The local difference: How this installer turned Devin’s high energy use into lower energy bills

Devin Ross had seen firsthand what can happen when solar goes sideways. His parents had installed a system with a company that later went out of business, and when the system needed service, getting help wasn’t easy. So when it came time for Devin to go solar himself, he wasn’t just focused on price—he was looking for a company that would still pick up the phone years down the line.

"I was looking for somebody that I knew would be around, that I could call and would be on top of things—that I didn't have to worry about," he said.

That search led him to EnergySage and ultimately to GC Electric Solar, a Southern California installer with deep community roots and a reputation to match. The result: An electrified home, a Powerwall on the wall, and a monthly electric bill that has dropped from $700 to nearly zero.

Devin’s motivation to go solar was straightforward: His electricity bills had climbed to as high as $700 a month. But those costs didn’t come out of nowhere—they were the result of a home that was becoming increasingly electric.

He drives a Tesla Model 3, had recently installed a heat pump for heating and cooling, and was steadily leaning into full home electrification. That resulted in a cleaner, more efficient home, but without a solar panel system, it also meant noticeably higher electric bills. 

Rather than scale back, Devin saw solar as the way forward.

Devin didn't jump at the first solar company he found. He talked to friends who had already gone solar and collected multiple quotes the old-fashioned way. But the process had its frustrations.

"I would have to talk to somebody [on the phone] and then get a really high quote when I knew I wasn’t going to go with them anyway," he explained. "It wastes everyone's time."

That's when he discovered EnergySage. By entering his information just once on the platform, he was matched with quotes from multiple pre-screened installers in the San Diego area, including GC Electric Solar, without the phone-tag runaround.

"EnergySage is geared towards solar. It just makes the process that much easier, and you have to do that much less work to find the right people."

The streamlined comparison helped him quickly build a shortlist. GC Electric Solar rose to the top not just on price, but also on reviews. They had strong ratings in the area, and that signal carried weight.

For Devin, price was only part of the equation. He'd seen firsthand what happens when solar service falls apart. His parents had gone solar with a company that later went out of business, and when their system needed attention, the replacement company wasn’t exactly swift in response. In the end, they went months without solar power.

He had a different benchmark in mind. One of Devin’s rental properties came with solar panels already installed when he bought it. When an inverter issue came up, he tracked down the original installer, and someone showed up the next day—a stark contrast to his parents’ experience. That became the bar.

GC Electric Solar fit the bill. They were a local Southern California company, deeply familiar with regional permitting, and with a track record in the community to back it up. GC Electric Solar felt like a team that actually wanted to see the project through.

"I felt like they weren't just transactional. I knew that GC Electric Solar would help me get this done and over the line."

Devin signed his contract with GC Electric Solar in mid-September and was live by November—roughly six weeks from first conversation to permission to operate. At the time, many installers were severely backlogged. Homeowners across the country were rushing to complete installations before the federal residential solar tax credit expired at the end of 2025, and demand was pushing timelines well into 2026 in many cases. For homeowners who signed contracts in 2025 expecting to install that year, a delay into 2026 meant losing the credit directly, regardless of when they signed.

GC Electric Solar’s local knowledge made the difference. They understood the permitting landscape and moved through it efficiently.

"That was my fear: signing and then having it pushed and pushed," he said. "But they told me, 'We've installed a lot in your area, we understand the permitting process, we're from around here.' And they delivered."

For Devin, the experience confirmed what he’d been hoping to find: A platform that made research painless, and a local installer that delivered on every promise.

"It’s seamless on both ends,” he said of EnergySage and his installer. “EnergySage brings everything together and makes the process of finding solar simpler."

“You could go to Yelp, but that’s geared towards a lot of different things—EnergySage is focused on solar. It makes the process that much easier."

As for GC Electric Solar, Devin was just as clear.

"They’re just good people. What they say they’re going to do, they’re going to do. You don’t need to worry."