Infinium Solar Roofing and Electric

Nabeela A.

We hired Infinium based on their reviews after getting bids from three different solar companies. But I don't think we made the right choice. The initial consultation with Jacob went great. He came across as knowledgeable but the responsiveness and communication went way down afterwards. It took us asking about the panel plans and permit process periodically every few weeks (or month) to get anything done. Our first communication was August of 2021 and our panels got installed in mid February. I was ok with the late installation given how long it's taking to get permits in San Jose currently. But I do think it would have taken longer than February if we hadn't kept asking for updates periodically. The communication only happened when we reached out for the most part.
Once the panels got installed, we failed THREE inspections which is ridiculous. Every time an inspector would come by and show them what's wrong, they'd schedule a work day WEEKS from when the inspection was done (and where the entire power to our house would also need to be cut). This has happened three times already and we are on our fourth full power cut and solar work redo next week for another inspection.
We are in mid April right now and have been losing money every month from PG&E (~$500) since mid Feb because until the inspection is done, we are not going to see any money back from PG&E despite them taking our excess power constantly. The other frustrating thing is that the inspections are not scheduled until we get on their case.
After having solar for over two months now, and no money back that we've seen yet, and barely any communication, regular full day power cuts to fix issues that the inspector brings up, it's not been an easy journey with Infinium and I wouldn't recommend them in future.

Peter L.

I had Infinium Solar installed my solar system in June this year. Since then, three of my neighbors in our court and two of my relatives have used Infinium to install their systems because of the positive results and experiences that I had working with Infinium. They all gave enthusiastic thumbs up for choosing this company. The whole process from the initial contact with Jacob to the final sign off of inspection worked out very smoothly and the overall experiences have well exceeded my expectations.

Gabriel O.

Infinium comes off like they know what they are doing. During the sale process, I was dealing with Jacob Sleep. He seemed to be very responsive and knowledgeable. A GREAT salesman. But he is exactly that, a GREAT SALESMAN. Once you sign on the dotted line, he is far less responsive. In fact, the entire company has this one fundamental issue. Once you sign the contract, you become a secondary citizen compared to the people they haven't signed yet.

Let me dig into some specifics:

My first contact with them was May 13th, 2021. By May 27th, they were already sending me the contract, promising me that the project would be done within a couple of months.

Today is December 13th. Solar panels are still not installed. Now let me be clear on what happened so that hopefully you understand the PROS/CONS.

When Jacob was out and he was surveying the house, he asked good questions and suggested things that I didn't know much about like optimal locations for the panels on the roof. One specific thing he suggested was the location of batteries. He recommened we put them inside the garage because it makes the batteries last longer when they are not exposed to the elements. I agreed. I also came away impressed with how knowledgeable Jacob seemed to be about the different types of panels and the batteries. I came away thinking that Infinium would treat me well as a customer.

After signing the contract, things started to unravel. Infinium got to working on the plans and they went silent for several weeks with no visibility or updates. Jacob became VERY unresponsive. I sent some follow up emails asking where we were at and didn't get responses. Finally, after about three weeks they responded saying that they are finishing up the plans. They told me that after approval, they would handle the permitting with the county and it shouldn't be more than a month.

A few more weeks go by and nothing. Every once in awhile Jacob would respond to my messages saying that they have ""just submitted"" or that ""they are waiting for feedback from the county"" but not explanation for why things were taking so long. Finally, on August 16th, I wrote Jacob saying that delays were longer than anything that they pointed to and I was wondering if there were some kind of discount they can offer as I was now losing any chance of taking advantage of the summer sun. Jacob responded saying that it was Santa Clara County's fault because they changed the guidelines since he spoke to me and therefore, it's not their fault. Didn't even acknowledge my asking about a potential discount.

Jacob and I spoke on the phone and I asked to speak with the owner of the company. Jacob NEVER made good on that.

The first concrete bit of information also came in August from them but not from Jacob but from a Jackson Bigham who I believe was the project lead. He said because my batteries are placed in the garage, the county is asking for significant failsafes like barriers against cars potentially running into them, smoke detectors and potentially even sprinklers. Jackson was also the first to actually apologize for the pace of the project which I hadn't heard from Jacob. While it was not good news, I appreciated Jackson filling me in on the details of what was going on, again, months after I had signed and asked for updates.

By October, still no permit. Jackson explained that the issue was the Fire department and the county going back and forth and changing requirements on them in real time. On October 5th, Jackson looped in Jessica Stephenson who he said was now the ""project manager who has taken over the communications with the county.""

Jessica and I spoke on the phone. For what it's worth, Jessica was more responsive than Jacob (at least initially). She was also willing to apologize (at least in words) for the delay. I once again asked to speak to the owner and to her credit, she did make good on that promise unlike Jacob.

A week later, I spoke to the owner, Jeff Long. He was pleasant to speak to and apologetic about the delays. I asked him to please tell his people to be more professional about communicating. He said he would though I could tell he was placating.

Jessica kept me aprised but ultimately the county required too many things so I asked for the batteries to be moved outside but for them to provide a cover. She ignored the cover and said the batteries will be installed outside. That was end of October. Finally on Nov 30, Jessica emailed and said the permit has been approved. They scheduled me for install today (Dec 13th) and tomorrow (Dec 14th). This morning, Jessica emailed and said that the weather won't allow for them to install. I had already told work that I wasn't coming in and now I'm scrambling because they waited until this morning to tell me something about the weather that they had known last week. Again, an issue of communication.

I'll update when the final install is done but I can't recommend this business based on my experience.

Linda C.

It feels good to work with a well run company and our experience with Infinium Solar was stellar from beginning to end. Out of 3 estimates, theirs was the best price, using the latest technology and without a long wait time. Jeff was so patient in answering all of our questions. We found their team to be incredibly efficient, friendly and responsive - less than 2 months from contract signing to permit approval. The installation itself took only 3 hrs. We chose them based on feedback from other customers and highly recommend them.

John M.

Infinium Solar made a great impression on us. We needed to replace a failed power inverter and the company that did the original install 7 years ago is long out of business. Most other companies we contacted wouldn't even give us the time of day, but Jeff replied quickly and with a competitive quote. A few days after the part arrived, he sent a member of his team out to do the install. During the install they found a major defect with the system, one that caused the original inverter to fail. His team documented the defect and took photos of the issues they found, then repaired the defect, free of charge, even though it was the fault of the original installer. We were left very impressed and with a fully functional solar power system. Thanks Jeff.

Alana F.

Contacted Infinium based on the reviews AND Solar Technologies who did the original install was going to charge and arm and a leg to do this. Thankfully ST referred me to Infinium. I needed our panels taken off and re-installed for a new roof. From beginning to end, Nicholas was awesome - great communication, easy to understand process, great crew, nice office staff. Not one issue to report other than GREAT service. Would HIGHLY recommend.

John N.

Infinium solar repaired a system that another installed, and was never able to get working properly. It was a big rooftop solar job, with battery backup and two electrical panels that switched: when line power is lost, the only circuits running off the rooftop solar are the critical circuits. When line power is restored, a relay switches back to the full # of circuits. Infinium diagnosed the issues, and fixed 'em. The solar installers never finished the job, getting the PG&E side of admin done, nor getting the PG&E rebates done. Infinium also finished off the PG&E admin side. Couldn't be happier with the workmanship, nor the timeliness and follow through.

Ramesh N.

Firstly, I commend Nicholas, his solar system installation team and the Infinium administrative staff for a an excellent job that went like clockwork. From start to finish viz. from the day of signing the contract to the day of PGE approval, it took less than six weeks. Estimates range from 2 to 3 months.
Infinium pricing was very competitive. Nicholas was very knowledgeable, his responses to my queries were always prompt and precise. The members of the installation team were friendly and efficient - It took them just a day to complete the installation, including the electrical work. I am very satisfied with the work done. I highly recommend Infinium.

Mitchell C.

Been three years, but I bought 8 solar panels from them since they were local. REC twin peak 285w panels. This was a diy micro-inverter project. Super helpful, great price, great product. Even though this was a small project, they gave the time.

John L.

If you decide to work with this company be sure to get everything IN WRITING. When I initially contacted them I explained the project that I was interested in doing. I have a solar PV array to which I recently added a Tesla Powerwall; I wanted to add 3 to 4 additional solar panels because I had noticed that I had less energy independence than I wanted during the winter months. I wanted to be able to tie the new panels into the Powerwall configuration and was told that this should not be a problem because they often do this; they asked for a picture of my main breaker box and the response I got to that email was that this was ""perfect"". They said that no permit was required because I was already permitted for solar panels. They provided a figure for the project and I decided to go forward with them, making a deposit to seal the deal.

A few days later I realized that nowhere in written documentation was there an indication that the new panels would be attached to the Powerwall (there was no contract, just a series of emails). I called and asked that this stipulation with respect to the Powerwall be put in writing, at which point I was told that not only was that never mentioned as a possibility previously, it was not something that would have been mentioned, which was not true. I reminded the representative of our conversation, at which point he admitted that he had said something about this, but tried to characterize it differently, as more of a potential option than something that they could do, and he began raising objections as to why it could not be done, trying to convince me that something else would work just as well, but it actually would not have been all that close. He then raised technical objections, claiming that they would need an additional part from Tesla, a part that they could not get from Tesla (despite being, supposedly, certified a Powerwall installer).

They were unwilling to reach out to any contacts that they might have with Tesla, so I reached out to Tesla myself to resolve the issue. After many hours on the phone and exchanging many emails with Tesla, I was able to find a way to resolve the problem without requiring additional parts; Tesla also wanted to see the plans for the additional panel installation, to ensure that there would be no problems with the Powerwall. I relayed this information to Infinium, assuming that this would clear the way for the project to go forward, and asked that a contract be drawn up to specify exactly what was to be done in the project, including tying the new panels into the Powerwall. Instead of moving forward with the project, Infinium indicated that in order to draw up plans, which I had assumed were already part of the package, and draw up a contract, there would be additional cost, and that they would now have to get a permit (which I had been previously told was not required); this caused the cost of the project to skyrocket by more more than 1/3 of the original quote provided. Of course, this made them more expensive than other providers that I had previously decided against as a result of the low estimate provided by Infinium.

Another provider, whom I am now likely to go with for my project, informed me that a permit is always required when adding new solar panels, so apparently Infinium was not being honest right from the start when they told me that no permit was required for this project. The more accurate statement would probably have been that with a project so small as this, it would be likely that they would be able to get away with not getting a permit. I am not one to be a stickler for always doing everything by the book, but I do value honesty and if I am going to be held responsible for something that is not entirely kosher, I want to be able to make that decision with full knowledge. And I believe that they should have made it clear what was going on so that I could do an apples to apples comparison with other potential providers.

Infinium was not honest with me with respect to what was legally required for this project, i.e. that a permit was required, nor were they honest with me with respect to what they were able to do, i.e. that they had no experience with how to tie the new panels into my Powerwall. They also showed very little initiative in trying to determine what was necessary to provide me with the configuration that I asked them to provide, and that they said they could provide; as a result of my initiative, not theirs, they are now able to provide other customers in a situation similar to mine with a service that they would not otherwise have been able to provide.

I probably could have pushed them to complete the project at the original stated price, with plans and permits, because it would have been illegal for them to provide a quote based on doing something that is illegal, but by this time I had no confidence in their ability to do a good job, so I elected to go with a different provider.