Chad Simpson
Editor, California Rate Relief
About
Chad has been tracking the California solar installer market for several years across the NEM 1, NEM 2, and NEM 3 transitions. He reads CSLB license records, BBB complaint files, court records, and homeowner reports before any installer review goes live on California Rate Relief.
Areas of focus
- California solar installer market and CSLB licensing
- NEM 3 net metering and post-2024 California solar economics
- Green-energy gear: portable power stations, e-bikes, mini splits, generators, smart thermostats, heat pump water heaters
- Home security cameras, video doorbells, smart locks; privacy posture and warrant policies
- At-home biohacking devices: red light, cold plunge, infrared sauna, PEMF, vibration plates — anchored in peer-reviewed research
How I work
Most reviews on California Rate Relief are research-led: I read primary sources (license records, court filings, CVE databases, peer-reviewed literature, manufacturer specs) and aggregated owner reports, then synthesize what matters for the buyer. When I have personally owned or installed a product, I say so on the page.
Every review carries a "Last reviewed" date stamp. I refresh installer reviews every 90 days, product reviews every 60–90 days depending on category, and health-claim pages every 180 days against current literature.
What I won't do
- Accept payment for placement, sponsored reviews, or rankings
- Recommend a product I would not own myself in the buyer's situation
- State a health claim without naming the evidence tier and citing a PMID or DOI
- Quote a price without a source URL
- Hide affiliate relationships — they're disclosed at the top of every relevant page and on our affiliate-disclosure page
Get in touch
If you spot an error, want to flag a story, or want to get in touch with a question, please use the contact form. I read everything, even when I can't respond to all of it.