It's Lonely At The Top...

If you happened to catch one of my recent blog posts Is Solar Expensive? -- which outlined the fact I was (more or less) tricked into performing a solar inspection for a system we installed recently in San Diego -- you'll recognize how boring things can really be on the roof waiting for an inspection.

As it just so happens, today I was also "assigned" to an inspection in Laguna Niguel where we completed a job for a client Wednesday. The homeowner, who conveniently happens to be one of the brightest, funniest and best looking homeowners we've installed solar for (I surely hope he's reading), naturally asked us when the inspector would be arriving to perform his inspection, as most homeowners do. I replied:

"Well, they provide a time frame for us, you see, so this inspector has noted he will be arriving sometime between 8:00 and noon. We're number five in the cue so it looks like we'll be receiving a visit sometime around 11:00 o'clock or so. Don't quote me on that."

That's when the waiting began. 8:00, 9:00, 10:00... the hours rolled by and let me tell you, it's sure lonely at the top waiting for the inspector on the roof, hoping he'll tell you this is one of the most thorough and beautiful installations he's ever seen in his entire career. (Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?)

Sure enough, between 10:30 and 11:00 our incredibly cheerful inspector, Mike, arrived to take a look at our installation. After evaluating our workmanship and inspecting the inverter, panels, wiring, main electric panel, conduit and a few other items, he signed off on the final inspection and was on his merry way. Success! Another flawless installation with solar panels that will continue to produce energy for decades to come.

I might be a bit biased (and feel free to tell me in the comments section if you feel so), but I truly feel that individuals who are going solar today are among the smartest individuals in our beautiful state of California. With generous tax credits, state incentive rebates, no money down options, current system depreciation rules, adequate company financing and a 20-year free maintenance offer, well... what is not to love? The "payback period" on most prepaid systems is approaching five years (while the "payback period" on no money down is, essentially, instant) and homeowners will be able to take advantage of their solar system for decades to come, maintenance free.

Though waiting around for an inspector may be considered one of the more "boring" duties I'm often assigned to, that's perfectly okay with me. Knowing our clients and homeowners are securing investments which will benefit their families for the next 20 years and... let's just say, it's worth a little bit of my time on a roof to be able to assist in making our customer's futures just that much more secure and comfortable.

For all of you out there who are thinking, "Gee, the benefits of solar actually sound pretty good," why not ask for a free quote? What have you got to lose other than your electric bill? Really, what have you got to lose?

Pey Shadzi

Operations Manager at Cosmic Solar

pey@cosmicsolar.com

760-532-9712