I would highly recommend Brighten Solar for a solar panel installation. This is an owner-operated company, located in Santa Barbara, who installed my solar panels in September 2016. After listening to the sales pitches from 5 other local and national solar providers, I found that Jeremy Favier, owner-operator of Brighten Solar, to be most helpful in explaining the many technical choices involved in choosing solar panels. Some examples of solar choices include micro-inverters vs optimizers, variations is solar panel efficiencies and longevity, type & number of panels to install, & choices re: standard residential (SCE) electric rates vs Time-of-Use (TOU) electric rates. Perhaps because he is an engineer, Jeremy was the only bidder who was able to use all the relevant variables to give me an accurate customized estimate for the number of needed panels to optimize my cost-benefit ratio. Most of the other bids I received recommended excessive panels, at substantially increased cost, and for which there would be no cost recovery. Equally as important as the planning considerations, Brighten Solar completed the project as agreed in the time frame promised. Jeremy recommended the option of removing my Spanish tile & replacing with composite shingles under the solar panels. I am very happy that I selected that option; it allowed a better, more secure installation and is aesthetically much more pleasing. The installation workmanship was first class and without problems. I’ve remodeled or renovated 4 houses in my house-owning career, and would rate this project as one of the easiest and most rewarding as any I’ve done.