Cobalt Power Systems Inc

Excellent!

The technicians were wonderful, and everything went up exactly as planned. The workmanship was excellent as well.

We solicited bids from Cobalt and one competing contractor in September 2016 and picked Cobalt. Ron was our salesperson/system designer and was highly responsive -- responded to initial inquiry very quickly and faster than the other contractor. Ron asked for a downloaded export of electric usage data from PG&E, and designed 3 different system options based on that data. He quoted us for 2 options using LG panels with micro inverters and 1 option using SunPower panels with the Solar Edge inverter. We ended up going with the SunPower option -- a 5.4 KW/16 panel system intended to generate sufficient power to be net producers over the course of a year, allowing for the likelihood of adding an electric car in the future. The project also included running a dedicated car charger circuit from the circuit panel (near rear of house) to the front porch near garage, and a required upgrade of the circuit panel itself. The circuit panel upgrade was a bit more expensive than the normal upgrades because of the unusual old panels in my neighborhood, and required moving the panel to a slightly new location. The project included full stucco repair & painting of the old panel location, everything looks great. Cobalt's bid was a bit more expensive than the competitor but we went with them primarily because of Ron's responsiveness and a bit of trust factor. We were much further along in the process with Cobalt by the time we met with the competitor and had a formal bid; also Cobalt anticipated the challenges with the circuit panel upgrade and warned us in advance (and also they do the work themselves). The competitor was going to use a subcontractor and did not mention any anticipated difficulties, was a bit wishy-washy about doing the car charger circuit at first. Also, After meeting with the competitor (who was quoting us for a different type of SunPower system with micro inverters), we had additional questions for Ron who responded to them right away and explained all the reasons (including reliability reasons) for the system he was recommending, all before we had a formal bid from the competitor. We signed the contract with Cobalt in late September. PG&E gave us a 3 week window for power disconnect/reconnect (required for circuit panel upgrade) spanning mid to late October. In anticipation of this, Cobalt proposed to start the panel & inverter installation to be sure everything else was done by the time PG&E could do their work. Panels were installed on Oct 10-11 with a bit of miscellaneous work on Oct 12, at which point all we could do was wait for PG&E to provide the date for circuit panel upgrade. PG&E finally provided the date in late October. Unfortunately, a day before that was supposed to happen Cobalt discovered that the new circuit panel sent by the distributor was the wrong type, and we had to reschedule the power disconnect/reconnect and panel upgrade until the correct panel could be obtained. (Fortunately this was discovered before PG&E actually turned the power off on the original day). PG&E takes a while to schedule these things, so it wasn't until early December that we had a date and could complete the project. At the end of the project Ron presented us with a well organized binder for the project, including analyses for expected system production and time to break-even on cost, white papers and product spec sheets, Permission to Operate form from PG&E, copies of the approved, stamped project plans filed with the city, city permit signed by inspector, and copies of the tax forms we'd need to file to get our tax credit. Very happy with the outcome of the project, with only minor hiccups.

unknown

very well and honest service.

They did a fantastic job, were punctual, on budget (far less than other quotes) and did everything they said they would. Am going to use them again. Very happy customer.

They were terrific, very responsible and had a reasonable price. They were so responsive, great communication. Great system they installed and we are very happy with them.

unknown

Awesome experience from the very beginning. They took care of everything. They are very experienced in dealing with the city of Palo Alto. Lots of attention to detail and made the solar conduit blend in by painting it to match our roof, trim and exterior. Always courteous and punctual. Would highly recommend them to anyone thinking of going solar. Also the system designers are not paid by commission. So no hard sell. Ron Lykins was our designer. Cell phone 650 996-0219

I contacted five companies for a proposal to install solar panels on my roof. The proposal from Cobalt was not what I wanted. I explained to them what I did want and waited too long for a new proposal and never did get a final proposal for what I wanted. So I went with another company

If you look at the services listed above they process went exactly as planned without any issues or mistakes. Cobalt Power also met the schedule outlined in step 2. It was a very turn-key operation by professionals who know what they are doing. I would not hesitate to recommend Cobalt Power. In fact several of my neighbors have now used Cobalt Power as well as a relative in Morgan Hill.

unknown

We're very happy with our new solar system. Clayton the salesman was very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. He made absolutely sure that we were satisfied with every step of the installation and final product. The installers themselves were equally professional and courteous. They showed up the same time every morning. Communication was excellent.

We were also having major renovations done at the same time, including a new roof and a new room where the panels would (and are now) situated. Cobalt handled coordination with the general contractor and the roofing subcontractor, as well as handling the bulk of the paperwork to get our rebate from PG&E. They made the whole process a breeze, and were one of the best companies to work with during our complex project. Mark Byington provided lots of documentation, and patiently walked us through the process, explained projected electrical output, and suggestions for a system optimal for our electrical needs. He was very accessible and responsive by both email and by phone. He and his employees were prompt, friendly and finished the project on schedule. Mark and his employees were great to work with, I highly recommend them to anyone seeking a solar panel installation.

For the first set of panels, we replaced the roof at the same time and Cobalt worked with the roofer to install panel supports. All work was done professionally and on-time. When we chose to add more panels in 2011, we again chose Cobalt. The workers were polite, capable and cleaned up after all work. They also went out of their way to keep me informed.

First, we got an estimate. Mari, the system designer asked many detailed questions and reviewed our electricity use history before designing the system for us. She explained the whole process very well and assured us that they would coordinate with Shelton , our roofer. They were very efficient at scheduling our project in conjunction with the roofer and the entire project proceeded exactly as planned. It took about three and one half days for the actual installation which went very smoothly. The workers were superb! We then had to wait for PG&E to come out and install a reversible meter which took about 2-3 weeks. Our system is now turned on and is working exactly as planned.

Cobalt was very responsive from enquiry, to design inputs and to contract. Ron, the sales person, patiently answered my many questions, accepted my spec changes and never pushy. Installation was delayed 1 day or so but no biggie. System has been running well as designed for 6 months now. Most impressive and the reason I took the time to write this was the post-sales responsiveness. About a month back, our roof leaked during to a particularly windy storm. Our entire house(and roof) is only 5 years old and had never leaked in the 2.5 yrs I lived in it. So I thought it must be the solar installation. I called mid afternoon and Mark Byinton, the founder, not only took the call but sent a crew out before it got too dark. Turns out it was not related to the solar installtion but one of the the eye brow vents on my roof. Jono and one other crew member climbed on the roof, crawled thru the attic space and took pictures to show me where the problem was. I really like the responsiveness and take ownership attitude. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a solar system.

Everything went very smoothly. Sales and installation team were very professional and thorough. I liked that they worked directly with a professional roofer to ensure that the mounting of the panels on our delicate concrete tile roof was done properly, and the roof left undamaged.

Cobalt delivered the best contractor service I have ever experienced. Highly professional and reliable, a class act from start to finish. Mark Byington (the owner) gave me all the information about solar that I could ever want, and his crew (office and field) were competent, efficient, polite, clean, exceptionally communicative, and true to their word. They showed up exactly when they said they would, kept me informed every step of the way, cleaned up the job site every day before they left. Price was competitive, and they took care of all of the details (permits, inspections, rebate, etc.) I recommend them enthusiastically, and without reservation. And I love to watch my electrical meter spinning backwards, we're generating and SELLING power to PG&E at the high daytime peak rates, and buying it back from them at the low nighttime rates, life is good.

It took about a week to install the system. The good news was, they were able to start a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The bad news was that it didn't pass city inspection the first time so after the fixes and re-inspection it came back to the old schedule. Cobalt Power was very good at communicating to me on what was going on at all times. After the final inspection it took about another month for electric utility to come out and change the meter. Everything seems to be working fine at this point.

Cobalt Power and the installers, headed up by Jono, did an excellent job installing our photovoltaic panels. They cleaned up after themselves every day and did everything they could to make the installation go smoothly. They kept me informed at every step. We're waiting on the PG&E inspection, but have good expectations about how much power I'll be generating and how much I'll save on electricity (I'll probably cut our bill in half if not more). I'd highly recomment Mark Byington and Cobalt Power for solar installation. Mark is thorough and keeps on top of the details of each job, despite the current high demand for solar in this area and the volume of work that he has.

I was definitely impressed with this company. I have had a very good experience and they do a great job of cleaning up after themselves. I am very happy and pleased. They made this experience very quick and easy. The employees were very professional and they made us see all the financial benefits we could get from installing this system. My electric bill was cut in half.