PJ Erwin Electric

We contacted Peter Erwin within a few weeks before the deadline for net-metering (NEM) 2.0 applications in California. This was after one of the big solar companies had declined our project because our main panel was not considered solar ready.

Pete completely saved the project (and the day) for us:

He installed a new main panel, elegantly kept the old panel as a sub-panel and also found a solution to keep the required distance from the gas aerator despite the relative lack of space where the new panel needed to be placed.

He then installed solar panels for us at a fair price.  Just like with the main panel, Pete completely followed through with this project, too.

All of Pete's work has been done according to code, and we have now been enjoying the green energy from our solar system as well as the benefits of the NEM 2.0 program for several weeks - all thanks to Pete.

Pete is a genuine, very friendly and incredible person. He is a very fine and fair electrician, he knows the local code and he keeps his promises. We can fully endorse Pete and assure you that you cannot go wrong with him as your electrician and solar expert.

Pete ushered us through a hellish experience with PG&E upgrading our electrical panels which was required by our home owners insurance after purchasing a property. He provided competent know-how and calm when we wanted to tear our hair out.  We had an added issue of underground, rather than overhead, power lines which required trenching. Pete managed the coordination with the trenching company in addition to PG&E and generally made bureaucratic ridiculousness tolerable. Pete is great!

I had been looking for a good electrician for several months, and had actually gotten three quotes already, when I blew a circuit, and got very nervous about my old FPE panel with Stablok breakers (google it and you'll see what I mean)... I didn't have an awesome feeling about any of the electricians I had interacted with, and they weren't available for at least 2 weeks anyway, so I thought I would try leaving a message for PJ Erwin. One electrician came out to my house and never even got back with a quote.

Pete called me back on the weekend and the first thing he said was not to worry about my situation. He immediately put me at ease. He was available to come take a look at my project on the following Monday. He arrived when he said he would. I was meeting him at my house, and when I got there, he already had the panel open, assessing the situation. I could immediately sense his positive attitude, and he again really put me at ease. He was patient while I showed him all the items I was concerned with. He was prompt with writing the quote, and was able to fit my project in about a weeks' time.

Pete, Christian, and Jaime arrived on time and finished on time. I was even able to add a couple of items to the scope of my work, and they were able to accommodate. Each day when I came home, they had cleaned up after their work, and left me with a functioning house. I was very lucky that they didn't have to tear open my walls, and they left minimal amounts of wall patching to do. Everyone was very conscientious. Pete is an excellent communicator, which I totally appreciate! I never had to call him to ask what was going on with inspections, etc... he told me what to expect, and followed up on everything 100%.

Cost-wise, PJ Erwin was very fair. They are not the cheapest, and not the most expensive. I paid pretty much what I expected to pay, but I think their professional attitude and pride in workmanship puts them in a league above the rest, making PJ Erwin an exceptional value.

In the weeks since the work was completed, I feel much safer and happier in my house. Thanks, Pete, Christian, and Jaime! :)

Pete is awesome!  I completely trust his judgement and expertise on everything electrical. He has a lot of experience and his quality work shows. I think I must of had luck on my side as I was able to call Pete and he was out that day to give a quote. Just two days later and he had completely installed a new main panel. The work is quality and the service is above and beyond. Thank you so much.

Pete replaced our main & subpanels and the wiring in between them. Our house's electrical wasn't easy to work with but he gave us all the time we needed in person to think & talk through how to do the job with the least visual impact to our house. He was so easy to work with and explained things in a very easy to understand way. You can tell he's really into what he does. He came in slightly below other offers but his quality was superior! We will definitely use Pete for anything in the future. He communicated well and was on schedule. I can't recommend him highly enough!

Pete is the bomb!!  He is a positively minded, goal oriented self starter who is motived to help you with your project. He recently installed an EV charger at our home and made it so simple and uncomplicated for us in every way.

His easy going attitude threw me off initially as I had gotten bids from other contractors for the same job.  I could tell that Pete knew a lot more about what he was doing from the initial meeting. He also was incredibly personable and reasonably priced compared to his competitors.  To give you an idea of what I was faced with when purchasing the EV charger, I had the option of paying Amazon $600 to have a local installer do the job. It turned out that the guy I would have gotten was more of a jack of all trades vs being an licensed electrician. I only paid a little bit more but had the reassurance of hiring Pete, a qualified licensed electrician.  

You can't go wrong hiring Pete!

Pete came out on a Sunday to evaluate my situation which was a bit tricky. He confidently assessed how we could best upgrade my panel from 100 to 200amps. I had urgency in getting the upgrade and Pete had someone on site the next day to start and complete the job. Highly professional, great communication, the best of local service. Highly recommend PJ Erwin Electric.

Pete, Christian and team worked on our house and carport for 3.5 days. Pete did a comprehensive and thoughtful assessment and followed up with the most detailed quote I received from several electricians. They were on time each day or let me know ahead even when they'd be minutes late. Their work was to spec but also conscientious of the intent of the project; they offered suggestions along the way and made small upgrades where I accepted, e.g. ground-protected certain outlets and fixtures that didn't require it but made sense as an extra safety precaution near water and where children play. They even got dirty by swinging my pickaxe to fine tune the angle of a ditch for their conduit.

Top quality job. Very professional. Good people. Highly recommend.

Pete and Christian has been wonderful to work with. Our situation was a bit complex and required multiple coordination with different parties. It wasn't a typical install job, but Pete and Christian walked us through the stages every step of the way. They provided us with a detail visual of what's to take place and the bids were on time and accurate. Very responsive and professional. Diligent and meticulous in how they plan out the work and made the entire process hassle-free for us as we worked remotely with them due to our busy schedules.

Pete saved me from a potentially fiery and painful death, and also saved me several hundred dollars while doing so.

The thermostat wiring for one of my tenants had annoyingly stopped working so I arranged for Pete and his assistant to spend at least a couple of hours tearing open a few walls and install new wiring.  While they were down in the dirt crawlspace of the fourplex, they found a corroded section of thermostat wiring.  By replacing just that short section, they solved the problem and saved me several hundred dollars in the process.

Pete also informed me that I had a gas leak down there.  (It actually later turned out to be two gas leaks.)  When PG&E came out later that day, they shut off my gas immediately.  (I had cold showers for the rest of the week until the gas piping repair guys could come out.)  However, I probably would not have learned of the gas leaks for months had it not been for Pete.

Pete's a really nice guy who does great work.  He might even save your life someday!

I have to give Pete and Christian my highest recommendation.  It's hard to imagine a better experience with an electrician (or someone from any trade).  Pete was incredibly patient and flexible on scheduling and worked with me closely setting up a same-day disconnect/reconnect meter upgrade.  He was available, on time, and gave detailed and accurate quotes.  He is easy to work with, too, and I was able to coordinate replacing a section of damaged/missing siding behind the meter enclosure while the job was going on.  He also had a great rapport with the PGE technician and the city inspector (the inspector mentioned that he'd worked with Pete and Christian before, and thinks they do great work).

This guy is amazing!  I had what I consider to be a fairly involved project.  I needed new electrical service for a small four unit apartment complex.  The job involved a new mast head, new breaker boxes and meters for each of the units, and tying in the new service lines to each of the units (two of which are in a separate building).  I discussed the job with aprox. eight electricians.  Pete was by far the most thorough on both the bidding and planning of the job.  I am an absentee property owner, and I was perfectly comfortable with Pete managing the job from 3,000 miles away.  Pete was in constant communication and was always very upfront  and honest each step of the way.  I trust him.  As a bonus, he's got a great personality!

Pete, Christian and Max are stars: these guys are professional, fast, knowledgeable, honest . . .and just plain nice!  I should know, because I am a licensed contractor myself, and a retired Senior City Planner who granted or denied permits for home improvements.  I wish every homeowner might be fortunate enough to find contractors like P.J.Erwin.  They did our job quickly and to perfection, while protecting our furnishings, landscape, and structure adjacent to their work areas.
How many contractors are genuinely glad to see their fellow workers and clients each morning?  And it was a pleasure to see them.
I'm not given to gushing about contractors.  Find out for yourself -- give Pete a call.

Pete is super nice and responsive, which are important qualities in a contractor.  On the downside, he is quite expensive.  Although Pete's work is good, it isn't good enough for those prices. He missed some details on our project, and for the high price, we expected more.

Pete and his team were great to work with and gave me honest advice on what was important to fix in my old house and what could be left alone. I highly recommend Pete to anyone.

My wife and I hired Pete and his crew to do the electrical work for our kitchen remodel in our condo this summer. We interviewed a few electricians before easily deciding on him. He was the most straight-forward with his pricing, his crew were clearly experienced [explained everything along the way]; and they did only the work necessary [up to code!], not any more. They were a pleasure to work with and total professionals!

Pete did a re-install of some aging ceiling fans, installed new LED down lights in my kitchen (which involved some tricky engineering for my non-standard-depth ceiling joists), relocated my sub-panel, wired a new hallway light, and re-wired an old shed so I could use it again. Everything works great and my home is that much more pleasant as a result of his work.  

For anything having to do with electricity in my home, I'll never call anyone but Pete. He's super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and does impeccable work. He shows up when he says he will, finishes when he says, and is incredibly conscientious about safety. He's one of those guys who, after you're done working with him, you wish ALL your contractors were as good, reliable, affordable, and friendly.

Pete is a great electrician. He is personable, easy to work with, ethical and does really great electrical work. We hired him to do some basic work at our new place, e.g. moving fixtures, installing new fixtures, moving some electrical, replacing a box fan, etc. Pete did a great job and was quick and efficient. More than his work, he is a pleasure to work with. He is personable and can really consult with you about possible changes and approaches to your project. He was able to easily adapt when one of our smaller projects turned into a medium/large project in terms of complexity.

I plan on using Pete in the future for our electrical work. You can't go wrong hiring him for your next project.

Best in the business. This crew is professional in every aspect. Clean and top quality work. Truly a pleasure to do business with

Pete and Christian were great.  Needed a 220v outlet put in the house, and with a few specs provided they were able to figure out what they needed and do the install, all on time and within budget.  Very responsive and knowledgeable!

Pete's the best! I needed a bunch of outlets installed in my commercial workshop. Pete problem solved the existing wiring and knocked the job out in a day with his efficient and thoughtful crew. He's honest and easy to work with. Highly recommended!

I couldn't have asked for a better experience! It is no wonder this guy is in demand. Fast and efficient, professional, great communication, and fair rates. I had a fairly basic issue and Pete fixed it and restored my trust in electricians. Glad to have him in my Rolodex.

Thank you Pete! Knowledgeable, straightforward and skilled. Couldn't ask for more. Highly recommend for your electrical needs!

The positive reviews are true!  Pete went out of his way to make up for a missed appointment and wouldn't charge me for an assessment of my electrical panel. I highly recommend him for his communication skills, candid, professional style and integrity. I will hire him for future projects.

My 1932 house in the Dimond needed some serious updating with the electrical.  Pete returned my call almost immediately and gave me an estimate.  Refreshing how professional he is and even with such a large job, how he expedited it.  Highly recommend, two thumbs up!

Pete impressed me immediately but I still made calls to other places just to be sure.

After talking to Pete for a few minutes on the phone, my gut said to go with this guy -- he spouted integrity, passion, and genuine interest in what I was trying to achieve in terms of the lighting in my front yard; he got me more excited than I already was. He introduced new possibilities too. It was a fun call.

But he was the first call I made and I thought I needed to do some due diligence to compare prices and service options, etc. I called 2 other people with great Yelp reviews. One was higher priced and one was similarly priced. And both service providers were not nearly as personal, knowledgeable, or fun on the call.

And his craftsmanship is beautiful. I now have a security light on the side of my house that looks like it's been there the whole time. Great work. Great guy!

PJ Erwin is a company that is honest and trustworthy and lives up to their word.  The electrical box in the home in Berkeley dated back to the 40's and needed to be sorely updated.  Peter was extremely helpful and patient in walking me through what needed to be done.  Due to updated codes the electrical box could not be within 15 feet of the gas meter.  With a fireplace next to the meters we had to relocate the electrical panel to the other side of the house.  Peter and Christian were able to arrange for the City of Berkeley to come out for inspections and have PG&E move the electrical power lines to the new panel.  We passed City of Berkeley electrical inspection and are extremely happy with PJ Erwin's work.  They communicated via email and text every step of the way what was going on and what was happening next.  I plan on other major electrical work in the house and PJ Erwin will be the company that I trust and will use again.

I didn't work with Pete but I worked with his brother Dave. I had a small project on my house, some unfinished electrical work left over from the old owners.  Dave came out, cleaned up all the unfinished work and help me change a few additional switches.  He did a great job and I felt his prices were reasonable.

I had what turned out to be a very complex problem installing a new electric panel at my Victorian 6-plex in Alameda. Peter stayed on top of this project for the months of red tape with the permits, etc. and did a fantastic job. It was worry free for me. I let Peter handle the B.S. which he did without complaint. Can't say enough. I feel fortunate to have found this guy. I say give him the job. You won't regret it.

Very friendly, responsive, communicative, and professional. The work took less time than estimated so he gave us a discount. Highly recommended!

Pete is awesome!  I had an issue with my main panel in that I had a burned breaker.  I called another electrician because I needed someone ASAP and they fixed that problem, but he suggested a whole new panel which would have cost us a pretty penny.  I called Pete and it so happens he lived nearby and he came over to take a quick look.  He told me it wasn't necessary to replace the whole panel but some new breakers would do the job.  We booked an appointment and he was on time and fast.  He seemed very sincere and very trustworthy.  I figured he wouldn't want a house in the neighborhood to burn down.  On top of the great service his rates seem very reasonable.  Looks like I found my electrician from now on!

Peter and his team are wonderful.  Peter is highly responsive, follows up and keeps you posted on his schedule and availability.  Able to estimate actual time to complete the job.  On time, on budget, and high quality work.  I already have more projects to engage him and his team.  Thanks Peter for being a quality person and making this so easy.

Dave Irwin & Erwin Electric are great and wonderful guys. If I could give more stars I surely would. Honest, Fast, Trust Worthy. Dave recently installed a new security light over my driveway and replaced a light fixture over my back porch door. I was highly impressed with him. I would recommend them anytime. Thanks guys

The job Pete did at our house was small but he didn't treat it that way. He was quick to respond to communication, made sure to get just the right switches (I'm picky) and showed me some simple at-home maintenance I could do on my own.
I appreciate that he used email and text as well as phone when getting in contact; so much easier than just leaving lengthy phone messages.
We'd welcome Pete and his personable professionalism any time!

Pete saved our bacon! I pulled a breaker and found that our main breaker was fried. Stuck with no electricity I started calling 5 star Yelp electricians. This first guy treated me like a hysterical girl. Then I called Pete: He kindly explained that our breaker system was faulty and why. Pete said we could quick fix the existing breaker, but we'd likely continue to have problems and he suggested a breaker box replacement. I called around, asked friends in the know and they confirmed my breaker system needed replacement, so we decided to go with Pete. He got the job done fast and efficiently and under budget. But beyond that, he is such a great person: informative, personable, engaged and simply a joy to work with. I can't recommend Pete enough.

I recently had a short iin my wiring.  Also had trouble finding someone timely for a problem of unknown complexity.  So I did some research on my own, then widened my search of electricians.  Pete was the first to respond.  He showed up when he said he would, appreciated my trouble-shooting, went right to the source, fixed the problem promptly, and provided a bit of education regarding the issue.  His rate was  also reasonable, he's personable, efficient and ethical.  Can't ask for more than that.

I called Pete based on his glowing Yelp reviews. He did not disappoint! He was able to come out quicker than scheduled  and quickly found the problem. His rates are reasonable and he is honest. You can't beat that. Not to mention he is a really nice guy. I'm a contractor myself and it is refreshing to see people like him are still around.

FANTASTIC!!!
I was in need of an electrician ASAP. Did a search on yelp, read reviews for several electricians and after reading reading reviews about Pete's professionalism and costumer satisfaction...I was convinced he was the person I needed to reach out..and he was!
Pete answered his phone, with a pleasant and professional disposition. I explained my needs to have a 110 outlet installed next to the existing 220 so I could have a new washer and drier for my very first tenant, who is scheduled to moving in on Dec 1st.
My 2 in 1 stacked unit broke down on my last day at my condo and opted to replace it with a stackable/independent units, however needed this other outlet. I did not want to buy the units until I was sure to have a working 110 outlet for the new duet to be properly installed.
Pete stated he was scheduled to go out of town the following day, but managed to squeeze me in before his departure,
He arrived much earlier than scheduled, he assessed the work required; he stated he could not complete it that afternoon as he had hoped to, however, he could send an associate to assist on his behalf in order to accommodate my urgent needs.
Pete rendered the solution, a quote for the job and informed me whom would be calling the following day.
I received a call the same evening from Christian to further schedule the job and the work was completed on time, Christian did an amazing job!
Pete, thank you so much for accommodating my needs on the fly, your professionalism, and your passion for what your do to serve a community!
Christian thank you for your prompt assistance and amazing work.
I have added you both to my contacts and will certainly reach out to you in the future and refer my friends/relations to you guys!

Peter is all world.  He is honest, thorough and efficient.  He took care of some electrical issues with our 1895 Victorian and explained the entire process.

Peter was quick to respond, courteous, and charged a very reasonable amount to fix a complicated lighting issue in our older house.  Thanks!

Pete is reliable and quick to get back to you. I called him the other day and he got back to me immediately and was able to fit the job into his schedule and get it the job done in the timeframe he quoted. He is fantastic and trustworthy. I would recommend him to anyone.

Pete is the consummate professional.

I've used his services in two very different contexts. The first time was a near emergency, caused in part by another electrician who either didn't know, or didn't want me to know that he was in over his head. I got a reference from a trusted source who said Pete was experienced, honest, and discreet.  He saved my a$$!

Needless to say, when it came time to design a new project from the ground up, I called Pete first. Working through the design process with Pete was fantastic. He was extremely thorough, and this forced me to think through every last detail of the project, which is exactly how it should be.

I won't work with anyone else. Having said that, my only fear with writing this review is that he will be too busy to work on my next project!

I was referred to Pete by a friend and consider myself lucky to have found him. I hacked away at my drywall to move an outlet and spent hours patching. For the next outlets and switches, I decided I needed a pro. Pete had all the right tools and skills to do a neat job and clean up. There was no patching and everything looks like it was there since construction. Best of all, he knows the codes so I feel safe. Pete is really responsive, he text, emails, or calls back, as well as gives status updates.

The world needs more people like Peter Irwin. He's on-time, a great communicator, and an expert with high integrity.  I recommend him with out any reservation. Thanks Pete!

Pete is absolutely the best! He is always on time, keeps you totally updated about everything while he's doing work for you, and is super quick to respond to any questions you have even after he's done with the work. He thoroughly explained everything that needed to be done in advance so we were fully aware of what we should expect. AND he came in under budget so we paid even LESS than we were expecting to :D

His work is absolutely top notch, hire this man!

We had an excellent and unique experience thanks to Pete.  We needed to re-establish 240V service to a new spa and the estimates we got were higher than we had budgeted.  I'm an experienced DIY homeowner and figured I could do most of the work, but wasn't confident that I could do it without a single error that might damage the spa.  I discussed this with Pete and he agreed to provide advice, inspect my work, and make the final connections based on a reasonable hourly consulting rate.  This worked great for us and Pete seemed really happy to help empower me to do the work.  If you are experienced with tools and understand the basics of working safely with electric wiring, you might consider a similar arrangement.  Just understand that even with Pete's excellent tips and advice, it still took me more than twice as long as he estimated, and he made a tricky connection in 5 minutes that I couldn't do in an hour.  In hindsight, I would have stretched and had him do the whole job.

Pete is an excellent electrician. He did a very complicated electrical project for me - getting electricity to a hot tub in my backyard in Berkeley. It required over a hundred feet of electrical wire and skilled craftsmanship to install it neatly alongside the house, underground, and back above ground to the hot tub. Pete took great care in all of his work and the finished product looks beautiful and works perfectly. I wanted to be involved in the project and Pete thoroughly explained everything that he was doing and why. I learned a lot about electricity that will be useful for me as a homeowner. He was also super friendly and personable and a lot of fun to have around. He's technically excellent, take pride in his work, and he's got a great attitude.

Pete is a great electrician - hire him!  He put recessed lighting in my house and it looks beautiful.  He advised about where it should be placed.  He was on time and very fair in his pricing.  He is a really nice guy to work with and I felt 100% comfortable having him in my home and doing the job while I wasn't around.  He left things clean and was incredibly patient with my litany of questions about basic electrical concepts.  Great job Pete!

Pete is by far the best electrician I have worked with in twenty years in the Bay  Area. He is super courteous and professional; seems like no job is too big or small. He is always on time, does excellent work, and is extremely responsible. His rates are very fair, and he packs a lot of work into an hour! He has a total can do approach that put me at ease, and makes working with him a pleasure.  I feel totally fine having him work in my home when I am not here. The fact that he is smart and interested in lots of things is an added bonus, but mostly, he is just the most effective, efficient and professional electrician I have encountered. I wouldn't hire anyone else!

Pete is the most trusted electrician in the indoor cultivation business. He is a lecturing professor at Oaksterdam University and comes with a reputation for being the best out there. But despite my high expectations, his work did not disappoint! This man is a true professional. I did a main panel upgrade with him and he advised me on how much power to run to the space I'm using. He is very knowledgeable and honest and did not try to up-sell me. He was on time and honest about when he could show up and when he couldn't. That's hardly true of any contractor, let alone someone with his specialty!!! And....In taking out a permit with the city and working with PG&E, he maintained my privacy through the entire process. Great work PJ!