ProVoltz

The people at ProVoltz were very courteous and professional. They always arrived on time and completed the work in a timely manner. On their initial visit, the sales representative was very prepared. He had a satellite picture of our house and a plan of where the solar panels would be placed. After going through our yearly usage, he was able to size our unit appropriately. I asked him, if I should add several extra panels, just in case. He advised me against adding too many additional panels suggesting that it really would not be worth it. He gave me this advise although he would have gotten more on commission. The sales representative was quite knowledgeable about solar panels, net metering and the solar rebate/​tax credit. The work they did was excellent. They did a great job of communicating what needed to be done and how they would do it. Instead of installing system in the most easiest way, they actually took the time to figure out what was aesthetically pleasing and proposed those ideas. They also did an excellent job concealing the wires in the walls and patch up any holes afterwards. They took care of filling out the paper work to switch our PG&E plan and apply for net metering on our behalf. I felt this company provided excellent value for their work and really went above and beyond to make their customers happy.

We were referred to ProVoltz by close friends, for whom ProVoltz had recently installed a 12-​panel 3KW DC system. Our friends were extremely happy with the product (SunPower 250W panels, with integrated inverters), and with ProVoltz’ installation and customer support. We have a 2700 square foot 2-​story house, and have been paying $ 2400/​year for electricity, with a large share of that cost driven by our air conditioning. Our financial incentive was simple. My wife and I are both retired, and instead of drawing the recommended 4% a year from the $ 18K that was the net cost (after 30% government rebate) of the system– i.e. $ 720/​year, we will be realizing a projected $ 2000/​year savings due to the solar system, with the savings increasing as the price of electricity increases. This is a better than 10% return on our investment! As long as we plan to stay in our house for 8 or more years, we are far better off having spent $ 18K on solar than letting that $ 18K sit in an investment account, drawing 4%/year, and hoping that the investment account will make more than 4%.
We quoted 5 companies, and rapidly narrowed the field to 3. We chose ProVoltz because of our friend’s experiences, the positive Unilocal reviews, and the fact that they were the only firm quoting who offered the SunPower panels with integrated inverters. (SunPower purchased an inverter company in late 2014, so they now have a competitive advantage in being able to integrate their own inverters.) The advantages of this technology are (1) No inverter box in your garage, which typically has a 10-​year warranty and costs $ 6-​$ 8K to replace when it dies, usually well before 25 years. (2) The integrated inverters are factory installed by SunPower, who warrant both the panels and the inverters for 25 years. (3) Ease of installation. We have a stone tile roof, with steep pitches. Having had roof leaks, we were nervous about installing solar panels. ProVoltz put us in touch with another customer with the same type of roof, who was extremely happy with his installation and the products ProVoltz used. Our 20-​panel 5KW DC system was installed in early October, on schedule. ProVoltz was able to route the wiring down an existing chase, and change the breakers in our outside panel to quad breakers in order to avoid an extra cost of around $ 800 that would have been incurred if a larger panel had to be installed. We were extremely happy with the great ProVoltz people we met– Chadwick Strum, who was our sales contact, Daniel and his crew of installers, and Casandra in the office, who came to our house personally to make it easy for us to make payments, and then delivered all our documentation and user manuals on a thumb drive! The PG&E application and approval process was extremely easy and quick– facilitated by ProVoltz. More icing on the cake was when we called Chadwick and asked if we should install more than 20 panels in case we got a plug-​in hybrid car in future. Instead of selling us additional panels, Chadwick explained that if we got an electric vehicle, we would be moved to a different PG&E rate schedule, and due to that different rate structure our existing 20 panels would still be sufficient. In summary, we highly recommend ProVoltz!

My turn to give 5 stars to Provoltz. Got introduced to them because they do work with metal roof.
The whole process, from the pre-​sales, installation, setup to follow-​through with PG&E is clearly outstanding. I especially liked the extra effort on the wrap-​up, with all the documentation provided on one single USB stick, and a complete walk-​though of all the important details. Excellent customer support, very responsive, and ensures to address all questions.
Sincerely, a great job, and I started recommending them around.
The installation was done in Dec ’14, very happy since.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the awesome support from beginning to end and there after!
During the consultation, Ash was very informative and candid; he provided several scenarios on the pricing structure and walked us through the pros/​cons. Our estimated installation date was set for January 2014, then we got a pleasant surprise that we would our panels installed by December 2013. Daniel and his crew came out to do the installation. We were impressed with their professionalism. They were knowledgeable and walked us through the process. At the end of their shift, they cleaned up and put things back. After the installation, ProVoltz checked in with us to make sure that everything was going as we had expected. Everything was great. In the meanwhile, Lauren helped us with our SunPower rebate, which we got months later (but by no fault of ProVotz).
Last month, we noticed that we had water damage on our ceiling, where ProVoltz had to cut the sheetrock to run power to connect the panels to the electrical box. We emailed them and Daniel contacted us right away to set up an appointment to come out and investigate the damage. He and his crew spent a good portion of the day on troubleshooting the problem. As it turned out, we had a dime size hole in our roof which caused water to come in during the heavy rain spell that we had in January. Daniel and his team patched up the hole. Top notch customer care like that is hard to find and thus we really appreciate it even more. ProVoltz, thank you again for the excellent service!

We have had our ProVoltz installation for about a month, and I we have been very pleased with the result.
Chadwick, our sales lead, explained the technology and the process very well. The installation process was smooth. The crew was exceptionally polite and considerate – critical as we have small children. The inspections were problem-​free – you could tell that they were used to dealing with the San Mateo County inspection department. Communication throughout was fast, proactive and accurate. And now we are generating solar power!
I highly recommend this company.

It’s been a little over 2 weeks since our solar system was installed by ProVoltz and it has been great.
I selected ProVoltz after comparing with SolarCity, Clean Solar, Sungevity, REC Solar (Costco), and a few others based on their reviews and also because they carry the higher quality SunPower panels compared to the stuff SolarCity gets from China.
After getting an install date, I got the crew of Bill, Nick, and Sean and was very satisfied with their work. They kept me well informed as to what they were doing and when there was a decision to be made about routing, etc., they carefully explained the different options and let us choose. Daniel came in towards the end and knew everything that the inspector was looking for, which made the inspection quick and successful. The install guys also told us that they had broken a few of my roof tiles. So, they took a tile as a sample and went, found, & installed replacements (and even left us a few extra).
I am very happy with my system and spend each day checking how much energy it produces.

Well, I didn’t end up with them as an installer but they were very knowledgeable and professional when they first visited me to do a consultation. Price was VERY competitive but their customer service, warranty was not up to industry standards. I contacted them again to provide me with a few other alternatives but never heard back from them. Customer Service is one thing that consumers like other than having the best bang for the buck.

No joke, you are nuts if you don’t go with ProVoltz! We had four different companies come to our house to quote us on solar and we are so glad we went with ProVoltz. They were not the cheapest company but they are competitive and you get what you pay for. From the start you can tell that Ash is different from the other people and it always helps to know that he is the owner! We went with the SunPower black panels and they look great! We have had contractors at our house for all sorts of things and this crew (Daniel — leader) were top notch professional and what you wish all contractors are like. They showed up when they say they would, always wore foot protection, were professional in everything they did, always communicated above and beyond, and left everything clean and organized every day. They painted the conduit, did excellent Sheetrock repair, and made sure everything looked great and that we were happy. Ash/​Daniel/​Jonas/​Lauren are everything you hope your solar team could be! They walked us through every part of the process and even though SunPower had some back order issues, ProVoltz over communicated the situation through out. We are SO HAPPY we went with them and 100% recommend ProVoltz! Seriously, don’t make the mistake of going with somebody else if you want it done right. Thank you Ash/​Daniel/​Jonas/​Lauren!!!

I chose Provoltz because they were a SunPower installer and I specifically wanted the SunPower AC panels installed for several reasons.
I was very impressed with the professionalism of everyone I came in contact with. The system was installed when they said it would, and took as long as they said it would, and it works as they said it would. Provoltz also laid out the panels carefully to take advantage of my minimal southern-​exposure roof and adjoining trees.
Since I also needed a new roof, they recommended an installer, who did an excellent job themselves (though they did miss their schedule by almost two weeks for understandable and unpredictable reasons.)
My system is running well and I am looking forward to my negative PG&E bills.

We chose Provoltz based on a friend’s recommendation and we couldn’t have been more pleased. Ash, one of the owners, came to meet with us to take a look at our house and figure out where would be the best place to put the panels on. He was very friendly and happy to answer all questions as well as explain things clearly so we really understood all the details.
The install team was here over the course of about 4 days installing the already delivered panels. Everyone involved was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. They even took the time to run cables up through the inside of our wall so we didn’t have a bundle of cables on our wall. Afterward, they patched it beautifully. The guys were also great about updating me each day as to their progress and what they had left to do. Once everything was in place, Ash returned a few days later to look everything over and make sure things were performing properly.
Just recently, our system didn’t seem to be giving accurate data for our solar production (based on the app we’ve been using to see how it performs day to day), so my husband called Jonas, the other owner, to explain the problem. Jonas arrived and discovered a loose data terminal cable. Once that was fixed, he said it would be half an hour before the data would refresh and read accurately. Sure enough, all fixed.
These guys really were the best from beginning to end. I highly recommend them if you’re installing solar on your house!

ProVoltz installed my 3 kW system in Alviso using top-​of-​the-​line SunPower panels. They come prepared with supplies and tools for every part of the job so that they don’t waste time with a lot of Home Depot runs. They worked on my house the way that I do; they take the time to do everything right. Their attention to detail is the best. For example, they paint the conduit to match the house paint. They prefer to run conduit through the attic, entering under the panels so that the roof looks nice and clean. They handled several special requests, such as mounting the monitor inside the house rather than in a standard exterior box. Daniel, Bill, and the crew are friendly, caring, and thoughtful. For example, they put on booties to protect the hardwood floor and left the yard, attic, and basement clean. ProVoltz is a small company, but top quality.

ProVoltz recently finished up a 3.3kW install for my home in San Jose. Everyone I met was incredibly friendly and professional. Everything was explained up front, in writing, including power generation and pay off periods.
They were a little backlogged so it was several weeks before the install crew could come out, but once they did the job was completed in just a few days. The crew put up with all my crazy questions and engineer’s curiosity about how everything worked. They discovered an electrical code issue with my home that should have been fixed years ago (electrical bonding of water and gas lines), and they made sure to take care of it as part of the install, no extra cost.
The slowest part was waiting for PG&E to come out and switch on net metering, but there is nothing ProVoltz could do about this part. Since then, we’ve been enjoying negative electricity rates. Our generation seems to even be a bit higher than the original estimates would suggest.
As icing on the cake, my understanding is these guys also do a lot of work for a local non-​profit, Grid Alternatives, to help low income families in the Bay Area get up and running with solar.

I spoke with Provoltz and a few others for well over a year as I was on the fence about solar. While every dealer/​installer gave me an education Ash and the ProVoltz team really made sure that I understood what was going on. I sort of geek out in technology and they really made sure I understood all of the options and why certain options were better than others. And as the technology changed over the year Ash came back and modified the system plans to make sure I was making the best use of the technology for my house configuration, shading and electricity usage. I never felt like I was being «sold» something, more like they were helping me solve a problem. I ended up having them install a 7.5kwh system and the entire process was smooth and easy.
Additionally, I have a metal roof and they were able to invent a solution that meant they didn’t have to drill into my roof at all. Very reassuring. These guys know their stuff. Highly recommend you speak with them when considering a solar installation.

My whole experience with them was wonderful. Provolz is just wrapping up a tricky rooftop installation on my house in Aptos. These guys are all about excellent customer service. They are always checking in to make sure I’m happy with things. Jonas (a.k.a. Johannes) has the goal of of success through customer satisfaction. They had a very can-​do approach and the installers — Daniel and Bill — were as courteous and pleasant as one could ask for. I would not look anywhere else for PV work, and only wish other contractors interacted with customers as professionally as Provoltz does.

ProVoltz Solar did an outstanding job on our new PV solar installation on our home. Mikel did a very through analysis of our property and my wife and I decided to install a 22-​panel system using SunPower E-​20 panels. We feel we received very professional advice with absolutely no pressure to buy. Due to the age of our existing roof we decide it was the time to reroof. ProVoltz staff seamlessly interfaced with the Western Roofing Supply installation crew. Jonas, one of the owners of ProVoltz, oversaw the installation and kept us totally informed on each aspect of the PV system installation. The ProVoltz crew left our yard clean and tidy. The entire staff at ProVoltz is very nice and very responsive, especially Lauren. I’m retired now, but have overseen many commercial and residential construction projects and I was impressed with ProVoltz’ entire operation and staff. We highly recommend them and we love our PV system, not to mention the satisfaction of watching our PG&E meter running in reverse. Thanks, ProVoltz

Provoltz did an awesome job on my ground mount system in Los Gatos. I had a somewhat tricky installation on the crest of a steep slope, and had gotten a variety of differing opinions on how feasible my system was and what special equipment might be needed to get a reliable installation. Ash and Jonas were extremely responsive through the bidding step as well as the construction itself. They got an extra-​long drill-​bit to make sure my pillars were secure, but were otherwise able to do the install without additional expensive equipment and for a very competitive price.
The installation team was prompt, friendly and courteous, and even worked the day after Christmas so I could get it finished before the end of the year. They were also flexible during the install, and re-​did part of the mounting system for me to get the panels lower to the ground. One of the perks in their proposal was that they would connect an internet-​enabled monitoring system for me. In the end this turned out to require a wireless link back to my house, as well as another monitoring station on my main power supply. All of this was expertly handled by Jonas, who came back to get things just to my satisfaction long after they had already been paid.
All in all, a highly competitive, competent and friendly crew. They will make sure it is done to your satisfaction.

ProVoltz exceeded my expectations. Everyone at ProVoltz was very pleasant and professional: Ash and Jonas made sure I stayed informed throughout the process. And Ryan and his team of installers handled my house with care. Their technical expertise was very impressive. When it was time for the installation, they told us what to expect and kept us updated through the entire process. They were fast and efficient. And we are loving the savings on our electricity.

I can’t say enough good things about the ProVoltz team and the system they installed on our home a year ago.
We had an excellent experience with the team from our initial meeting to the close of the project! Every step was completed on time, with no surprises, and the system has out performed initial estimates. SunPower makes top of the line hardware.
We were also very impressed with the level or professionalism and technical expertise of the owner and entire team. Well above average compared to other capable contractors we met getting prior bids.
We live in an Eichler home and researched the project thoroughly, getting a number of quotes. I knew I wanted SunPower Panels and ProVolts is both expert in Eichler home installations and a SunPower «Elite» certified installer.
If you own an Eichler, you know picking the right contractor is the most important decision on a project. My advice is don’t install a solar system without at least having them come out for a a site visit and getting an estimate!

Johannes of ProVoltz worked with SunPower to determine if our defective panel would be convered under warrenty. He came out and performed a detailed inspection and spent time explaining what was happening to the panel. He communicated his findings to SunPower, and eventually was able to replace the panel at no cost to me. His service was top notch, thorough and honest. I would highly recommend ProVoltz and Johannes Copeland.