A Different Approach to Solar
Sixteen years of designing and installing solar and energy storage systems for the Greater LA area. One team and one standard so you have one accountable contractor.
FOUNDED IN 2010, MANHATTAN BEACH
We started with a simple idea
Ben Lochtenberg founded Xero Solar in 2010 because most solar companies were racing toward scale at the expense of craft. The industry was dominated by generic designs, subcontracted install crews, and a pushy sales culture. Xero believed there was a more genuine way to do this work. We still do.
Sixteen years later, our growth is built almost entirely on our referral network - one client introducing us to the next. General Contractors, Architects, Electricians, and Engineers who work with us on one custom home project now bring us into every new project. Families who hired us for a primary residence call us back for their second home, their child's home, and their office. We don't want a sales pitch to convince you to choose Xero Solar, we want our work to.
Our core values shape everything we do
Embrace Challenge
We welcome growth through innovation. We believe that only through doing things that push our boundaries can we evolve to a higher state. It is through the potential to make mistakes that we learn new skills and discover new opportunities that help us to become better individuals and a better company.
Quality without Exception
We believe in doing the right thing, even when it requires sacrifice. We provide what our customers truly need instead of maximizing income. Each customer is treated with respect, transparency, and honesty.
Care for the Individual
We care about the fundamental wellbeing and dignity of the individual, both professionally and personally. This means having the courage to approach difficult conversations with candor. We believe this is vital, whether it be a coworker, supplier, customer, or any other member of our Xero community.
A project lifecycle
Consultation
Our process always begins with a conversation between you and the Xero Account Management team. Who - Who will own, interact, and be relying on the system? What - What are the goals we want to achieve with the system? Where - Where is the project? Where is aesthetically acceptable for equipment to be located? When - Are there timeline goals? Our team will set expectations on a realistic project timeline. Why - Why now? Our team seeks the whole story so the design, equipment, system function, and timeline matches what you really need.
Economic & Energy Analysis
A close review of your consumption and the feasibility of a system on your site. Our team builds a custom model to identify the appropriate system size for your goals and provide energy and economic analyses.
Engineering
Our in house engineering team prepares a planset that meets city code, your aesthetics, and provides technical specifications. Drawings are always reviewed with you before the city submittal process begins.
Permitting
Our permitting team handles every Southern California jurisdiction we serve. You are never asked to facilitate the process.
Installation
Our own crews, never subcontracted, complete the work allowing for continuity between the Account Manager you spoke to on day one, the Project Engineer who detailed your system on paper, and the Project Manager that knows the ins and outs of your project.
Permission to Operate
After we receive Permission to Operate from your electric utility, the Xero team will meet you on site to wrap the project. This system orientation ensures that you are comfortable with the equipment we installed and its monitoring platform.
Service
One year later, we provide a performance report calculating actual production and savings. But it doesn't end there, our service team stays with you for the life of the system. We answer the phone two, five, and sixteen years later to answer questions and be there when you need us.
Singular accountability
Many solar installers stitch their projects together using third party engineers and subcontracted installation crews. We do not. At Xero, every discipline that touches your project sits inside one office, reviewing the same drawings, accountable to the same standard, and answering to the same client.
The same team works on your project through the entire project lifecycle. That coordination is the reason our projects look and last the way they do.