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Five Star Solar vs Airco Mechanical
Sacramento General Contractors Comparison · Updated March 2026
Five Star Solar specializes exclusively in solar installations with documented customer feedback, while Airco Mechanical is a general mechanical contractor with no available solar project history.
| Five Star Solar | Airco Mechanical | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.9 | ★ 4.0 |
| Years Licensed | 20 years | 50 years |
| License # | 873535 | 311454 |
| Workers' Comp | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Bond Amount | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Location | Elk Grove, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Website | www.fivestarssolar.com | www.aircomech.com |
Key Differences
What Customers Say
Five Star Solar
Customers consistently praise Five Star Solar for rapid installation completion, competitive pricing, and thorough education throughout the solar process with responsive communication.
Key Takeaway: Five Star Solar has extensive documented customer feedback specifically about solar installations, while Airco Mechanical has no available solar project reviews to verify their capabilities in this specialized work.
Customer Reviews
Five Star Solar
The folks at Five Star Solar were professional, experienced, fast, organized, and available for questions and communication. My solar system has been working flawlessly since they installed it. I had ...
In October 2025, I saw an ad about installing solar panels. I called my company, and they filed for bankruptcy. I called other companies, and they told me that they won't finish by December deadline f...
Like so many of us that were going to do some type of solar project at some point we now had to scramble to get our solar projects completed by year end due to the abandonment of the Tax Credit. I was...
Airco Mechanical
No reviews available
Consider Five Star Solar if...
- ✓ You want a contractor whose entire business focuses on solar installations, with documented experience in residential systems, battery integration, and system expansions similar to your project needs.
- ✓ Quick installation timelines matter to you, as customers consistently report one to two-day completion times that minimize disruption to your household.
- ✓ You value transparent pricing and educational consultations, with multiple reviews highlighting competitive quotes and pressure-free sales approaches.
- ✓ Your project involves complexities like HOA approval, special design requirements, or taking over from another contractor, situations where Five Star Solar has documented success.
Consider Airco Mechanical if...
- ✓ You have an existing relationship with Airco Mechanical from previous non-solar mechanical work and have high confidence in their general contracting abilities.
- ✓ You prioritize maximum licensing longevity above demonstrated solar specialization, valuing their 50-year operational history.
- ✓ You are willing to conduct extensive due diligence yourself, requesting detailed solar project references, crew certifications, and examples of completed installations to verify capabilities not evident in available data.
- ✓ Your project combines solar installation with other mechanical work where their broader licensing might provide coordination advantages.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- → Ask Airco Mechanical specifically how many solar installations they have completed in the past two years and request references from residential solar customers with systems similar to yours.
- → Request details about their solar installation crew's certifications, including NABCEP credentials and manufacturer-specific training for the equipment you are considering.
- → Ask both companies about their warranty terms, particularly who handles service calls if issues arise years after installation, given Five Star Solar's documented long-term customer contact.
- → Confirm each company's experience with your specific project requirements, whether that is battery backup integration, HOA approval processes, or ground-mount systems.
The Bottom Line
For a solar installation project, Five Star Solar is the clear choice for most homeowners. Their 20 years of dedicated solar experience, documented project types matching residential needs, and consistent customer feedback about quick installations and competitive pricing provide the verification you need when making this significant investment. Airco Mechanical's 50-year licensing history demonstrates business longevity, but the complete absence of documented solar projects or customer feedback means you cannot verify their solar installation capabilities, crew training, or quality standards. Unless you have an existing relationship with Airco and they can provide extensive solar-specific references, Five Star Solar offers the demonstrated specialization and proven track record that reduces your risk substantially.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, licensing longevity does not equal solar specialization. Five Star Solar has 20 years exclusively in solar installations with documented project types and customer feedback about solar work. Airco Mechanical's 50-year history is as a general mechanical contractor with no available evidence of solar projects. For solar installation, demonstrated specialization matters more than general licensing age.
The absence of solar-related reviews for Airco Mechanical suggests they either perform very few solar installations or have limited customer feedback channels for this work type. Five Star Solar's consistent review themes about solar projects indicate active solar installation work with regular customer engagement. This difference is significant when evaluating which company regularly performs the specific work you need.
Yes, it increases your risk because you cannot verify their solar installation quality, crew professionalism, timeline reliability, or problem-solving ability through independent customer experiences. For a specialized service like solar installation, customer feedback provides essential validation that the contractor regularly performs this work successfully. You would need to conduct substantially more due diligence yourself.
Not necessarily, and possibly the opposite. Five Star Solar's customers specifically mention competitive pricing as a selection factor, suggesting their solar specialization allows efficient bidding. A general mechanical contractor without regular solar volume may lack the supplier relationships, installation efficiency, and specialized crew experience that keep solar project costs competitive. Request detailed quotes from both to compare directly.
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How We Compare Contractors
License Verification
All license data is sourced from official California CSLB records and verified regularly.
Review Analysis
Customer reviews are aggregated from Google and analyzed to identify patterns in service quality.
Detailed Comparison
We analyze credentials, insurance, experience, and feedback to highlight meaningful differences.
Not all licensed contractors are created equal. While a valid license is the baseline requirement in California, contractors can vary significantly in experience, insurance coverage, and customer satisfaction.
- Experience matters: A contractor with 15+ years of experience has likely encountered and solved problems that newer contractors haven't faced yet.
- Workers' compensation protects you: If a contractor without workers' comp insurance has an employee injured on your property, you could be held liable.
- Reviews reveal patterns: Individual reviews can be misleading, but patterns across many reviews often reveal a contractor's true strengths and weaknesses.
- Bond amounts vary: A contractor's bond provides financial protection if they fail to complete work as agreed. Higher bonds offer more protection.
Taking time to compare contractors on these factors can save you from costly mistakes and help ensure your project is completed by a qualified professional.
Data Sources: License information from California CSLB. Ratings and reviews from Google. Last verified March 11, 2026.
This comparison is based on publicly available information. We recommend getting multiple quotes and verifying all credentials directly before hiring.
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