Cali Energy
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Author: Kaitlyn Short
Cali Energy is a licensed general solar contractor that has been serving both residential and commercial solar customers in the greater L.A. area since 2017. In addition to solar panel installations, the company specializes in solar batteries, roofing, electric vehicle charging stations, and more.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Top Solar Financing Partners
- Quality Equipment
Top Solar Financing Partners
Cali Energy has partnered with some of the top-rated solar financing companies around to help customers in the greater L.A. area fund their solar panel systems. Financing a solar system through a solar loan has plenty of advantages, not least of which is the ability to take advantage of money-saving solar incentives and the solar tax credit. Among other lending companies, Cali Energy has formed partnerships with the following:
- Mosaic — Mosaic works with both solar contractors and homeowners to finance solar energy systems, solar batteries, and other energy-efficient home improvements. The company also provides a completely digital interface for solar lessees to keep track of their payments and interest rates.
- Renew Financial — Renew Financial boasts a fast approval process with flexible payment terms for homeowners in California and Florida. In many cases, the company can provide up to 100 percent financing up to $250,000 and zero money down.
Quality Equipment
Cali Energy uses some of the best solar panels and solar inverters available. The company implements solar panels from both LG and Panasonic into its solar installations. Per Solaris, comparable solar modules from both companies carry the following performance statistics:
| LG | Panasonic | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment Warranty | 25 years | 25 years |
| Efficiency | ~19.3 percent | ~19.6 percent |
| Low Degradation | 0.55 percent per year | 0.26 percent per year |
| Price per Watt | $1.04 per watt | $1.09 per watt |
Cali Energy also installs SolarEdge inverters into its systems. SolarEdge inverters are some of the most efficient inverters money can buy, transferring approximately 99 percent of gathered solar energy into electricity. The latest SolarEdge inverters also provide a user-friendly interface to help homeowners monitor the energy output of their system.
Cali Energy also attaches a 25-year workmanship warranty to every solar power system the company installs. That warranty includes solar panel removal, reinstallation, and cleaning as circumstances require.
To learn more about how solar equipment can impact your solar system’s performance, visit our solar home page.
The Bad
- Limited Payment Options
- California-Only Solar Contractor
- Limited Online Data
Limited Payment Options
Despite offering numerous financing options through top solar lenders, Cali Energy does not appear to provide the alternative financing options of solar leases or power purchase agreements (PPA). These can be especially useful options for solar customers who are either unable to finance the system themselves or take on a significant loan; solar leases allow customers to “rent” their systems at a lower rate than what they might expect to pay their utility company, while a PPA allows customer to only pay for the power their system produces.
California-Only Solar Contractor
As evidenced by the company’s logo and name, Cali Energy only offers services to the State of California — primarily the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles areas. Cali Energy only operates as a solar panel installation contractor, as opposed to a full-service provider, meaning the scope of its duties are limited to system installation.
Limited Online Data
Through the company’s “Our Work” page, visitors and prospective clients can see a number of photos and videos showcasing Cali Energy’s installments. While this scale of work is impressive for such a young company, Cali Energy is missing a valuable opportunity to share important details about these projects with online visitors. Details like kilowatt amount and solar panel brand are mentioned only sparingly in social media posts.
Cali Energy mentions the founders’ names and that the company is family owned; however, it lists next to no information about personnel, qualifications (beyond the fact the company employs General B contractors), awards and industry recognitions, or background. In a solar market saturated by hundreds of providers, every piece of company information matters.
The Bottom Line
Although Cali Energy has only been in business for a few years, the company has already completed a number of residential and commercial projects throughout Southern California. It uses top-quality equipment in its installations and has partnered with reputable solar lenders to help customers with financing.
That said, lack of payment options, national reach, and relevant online information, limit the solar company’s effectiveness. Until these issues are either explained or resolved, Cali Energy will have difficulty standing out in a crowded solar market.
