Delivering on your goals means that we demand a very high level of quality of ourselves.
Yes, you can always find someone to “do it cheaper” … but will they promise and deliver the quality that ensures your system will perform for decades to come? Or will you be lured into an attractive bargain, only to find that you are forced to pay for essential changes later? Or worse – your vendor goes out of business and leaves you with an incomplete or broken project. If you are a Caribbean businessman or woman, you unfortunately may know what we’re talking about.
We may not always be the “lowest bidder”, but we will stand behind our work to make sure you get the greatest possible VALUE for your investment in a solar-energy system. Yes, we are always striving to economize where it makes sense. But our experience has helped us understand that balance and where we cannot cut corners.
“First Cost” Is Not The Only Cost.
Judging only the first cost neglects the financial performance over time. A system that might cost a few percent more to install but delivers 5% more energy over 20 years is a much better deal overall.
First Cost is a dangerous way to buy a solar-energy project. All of the things that make a successful project do have a cost: insurance, a quality assurance program, safe working practices, good workmanship, well trained and experienced engineers and technicians.
More important than initial cost is ensuring that your array produces maximum value over the life of the system. This is accomplished by experienced, trained technicians and high quality materials.
Experience and quality are important
Solar Island Energy has completed over 500 solar-energy projects and 80 storage plants.
The equipment that we choose to install has the best warranties from the strongest companies and can be expected to last 20-30 years before replacement.
Yes, one could purchase cheaper equipment that lasts only 5-10 years with only a one-year workmanship warranty. But the reduced first cost is only a mirage. These “deals” aren’t actually deals at all.
Read the Proposal Carefully
A proposal should define the system performance, and guarantee that performance. The financial performance is easily verified by looking at a basic income-expense statement estimate that clearly explains the cash in and out. If you don’t see this in your proposal, make sure to ask for it!
More important than efficiency, we encourage our customers to consider engineering protections, warranty terms, reliability, safety, and performance in low light or high temperatures. We consider all these factors, and more, when we engineer a solar-energy system. We scour the market for the best products and equipment suited to each job site’s conditions. We refuse to use cut-rate materials that don’t stand the test of time. We focus on the challenges of each job, including accounting for hurricane wind strength and engineering necessary corrosion protection.
Here is our Quality Assurance program. We are proud of this, and we live by it. We publish is here to help our clients understand what that should be looking for, and maybe also to help our competitors perform better. It is in everyone’s best interest to have high quality competition in the marketplace.
Our Quality Assurance Program
We believe every customer deserves the highest level of safety, performance and aesthetic appearance. Since 2009, we have been committed to delivering this through a rigorous Quality Assurance program that addresses workplace safety, risk management, personnel training, equipment selection, workmanship, financial accountability, and ethical behavior.
SAFETY
- Company health and safety manual and company Safety Officer.
- All staff, including Sales, are OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 trained and certified for construction site safety.
- Published OSHA annual reporting – no reportable incidents.
- Best practices in engineering and installation to ensure safe operations for the lifecycle of the project.
PERSONNEL TRAINING
- Sales staff with NABCEP-level training in site assessment, financial modeling, and building system integration.
- All field crews managed by NABCEP-Certified Solar Installers.
- Continuing professional education for sales, technical, and field personnel.
QUALITY PROJECTS and WORKMANSHIP
- Our engineering department is a US state-licensed Engineering Company – a credential that authorizes us to legally advertise engineering services, and recognizes capacity, experience, and quality assurance.
- Our proprietary Solar Design Guide, peer review of installation standards and adherence to industry best practices.
- Projects directed by Professional Engineers with licensure in every state where work is regularly conducted.
- Installation conducted under the supervision of NABCEP-Certified Solar Installers.
- 12-step process to track design, procurement, permitting, incentives, and completion milestones.
- Your installation done by locally licensed electricians, with minimum of 2 years’ experience and completion of our electrician training and qualification program.
- Industry leading workmanship warranty.
- Top-performing solar equipment; continuous internal market evaluation and performance vetting.
- Commissioning, testing, training, and power-production testing included in the close-out process.
- Every project delivered with a complete Owner’s Manual to ensure safe and confident operation for decades to come.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY and RISK MANAGEMENT
- CPA-reviewed annual financial statements, including confirmation of timely tax filings.
- Best-AAA insurance coverage for General Commercial, Professional Liability, Automobile, Umbrella, and Worker’s Comp
- Excellent corporate credit rating, banking references, and D&B standing.
- Project-specific, Builder’s Risk casualty insurance to protect against losses during construction.
- Bonding capacity to ensure performance.
ETHICS and CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
- Community service policy and support of nonprofit participation.
- Board-level participation in industry trade associations.
ENERGY PERFORMANCE
- Energy Star benchmarking, so building owners can better understand their overall performance level.
- Recommendations of Energy Efficiency Measures for building energy systems.
- Solar Island Energy as your project manager for lighting and other building system upgrades.
- Experience in audits and efficiency for over 15M square feet of commercial floor space.
Contact Solar Island Energy today to discuss your company’s renewable energy needs. We will provide a complete proposal for the ideal system for your property that delivers true value through financial and technical performance.