Power + Light

DO NOT even bother calling this place, he does not return phone calls. I left 4 messages for him and never heard back. I also mentioned that I got his name and phone number from the positive Unilocal reviews. I understand if you’re busy, but you can at least text or call back saying that.

I interviewed 4 electricians who were highly rated on Unilocal to do a major upgrade to the electrical service at my in-​laws 1921 home in Oakland. All of the electricians were good, but Mike stood out as the most responsive and considerate. He and his crew coordinated with PG&E to run an upgraded 125A 120/​240V Service to the house, swapped out and relocated the old meter and panels to safer and more convenient locations, provided dedicated circuits to laundry, furnace, refrigerator, microwave, and garage, installed additional outlets and light fixtures, and corrected several potentially hazardous wiring problems. His pricing was reasonable and his crew (Jason and Kevin) were a pleasure to work with. The final inspection was deemed «perfect» — a testament to Power+Light’s workmanship.

I asked Mike to stop by and look at an electrical problem. He walked me through what was probably happening and my options with pros and cons, clearly an expert, with no pressure to do the work immediately. Very nice!

Mike Grimm is my go-​to electrician. He and all his staff are professional and knowledgeable as well as being very pleasant folks. Mike is honest and straightforward. As a Realtor, I’ve brought him to listings where the electrical system was a mess, and he offered a reasonable solution. I appreciate his willingness to help clients with bids for work, even when the buyer may not end up purchasing the home. The greatest vote of confidence I can give is having used him on my own home, a landmarked property with period details and rarified materials. Mike and all of his crew are always respectful of the properties they work on, and their owners. I recommend Power & Light without hesitation!

Mike Grin and Power + Light responded quickly to my request for electrical services. They estimated the job at $ 790 for the four tasks required. They completed the first task timely and I was happy with that work, although it did seem to go slowly. I did not receive an invoice for this work for several weeks and when I did receive it the amount, $ 923, exceeded the estimate of the total job. In the intervening month Power + Light proved unable to return to complete the job. In fairness, it was often rainy during this period.

To finish a separate project and obtain city permit for electrical upgrade, I called Mike’s company after finding them listed on Better Business Bureau website. I didn’t find any of the other independent contractor names I was given listed on the BBB site. Power + light were very responsive and ready to take on the project. Prices were nearly the same. While at my home, the were clean and respectful and notified me of any anticipated outages, etc. I asked for other changes and they were flexible. I feel great about the quality of the work done. The city inspector agreed and signed off quickly…

I’d like to recommend Michael and his company. I am a licensed
plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractor myself, (Marc Brenner Co. est 1974) who has worked alongside these very excellent electricians over the years. They are hard working, thoughtful and knowledgeable.

Mike, Kenny and the rest of this team are the contractors one dreams about. I have used them for 3 large jobs over the past 7 years, as well as in an emergency situation recently.
Mike is extremely knowledgeable and honest. He and his crew are skilled, friendly and extremely detail oriented. They are accessible and finish the job on or ahead of schedule. They are prompt, stay late when necessary, and make every effort to leave the place clean.
Recently, when my refrigerator broke down, I called them. Mike responded and had Kenny come by as soon as he finished at the site where he was working that day… they go above and beyond any expectations I ever had.
I can’t recommend them highly enough!

MIke and his crew are wonderful. They are nice, clean, trustworthy, and damn good at their jobs. I just purchased an 1895 Victorian in Oakland. It has needed a lot of work, not just because it’s old, but because the people who tried and failed to «flip» the home did a lot of ghetto work.
I received three bids for the electrical work that needed to be done to re-​route all the various power incarnations and shoddy electrical work into one new electrical box. I also wanted to make sure that all the rooms had at least one grounded outlet to plug computers into.
Mike’s bid was a fair price and I liked his honesty when he spoke with me. So I chose him. I’m glad I did too, because we had a miscommunication about the grounded plugs and when the work was all done I didn’t have grounded plugs…
After he and I figured out how the miscommunication occured, he explained to me what needed to be done and the $$$ needed. He then offered another solution that would work until we were ready for the larger rewire and said he would do it for free due to the miscommunication. Now that’s customer service and honesty at its finest!
I plan on using Mike and his team for many more jobs — including the future grounding of bedroom outlets.

We highly recommend Power + Light and Mike (the owner) should you need a reliable electrician.
They came to our 1906 home and prior to moving in upgraded a few of the outlets and fixed old circuit breaker panels.
When our bill came we noticed that they had charged for one additional outlet. We called Mike and explained the error, he promptly removed the erroneous charges and re-​sent the bill.
Mike is very reputable and trustworthy. When he came to our home to get payment I asked him about helping us to shed light in our craftsman dining room, he recommended against doing the work as it would involve a major amount of demo work. Gotta love a contractor who advises you AGAINST doing work.
I will definitely use Mike again and highly recommend his company to others.

Power & Light installed a new service panel and completely rewired my home. They did an excellent job, and were careful to install new outlets such that they matched the others in the house. They did a significant amount of work, but managed to only create two holes in walls in my utility room, which were patched well. They cleaned up after themselves – you’d never know they were here! I’d strongly recommend them for their reliability and expertise.

We needed an affordable electrician to upgrade our wiring and replace some old fans and fixtures, so we used someone we found listed frequently on the Berkeley Parents Network, because I’ve always had good luck with those recommendations. The crew from Power & Light was great to work with – fast, clean and knowledgeable. They always clearly explained what they were doing and how much it would cost, which I appreciate. Also really friendly, polite guys who we actually enjoyed having around (not always my experience with contractors, I’m sorry to say). The cost seemed fair and everything passed inspection with no problem. Highly recommended.

We needed a complete service upgrade and didn’t know who to go to since we are still pretty new to this area. This company came highly recommended by a few neighbors and I can see why!
We were very happy with how convenient they were to work with, from start to finish — from scheduling to billing. They came exactly when promised, and were very professional. What more can you ask for?!