely manner.
He is very knowledgeable in his field of work, handled the HOA and the City inspector’s concerns efficiently.
Offers great after sales service by following up with PG&E and online monitoring of the panels.
I will definitely recommend him to my friends.

I researched and got in-​house proposals from 8 Solar Companies. I was looking for 18 panels to generate 550 Kwh monthly. First of all, this well-​known roofing and solar company told us that the Net Meters (where we could get credit from PGE for our solar electricity which we generated) was in limited supply, when in reality we ALL have Smart Meters and therefore these Smart Meters ARE Net Meters. We were really disappointed with their misrepresentation + their quote which was $ 5,000 higher than Save a Lot Solar. A Concord solar company quoted us $ 46,000 for our job and this ONLY included 10 panels. Outrageous pricing structure. Then a Solar manufacturing company told us that they could NOT install panels on our Cal Shake metal roof and their quote was $ 6,000 higher. We chose Save a Lot Solar because of the GREAT reviews from Unilocal.John Orfali (owner) and his Team were great; efficient; on-​time; courteous; a real pleasure to deal with. Save a Lot Solar installed our 18 panels on our metal Cal Shake roof — no problem; got their building permits in 2 days; completed their job in less than 1 week; AND accepted our credit card as partial payment. In conclusion… if you want to avoid all «solar company sales pitches and misrepresentations… RUN to Save a Lot Solar

I researched Solar Installers extensively and chose Save a Lot Solar to install a 12 panel system on the roof of my house which at an average of 2.78 Kwhr production rate should be paid off in eight years.
The owner, John Orfali, is knowledgeable, personable, and a good communicator and educator. He has always been happy to spend time answering my questions and making sure I fully understood the process and product. His bid was very competitive. He was willing to go the extra mile both before and after the job was completed to ensure that I would be a happy customer. After receiving three bids, I decided to go with John because it was clear he was committed to customer satisfaction.
John had his crew start work on my system within a week of paying the deposit on the panels. The lead electrician, George, takes obvious pride and pleasure in his work. He told me that every job is a little different, and he enjoys figuring out the absolute best way to solve the different situations he encounters. He has immense experience and does everything the right way.
The rest of the crew were polite and personable, and it seemed they also took pride in their work. On the second day when they completed the installation and my meter was rolling backwards, but PG&E wouldn’t count this until they issued a PTO, permission to operate two weeks later.
On the morning of the fourth day, the system sailed through the final inspection. John was then off to get the final paperwork rolling with PG&E. During this process he continued to keep me well informed and happily answered my questions, despite my disgust with PG&E surprise solar policies which were the only negatives of the whole experience.
Great people, price, product, and installation, without reservation I recommend Save A Lot Solar.

John and his team were great. I spent a decent amount of time looking at different vendors and SaveALotSolar stood out for a number of reasons including:
— John was very knowledgeable and available. All the other companies I was working with at least 2 people (a sales person + a site evaluation/​design person). Many of the sales people were less knowledgeable about the industry and what the site eval/​design folks were doing and vice-​versa. For some of the other vendors I spoke with, it took days for them to respond to seemingly simple questions I had. John was much quicker.
— Johns was able to offer me a time frame to get the system up and running that was much quicker than the other companies I spoke with. John and his team delivered on meeting this deadline as well which is even better!
— John’s offering of using Enphase Micro-​Inverters was different than all the other companies (all pushing string inverters). The Micro-​inverter approach was better for my site because I wanted panels on 2 different planes (some facing south and some facing west).
— The Enphase inverter warranty (25 years) and the free on-​line monitoring is superior to what other companies can offer.
— John’s price was very competitive. He wasn’t the cheapest but he wasn’t the most expensive either. I feel the value I received was good relative to the other vendors I spoke with.
— John was very patient at helping to educate me about an industry/​technology that I am new to. He did a terrific job at explaining things in a way that makes sense.

I would like to add my voice to the chorus of happy customers who used Save-​A-​Lot Solar to install their solar photovoltaic systems. John Orfali and his crew are professional, knowledgable, efficient and friendly. I investigated several other companies before choosing Save-​A-​Lot Solar and was disappointed with all the interactions I had with other companies (and their prices) until I talked to John Orfali. I’m both an electrical and mechanical engineer and I wanted specifics of the system to be installed. In addition, I wanted to be able to use the system when PG&E was not providing power. Almost all solar photovoltaic systems will not operate when not connected to the power grid. That means after an earthquake or big storm when the power is off, your system won’t operate. Few people know this. Most companies I talked to either said they didn’t install backup systems to allow the system to operate when off grid or were clueless about their operation. In one instance the company I called said that they had looked at the satellite image of my house, had seen some trees nearby and flatly refused to even bid. On the other hand, John Orfali, was a wealth of knowledge and information and was able to provide specifics so that I could make an informed decision about the details of the system he would install (20 panels-​5KW). He had devices to predict what efficiency the system would operate at over the course of the year and provided a detailed report predicting what I could expect form the installation on a month-​to-​month basis.
The devices he uses are manufactured by Canadian Solar and each panel has a microinverter so that a central, main inverter isn’t needed. The installation is simple and the inverters also ‘talk’ to the internet. There is a web based application provided by Enphase that allows me to check how the system is operating on a 15 minute basis and also provides data per day, month, and year. It can also be used to diagnose any problems that might arise and pinpoint the exact panel that’s causing the problem.
Many companies do fine when everything goes as planned. The true test of a professional is when things don’t go according to plan. There were several glitches in my installation: an overly persnickety inspector who insisted on minor and unreasonable changes, a roofing contractor unrelated to Save-​A-​Lot Solar that delayed the installation, and an antique electrical service that baffled the inspector. John Orfali and his crew took this all in stride and were unflustered by these diversions. They remained professional, resolute and even friendly as they went about making the required modifications. I’m currently waiting for Enphase to release a new battery backup system that will integrate more directly with the PV installation than the current one does. And of course, I’ll use Save-​A-​Lot Solar for that installation.
In summary, you can’t find a better contractor to install a PV system. He provides a turnkey system, does all the paper work (obtaining permits, filling out PG&E forms, etc.), is onsite while the installation is in progress, and follows up to ensure satisfaction. His communications skills and customer service are the best I have encountered. John Orfali and is crew deserve the 5 stars everyone has given them. Simply: USE THESE GUYS! you won’t be disappointed!

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.
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.
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.
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.

John’s team installed our 34 panels on our roof in March 2014. I did extensive research of solar companies throughout the bay area and John gave the best quote with the best product hands down (I’ve researched almost a month before deciding).
The installation took about a week and once it was up and running I was able to monitor generation using the online enphase software. Between March until now (Nov) John has called me a few times to check if my panels were working. At one point, I had to move the enphase server so it was not communicating online. He was able to tell me or call me immediately when something was suspicious. Fortunately no down time since installation.
The government rebate paper work was a breeze. Save A Lot Solar will take care of all the permitting and PGE paper work for the most part.
More importantly, since the panels were installed, pigeons started nesting and roosting under the panels and on my roof. Their poop started clogging the gutters. I called John and he sent his team to install critter guards as a means of excluding the pigeons. It hasn’t quite worked out yet and John is sending his team to solve the problem again. He has assured me they’ll have it resolved. I don’t think this is an easy task. Pigeons are smart and pesky flying rats.
If you are looking for a solar company at competitive pricing, great customer service, and follow up, I think you should go with Save A Lot Solar.
I use Unilocal quite often and I don’t get a chance to leave reviews much, but I think John’s team deserves this.

Highly recommended. I have a 10 panel system on a tile roof. Written quote was timely (same day) and competitive with no sales pressure or gimmicks. All questions answered in a straightforward way. Written contract prepared in 1 day with plans for homeowners association approval. Job was scheduled in 1 week. Began on time. Crew was friendly, careful, clean and worked hard. Job completed on time. John Orfali communicates well and goes out of his way to make you satisfied. It doesn’t get any better than this. A pleasure to find a good honest professional solar contractor.

I began exploring the possibility of installing a solar system at my home in early May and in the process contacted five solar companies for information and pricing. One of those companies was Save a Lot Solar owned and operated by John Orfali. After performing my due diligence, I selected Save a Lot Solar to do the work and I am certainly glad that I did. Without a doubt, John has been the most responsive, professional, and competitively priced of any of the companies I considered. One of my early concerns was that I have a shake roof and many companies refuse to install solar on shake. John put my mind at ease that this would not be a problem and in fact has provided me with a 10 year warranty to repair any leaks that may have been created during installation. From the time my first contact was made in early May, John was there every step of the way to assist in obtaining HOA approval, passing the county building permit inspection process and gaining approval of the PG&E net meter application. The system was up and running on July 10^th, only 4 days after the work began and I am now enjoying the benefits of the savings from converting to a solar system for many years to come. It is without reservation that I highly recommend John and his company, Save a Lot Solar, to meet anyone’s solar conversion needs in the Bay Area.

I just had Save a Lot Solar install a small 6 panel pv system on my house. It is the third pv system that I have had installed on the house and different from the others in that Enphase Micro Inverters were deployed on each panel.
John at Save a Lot Solar gave me a bid and install date about 2 weeks out. John and his crew arrived within 5 minutes of the time that was specified. I was told that the job would be completed in one day and indeed they finished by 3:30 after starting at 9:30 in the morning. John’s crew included himself as well as a licensed electrician and two installers who put up the rail for the panels and then the panels themselves. All of the crew was very pleasant and worked quickly and efficiently to get the job finished.
The only down side of the job is that I presumed that the module was included that displays the output of the system and each panel. But I had to pay an additional fee to have this added to the system.
It was a pleasure to work with John at Save A Lot Solar and I am happy to give him a very positive recommendation.