G&S Electric Inc

Replaced sub-main breaker, over 20 years old. Found compatible replacement. Nice guy. Good job.

electrician

Electrical services - recessed lighting, exhaust fans in bath rooms, replaced circuit breakers and installed additional circuits

electrician, lighting, ceiling fans

Electrical rough in for new lighting

electrician

A solar PV system was installed on my home's south facing roof. It provides 90 to 95 percent of the power formerly purchased from APS. Choosing a provider for these systems is a multi-step process. The homeowner will be rewarded for doing a thorough analysis before purchasing or leasing a system. Probably the first decision is how much capacity to install. Remember the electric company's always charge a connection fee regardless of how much electricity used. So there always is a monthly bill to pay. Further, they only give credits and these credits are used in subsequent months. At the end of the accounting year, the electric company purchases unused credits at wholesale prices. For example, credits accumulated in January through April are used during the high use air conditioning months May through September. Any credits accumulated at the end of the year are purchased at wholesale prices and the funds are credited to your account. No money typically changes hands and the wholesale price is about half the retail price the retail. This means it takes two kWh (kiloWatt hours) of energy produced by the solar array to pay for one kWh purchased after the end of the accounting year. A system with slightly less capacity than the energy used through the year is a better payout. Also, check that capacity of any limiting equipment is used to the fullest. Don't go over the capacity of some element of the system forcing a significant increased investment cost. There are several slightly different panel technologies, ie how efficiently the sun's energy is converted to electricity and then how the DC current is converted to AC for use in the home. The efficiency of the panels dictates how many panels and thus significantly impacts installation costs. The new micro-inverter technology provides performance data for each panel whereas the older rectifier technology does not do that. So locating any under-performance is much easier such as when to wash dust off the panels. Since these systems take several years to pay out, one must be reasonably certain of not selling the home in the near future. Further, verify the roof under the panel is new and will last as long as the panels. The last thing a home owner will want to do is remove the panels to install or repair the roof. It is extremely important to ensure the roof warranty stays intact when the stanchions are installed to support the panels. Check the condition of the roof and replace it if it's not going to last as long as the panels. That's twenty or thirty years. Get the roofing company to work with the solar array system provider to ensure all warranties are intact. In retrospect, the project should have investigated with both the roofing company and solar PV systems company simultaneously to reduce some redundant costs I incurred though only my own lack of planning. Ensure there are no obstructions blocking the sunlight. State, local governments may have solar easement regulations as well as an HOA may have solar easement regulations. Remove any trees and talk to your neighbors about what you are doing. A south facing roof with panels set at an angle equal to the latitude of your location is be optimal arrangement. East and west facing panels will produce about 20% less energy due to reduced sunlight exposure. Equally important is deciding whether to purchase the system out right or lease. As of 2013, there are incentive programs from utility companies, federal and state governments that make purchase outright financially more attractive than leasing. With these incentives I saved 41% of the investment cost. Even using a home equity loan is less expensive than leasing for twenty years. Equity interest is tax deductible. The assumed inflation rate for purchased electricity significantly affects the pay out calculations. Check the history of your electrical company rate increases, call them and ask their for their projections on inflation, don't just accept the assumptions of the solar array provider. Look at a range of inflation rates. Remember a small percentage of the KWh credit will be at 50% due to the accounting rules mentioned above. Also, consider the degradation rate over time of the solar panels during the payout period. This is usually 0.4% per year maximum. Over ten years that's 4%. Not huge but significant. They don't last forever. The warranties directly from the manufacturer's are the same as those from the leasing companies. So there is no advantage to lease from that aspect. A reputable company that installs a homeowner owned system will back the warranties the same as the leasing company without the paying the 4 or 5% interest on a 20 year loan to the leasing company. Lastly, when selling the home there is no leasing company complicating the sale with a sometimes nervous buyer. These decision involve thorough investigation. In the end, owner will be rewarded financially and with peace of mind by owning the system purchased from a reputable electric company. I found G & S Electric of Phoenix, AZ to be such a company.

electrician, solar panels