Ally Electric & Solar did a great job designing and installing my solar and battery-storage systems. They persisted where others may have given up to ensure I received all the government rebates. My system has been trouble-free since installation a few years ago. I like that they are a family business, easy to communicate with and very responsive. They are actual electricians, which increased my confidence given that my home is older and needed a service upgrade. They handled everything including permits. Their pricing is competitive. I can recommend them whole heartedly. read more

Ally Electric installed solar panels and a Tesla battery at our home, and the entire process was clean, smooth, and professional. They handled all the paperwork, including permits and PG&E communication, which made everything stress-free. I highly recommend Ally Electric. read more

Ally recently installed our home's solar and electrical system with new main service and subsidiary electrical breaker panels. We should have done solar years ago but were concerned about esthetics given our home's age and appearance. They helped us site the panels on our complex steep gabled roof, put conduits through our attic, and positioned the batteries and switches well to help minimize the esthetic impact. We have seen our total kWh decline below our pre-solar values in winter. Their installation team with head electrician Daniel were on-time, capable professionals. Because Ally had a competitive bid, we asked them to do some additional upgrades including an additional solar panel and upgrading a junction box. We are happy to strongly recommend Metin and Nur Sanglam and the Ally team based on our experience. read more

Ally Electrical & Solar is a rare find--a small family-owned business with honesty, integrity, and meticulous attention to detail. Owners Nur and Metin (husband and wife) helped us design our residential solar system, recommended panel brands, sizing, and placement,as well as navigating us through the maze of PG&E and local requirements. Their installers are their own employees-- no "outsourcing" installations to third-party vendors! Many of their staff have been with them for decades, which says everything about how dedicated Nur and Metin are to caring for both their customers and their staff. We contacted almost a dozen solar companies before selecting Ally and are so happy we did. They are first-class people and a pleasure to work with. And of course, our system is working perfectly and they continue to be available to answer questions. Our best contractor experience in 48 years of home ownership. read more

Well, I filled out an interest form, got no response. Called, left a message with the reception. Called, got the owner! and he said someone would get back to me. Nobody ever did, despite the large size of the array needed. Oh, well. Three strikes. read more

The team at Ally Electric and Solar are amazing. They installed solar panels and battery backup for us and have worked on numerous minor electrical issues at our home. I have worked with the owner and several members of his team, all of whom are pleasant, responsive and know their stuff. read more

Ally has provided service to us both to install solar panels and to be our electrician (replacing switches, installing light fixtures and photocells, troubleshooting devices that malfunction, advising on appliance purchases). They are family run and live in Berkeley. When the big solar installers advised against using a small firm, Ally reassured us: we are living here, we are going nowhere. And it's been more than 10 years! They are very responsive to phone calls and emails. We are very happy to have a local supplier. read more

Ally Electric & Solar installed 19 panels for us several years ago. Their calculations were spot on, we're saving a bundle on our pge bill. So last year, 2022, we came into some extra funds and needed some tax relief, and we contacted Ally to see what we could safely add on to our system. Again, Ally was spot on in their calculations, and recommended five more panels and a battery backup system. We got our tax relief and now we basically are PGE independent. Ally set us up for 50% self generated power, leaving the other 50% available in case of emergency needs. We run on solar during the day and batteries during the night. In addition, Ally made applications for SGIP with PGE which was approved, basically covering the cost of the batteries. We are so impressed with Ally, they did better for us than I ever hoped for. John C-H read more

The team has been very diligent with installation of our solar panels and battery. They have a very skilled staff with in-depth knowledge on the subject. They've gone over every detail meticulously. Their post-installation support and reachability is phenomenal. The quality of craftsmanship is top notch. read more

Ally Solar team has done a great job installing our solar system and car charger. They even helped find a roofing company to renew our roof before installing the solar panels. They were very knowledgable and meticulous about every aspect of the project - plans, permits, equipment selection, installation, testing, inspection, and production. Very happy customer :) read more

Great experience! Chris was excellent! Some of the rooms in my house were losing power and I was considering rewiring and connecting new circuit to the rooms. He came in on time, did a thorough investigation, and was able to pinpoint the root cause and fixed that really fast, helping me to avoid a much bigger project. Definitely recommend them. read more

I would certainly not hesitate to contact Ally for any and all electrical need. Metin is professional, responsive, honest and has provided us with the service that we needed at a very reasonable price. He has always gone above and beyond to complete the job to our satisfaction. I first contacted Metin in 2011 to install a new sub-panel on our rear unit. He evaluated the job and quoted a very reasonable price for the job. His team arrived on time on the day that the work was to be performed. The job was completed on time. Metin took care of all the permits and scheduled the city inspection in our main house. This year Metin came by just after Christmas day 2016, to help resolve a problem we were having(we had no electricity without running our dryer). Metin found and resolved the problem. He never charged us for this service! In 2017 we asked him and his team to upgrade our service from PG&E and install a new main panel, remove our old fuse panels and replace them with a new breaker sub-panel. The price was very reasonable and again Metin took care of all of the permits and paperwork with PG&E and the city. They ran new wiring to the garage for lights, laundry and downstairs bathroom and living area.His team did a fabulous job and Metin assured that the did the job correctly and in a timely manner. Recently we decided to remodel our kitchen and contacted Metin to do a complete rewire of the kitchen. Metin worked with us to assure that he and/or his crew were here when they needed to be here throughout the project. Metin was completely aware of the city codes and he knew exactly what was required, when and where. They ran and labeled the wiring, installed all of the needed electrical boxes, outlets, switches, and lights. They installed and labeled the required breakers in the sub-panel. Again, Metin was there for every city inspection to assure that things were as they should be. Very satisfied customer. read more

Thank you Metin! I finally have my dream chandelier up and hanging from our 20 ft high ceiling. Once I found Ally Electric & Solar the process was pretty smooth. Note: it was difficult to find an electrician who has a ladder higher than 15 ft. Metin was very easy to communicate with and I found that his quote for the service reasonable and fairly priced. Not only was his crew professional and efficient but respectful in keeping our home clean throughout the installation. I also appreciate them for being flexible with time as my own mistake had caused some delay. I definitely recommend their service. read more

[UPDATE June 2014] Well, I need to re-rate Ally and Metin and his crew. I now feel like I got taken for a fool. Over the past two years since they completed their work, on three different occasions, I've needed some relatively minor electrical work, and had another electrician come to do what should have been a small job. What he found in my walls, attic and main panel made me question Ally's work, and ended up costing me a fair bit of money to correct. Specifically: They left a live, 40-amp/8-gauge wire hanging in my wall cavity beneath the former location of the main panel. They used under-gauged wire for an exterior conduit to my garage. They mis-labeled the main panel completely, such that the switches did not correspond to their respective circuits. In short, in places where I could not see their work (with the exception of the panel), they left a mess. I'm now totally worried about whether they even replaced my knob and tube, which disappeared beneath mounds of insulation before I could inspect it. Not cool. Thankfully, there are good electricians out there. You'd be wise to work with them. [OLD/ORIGINAL REVIEW] Metin and Huluck run a tight ship and do excellent work. I have on old 1920's era Berkeley bungalow with 1920's era wiring and service, and needed someone who could come in, do the job quickly and affordably, and work with other contractors who I needed for other jobs in the house. Ally did a great job with all of it - replaced a firetrap FedPac subpanel, upgraded my main service from 40 amps (!) to 200, and re-wired my whole attic to get rid of the knob and tube wiring which was botha fire hazard, and preventing me from adding insulation in the attic. The Akky crew was fast and professional, and Huluck and Metin gave me a lot of personal service that made me feel like I could really trust them to do the job well. I ended up spending a little more money than I wanted, but only because they did a great job and so I asked them to take care of a couple of other items in the garage and the shed that needed attention. We had a couple of small hiccups with scheduling but Ally took full responsibility and handled everything gracefully - pretty amazing when you consider a) how complex electric wiring is in an old house, and b) the typical attitude of contractors who might do great work, but don't care about service. With Ally you get both - and there's a lot to be said for that. Highly recommend Metin and his crew. read more

My lights kept going out in my home. If I turned on the lights in the bedroom it would short out the entire home. I selected Ally Electric & Solar from the Better Business Bureau website. They came right out and began checking the problem. After two days of no power, Ally found the issue, and replaced the electrical part causing the outage. Metin was very polite, courteous and returned phone calls promptly. I would recommend them and use them again. Thank you very much Metin! read more

Chris is excellent - courteous, knowledgeable, and fast. Good electrician is in demand. He gave me a two hour window and shows up towards the end. He then quickly diagnosed the problem with the recess light. And even go to the hardware store to get the part for my old recess light. Reasonable rate. I will call him again. read more

My tenants were having an electrical issue with the stove at one of my rental properties. I called several electric companies and described the issue, but most said they were booked and not taking any new appointments. That's when I called Ally Electric. They asked me to take a few photos of the circuit breaker and put me on the schedule for the next available appointment. They were professional and did everything within the 1 hour that I was billed for. It's been a pleasure working with both Melina and Metin! I look forward to working with them on other upcoming projects. read more

After receiving 4 estimates for solar I decided to go with Ally Electric. I was very skeptical In the beginning? Because I always check out reviews on here. the man who came out and gave me the estimate was the same guy who did the work; Haluk is the man!! I can't speak highly enough of Ally Electric and solar. The job was done professionally and in a timely manner. PG&E bill was cut by 75% comparing with last year's. THANKS A MILLION - HIGHLY RECCOMENDED! -Davis in Berkeley, CA read more

Ally Electric & Solar - Electricians Near Me - Richmond, California

I have used Metin's company several times over a span of 15 years. His company has repaired electrical problems, replaced my sub-panel, installed new ceiling light fixtures and other odds and ends. They always respond in a timely manner, do a good job and charge a fair price. What else can you ask for??? read more

I do not trust these people, their work was rejected by the Oakland-city's inspector. Only then they agreed to correct it, but they sent someone who was not their employee, plus in middle of the job they increased their fees for no reason read more

Too bad we can't post pictures, in which case imagine a Venn diagram in which Metlin et al occupy the small subset of contractors who are a) knowledgeable, b) conscientious with their work and their customers, c) timely and affordable. Can't go wrong with Arco... read more

These guys are great. Vary punctual and great competitive pricing. Fixed my electrical problem within the hour.

I have used Ally twice in the last 2 years. The first time, I needed to have my existing solar panels moved to a different place on my roof, and they came up with a great plan to mount racks on my garage and move all 36 panels there. This worked out very well - the plan also included replacing my ancient inverters with a brand new one. This year, with the purchase of an electric car, I wanted to add some more panels to increase my generation capacity, and they once again came through - they put 10 more 280W panels on the roof, and installed micro inverters to be able to monitor each panel. I called several places, and they were the only ones who were willing to modify an existing solar setup. In each case they were professional, showed up on time, cleaned up and did excellent work, which was reflected in the quick and painless passing of the inspection, for which they were present. I would recommend them to anyone, especially if you have a solar project that is not your standard installation. read more

Ally has provided service to us several times and always been very competent and reliable. Most impressively, we were in Europe and our house sitter called to say there was no power! We called Ally who found that our electrical panel was faulty. They handled the repair efficiently and fixed everything quickly. Their pricing was very reasonable as well - for a job that could have cost us a fortune! This was a huge help as this experience could have ruined our vacation. We were glad to be working with this trustworthy company. They have also have done various smaller repairs for us and have always provided excellent service. We are planning to install solar panels some time soon and plan to use them for this service too. We recommend them highly. read more

What a pleasure to do business with Metin. He's prompt, timely, tidy, has great follow through - and he's even a pleasant person to chat with. Have had terrific service from him and his staff over the years on small projects - repairs and improvements. He has honored estimates a year old (!) and even not charged extra when I discovered more expensive fixtures than he'd estimated for. He's energetic and enthusiastic, and seems to enjoy the personal relationships which I relish with people I invite into my house. It doesn't get any better that that. read more

I found Ally on a list of recommended installers on the website of the company (Clipper Creek) from which I recently bought an electric-car charger. I picked Ally because the estimate I got from them was appreciably lower than the bids I got from several other electricians on the same list. Metin and his crew did a great job with the installation, and the charger seems to be working fine. While the Ally guys were here doing the job, I asked them to add an outdoor light and rain-proof switch near the charger. That was a fair bit of extra work not included in the estimate they'd originally given me, and I assumed that they'd charge me for it. But when it came time to write the check, they told me to pay only the amount on the estimate, even though I assured them I was quite willing to pay for the extra work - and when I offered a cash tip, they declined. Pretty amazing. read more

They sent me a bill with no detail on it - only the total which was sooo much more than I expected. They said they charged by the hour & when I requested a detailed bill they charged by the each little thing they did.rk & it was outrageous - $20.00 for changing a battery, $75 for repairing a dimmer switch! I never was given an hourly breakdown of the work. I feel I was taken advantage of because i was not present when they did the work. I will never use them again and have told them so. read more

These guys are great! I called on a Thursday, by Monday at 3pm they were at the house helping my tenants get two non-functioning lights back on. They fixed the problem and didn't create any unneeded work. I would hire them anytime!! read more

Metin installed an electrical service upgrade in our house. He was available on short notice and accommodated our schedule. His work is evidence of excellent workmanship, and he completed the job timely, including clean-up. Metin stands behind his work, and offered to meet with the building inspector to get the permit signed off. I would not hesitate to hire Metin again, and recommend him to my friends. read more

Whether you need a major upgrade or have an emergency, the quality of service, price, and response continue to be excellent. We have used Ally for many years and appreciate the attention to detail, prompt and timely service, and reasonable prices. I would also seek them out for Solar if you decide it is time to look into adding that. read more

Went through Ally for solar on my home in Brentwood. Best decision made this year. The staff was courteous, respectful, and very accommodating. Researched and interviewed over 5 other companies and Ally came back with the best price and services all with a hardworking staff with safety as their top priority. If you are looking for a solar system for your home or business, Ally has great programs and definitely worth looking into! read more

As a previous Hawaii home-owner with a PV/Solar system I was adamant to place some panels on my recently purchased home in California to save costs on electricity costs. I had met and received multiple quotes from over 5 different companies in the Bay Area and opted to go with Ally Electric and Solar. Here are my reasons in no particular order for selecting them: #1 Very honest/respectful employees #2 Competitive Pricing #3 Professionalism #4 Quick to respond to any questions or concerns my wife and I had #5 Knowledgeable in Electronics/Solar Systems. As an engineer myself and having already owned a system I was fairly familiar with the options available to me and what to expect in a solar company. Ally took the initiative to meet the needs I had requested at a moments notice and most importantly respectful to my property at all level during the entire process. Although effective, and timely completion of the project was important to them, Safety took precedence in all aspects, from labeling to the location of equipment. If you are truly looking into the option for the alternate means of supplying electricity to your home or business I highly recommend the professionals at Ally Electrical & Solar Inc. I received an excellent price that competitors could not beat and a professional install that is aesthetically pleasing. Check them out...you will not regret just looking into the option of saving money from the increasing prices from PG&E, My family is definitely happy we found them!! read more

Metin and his crew did a great job. We have a duplex that still had its original knob and tube. They updated the service to both units with fewer holes than I expected. Amazing job! read more

I used Ally to replace four outlets with waterproof versions. I said I didn't need a separate visit for an estimate, because I wanted the work done quickly. They said OK. Three days later, someone showed up, unscheduled, but would only examine the site in preparation for doing an estimate. It took them another week to schedule the work itself. The worker arrived with the wrong materials. They seem unable to use USPS. They were unable to provide a final, detailed invoice, but simply hand delivered their vague estimate as invoice. Finally, although I had asked about their credit card policy three times, it was not until they sent the bill that they disclosed their policy of adding a 2% surcharge for credit cards. I would not use them again. read more

Metin and his team did a great job on a small project we had to install some lights and bring our breaker panel up to code. I'd highly recommended working with Ally Electric read more

We have been using Ally since 2013, when they did a major re-wiring and lighting installation project for our house. We liked everyone, from the owners (Metin and Haluk) to the electricians' assistants, and we were very impressed by the care and quality of the work they did. since then, we have had Ally install an electric car charger and, most recently, a stand-by generator that comes on automatically and provides electricity to our entire house, using natural gas, during power outages. (It proved itself during a recent El Nino storm and was a great relief, since we rely on an electric sump pump to keep our basement workroom from flooding.) Once again, Ally's work was excellent. Metin was directly involved in every step of the process, including getting the necessary permit from the city, which had no experience with such generators, and making sure that every connection (and there were many) was made correctly. He went far beyond what we expected. We unhesitatingly recommend Ally Electric and Solar. read more

Ally Electric & Solar installed solar panels on our Berkeley home last year, and they are working well. Ally was recommended by our Berkeley architect. The Ally installer had worked for a large solar company and said that Ally was more careful about the placement of the solar panels. Ally was also able to do the necessary upgrade for our electric panel. Ally handled all the paperwork with the City of Berkeley. Ally has been available to answer follow-up questions about the readings I receive, but I have not followed the production of electricity closely. I know that the panels are producing enough energy to cover our electricity costs for the year: PG&E does a "true-up" (called "net energy metering") at the end of the year after the solar panel installation and the PG&E monthly billings show that we are ahead. Note that our electricity costs are not zero because PG&E gets a monthly fee allowed by the California Public Utilities Commission. This fee applies to all solar panels. read more