Stop bracing
for the PG&E Bill
Stop bracing
for the PG&E Bill
We help homeowners lower their electric bills, protect the roof underneath, add battery backup, repair systems that aren’t working right, and keep the house powered when the grid goes dark.
We’ll inspect your roof, review your PG&E usage, check your electrical panel, and show you whether solar, batteries, repairs, or reroofing makes sense.
Dear Homeowner,
You know the routine.
The PG&E bill arrives. You open it. You look at the number.
Before you say anything, your stomach already knows.
It’s higher again.
Maybe not every month. Maybe not in one big jump. But slowly, year after year, it keeps creeping up.
At first you were surprised. Then you were annoyed. Now you’ve probably caught yourself saying the sentence so many homeowners have started saying out loud:
"This is what it costs now."
So you write the check. Again. Then the next bill comes. And you write the check again.
It’s not one big emergency. It’s worse than that. It’s the slow grind. Death by a thousand cuts.
PG&E raises the rates. You have no say. You can complain, but the amount still shows up. You can cut back, but the bill still comes. You can turn off lights, close the blinds, sweat through another summer afternoon, and remind the kids not to touch the thermostat. Then PG&E raises the rate again. And somehow the bill goes right back up.
At some point, conservation stops feeling responsible. It starts feeling like punishment.
You’re not just paying for electricity anymore. You’re paying for the next rate hike before it even shows up. You’re paying for that little calculation every time someone turns on the AC, plugs in the EV, runs the dryer, or works from home all day.
“How bad is this bill going to be?”
And maybe you’ve had the solar conversation before.
Maybe after the $700 bill. Maybe after the $1,000 bill. Maybe after that one summer bill that made you stop and say, “Okay this is ridiculous.”
Maybe it happened at the kitchen counter. You opened the bill on your phone, looked at the number, and turned the screen toward your spouse. For a second, nobody said anything. Then one of you said it.
“We can’t keep doing this.”
Not dramatic. Just tired. The way people talk when they’ve had enough.
Then life got busy. The bill got paid. The conversation got shelved. Again.
The Bigger Frustration Isn’t the Bill
The bill is frustrating.
But the deeper frustration is that someone else gets to decide what your home costs to run.
A rate hike letter shows up. There’s no negotiation. Nobody asks if your family budget can absorb it. Nobody asks if you just bought an EV. Nobody asks if you work from home. Nobody asks if you have an aging parent in the house, medical equipment that needs reliable power, or a family that depends on the home staying comfortable and safe.
The amount is decided somewhere else. And you get two choices.
Pay it. Or sit in the dark.
That’s what makes so many homeowners feel trapped.
The Block Goes Dark and Your House Is One of the Dark Ones
When the power actually does go out, the frustration becomes something else.
The block goes dark. The fridge stops humming. The Wi-Fi disappears. The kids start asking when the lights are coming back. Someone digs around for flashlights. Someone checks the PG&E outage map and sees the same vague restoration window everyone else sees.
Then you notice it. A few houses on the block still have power. Their kitchen lights are on. Their fridge is running. Their internet is working. Their house is operating like a regular Tuesday while everyone else is sitting in the cold, the heat, or the dark.
That moment sticks with people.
After that, every outage feels different. You start noticing which neighbors have solar. You start noticing who has batteries. You start thinking about your own freezer, your own Wi-Fi, your own family.
And if someone in your house depends on electricity for safety. A CPAP. Oxygen equipment. An aging parent who can’t be without heat. A child with health needs. The outage isn’t just inconvenient. It’s scary.
It becomes a calculation. How long does the medical equipment battery last? Where do we go if the power doesn’t come back on? How long can the fridge stay closed? What happens if this lasts all night?
That’s when solar and battery backup stop feeling like nice to have. They start feeling practical.
They start feeling responsible. They start feeling like control.
But Shopping for Solar Has Become Its Own Problem
Here’s the part nobody likes to talk about.
A lot of homeowners don’t avoid solar because they’re against solar. They avoid it because the buying process feels confusing, rushed, and suspicious.
Maybe you’ve already talked to two or three solar companies.
One company gave you a quote. Another came in thousands higher. A third gave you a totally different system size. When you asked why the numbers were so different, nobody could explain it clearly.
Maybe the salesperson sat at your kitchen table and read from a script. Maybe they told you a rebate was ending soon, but when you looked it up, the story didn’t check out. Maybe they pushed a bigger system without explaining why. Maybe they quoted a battery you weren’t sure you needed. Maybe they showed you impressive savings numbers but couldn’t walk you through the assumptions behind them.
Maybe nobody even got on the roof. They just pulled up satellite images, clicked around on a laptop, and started talking about putting panels on the most important protective surface of your home.
Solar Company
Our system comes in at $ 28,400 — and if you sign this week, we can lock in an additional rebate.
Solar Guys
Your project would be closer to $ 36,900, but that includes premium panels and financing options.
Sunergy
Based on your home, we’d actually recommend a smaller 7.2 kW system for
$ 24,700, which should cover most of your usage.
Solar Company
Our system comes in at $ 28,400 — and if you sign this week, we can lock in an additional rebate.
Solar Guys
Your project would be closer to $ 36,900, but that includes premium panels and financing options.
Sunergy
Based on your home, we’d actually recommend a smaller 7.2 kW system for
$ 24,700, which should cover most of your usage.
That should make any homeowner pause.
Solar doesn’t sit in your driveway. It doesn’t sit in your garage. It sits on your roof. For decades. And if the roof isn’t ready, the cheapest solar quote can become the most expensive one later.
Panels may need to be removed. Roof work gets more complicated. Companies start pointing fingers. The roofer says it’s a solar issue. The solar company says it’s a roof issue. And the homeowner is stuck in the middle.
That’s exactly what I built Roofing Craftsmen and Solar to prevent.
Why a Roofer Added Solar
Hi, I’m Jose Escalante, the owner of Roofing Craftsmen & Solar.
I’ve spent 25 years on Bay Area roofs. And after thousands of inspections, repairs, and replacements, one thing became obvious to me.
Solar only works long-term when the roof underneath it is part of the plan from day one.
That’s why I added solar.
Homeowners needed someone who could look at the roof, the PG&E bill, the battery question, the electrical panel, the existing solar system if they have one, and the long-term plan for the home, then give them a straight answer.
Most solar companies start with the panels. We start with the roof.
They bring a laptop. We bring a ladder.
A satellite image can help design a system. But it can’t feel soft decking. It can’t inspect flashing. It can’t see whether a roof has enough life left to carry panels for the next 20-plus years.
And it can’t protect you from two companies pointing fingers later.
If your roof is ready for solar, we’ll tell you. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you that too. If a battery makes sense, we’ll explain why. If it doesn’t, we won’t push one just to make the job bigger. If your existing system isn’t producing right, we’ll diagnose it.
If your panels need to come off for a reroof, we’ll handle the removal, the roof, and the reinstall as one coordinated project.
One company. One plan. One phone call. One team responsible for the roof, the solar, the battery, and the work that ties it all together.
California State Licenses #1034738 and #1154255
Owner-operated. Based in Fairfield. Serving Solano, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Yolo.
One company. One plan. One phone call. One team responsible for the roof, the solar, the battery, and the work that ties it all together.
California State Licenses #1034738 and #1154255
Owner-operated. Based in Fairfield. Serving Solano, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Yolo.
What We Do
Starting From Scratch
New solar panel installs. Battery storage with or without panels. Battery-only backup for homeowners who mainly want their house to stay on during outages. Main electrical panel upgrades when needed. Level 2 EV charger installation, with or without solar.
Already Have Solar
Adding panels to existing systems if your usage has changed, you bought an EV, or you started working from home. Adding battery storage to existing panels without touching the panels themselves. Diagnosing inverter issues, monitoring problems, and panels that aren’t producing what they should. Repairing systems installed by companies that are gone or hard to reach.
Need Roofing and Solar Together
Panel removal, full reroof, and panel reinstall handled as one project. Reroofing planned together with a new solar install from the start. No two contractors blaming each other when something goes wrong.
If you’re not sure which one applies to your home, that’s normal.
We sort it out at the visit.
What You Actually Want
Most homeowners don’t wake up excited to buy solar panels.
What you want is the result. You want the next PG&E bill to land and not sting. You want to open the mailbox without bracing.
You want to stop having the same “should we finally do solar?” conversation every few months.
You want the block to go dark and your house to stay on. The fridge running. The Wi-Fi working.
The medical equipment powered. The aging parent warm. The kids calm. The freezer safe. The house quiet and normal while the rest of the street is scrambling for flashlights.
You want to stop thinking about the electric bill all the time.
A few months from now, the bill lands. You still open it. Habit is hard to break. But this time your shoulders don’t tighten. The number is different. The sting is gone. And for the first time in a long time, the PG&E bill isn’t the thing that sets the mood in your house that day.
Then fire season comes. The power goes out on the block. The neighbor’s generator kicks on down the street. But inside your house, the fridge is still humming. The Wi-Fi is still working. The lights are still on. The kids are calm.
And instead of checking the outage map every ten minutes, you realize something strange.
You’re not thinking about PG&E.
That’s the dream. Not equipment. Relief. Control. Predictability. The feeling that your home is finally working for you instead of quietly draining you every month.
What This Visit Is Not
This is not a kitchen-table pressure close.
It’s not a sign tonight or lose the deal appointment.
It’s not a fake rebate countdown.
It’s not a mystery savings presentation where you’re expected to trust numbers nobody can explain.
It’s not a battery pitch for every house.
And it’s not a quote built only from satellite images by someone who never gets on the roof.
It’s a practical inspection and planning conversation. We look at the roof, review your usage, check the electrical panel, talk through your goals, and show you what makes sense.
Then you decide.
How the Visit Works
We’ll come to your home. We’ll walk the roof. We’ll look at your electrical panel. We’ll ask for twelve months of PG&E statements so the math is based on your actual usage, not an estimate.
And we’ll ask what matters most to you.
We’ll help you answer the questions homeowners actually care about.
- Is my roof ready for solar?
- How much of my PG&E bill could solar realistically offset?
- Would a battery make sense for my home, or is it overkill?
- Can I add a battery to the system I already have?
- Why isn’t my current system producing what I expected?
- What happens if my roof needs to be replaced and I already have panels?
- Do I need a main electrical panel upgrade?
- What happens during an outage?
- What would the project look like if the roof, solar, battery, and electrical work were planned together instead of separately?
You’ll get a written quote in your inbox the same day or the next. The math is broken down. The assumptions are visible. If solar doesn’t make sense for your home, you’ll hear that at the visit, not weeks later.
What makes Us Different
We look at the roof first. If your roof has years left, great. If it doesn’t, you should know that before panels go up. If you need a reroof, we’ll plan the roof and the solar together. That keeps you from paying to install panels now and remove them in three years.
We size the system to your home. Not to maximize the ticket. If a smaller system makes more sense for the way you actually use power, that’s what we’ll quote. I’d rather lose a sale than oversize a system to inflate a quote.
We show the math. What your bill is now. What it would be after solar. What changes if rates go up or down. The assumptions are visible. You walk away able to verify it independently.
One company handles the whole project. No handoffs to a sales team or a crew you’ve never met. The same business that gave you the quote does the work and stands behind it.
If You Already Have Solar
This part is important.
Roofing Craftsmen and Solar isn’t only for homeowners starting from zero. Maybe you already have panels. Maybe they were installed years ago. Maybe the company that installed them is gone, unresponsive, or hard to reach. Maybe your app shows a monitoring problem. Maybe your inverter is acting up. Maybe the system is producing less than it should.
Maybe your bill is still too high and you don’t know if the problem is the system, your usage, the new utility rules, or the way the original system was designed. Maybe you bought an EV and now your old system doesn’t cover enough of your usage. Maybe you want battery backup now and didn’t install one the first time.
We can diagnose systems other companies installed. We can look at inverter issues, monitoring problems, and production concerns. We can explore whether adding panels makes sense.
Maybe your bill is still too high and you don’t know if the problem is the system, your usage, the new utility rules, or the way the original system was designed. Maybe you bought an EV and now your old system doesn’t cover enough of your usage. Maybe you want battery backup now and didn’t install one the first time.
We can diagnose systems other companies installed. We can look at inverter issues, monitoring problems, and production concerns. We can explore whether adding panels makes sense. We can explore whether adding storage makes sense.
You don’t have to start over. You just need a clear answer about what’s happening and what your options are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will solar eliminate my PG&E bill?
Sometimes. Often it reduces the bill significantly without zeroing it out. Solar savings depend on your home, your usage, the system size, the roof, the battery setup, and the utility rules that apply to you. I won’t promise the bill disappears. We’ll show you what the numbers look like for your home and explain the assumptions behind them.
Do I need a battery?
Maybe. Some homeowners care mostly about lowering bills. Others care about backup power. Others want both.
Under California’s newer solar billing rules, the value of sending extra power back to the grid isn’t the same as using that power in your own home. That’s why batteries can make a big difference for some homeowners. During the visit, we’ll show you whether a battery actually improves the numbers for your home, or whether it doesn’t.
Can I install a battery without solar panels?
In some cases, yes. Battery-only backup can make sense for homeowners who mainly want outage protection or who aren’t ready for panels yet.
My solar company disappeared. Can you help?
Yes. We diagnose and repair systems installed by other companies, including inverter issues, panels not producing correctly, and monitoring problems.
What if I need a new roof?
That’s one of the biggest reasons to call us. We handle panel removal, the reroof, and the reinstall as one coordinated project. Or, if your roof has less than 10 years left, we may recommend reroofing first before adding panels.
Can you install an EV charger?
Yes. Level 2 chargers, with or without solar. We can also evaluate whether your electrical panel needs to be upgraded to handle it.
What if your company isn’t operating in 10 years?
Nobody in this industry can promise that, and you should be skeptical of anyone who tries. Our licenses are on the California State Contractor Board. Our reviews are on Google and Yelp. Our office is in Fairfield. The panels carry manufacturer warranties that survive any installer.
Do I have to decide right away?
No. A good solar decision should survive a night of sleep. The visit is free, the quote sits in your inbox, and you decide on your timeline.
The Cost Of Waiting
Waiting feels safe. Sometimes waiting is the right choice.
But waiting isn’t free.
Another bill comes. Another summer arrives. Another rate change lands.
Another outage happens.
Another year passes where the same conversation comes up in your house. “Should we finally do this?”
Then the bill gets paid. The power comes back on. The conversation fades. Until next time.
But the problem is still there.
Almost every homeowner who finally installs solar says some version of the same thing afterward.
I wish we'd called sooner
I wish we'd called sooner
Not because they love buying solar equipment. Because they realize how much money, stress, and uncertainty they carried while they were still debating.
Before the next big bill, the next outage, or the next rushed sales pitch, you should know three things: whether your roof is ready, whether solar or battery backup makes financial sense for your home, and whether your electrical system can support the upgrades you’re considering.
Schedule Your Free site Visit
Whether you’re starting from scratch, adding to an existing system, trying to fix a system that isn’t producing right, or planning a roof replacement, we can look at the whole picture.
or Call:
415-342-5544
California State Licenses #1034738 and #1154255
Owner-operated. Based in Fairfield. Serving Solano, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Yolo.
California State Licenses #1034738 and #1154255
Owner-operated. Based in Fairfield. Serving Solano, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Yolo.
PS:
The next PG&E bill is coming either way. The next outage may not give you much warning. And the next time the solar conversation comes up in your house, you don’t have to shelve it again because the whole thing feels too confusing.
Start with one clear conversation. Find out what your roof can support. Find out what your current system is doing. Find out whether solar, battery backup, repairs, an EV charger, or a roof-and-solar project makes sense.
Then decide with real information.
Warmest,
Jose D. Escalante
Owner, Roofing Craftsmen & Solar
California State License #1154255
415-342-5544
