Top notch job and project management - I'm really happy after working with Luminalt. They came in right on budget and prices were competitive with some of the less-established companies. Waiting for city inspections is never fun, but was amazed that Luminalt's schedule hit the install date exactly, they got the job quickly, and follow up inspections happened sooner than promised. And the best part? PG&E can charge whatever they want - that's not a problem I need to worry about for at least 25 years. read more

We were very happy working with Luminalt. They removed our twenty year old failing solar and replaced it with a much improved system. They are great communicators and a well-run team. Cody and Fabian did an excellent job with the installation! read more

Fantastic job, again. They put up my solar panels over 10 years ago, and now I have battery as well. I have a cabin that is off grid, so I understand going off grid. They still explained everything and got all the paperwork done with the city. I cannot recommend them high enough. read more

Very unprofessional, hired and failed. Prices double others. Trying to get work done since September 2024 and now they decided they don't want to do it even though they made the agreement. read more

Highly professional team, flawless execution of a difficult solar + battery project. I couldn't be more happy with Luminalt. After initially working with another solar company recommended by a neighbor I quickly realized that this wouldn't be quite as easy: the challenge was finding a location for the battery which would comply with code. The other company procrastinated about this for months until after a long silence telling me that they couldn't do it. So I reached out to Luminalt. (I should have gone with SF's number one solar company in the first place.) Of course, the discussion quickly centered around possible locations for the battery. But unlike the other company, the discussion never stalled with Luminal. Instead of giving up or shying away from a difficult project, they confidently worked their way through it. I could tell right away that the team knew what they were doing, acted professionally and responded timely. After several site visits, emails, and discussions with DBI, Luminalt came up with a brilliant idea leveraging what seemed to be some exception in the code. They made sure to get pre-approvals from the city and fire department before embarking on the work. And by the time everything was finished, the project was smoothly signed-off by city and fire inspectors as expected. Great communication throughout the project, seamless and professional delivery. I rarely write reviews, but the job Luminalt's team around Kyle, Zach, and Gen was executed so well that they deserve a five star review. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a hassle-free project and reliable partner. read more

Trustworthy company that does excellent work. They installed collectors on my cantilevered solar canopy that tops my Net Positive Zero Cottage" residence in San Francisco. read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Vegetated roof with Luminalt solar collectors. - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm a bit late in writing this review, but I went with Luminalt for a Tesla Powerwall installation and had a very good experience. Things were frustrating at first because acquiring the Powerwall from Tesla took forever, but once the unit arrived the actual work happened smoothly and it's worked exactly as advertised. Also extra props for a year or so later when I had an electrical issue that we thought might be related to their installation they visited immediately to check and it turned out their work was not involved and they didn't even charge me for the extra emergency visit. read more

This is the second time I hire them, first about 7 years ago to install the solar panels, this time to install a powerwall (battery backup) in case of blackout. I would say they still deliver the stellar service, in guiding me through all necessary steps and answering all my concerns. Be aware though, they are on the expensive side, but your money would be well spent, as my solar panels is still performing well and I got all updates and know how it is functioning. My current project hasn't started yet so I cannot comment on how it goes still. But they run a no nonsense business. So rest assured your needs are in good hands. read more

I will add to the five star reviews. I've been around the solar business for a while, so I was aware that Luminalt was well-respected. I first met someone from Luminalt when I took a class at PG&E. The Luminalt person was the expert PG&E brought in to discuss working with legacy household infrastructure. When the city inspector shows up, sees the crew, and says, "Oh, you guys again. This will be quick and easy," you know you picked the right company. When it was time to replace the roof, acquire a solar system, and upgrade the electrical to support a heat pump heater, I got 11 quotes for solar using EnergySage. Luminalt does not participate in EnergySage and now I know why. Some of the bids that came in were flagrantly in violation of building codes or shady in some other way. Others were clearly loss leaders that would have to be changed to get approval. Luminalt was more expensive than any, but they also told me the truth in detail about what needed to happen with my electrical service (which was way less than I expected, thanks Luminalt). I had a roofer lined up, so I asked the roofer who does quality solar work. He said Luminalt. My neighbor was having extensive electrical work done and that electrician was clearly doing quality work. I asked him who to choose for solar. He said Luminalt. As other reviews state, Luminalt is more expensive because they hire locally in San Francisco and their crews are consistent and experienced. It is true that this is a polite, careful and courteous group of people all the way from sales to project management to installation to permitting to post installation. Now the capper. We received Permission to Operate yesterday, Dec. 19th. The original estimate was next March. Luminalt exceeding expectations again. read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Luminalt Solar Installation - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

Luminalt was an excellent installer of my solar panels. After trying out several other nationally known companies and getting frustrated with a hard sell, a friend recommended Luminalt and it was smooth sailing after that. Luminalt uses SunPower panels, which are American made and are super efficient. Luminalt provided me with a step by step process, which started with checking to see the condition of my roof. They provided me with a list of 6-8 roofing companies they often work with and would recommend and I got bids from two of them. The one I used, American Standard Roofing, was excellent and coordinated with Luminalt. I was in a time crunch to get everything done before the end of September when I leave town for several months and Luminalt and American Standard Roofing made it happen. I love my new solar panels. Highly recommend this firm. read more

I just finished installing solar panels on my roof thanks to Luminalt. I cant recommend Luminalt enough for how detailed, prompt, and attentive they were during the entire process. A little background: I reroofed my house during the summer and was interested in installing solar so I originally contacted SunPower to quote after searching online since SunPower was considered #1. After my consultation with SunPower it left much to be desired as the consultant was hesitant to give information on how the panels were mounted on the roof. He cited the workers were too busy to provide details but once I pressed further I found out they mount the panels on the roof onto studs via screws them used a chemlink sealant on top. I checked with my roofer as they were providing me a 30 year warranty on their work and they mentioned they saw instances that over time water would seep under the chemlink sealant and inevitably cause leaks in the roof. SunPower's warranty on construction was only 10 years and when I tried to get some kind of assurance he bluntly said "well you need to think about the importance of saving money on solar due to the rising cost of electricity". Wow... thanks... any savings I would get would be negated due to my roof needing repair 20 years earlier than necessary. SunPower basically contracts out their construction to others so they dont necessarily do it themselves, other companies do it for them. So after that my roofer recommended Luminalt, they were extremely professional and handled the entire process from beginning to inspections without me having to get heavily involved. Here's the kicker, what drew me to SunPower originally was their technology since it was better than the competition, thankfully Luminalt uses SunPower panels and installs them themselves making it a win-win. The inspection process must have been perfect because the normal time for PG&E to give the Permission To Operate supposedly takes a couple of weeks... it took me less than 1 week to get the official Ok. Overall Nick, Kyle, Gen were top notch, I've even recommended them to a friend before NEM 3.0 kicks in. If you're looking for a good, honest company that you can trust for your solar needs I wouldn't hesitate to give Luminalt a call. read more

Checking out solar companies, I had already talked to two other installers with impressive charts and photos, but something was missing so I called Luminalt. What a difference honesty makes. I told the receptionist the basis of my call including my average PGE bill and house size. The receptionist told me in an instant that I did not need solar but if I added a hot tub and EV car to call back. I then asked if Luminalt had a Portland OR branch. "No, but the president just got back from Portland and she's standing ridge here. Would you like to talk to her?" asked the receptionist. So I talked with the president for about 5 min and found out her father/mentor was who she was visiting and he would know because "he researches everything". She also has realatives the my same as my family name. I have hired and worked with many contractors, architects and engineers. I have never met a more open and honest contractor or business person in my life. I'm 75 y/o. Every question they revealed everything they knew openly and immediately. Then I learned my Phd neighbor's daughter married a Luminalt employee who helped him install solar on his house on a couple of weekends. Good hearted people through and through. Unfortunately I moved from Oakland to Portland and did not have the good luck to hire Luminalt. read more

Just got a new system installed. Very professional experience all throughout + the installation crew was incredibly helpful & attentive to details once on-site (Pam & crew). The system looks great. Very happy. Big fan! read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

We were finally ready to go solar, and got several bids. Luminalt wasn't the cheapest option, but they're local (the founder lives in our neighborhood), have a great reputation, use top-notch equipment, and are a qualified installer for the city's GoSolar incentive program. We have not been disappointed! The process was very professional, with Luminalt handling all the permits and paperwork, including our SF GoSolar rebate. The installation was very well-done, and we had no surprises -- our solar production has been in line with what we expected. It's pretty fun to check the solar production (via web app) to see how much electricity we use vs how much we produce each day. We financed the installation zero-down, and our monthly payments are roughly the same as our pre-solar electric bill, so it feels like it didn't cost us anything. Unlike fluctuating electric bills, our monthly solar payment is locked-in for the life of the loan. If (when) PGE raises electricity rates, our monthly payment will be unchanged. And once our financing is paid off, we'll have free electricity for at least a decade. Going solar is a true win-win for us, and Luminalt made it so easy I can't understand why anyone *wouldn't* want to go solar. One thing I'll point out that wasn't clear to me (and not specific to Luminalt) is that your solar power will only work if the PGE grid is up and running. If the PGE power grid goes out, your solar system will be automatically shut down for safety purposes (for example, to ensure the solar system is not pumping electricity into PGE's grid while workers are trying to do repairs). If you get a battery system to go with your solar installation, you can continue to draw power from the battery during the outage. However, the battery system adds $$$ to the overall cost (nearly doubled our quote), and from what I understand, the battery won't be charging during the power outage unless you have a very specific type of installation. Apparently, most homeowners do not install battery systems. read more

After 15 years of being in the renewable energy industry, going solar was one of the first things on our list after buying a house. We chose Luminalt after speaking with Zach Sharpe and being impressed with their proposal and five star equipment. The installation crew - Victor, Tim, Theo, Jose and David - were fantastic and we can't wait to have our system interconnected by PG&E in the next few weeks. If you are considering going solar with Luminalt, I would recommend you sign your contract early in the year and confirm your install date as the tax credits are stepping down at the end of the next few years and the wait time for an installation can be lengthy as they get very busy. read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

Satisfied customer! We just finished the solar installation on our home and couldn't be more impressed with Luminalt. They were easy to schedule with, communicated well and did a very professional job. The crew that ran the installation was amazing. Polite, professional and efficient. The crew leader, Pam, was an absolute rockstar. She was confident, knowledgeable, helpful and easy to talk to. read more

We engaged Luminalt to install solar panels on our roof. Their people arrived promptly, were extremely polite and very careful in their work. They rank among the best contractors we have ever had working on our house. I recommend them highly. read more

"Whoohoo! As good as it gets!" is not quite right. But, first the great stuff... We love Luminalt and think their people and services are both excellent AND superior to other options. We are genuine fans. Everyone we talked to, from salesman to engineer to project manager to customer services has been knowledgeable, accurate, and attentive. They carefully surveyed our roof and designed a system based on what we told them we wanted. Every (EVERY!) contact with them has been pleasant, professional, helpful, and successful in moving us to our goal of solar power. We very much like that they are a genuine San Francisco firm. Some of the other people who we talked with were basically general contractors who found local talent to install the goods they sold on an ad hoc basis, and their calls were coming from LA, if I remember correctly. So, if something goes wrong in a year, I guess these other guys would contract the repair work to any available engineer. Anyway, Luminalt impressed us because they HIRED full-time people, and their people are uniformly wonderful. We also liked engaging a woman-owned engineering firm who assigned a female engineer and project manager to our work. The system went in quickly, and has worked better than promised since we went live the last day of December. I've waited a bit before posting this review, just to be able to say the system is genuinely performing as expected. (We are actually getting more power from the panels than promised, but that is a function of the sunny-skies drought we are enjoying.) There have been zero problems or gotchas under Luminalt's control. The City changed its enforcement of fire codes which caused our project to morph somewhat, but even then Luminalt helped us alter the project so that our basic wants were still met. I don't think we could have done better than picking Luminalt. So, Luminalt is as good as it gets... for the moment. But,... The only frustration or caution we have with Luminalt is that they are so busy and backlogged! We signed in August, 2019 and were told to expect that installation could be delayed to early December because they were suddenly slammed with orders. In the fall we were told that installation actually would be in early 2020. For a number of reasons, that would cause problems, and Luminalt agreed to shoe horn us into their schedule. "Thank You!" for that. Really. But, we were told by the installers in December that people signing up then were going to have to wait 10 months. They are hiring... they even asked us if we knew certain types of people they need. But, right now they are badly backlogged. And, some of their over-busy-ness shows. We were told sometime in early November (I think) that they would try to install at our house the week of December 23rd with the modifications required by the change in City policy. We had to pump them for a revised contract and date confirmation in early December. And we didn't hear from them to confirm exact start time until Friday, December 20th when they said they'd be out Monday at 8:30-9:30. We were happy, but a bit more communication along the whole way of the project would have smoothed our nerves. Similarly, our expectations were not set about when we were going to learn how to control the system. The company knew that the engineer readying the system for the city inspector would help me download the apps and use them. But, I didn't know that and asked the installers about how I was going to control the system. The installers were reassuring but not quite sure of who was going to show me and when. An unqualified "As Good as it Gets" awaits learning that they're caught up and installation occurs, say... within a month of contract signing! read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Our roof after Luminalt's installation - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This was the most professional home improvement operation I have ever experienced. I wish everyone was this reliable and efficient! They completed their job substantially in advance of estimate, were extremely communicative, product works well, and their various teams (sales, planning, construction and operations) were seamless in their coordination. I HIGHLY recommend using Luminalt, and for all our sakes, get solar! read more

My goddaughter is pretty high up in the world of alternative energy/solar power, and chose Luminalt to do her home. She was very pleased with them and recommended that I go with them as well. I couldn't be happier. I hadn't read over the reviews on yelp before I chose them, But I basically just have to ditto what has been said. Every person who I had contact with on the phone, online or here at the house was competent and friendly. The work looks great, and I assume will last a long time. It's been a pleasure to deal with such a functional well run company, not to mention getting to save money and carbon emissions! read more

I have to say I was skeptical that Luminalt had such excellent reviews, could they really be that great? My husband and I searched around and yes, we could have gone the cheaper route but I knew if something went wrong after the installation, I wanted to be able to have someone to call that could come out and fix it. Luminalt from the start were incredibly professional. They set up a zoom call where they went through everything that their service provided, how the installation would work, costs and overall usage and savings with solar. Once we agreed to move forward with them we had a project manager assigned to our house that came out and looked around to get a good assessment of the plan and layout. We were told our installation would take 4-5 days. The team arrived on time Monday morning. Everyone was wearing masks. Everyone introduced themselves to me and my husband. They were polite and courteous. They never left any of their garbage around from lunch or snacks during the day (which we have experienced when we have had work done on our house before with other workers). They swept and vacuumed at the end of each day. They would let us know when they were leaving for the day, and go through the status of the project. Their installation within our garage is beautiful. Seriously. It looks so good. Everything is nice and neat. A project we thought was going to take 5 days, they completed in 3 days! Solar panels, plus Tesla backup battery, plus car charger. They came back after 1 week to do the inspection with the city (which they set up so we didn't have to deal with any of it), which was quick and easy. After they left we noticed something with one of our lights and called them, they were back within 15 minutes. Fixed it in 5 minutes and were done. It has been a long time since I have had such great customer service. The 5 star reviews are completely accurate here. I would give more stars if I could. Yes, you are going to pay a little bit more BUT it is worth it! You get your own PM for the project so you have a point person to help guide you and answer all of your questions. You are supporting a LOCAL SF company, who not only does their job well, but are also incredible courteous and respectful of your house and space. There were at least 7 team members that were at our house each day who were knowledgeable and incredibly polite. I can't recommend Luminalt enough. If you are on the fence, go with them. read more

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I never even went as far as a consultation, but I really appreciate how honest they were. After I sent them info on my PGE usage, Luminalt told me that my financial return on investment wasn't worth it for me to get solar. I literally have a Tesla solar roof project for over a year and they can't get it started and they couldn't tell me that. Any other company would want me to pay up. Whenever it appropriate for me to start a solar project, I'll definitely call Luminalt up for their honest business practices. read more

Great experience! I was referred to Luminalt by 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) and could not be happier with the process. Luminalt made everything as easy as it could be, from hand-carrying the contract to my office for signatures to calling when the installers were 20 minutes away to allow me time to get home and meet them. They handled all of the paperwork to get the credits, and I just sat back while they did all the work. Fantastic, personalized service. Just do it. read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

I with Kyle at the Luminalt office and they explained the process thoroughly and clearly. He was smart, sweet, patient and wonderful to work with. He stayed on top of communication and answered all of my questions. Nick came and did the initial assessment. He was also a delight to work with. Installation was done by Billy, Cody, Fabian, and Noah. These four guys were so so so so good! They were professional, kind, fast, and did excellent work. They actually figured out a less invasive way to do the wiring. The only thing I am waiting for now is PG&E to turn my system on... Luminat is a bit more expensive than some other options, but they use high quality (Sun Run) panels, their customer service is so far wonderful, the entire project took 4 months from my first phone call to completion of installation, and they are an established local company. Those factors made it work the price. I give Luminalt two thumbs and two toes up! read more

My partner and I decided to go Solar after we got tired of being gouged by PGE. While it can be quite intimidating, we chose a few companies from yelp to get bids with. We choose Luminalt because of the reviews, but more importantly... they really took the time to walk us through the process without it feeling like a "sales" pitch or pressured. Frances made sure to gather all of our home information. Nick came out and assessed our needs. He gave us a complete picture of how solar works (not how we imagined it worked), gave us comprehensive financial overviews, and was always ready to answer our questions. Kyle, our project manager, was always so friendly and efficient. Nicco and his crew during in the installation process were so hard working. There was very little oversight on our part... they got in and did the job! read more

A fabulous solar company in every way, if you want the best of the best - these guys are most certainly it. The delay in the solar system installation is definitely a drawback but if you are doing it in combination with roofing replacement, they can get someone in for solar stand off waterproofing in 10 weeks which is fine. The solar installation and project management team is outstanding, responsive and caring, these things are hard to come by in today's contracting standards. Leyla that always answered my calls during my random calling of the business always went above and beyond to make sure I'm connected with a project manager or the team. Clare was my project manager and I loved working with her, all my questions were answered and I got updates via text and email, was a very streamlined and painless experience all the way. The installation team came prepared and was spread into two teams working simontaneoisly on solar panel install and electrical panel re-wiring, we felt informed and loved all 3 days of the installation. Entire diverse firm is filled with cool and interesting people, Love going solar and Love Luminalt, they are hands down THE BEST solar contractor in Bay Area, go with them any you will remember going solar with a wide smile! read more

Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions - Doesn't it look fabulous to be good to this planet? - Solar Installation Near Me - San Francisco, California

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It's this simple. For residential solar installations in San Francisco - just call Luminalt. We've done four projects with Luminalt over 10 years, and they just get better and better at what they do, and they were already the best. I know, we've done other PV projects around the state. Here's my latest experience. We decided to add Tesla Powerwalls to an existing installation. Tesla was backordered, but the crew @ Luminalt kept the communication line going, and when the product came in, the scheduling and installation transpired without a glitch, more than eight months later. Great value from a group with great values. read more

Can't say enough about how awesome our experience was with Luminault. From the first meeting to the last sign off, everything was easy, professional and downright pleasant. Their people are smart, respectful of your time and schedule, professional and just nice. The sales process was very low key, they just answered questions and provided a proposal. Two of the other leading installers wouldn't even offer a bid (our installation had a few minor complications). I thought the Solar City sales process was too high pressure. And, Luminault's bid was as low as any, even though I would have been open to paying a bit more based on their reputation. I was surprised by the projected fast payback (6 years). Had I know it was that fast, we would have done this faster. We have an electric car which helps. Luminault took care of everything from permits to the SF rebate, inspections etc. Was incredibly easy and fast given the rainy winter we are having. I'd heard about how "beautiful" Luminault's implementations are, and I definitely appreciate how careful they were to take full advantage of the electric services we had and do things like hide conduit. The web based monitoring is super cool. Has me thinking about other ways to cut down our baseline electricity usage. Couldn't be happier and would encourage anyone even thinking about solar to give them a call. read more

Should have done this review a few months ago - mea culpa! I'll try to keep the backstory behind this review short and informative. My old beater Scion xB was approaching 10 years old, and I've been following EVs and PHEVs. (plug in hybrid electric vehicles) With its 21 mile EV-only range including up to 88mph EV-only on the highway, made-in-the-US nature, and value for the money with federal and state incentives, the Ford C-Max Energi PHEV was the car for me. But then my electric bill would skyrocket with how much I planned to plug it in or under a Time of Use plan I would have to just charge it at night and would be afraid of high rates for mid-day summer charging, especially at higher tiers of usage. Then I really went crazy - after spending more than I expected for a car, I decided to invest in solar panels. Why not put my savings on the roof where it could save me money charging up my new PHEV, increase the home's value, and truly be driving on sunshine? A month or two worth of searching lead me to Luminalt - solid reputation, great record in the community creating green jobs, especially for urban youth, and a focus on Sunpower panels, a local favorite company. Noel came out and did the initial site review and gave me very level-headed advice on the pros and cons of different panels and orientations. After obsessing about it back and forth for a week or two I came to decide on Sunpower's newest, most-efficient panels, made here in the US in Milpitas as well. The entire staff at Luminalt was professional, helpful, informative, everything you could hope for. The crew was a pleasure to deal with and actually finished work early. The size of the array - 10 panels - was perfect to keep me in Tier 1 energy usage or actually selling energy back to PG&E. I can charge the car whenever I need to, confident that the panels will keep me from spending an arm and a leg for electricity. Solar panels and EVs go together like birds of a feather, and Luminalt is the best choice in the area to get your panels done. Reasonable price, great service, and spot-on sizing advice for my normal use plus the PHEV. Couldn't recommend them more. read more

TLDR; The quoting, purchase, and installation process was good and smooth, professional, without surprises, and timely. I'm generating more power than I use, now. Who we are/What we got: We are a household of 4 in the Inner sunset with a monthly electrical bill of about $120 / mo. Two adults work at home. We have gas heat and an electric fan that drives that. We do not have an electric car. We ended up purchasing outright a 10 panel system that is estimated to generate 2.9kw. It cost roughly $20k before incentives of various sorts, of which there are a lot. Our expectation is we hit break even in 9-11 years. That shouldn't be a problem with incentives and tax deductions. We moved to the "net metering plan" with PG&E, so that we sell whatever power we don't use back to the utility, and once a year we pay (or receive a credit) for the difference. It's been a few months since my luminalt rooftop solar was installed, and that's enough time to write a review that's useful. Before/during the install The quoting and pre-installation process went very smoothly. There were a couple of complications that we talked through, mostly about where the electrical conduit would come down off the roof and re-enter the house. I didn't want a giant metal pipe labeled "SOLAR ELECTRICAL" to run exposed along wall someplace visible through a bedroom. The installers and I looked at the problem and found a way to route it up through the basement pretty close to the electrical panels so I didn't have to suffer that. The installation itself was very quick and the system turned on without incident. Now that it's installed and has been running for a few months, I can see the results. I've posted some graphs from both PG&E and my solar array here: http://imgur.com/gallery/BrAUJ How is it working out? First things first, since it's been turned on, we have had net negative power consumption every month. Because we are thrifty at home about power usage, we have generated more power than we have consumed every single month. One month (June) we were away most of the month, and the panels generated and sold back just about all of the power. You can see that in this graph attached. That's pretty awesome. How much do you use, and how much do you generate? On any given day, depending on cloudiness, our 10 panels generate between 13.3 and 20 kwh. On a busy day, we consume 18kwh. Our system appears to be sized perfectly to our needs, with just enough extra capacity to ensure that our utility bill is minimized. Isn't it too foggy in the Sunset to have solar? Nope, the graphs tell it all. We're in the middle of a very foggy, cloudy and cold summer, and we're still generating more power than we use. Did you do anything special with your appliances? We have a refrigerator and washer and dryer that are pretty new, energy efficient models. Our main cooking stove is gas, but our oven is electric. To save money we cook a lot at home. Our kitchen is a big consumer of power in our home. We also have two adults who work at home all day, so their computers are on all the time. Would you recommend Luminalt to do our solar install? Yes! Several of my neighbors on my block had Luminalt do their installs, and everyone has the same, positive story. In every case the installation went smoothly and they're now consuming less power than they generate. read more

Ironic celebration on the shortest day of the year: we turned on our solar system and started to generate power! From start to finish, Luminalt managed our expectations perfectly, explaining the entire process, then reminding us what was scheduled to happen next. Everyone was polite and knowledgeable, from our first quote through final inspection. All that remains now is to see if our actual production matches their estimates. When we read their quote, it all seemed too good to be true, but since the entire process went exactly as they said it would, I am now ready to believe their power generation predictions. read more

We checked out a few other solar companies in the area, and Luminalt outshined them. Our next-door neighbor got one of their very first systems many years ago, and they are thrilled with it. They pay $0 in electrical bills to this day. They rave about the company. That alone was enough for us, but we wanted to comparison shop as well. A couple of others were fine, but the Luminalt team was by far the most professional, courteous, and helpful, and the prices were extremely competitive. I see their trucks all over the city and now I know why. People want great quality at decent prices, and Luminalt delivers. We were super happy with with Luminalt - from our initial meetings with staffers like Izzy (who takes care of all the paperwork) to the installation of the panels and everything in between. The owner, Noel, who came by initially to speak with us, is a super guy. He is deeply dedicated to this form of "alternative" energy; it's not just a business to him. His teams are top notch. The company treats its employees very well (four-day workweeks for one!), and it shows up in the quality of what they do and how they interact with the client. We opted to have our emergency shut-off box outside, which could have meant running an unattractive metal tube down the front of the house for the connection from the panels. We already have one metal tube with electrical stuff on the house front, and this one could not by law be too close to it, so we'd have been all tubey up front. But Bailey and Monique and team figured out an alternative route for the pipe that took quite a bit more work for them, but they were very nice about it and we are very, very happy with it. We await the inspector, but already we are generating a lot of energy for the system! And that's out in the outer Sunset District! (Granted it's very sunny right now, but even when it was overcast we were cranking out the watts - or whatever they are!) Luminalt gets my highest recommendation. Go solar, and go with Luminalt! read more

Luminalt is simply the BEST! I went solar with them nearly 2-1/2 years ago and it was a wonderful decision. I had decided to do this as part of remodeling my Noe Valley house before SF kicked in with its own rebate. That was a very nice bonus. But, the biggest bonus was working with Luminalt. They do excellent work, have ALWAYS been easily reachable on the phone and via e-mail, and have done thorough and free follow-up work, even when it wasn't directly related to their system. When part of my solar inverter was recalled, they contacted me and came out quickly to replace the recalled parts. They even have patiently have explained the indecipherable PG&E solar bills to me over the phone. I can only hope that Luminalt is running a profitable business, because it would be a shame for a company with such great people to not have a long life. I cannot recommend this company more highly. If you're thinking of going solar, check 'em out. read more

I've had Noel come out twice to give me quotes. Once at our condo when the $6,000 SF credit was in force, and recently to come out and look at a place we are in contract on. Both times he looked at our roof and electrical subsystems, and sadly he walked away from the deal, but he was very honest and explained why it didn't make sense in our condo (the way each unit was wired would make tying into each unit difficult and so expensive that it wouldn't be worth it) and at the new place the roof was too small and getting the solar back into the house was going to be hard. I appreciate his honesty and knowledge, I would expect that if we did use them, they'd be upfront about costs and other issues, and hope to be able to eventually use them! Noel drives a plugin-prius and claims Luminalt has done over 50% of the applications for the SF solar credit, so they seem to be widely used. I had received a quote from Sungevity but they don't come out, and the roof map of the new place wasn't accurate, so I wasn't as confident in their quote. One downside is I had wanted to use Microinverters from Enphase Energy. The panels Luminalt uses aren't compatible with the Enphase systems yet, and they don't work with them, but he was willing to recommend a couple of other companies who do work with microinverters. read more

Had an appointment for a Luminault "engineer" to do a site visit. The guy calls me at 5:30 the day before to tell me that he has to go out of town. I can understand that but the guy says "hey man" I've got to go out of town. Not very professional. Too bad, because I was looking forward to getting a proposal from an otherwise highly rated company. My initial contact with this company (see above) was unfavorable, but the owner (Noel) followed up and he was a gem. He came over on a rainy day, got up on the roof and did a survey, then gave us some honest info. Of all the solar people I've talked to this guy was the only person I totally believed. read more

People don't get any more honest than these people. On the recommendation of a friend who had a solar system by Luminalt, I emailed the company from their web site. Within a couple of hours, a friendly knowledgeable woman called me back. We talked for about ten minutes and she determined that a solar system would not be cost effective for my situation. read more

we had Luminalt install 120 + panels our roof AT (B&W Service Center) Jenean & Noal and the crew were wonderful to work with . our PG&E BILLS ,was over $800-$900 A month, now were paying approx $15 month :-} and the amount of carbon we have reduced is amazing :-} we were so happy with Luminalt that we hired them to do the solar system on 2 green homes that we are building in Milbrae Ca. I would recommend LUMINALT to all our friends & family . no pressure sales and the Crew / installers were wonderfull to work with. THANK YOU LUMINALT. read more

Holy cow.....I can't think of a time I've seen every review be five stars on yelp. And yet....it's for good reason. Noel and his crew were tremendous. How tremendous? Well, Noel didn't go the extra mile on my behalf. He went the extra MARATHON!!!! So very happy with the service. If I could.....ten stars for Luminalt!!!! read more

Update: Luminalt has followed up with me with a sincere and genuine level of care beyond what anyone could ever ask for. While each of the individual issues was relatively minor, it was the combination and sheer number of road bumps in this case had been the source of my frustration. (Anyone can and should be allowed to make a mistake. 4+ mistakes on a project feels like a lot.) I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that my experience was not typical. Through their response, I leave with a stronger impression for the integrity of the company. read more

I found Luminalt through a friend who raved about their service and their great Yelp reviews convinced me I was hiring a reliable company. Having completed the process of getting our Solar panels installed, I will say that the experience with Luminalt has been one of my best in dealing with contractors of any kind. They are professional, perform excellent work, provide accurate estimates of cost, schedule and consistently went the extra mile to make us happy with the installation process. Luminalt handled all the paperwork and communication was excellent throughout the process as we were handed off from Sales to Implementation to Accounting. We feel fortunate to have had Luminalt work on our Solar installation and I am 100% comfortable that they will respond to any service requests related to the servicing the system in the future. read more