CleanFactor Energy

We used a locally based installer, CleanFactor Energy, to install our solar electric system and replace our roof and we were really impressed by the company’s service. They did a comprehensive onsite evaluation of the roof to find the area not affected by shade from our trees. The proposal was very clear in highlighting the tax benefits and expected electricity savings.
Mike Williams, operations manager, took care of all the roof subcontracting and his construction team finished the solar portion in a couple of days. The work was excellent and they left the job site as clean as when they started. They system output has been above our expectations for the first year, so the PG&E bills are minimal.
Compared to a few of the other installers we considered, the price was lower for a purchase and we went that route for the tax credit. They took care of all the permits and PG&E contracts.

I had my system installed by Phil Mickelson, the owner of CleanFactor, and team on my Redwood City home in August 2014. During the first 12 full months of operation, the system produced 98.3% of the designed maximum. Sure, it was a draught year, so not as much cloud coverage as we should have in a normal year. What did this mean for me, I could have used about $ 140 more electricity before I would have to start paying PG&E. In short, the system is as balanced as it could be – near perfect production of the value of electricity my household consumed!
Installation was fantastic. I went on the roof with the building inspector, who gave Phil many complements on the quality of the installation. BTW — if the inspector sees something on your roof you should address — do it. In my case, the inspector suggested I put some silicon on the screw heads in the existing flashing. I procrastinated. We had one good rain last year, and I had leaks. I «naturally» thought it was the new work at fault, so I dropped Phil a note. He was ready to send a team right out. Well, I went in the attic, and sure enough water was coming in at the flashing the inspector told me to put silicon on the screw heads.
For my energy consumption, NEM (
) allows me to pay for my system in 6 years 3 months. I figure I’ll get about 14+ years of free electricity after break even. Fantastic!
The system has operated without error. PG&E has had a couple power outages, and the system came right back online once power was restored. I think the solar technology is very solid in my 7.5 kilowatt system, with high quality all black Suniva panels and Enphase microinverters.
I had multiple quotes from many of the large mass market companies, but CleanFactor came in with the best pricing plus sat down with me to review the proposal in detail and answer all my questions. They completed all the PG&E documents and I was able to sign all via email, so the whole process was very efficient. Most companies wanted to do all their design work via google earth. Phil came out to the house two days after talking on the phone. We iterated for a couple days on the proposal. Once the proposal was signed, and deposit sent, the installation was a couple weeks later. The crew did the bulk of the installation over two long days, with a couple hours of work the morning of day 3. Other proposals were using lesser quality panels, talked about starting the installation 4 — 6 weeks after signing the contract, and wanted a week to do the install. CleanFactor provided aggressive pricing, used high quality parts, installed it quickly, and had a very good interaction with the building inspector.
I had and continue to have a great experience with CleanFactor and my system. I think you will too.

These guys did a great job for me. They were knowledgable about process and the rebates that we were eligible to get. Helped us through the entire process which was really painless.
I’m now generating just under 60kwh on a good day!