07/01/2020
Acmewelding
Lower Gwynedd, PA
New to the Philly area, I needed advice on what solar installer to contract with. I met with Meenal Ravel, an advocate and educator with a group called Solarize Southeast PA. Among other services, they vet solar installers each year and Exact Solar was consistently one of the best. I was already aware of Exact Solar because they are listed in several national industry groups. Contracting with Exact Solar seemed a logical choice for installing a 30 panel, 9.9 kWp system on our garage roof. I reviewed my emails with Exact Solar co-owners Mark and Dara, over the months during the lead-up to the 2019 installation, and saw a long list of my questions and their answers. They always responded to my many questions promptly and accurately. Dara put together estimates of the system’s output, the point at which the system would pay for its own installation (11 years). Any questions I had that had to do with system performance or the National Electrical Code went to Mark or to Vlad, a master electrician who designs each of the systems and is operations manager. Installation of a solar array is an impressive series of steps. Early on, Jackson, a technician, came out with a device to measure sun and shade on the garage roof. He determined that a black walnut tree would interfere substantially with system performance. After I had the tree removed Jackson came back and re-measured the surroundings for a go-ahead. Jackson showed me how his instruments can infer the extent of sunlight every day of the year based on a single day’s several measurements. His measurements provide the basis of Dara’s long-term cost and payback estimates. Exact Solar presently has two installer teams, both reporting to Vlad. My sense is that management and the installers respect each other and work well together. My team was headed by Nick who is also outstanding to work with. He, along with Jeremy, a crew member, always “did the right thing”. Like running a very long power cable from my detached garage to the house. Running a very long cable means fewer wire-nut connections, and less chance of failure over time. But it’s cheaper and easier to link together shorter, leftover lengths of cable. When they were installing exterior conduit, Nick would confer with me where to put them so they’d be less noticeable. If Nick had any question about the system’s design, he’d call Vlad without hesitation. Vlad is a natural teacher, soft spoken, thoughtful and expert. Exact Solar has a culture of safety. Much of the time crews are on roofs and ladders, inherently dangerous places to work, and keeping workers safe is where everything starts at Exact Solar. The crew worked carefully, methodically, and cooperatively, without rushing. For Mark, Dara, Jackson, Vlad, Nick and Jeremy, bringing solar power to our communities is a passion, a mission in life, and a commitment to a viable future and not simply a business. If I had a chance to do this install over again, I would not change a thing.