I contacted Sapling after receiving a letter about their service. I was a bit skeptical but after talking to Kristian I was very impressed. He took over an hour to very patiently go over our PG&E bill, how our solar system impacts the bill, and various ways to save. He was extremely knowledgeable and professional -- and super smart -- so it was an informative and enjoyable experience, learning more about my family's energy use and how to save money. I would strongly recommend Sapling to anyone who has solar but isn't really sure if they are getting the most of it, or not sure how they might enhance it. read more

Spent a valuable hour or more with Colin reviewing our 3 properties with solar. We have a good idea of where we are now and when our usage may warrant making changes. There was no pressure on call. I very highly recommend this company. read more

Quick and full of great information on improving my my solar system and how to squeeze more $ out of PG&E!

We spoke with Colin Shipley over the weekend on the phone then a zoom call. Very professional! He explained our PGE bill to us in detail. He did not try to sell us anything and also told us that we did not need to buy a battery or anything else. Colin took his time and answered all our questions about the solar we have and how we can cut down our NEM charges. He made suggestions about how we can cut down the usage of our air conditioning, medical devices, and Holiday Lights. These savings could amount to over $1000 a year. It was wonderful to finally be able to understand our PGE bill and what trends we have experienced over the last 2 years. A True knowledgeable professional Advocate! We strongly without any reservations recommend him and his company. read more

I had a Zoom call review of our home's energy usage, understanding more about our NEM billing package and the future of our system (installed in 2009). Jared K. from Sapling did a great presentation. I felt like these guys are doing their best for us. I'll welcome a future discussion should our situation change. If you have rooftop solar I'd recommend a review from Sapling Energy. You might learn something. read more

I met with Colin Shipley this weekend and while overall the experience was informative and provided an option to consider regarding future investment, it was uncomfortable how it started with attempting to basically gather marketing information on neighbors and friends and then on what had worked to reach me (which they already had reason to know from the scheduling call). They have a routine they are going through, that is more geared toward the completely uneducated about the options which felt unnecessary and distracting versus the later portion of digging through potential opportunities within the system and what services they could connect with. The numbers quoted seem high versus online estimates, but may be the current nature of the business with many things disrupting trade and distorting financial value at the moment. It was very much built around trying to get a go forward agreement right then and there, rather than providing information and preparing for a multi-part engagement. Colin was polite and professional throughout, attempting to match where I was willing to discuss, but very much seemed constrained by business policy on how they try to flow deals through. So not entirely off from what they said in their mailer, but just with a bit of a sleazy vibe and some fairly unwelcome questions. I'd been a lot more comfortable if they had just gotten down to business and worked to have me do business through them, then leading how they did. It's understandable that they are on the phone to sell something, so get informing and sell it. It's less understandable what my neighbors interest in power costs has anything to do with that. read more

Had a great conversation with Phillip from Sapling Energy. He provide a number of great tips to optimize our energy situation and improve the costs savings. I really appreciate the information that they provided in the complimentary consultation. read more

I had a call with Philip from Sapling just to see how to lower my electricity costs. He was very knowledgable, and was finally able to get me to understand all of the costs I was seeing in my electric bill. It turns out that the only thing I needed was to switch rate plans, and I really appreciate that he didn't try to sell me something I didn't actually need. Highly recommend a consult with them to see where you stand. read more

Classic bait and switch at its finest...yes the energy assessment is free, BUT what they are really selling is a loan for MORE solar panels. Their marketing junk mail also claims that "if you are paying PG&E more than $350 a year, something is wrong!" Well, that may be true for some folks, but it's completely relative to the size of your home and number of solar panels you have! It's not one size fits all and is completely misleading. Shady AF if you ask me, no thanks, I'm not that much of a Sap... read more

Had a virtual consultation with Kristian and it was super informative and helpful to finally understand what the F is going on with my bills with PG&E and solar true ups. It really is FREE as well, there's no catch, I'm sure there is some sort of paid consulting they offer if you a really far off on bills and poor energy use. Kristian walked through the bills, how to interpret the tru-ups and NEM 2, and how I can lower my bills even more with a few key tips, including a couple I hadn't thought of -- highly recommend! read more

After watching my Tru-Up bills increase over the past 3 years, I decided to look into reasons why our solar wasn't keeping up with our generated electricity. I received a mailer from Sapling Energy, set up an appt with Colin Shipley, and was thoroughly impressed! This is a free service for expert assessment and advice about our system deficiencies. Colin evaluated our SDGE bill, explained everything you need to know about all the numbers related to our SDGE bill: Making sure we are on the right tier level for our usage, making sure our solar system is actually generating credits, and reasons why we now have a high tru-up. He did a full analysis of our needs to counteract the future increases by SDGE and future increases in Tru-up bills. He made recommendations for what would work to generate more credits and save extra credits with possibly adding a battery. The costs were much lower than the companies I have spoken to over the phone. The price is right with his company, and our whole idea is to prevent SDGE from taking advantage of us consumers. We can't even qualify for any of SDGE's discount programs, which Colin even goes over trying to lower our bill. Like i said, Colin gave me a full analysis!!! If you are looking to find out more about decreasing your tru-up bill and educating yourself about the different programs Sapling has to offer, please contact this company!! Colin is amazing and informative!!! read more

We had a virtual consultation with Phillip. I can't recommend him highly enough, we feel like we finally understand put true up bill and have concrete strategies to improve our systems performance. All for no cost! I highly recommend working with sapling! I wish we had worked with them from the beginning read more

I already have a solar system. Over the past several months I noticed that PNM was charging me for electricity which is super frustrating since I invested in this system to prevent that from occurring. I received a mailer from Sapling Energy and completed my consult with Philip who advised that my usage had actually increased, but my panels are producing perfectly. That's good to know. What was super helpful was to be shown how to decipher the PNM bill. While getting more panels is not cost effective for me right now, I will be signing up for another energy savings consult from PNM. I highly recommend Sapling Energy for a consult to assess your solar usage/production. Thanks, Philip. read more

Colin was extremely helpful and professional. He answered all my questions and more - I learned so much in working with him. I look forward to working with him again in the future on another solar project. read more

Just had a call with Sapling Energy today after receiving one of their mailings and I found it to be helpful. I already have solar but wanted to make sure that I was doing everything I can to minimize my energy bill and Sapling confirmed that I was. They also gave me good advice on an inverter I have some issues with. Would definitely recommend giving them a call. read more

I have had a large solar array (44 panels) since 2017. With time, I have used more electricity having gotten 2 EV's and an all electric guest house. This last year my net usage will probably be about 4,000 kwh. Having being think about installing another 8 panels, but after talking to Philip, I have changed my mind. He walked me through the complicated pricing system and showed me how changing my rate plan and adjusting my usage will accomplish much of what I would like to do. I would prefer to balance my usage and production, but the current rate polices do not allow me to do this without great cost. However, Philip has shown me how to drastically reduce my rate so at least, I will be paying much less for the electricity that I do use. So, the bottomline is that Philip saved me a substantial amount without a large capital investment! read more

Just got to say, thanks to Colin for evaluating my solar system and my PG&E bill. Never really understood the true up portion of my bill until talking with Colin. He monitored my system for about six months. We stayed in touch getting updates from him. After taking Colin's advice and making some adjustments at home. I have eliminated my true up for the past two years. Thank you Colin, you are truly a standup and honest guy. I will be recommending Sapling Energy to anyone interested in solar. read more

I just finished a most valuable discussion with Phillip at Sapling Energy! We discussed the parameters of my existing power wall and solar system (panels and inverter), and the California NEM programs as implemented by electric utility companies. I must say that Phillip and Sapling Energy provided unbiased and important knowledgeable advice for me. And I am convinced they will do this for anyone who has solar and would benefit from a detailed cost/benefit analysis of their existing system(s) or for anyone interested in making an enlightened decision on installing and/or upgrading a solar/battery/EV system. It is a complex and financially beneficial process to generate, store and use solar power and pure advice from Sapling is key. Thank You Phillip and Sapling--I'm a new advocate and look forward to your no-cost (!!) advice in the future! Terry read more

I just had a consultation with Clients and he walked me through our solar usage. He was knowledgeable and I left our meeting with a much clearer picture of our usage and billing. I was particularly impressed that even though Colin determined pretty early in our discussion that there were any significant opportunities to cut our bill he still spend the extra time to educate me. read more

I too received a mailing from Sapling Energy. I was intrigued because, even though I already have solar panels that were installed 12 years ago, they are not covering my energy needs. I have been very leery because the person installing that system is no where to be found for warranty issues. Colin Shipley was very knowledgeable and professional. He gave me a lot of his time and came up with the best pricing. And he filled me in on how new changes being proposed could affect my decisions. I would call the number on your mailing and ask for Colin! read more

I received a letter in the mail about Sapling Energy and after reading the reviews on Yelp and Google I figured I would give them a call. After reserving a time slot, I was connected with Philip Sellstrom and he was extremely knowledgeable, polite and overall great to speak with. We started by going over some energy basics and then got right into the details of my PG&E bill as well as my current Sunrun system's output. The virtual consultation is done via Zoom which makes it super easy to follow along and be able to share information. Philip walked me through my Sunrun system's efficiency over time to identify some efficiency issues and gave me guidance to be able to know what to ask when I reach out to them. He then went over the different tiering of PG&E and what rate would be best for my family. Finally, we went over options for additional ways to reduce my PG&E bill. He was very thorough and made sure I understood everything a long the way. Ultimately, I am bummed out that I already have a solar lease (transferred on the house sale) and I am not in a position to extend the system currently. If my house did not have solar I would have no hesitancy to continue to work with Sapling Energy to set up my system. I definitely recommend scheduling an appointment for anyone that is a bit confused on how solar works, PG&E billing/rates or are interested in getting solar installed. read more

Colin is the guy! He is very knowledgeable and he knows his stuff. He did not only explained to me how to save money on my bill but also ran the extra mile to dig into my solar energy contract. With his help, I noticed how much of a terrible contract I signed with my lender and this will help me to save thousands of dollars. He is patient, very helpful and Sapling Energy should feel lucky to have him. read more

Colin conducted our energy evaluation and was very thorough. He reviewed our bill with us and explained why we are still having to pay for our electricity. We discussed all of our current energy savings devices and he reviewed different ways to help reduce our bill. Although there are no real options to decrease our bill at this time, he educated us on the terms and issues associated with electricity bills and we are more confident that our solar is working, it's just living in CA that makes it so expensive! read more

Philip was outstanding. Extremely helpful in helping me understand my PGE bill and the way true-up works, etc. They really are experts and they are not looking for anything in return. It's free. The advice is spot on and the future outlook I have on how to manage my PGE was changed thanks to Philip. Great service. Great support. Knowledgeable, friendly and supportive. Thank you. read more

20 years ago I decided to install a 3KW solar system to reduce my SDG&E bill. It helped moderately for about 10 years then the bill started going up again. I decided to add another 15KW of panels to my home. My SDG&E bill barely went down. So, I decided to install a DC solar pool pump to remove the largest energy consumption device from my home. That did almost nothing. Finally I decided to get a large battery back-up system - and that did nothing. I called SDG&E and got nowhere with them - they just talked in circles telling me ways I could reduce my usage by shifting air condition time of use - buy new appliances, etc. Then I received a letter in the mail from Sapling Energy. I almost threw it away thinking it was junk mail. Thank God I didn't! I called and spoke with Phillip. He immediately got to work to figure out what was going on with my very complex system and why in spite of everything I did, my electric bill didn't go down. I gave him access to my SDG&E account so he could look at everything and he quickly found that there were major issues with my systems and SDG&E account. He recommended that I hire a company named SolRx to come out and asses my system. With the info Phillip gave to the SolRx people, they were quickly able to see that one of my inverters wasn't working (so only half my panels were generating electricity) but also that the people who installed my battery backup system never set my battery system to run backward into the grid - so ZERO energy from my panels was going back into the grid since day 1 of the battery installation. SolRx fixed both of those problems and now I am finally seeing my bill go down - this will save me thousands of dollars in a very short period of time. Without Sapling energy, I'd still be scratching my head and paying a fortune to SDG&E never knowing what the problems were - and SDG&E sure wasn't going to tell me. I highly recommend Sapling energy. read more

I already have solar installed. This company had reached out to me this guy explained everything regarding PGE, energy sourcing etc. He could not get my business he said because I was in a good place and I was doing great on my energy with my solar. We spoken about my true up bill etc and my solar provider Martin energy. This guy is honest and did not bs me. I learned a lot. Give them a try to look over your energy bill to see if your getting screwed by your energy provider or PGE. read more

So glad Phill was able to finally diagnose my solar issues and provide me with his professional opinion on how to resolve them. I look forward to his expertise on any questions I may have in the future. Thanks Sapling energy for reaching out to me. Lou Razo read more

Sapling Energy - Home Energy Auditors Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Super competitive offering and differentiated service. Colin Shipley was especially helpful, knowledgeable, patient, and really sought to understand what we uniquely needed. read more

I have had solar since 2018 and never quite understood the billing , if I was getting the right amount of solar power (too much or too little) or why I have True-ups. Colin Shipley answered ALL my questions! He was very thorough and clear in explaining my PG&E bill, how the solar system and billing works and informing me of what to look for in my bills moving forward. I highly recommend using this service if you have solar, or are thinking of getting solar, to really understand how it all works and what is right for you! read more

They solved my true-up bill PROBLEM with PG&E! My true-up bill was up to $653.00 with just the Tesla panels! Once I added these panels in May 2021, my true-up was $143.00 in November 2021! Right now in August 2022 my true-up is ZERO!! I ONLY HAVE 3 MONTHS LEFT!! read more

I had my free appointment with this company to assess my PG&E True Up billing. I have 50 panels and two Tesla batteries with my True UP costs ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 a year. Up to this point, I had completely given up on understanding the PG&E NEM True Up billing process. It appeared to be beyond my understanding even though I own an Accounting Services company and bill over 20,000 clients monthly for a living. Colin Shipley was my contact and he did an excellent job explaining the PG&E Billing process and gave me some PG&E online tips and tricks. It turned out that the NEM billing process is not that complicated but the way PG&E presents the information on their bills is totally confusing, inconsistent and is a moving target that changes over time. For the first time, I now understand how it works, at least until the point when PG&E changes their rate structure and billing formats in the future. Colin also clearly explained the options for the various ways to reduce the PG&E True Up costs. Overall, I received crystal clear information that was extremely beneficial. If you have a Solar system with a high cost annual True UP, and are totally confused by the associated PG&E billing, I strongly recommend that you make an appointment with this company. read more

Phil was GREAT on his call with me! He 1) helped me clearly understand my monthly PG&E bill; 2) explained the current solar system generation and utilization; and 3) helped me define actionable steps to optimize my solar energy production and off-peak energy usage for my household and electric vehicles. Way to go! Definitely recommend working with Sapling. read more

After receiving a letter in the mail from Sapling Energy, I decided to contact them for assistance with my high true-up bill from SDG&E. After an initial phone call and Zoom call with Philip, I have a better understanding of when to use appliances, and how to read my energy bill. Philip gave me good advice about following my solar panels performance online, as well as our Tesla Powerwall batteries. I also will be calling SDGE to change my rate plan to save money. When I am ready to add additional solar panels, I will be calling Sappling energy to assist me. Thanks! ML in San Diego read more

My family and I have recently moved to a new location in Morgan Hill, and have been getting many offers for solar options. Individually, my family of four has been researching solar panels and the different pricing tiers, leasing vs. owning, different rebates, etc. It was a lot, and sort of difficult to compare objectively. Luckily we reached out for a knowledgeable third party to oversee our options and tonight we had our primary meeting with Sapling Energy. Colin was our representative, and he went over so many valuable topics that we had been seeking answer for: our home's energy use, PG&E pricing practices and the future of their rates, tips on how to save with physical and financial tactics (energy saving home upgrades/tax rebates), and most importantly for me personally: some insight into how the big picture of solar panels work- illumination on the key components to focus on when moving forward with their installation. The company is honest, and tonight my family learned a good amount, but also grilled him on the things they thought seemed odd or perhaps for their company's (or partnerships') gain rather than ours. However, Colin was able to clearly spell out each time why Sapling Energy's process was setting us up to achieve the highest value from the most reputable opportunities in regards to saving on energy costs that are available specifically to us and our situation/location. We are happily moving forward with them and are soon taking the next steps to have an inspector come out to evaluate our roof for the panels! Thank you Sapling Energy- a refreshing and honest burst of informative service. read more

I took a chance on this company when it said that I could receive an energy audit without any cost to me. The remote discussion quickly became very high level and educational for me. I learned even more than I had previously about my PG&E bill, energy utilization and cost. The analysis helped me better understand how PG&E bills us and how the different rates work for consumers and PG&E. The session was more than fascinating. It helped guide me in my next steps after installing solar panels and Tesla batteries. If you really want to understand your PG&E bills and the additional "Detail" bill, these are the people to talk to. They can answer questions that even PG&E personnel can't answer. I highly recommend contacting them. You will be very enlightened. I especially liked Collin Shipley's calm and thoughtful approach. read more

If you have any questions regarding the cost of your energy bills you must speak with Sapling Energy representative. Philip was so knowledgable and professional--and a really nice guy!! He explained my PG&E bill to me in very simple terms. My NEM billing from PG&E seemed very high this year--I thought perhaps my system was not working correctly. I have solar panels and Tesla Wall batteries and Phillip explained in detail how the whole system works and what I should be expecting from my PGE bills. He made sure I was on the correct PGE program and that my billing for my NEM Tru-Up charges were correct. He also told me how I might use the energy a bit more efficient to save on my monthly NEM charges. Phillip knows the ins and outs of the Solar Energy System--GENIUS!! I now know why my new NEM charges are high for this year. Thanks Phillip I highly recommend Sapling Energy Company to any home owner who thinks they might be paying too much for their energy bills!!! 5 STARS!! If there is a way Phillip and Sapling Energy can help you save on your energy bills they will find the way!!! Thanks again Phillip read more

Collin came out to discuss exactly what they said in the flyer. I got information about my solar panels to confirm my investment. He provided an important option which I had overlooked to save an additional 10% on my PG&E bill. A very good experience. read more

I had an all-around great experience working with Sapling. We installed solar several years ago, and ever since, we have received ridiculously high True Up bills at the end of each year. After a quick online sign-up process, one of their representatives Colin arrived promptly for the appointment. To say the information was informative would be a major understatement. Finally someone was able to clearly explain why our true up bills were so high and to propose legitimate solutions to the problem. Turns out, not only was our solar system undersized, but it also was not saving me any money off of what I would have paid to PG&E for that electricity. They helped me start a savings analysis with my lease provider to get some of that money back, and then they helped me qualify and apply for an ownership option on a secondary system that will cut my True Up bill down by almost half! Can't recommend these guys enough, especially for homeowners who are infinitely confused by their True Up bill if they already have a solar system installed. Best of all, they're not paid by homeowners, so I didn't pay a dime for all the information/services they provided! They're the only ones doing what seems to be sorely needed in the solar energy space these days, which is providing clear, no BS information that can help you learn and save money at the same time. read more

Recently, I added a second solar system to my home. I contacted Sapling Energy to help me navigate thru the process and that is when I met and started working with Colin Shipley. Colin is extremely knowledgeable regarding the solar industry and its regulations and he helped me make the right decisions. I now have an updated solar system and the panels are producing more electricity than expected. Whenever we encountered a problem or roadblock, Colin was there to help navigate thru or around the obstacle. I am very happy with my home's solar and would highly recommend Sapling Energy and Colin Shipley in particular. read more

We just completed review of our PG&E bill and solar system true-up charges with Phillip at Sapling Energy. Phillip explained how PG&E charges for energy and how we are credited for the energy we put back into the grid from our solar system. He reviewed out most recent PG&E bill and analyzed trends in usage and costs over the past three years. He recommended continuing with our current solar configuration, explaining how adding panels could increase our costs by bumping us from NEM 2.0 to 3.0. He also examined our current energy usage and recommended the best rate plan for our new electric vehicle. Bottom line: Phillip provided useful analysis and insights into our electric bill and practical recommendations on how to optimize our solar system at no cost to us. I recommend having an energy use and solar system review with Sapling Energy. read more