California company offers new solar financing solutions
California’s Baker Electric Solar, a full-service solar integration company, recently announced it had formed an agreement with Clean Power Finance to support residential solar energy installations and give more people access to solar power.
Advertiser Disclosure: At ElectricityRates.com, our number one goal is to help you make better energy decisions. We adhere to strict editorial guidelines, however this post may include references to products offered from our partners.
California’s Baker Electric Solar, a full-service solar integration company, recently announced it had formed an agreement with Clean Power Finance to support residential solar energy installations and give more people access to solar power.
Recent data from the Solar Energy Industries of America show that although the cost solar electric panels has fallen by 30 percent since 2010, 48 percent of Americans said cost is the number one issue that is keeping them from installing solar panels. By providing a broader range of financing options, Baker Electric Solar hopes to spread solar panel installations throughout the state.
Expanding on our customers’ project funding options to include the finance marketplace and solar sales software provided by Clean Power Finance allows us to design, estimate, quote and help each customer get the best financing fit for their solar installation, said Baker Electric Solar CEO Ted Baker. Leases are helping an entire new market of solar energy adopters ‘go green.’ With diversified financing options, it’s getting easier to bring clean energy to a larger customer base.
California, where residents benefit from some of the best electricity rates for solar in the country, was recently surpassed by New Jersey for new solar installations.
Page Contents
From the Energy Choice Blog
The latest energy saving tips, rate updates, industry news and more from our team of energy experts.
How Do I Reduce Waste in My Business?
Mitchell TerpstraJuly 23, 2023
Navigating the Storm: A Comprehensive Guide to When Hurricane Season Hits
Jesse ShaverJuly 12, 2023
Follow us on Social Media
#1 Overview of Baker Electric Solar Reviews
Baker Electric Solar has received numerous awards from the BBB, San Diego Business Journal, and Angie’s List for their professionalism and service.
This is a great sign, but let’s look at a few online platforms to see what sort of reviews actual customers are giving the company. Afterwards, we’ll compare these scores to other solar installers for some context. Ratings are current as of September 2017.
Solar Reviews (4.8 out of 5 stars based on 50 reviews)
Baker Electric receives an extremely high 4.8 out of 5 stars on the solar-specific review site Solar Reviews. Of the 50 reviews posted, 44 gave 5 stars (denoting an ‘excellent’ experience), 3 gave 4 stars, and 6 gave 3 to 1 star. No reviewer left Baker Electric Solar zero stars.
You probably don’t realize how rare it is that no one gave them zero stars, but when you’ve been writing these articles on solar installers long enough, you know just how incredible that is. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever seen such good ratings for a solar company! When we get to the comparison to other installers, you’ll see what I mean.
Baker Electric is looking great, but sometimes a solar company will have great reviews on one site and low reviews on another, so let’s check out another site to see if reviews are consistently high.
Yelp Reviews (4.5 out of 5 based on 130 reviews)
On Yelp, Baker Electric Solar again blows it out of the water, raking in a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Of the 130 reviews, 101 gave the company 5 stars and 13 gave 4 stars. With these numbers, 88% of reviews gave them 4 or more stars – not too bad.
This installer is looking better and better. But before we move to the next section, let’s take a look at one more site.
People typically go to the BBB when something goes wrong, so it’s a good glimpse into the sort of problems and complaints customers have when working with a company.
Only 5 individuals have left reviews for Baker Electric Solar on the BBB site – too few to really make any judgments about the company – but still, of those 5, 3 left positive reviews and 2 left negative reviews.
When compared to other solar companies, that’s actually pretty good, especially for the BBB. A complaint to the BBB is typically people’s last hope when something goes terribly, terribly wrong, so the fact that there are so few reviews is probably good.
#2 Analysis of Baker Electric Solar Reviews
Baker Electric Solar enjoys some of the highest reviews that we’ve seen for a solar company, period.
Typically, reviews for solar installers are extremely polarized. About half give zero stars and about half give 5 stars. When evaluating an installer, you just want more 5 stars than zero stars.
When installations are easy, customers are happy. But there are many components to a solar installation (sales, design, utility interconnection, net metering, HOA approval, utility approval, etc) and when something goes wrong, it can really set the entire process back, sometimes to a crawling pace.
If an installer is well-organized, experienced, and trains employees well, they can handle setbacks quickly and efficiently. Such seems to be the case with Baker Electric. If a company overworks their employees, doesn’t offer proper training, or has poor communication between departments, small problems can snowball into huge messes. (Trust me, as a project manager and installer at several solar companies, I’ve seen what can happen.)
Baker Electric Solar seems to be doing a lot right. Their small size likely plays into this. Unlike national installers that have to know everything about every single city they work in, Baker Electric focuses exclusively on southern California.
This means they have experience and expertise with all the local utilities and city/county requirements. They know all the processes, shortcuts, and ends-and-outs to ensure utility, city/county, and HOA approvals go smoothly. They also seem to, simply put, just be really good at installing solar, and their customer reviews are a testament to it.
#3 Common Baker Electric Solar Compliments
Customers praise Baker Electric Solar for every step of the solar process, from sales and installation to customer support and professionalism. Let’s look at a few actual reviews.
Here’s one from Michael on Yelp, praising Baker Electric for the easy process:
Baker Electric Solar was great to work with! From the initial sales call all the way through the project they were efficient and professional. The schedule they gave me was fairly spot on and they kept me updated through the entire project until completion. I would highly recommend their services to anyone interested in solar!
Here’s another review, from Linda on Yelp, again praising the ease of the entire process:
I honestly don’t know how Baker Electric does it – they must have an amazing hiring process because EVERYONE we dealt with – sales rep, office staff, installers – was friendly, courteous, professional, efficient and knowledgeable. An absolute pleasure to work with, start to finish.
And one more on Solar Reviews from a reviewer who received estimates from 6 companies and decided to work with Baker:
They had every step covered from the beginning to end. They were professional throughout. The salesman was not pushy and was a straight shooter. I interviewed six companies and they were the third lowest in price (by less than 1k) but the other two quotes were fly by nighters. They came recommended and I recommend them. The installers were clean and thorough (even had their own port a pottie). They did not add any expenses and kept their word throughout the process. They are reliable and will be around in 20 years which is important for warranty reasons.
#4 Common Baker Electric Solar Complaints
While the vast majority of reviews are extremely positive, there are some negative Комментарии и мнения владельцев here and there, mostly around customer support after the installation is complete or after initial paperwork is signed.
Here’s a Solar Reviews user complaining about Baker’s poor communication:
Baker’s sales person was very knowledgeable and courteous. The reason why I would not recommend this company is for what we have experienced after our contract was signed. Baker dragged their feet in providing the necessary paperwork to the credit union for loan approval. We had to contact them to push for the installation day. Once the day was set, the installation was done fast and the crew was very nice. Our only disappointment was dealing with the people at the office and their lack of communication skills, like not returning phone calls or messages
And another review, this time from Yelp, discussing the company’s poor service and support after the installation:
The sales person and the installation crew deserves a 5-star review, but the reason I’m giving them a one star, since I cannot go any lower, is for the service department. The installation was in June of 2016 and in September of the same year the monitoring went… I was promised by the service person that if the problem will occur again the breaker will be changed. Now they tell me that it will have to happen again before they change it. I was promised a call from the service department on Monday. Now 2 days later I still haven’t heard from them. The first time it took several calls and almost 2 weeks before I was contacted. Looks like we are heading down the same road. Very frustrating!
Baker Home Energy Takes Top Spot on 2022 Top Solar Contractors List
Baker Home Energy President Mike Teresso is 2022 Solar Advocate of the Year (Baker Electric Home Energy)
Despite concerns over supply chain interruptions and tariff investigations, the U.S. solar industry saw record solar and energy storage demand in 2021. Baker Electric Home Energy, a home energy solutions company based in Escondido, California, can attest to this. Solar Power World has recognized the company’s installation success by ranking Baker at No. 123 out of more than 400 companies in the United States on the 2022 Top Solar Contractors list.
“We thank Solar Power World for the recognition and will continue to look to the future by offering the best of modern home energy technology solutions,” said Baker President Mike Teresso.
The Top Solar Contractors list is developed each year by industry magazine Solar Power World to honor the work of solar installers in the United States. Solar firms in the utility, commercial and residential markets are ranked by number of kilowatts installed in the previous year. Companies are grouped and listed by specific services, markets, and states.
Interested in local real estate? Subscribe to Patch’s new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
“The utility-scale solar market, of course, puts up huge installation numbers each year, but the majority of workers in the industry are constructing projects in the commercial and residential markets, which continue to break records,” said Kelly Pickerel, editor in chief of Solar Power World. “Over 85% of the companies on the 2022 Top Solar Contractors List primarily work in the residential and commercial sectors, and they all reported closing out the last year in a positive light.”
SOLAR ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Interested in local real estate? Subscribe to Patch’s new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Solar Power World recognized Baker Electric Home Energy President Mike Teresso as 2022 Solar Advocate of the Year. Teresso joined the company in 2013 and has used his leadership position to advocate for positive solar policy at both the state and federal level.
According to data released by energy research firm Wood Mackenzie — before recent federal decisions to prevent additional tariffs on imported solar panels — the United States is expected to install 11 GW less than originally predicted in 2022, due to continued supply chain constraints, price increases and interconnection challenges. Still, a survey of the 2022 Top Solar Contractors class found that 59% predicted their business would increase in the next year, with only 9% assuming business would decrease.
TOP CALIFORNIA SOLAR CONTRACTORS
Baker Electric Home Energy ranked 24 out of 97 on the 2022 Top California Solar Contractors list by Solar Power World. Since its founding more than 84 years ago, Baker has provided energy solutions to 20,000 customers throughout Southern California. Known for exemplary customer service and business ethics, Baker Electric Home Energy designs, engineers, and installs solar power systems and home batteries for residences in San Diego County, Western Riverside County, and Southern Orange County. Additionally, the company provides full heating and air conditioning services and Smart home solutions. Baker’s goal is to enable Southern California homeowners to generate, manage and use their power to save money, enhance their family’s lifestyle and protect the planet.
About Solar Power World
Solar Power World is the leading online and print resource for news and information regarding solar installation, development, and technology. Since 2011, SPW has helped U.S. solar contractors — including installers, developers and EPCs in all markets — grow their businesses and do their jobs better.
Get Started Hassle Free
We’ll help you with everything from getting certified to completing your first survey and shade analysis.
Loveland Innovations is the maker of IMGING, the leading platform for property inspections and analytics. With IMGING, inspection professionals use smartphones and automated drones to digitize a property or structure, and analyze it with the help of deep learning and computer vision, giving them the clarity to act quickly and confidently.
Contact Us
MAIN: 385-498-0800SUPPORT: 385-498-0800 (press 1 when prompted)Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm MST (excluding holidays)SALES: 385-498-0075EMAIL: info@lovelandinnovations.comADDRESS: 2015 W. Grove Parkway, Suite E Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
Stay Up To Date
Copyright © 2023. Loveland Innovations, Inc. “Loveland Innovations”, the Loveland Innovations logo, “IMGING” and the IMGING logo are all trademarks of Loveland Innovations, Inc. All rights reserved.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.