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Educational video Info.and/or Buy
About Great Brook Ent. Renewable NRG, & our mission.
Hire a Solar Contractor or Do-it-yourself?
REBATES & Incentives: financial Incentives for NY
Monitoring program data results
SOLAR vs. A CAR which is the best value?
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Solar Energy System- Do it yourself or Hire a Contractor?
Advantages................... Disadvantages.
A high quality solar system installation, whether it be a solar heating system or a solar power system for electricity is no longer a simple Saturday afternoon do-it-yourself project. Capturing the sun's energy for useful purposes in concept is very simple. There are, however, many details that can affect the effectiveness, longevity, safety and ultimately how much money the system saves you over time. Solar systems are no longer a new or exotic technology. Building codes and the National Electric Code contain provisions for solar systems that must be met in order to ensure your safety and the ability to insure your home (weather or not you are connecting your system to the utility grid). In addition in order to qualify for NY State financial incentives your grid tied PV system must be installed by an eligible installer. It is highly recommended that the installer you chose not only be NABCEP certified but have experience with many types of installations over many years. Such a qualified installer is likely to be very busy due to reputation for excellence and is worth waiting for and perhaps paying a little more for but not necessarily.
- Attention to details that can extend system life and reduce maintenance.
- Service Maintenance contracts are available.
- Customer "walk through" orientation and training upon system completion (particularly important for battery based systems).
- We have knowledge and experience with 25 year old systems. We know from experience (good and bad) what happens to systems as they age. We make a point of learning from our experience and not repeating mistakes. We have serviced/ repaired many systems installed by others and apply what we learn to new installations preventing past headaches. Few training courses for new installers offer this kind of knowlege.
- Granted our installed system prices may be slightly higher than those of other installers. But everyone knows that cheaper is not always best.
Some types of solar heating systems such as air heating collectors and solar pool heaters lend themselves well to do it yourself projects for those who are handy with tools.
Small Solar electric power systems for a single application might be relatively easy for a do-it-yourselfer familiar with basic electric circuits and wiring and the safety issues involved.
Large solar power or solar heating systems are now high quality home improvement projects. As such they involve many issues of quality and safety that will affect the value of your home for many years to come. Many of these issues are unique to solar systems. Ordinary plumbing or electrical contractors are not usually familiar with them. It is important to find a qualified contractor who is familiar with these issues and the application of established codes to solar systems. This would be a solar contractor. There are many contractors who claim to be qualified, but only a few with the years of training, certifications and quality experience it takes to get the job done right. Therefore, it is important to get references and follow them up. You also have to expect to pay more for certified contractors because the training courses and testing procedures are expensive. We are NABCEP certified solar installers.
It is also important to consider service down the road. The closer the solar contractor is to your location the easier it will be for him to get to your location in a timely manner if you need service. He also has a reputation to protect especially locally.
In addition we offer added value items on all our systems:
Remember, you might save some money by doing it yourself, or hiring the lowest bidder but you usually get what you pay for. Also beware the fast talking salesman types. We encourage you to educate yourself fully before making a purchase. Educational video Info
For more free information contact us via our E-mail: davenrgman @ awesomesonsolar .com. or fill out our request form REQUEST INFO The first e-mail consultation is FREE. so let us know a little about your project.
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Great Brook Enterprises, 819 County Rd 28, South New Berlin, NY 13843-9519 Phone: 607-847-6366 by Dave Austin, proprietor.