Locals seek to set solar standards

The Southern Arizona Solar Standards Board invites solar-energy-equipment installers to join and pledge to meet minimum technical standards for installations and to follow ethical standards.

The group, formed in coordination with the Pima Association of Governments, has launched a website (solarstandards.org) with initial standards after holding an inaugural meeting attended by about 40 industry pros earlier this month.

SASSB's inaugural board of directors is chaired by Colleen Crowninshield, energy-programs manager for PAG. Other members are three solar installers, Kevin Koch of Technicians for Sustainability, George Villec of GeoInnovation LLC and Chad Waits of Net Zero Solar; and Ron Boose, who heads inspections as building official for the city of Tucson.

Tucson Electric Power Co. supports the effort but has no direct role.

Koch said the overall goal of SASSB is to help protect and strengthen the region's solar industry, so consumers get what they expect and continue to support solar energy. About a half-dozen companies are in the process of applying for membership, he said.

The group's strategy includes educating consumers about how to shop for solar and educating installers on proper procedures, as well as holding them accountable, Koch said.

SASSB members will be able to display the group's sunburst logo on their websites and advertising.

The group will accredit companies for solar electric, or photovoltaic, as well as solar hot-water systems.

One key accreditation requirement is that each company have at least one person on staff in the region who is certified, or in the process of being certified, by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, a New York-based group that certifies solar installers and other renewable-energy pros.

"We're piggybacking on the work that NABCEP has done," Koch said.

The group's initial standards also prescribe minimum construction standards for solar electric and hot-water systems, and require a workmanship warranty of at least 10 years.

Learning from the past

Few complaints have been filed with local regulators and consumer advocates over bad solar installations, despite a sixfold increase in the number of installers in the past four years.

But Koch worries that the explosion of installation firms - fueled by tax credits and ratepayer subsidies - may give rise to problems that cropped up in the late 1970s and early '80s when lucrative federal tax breaks for solar water-heating systems fueled an industry boom.

When the tax credits expired and many installation companies folded, some consumers were left with shoddy installations and no one to turn to for repairs.

"Honestly, I think we're a hair a way from that," Koch said, adding that he's heard about a few cases of poor installations and low-performing systems sold at top dollar.

Boose said his city building inspectors have seen a variety of installation problems, such as improper wire routing and inadequate mounting, among some companies.

"In any expanding field like this, you get people coming in for the profits that aren't conscientious as they should be," he said.

But all problems must be corrected before the city will approve a building permit, and none of the installers have failed to fix problems cited by inspectors, Boose said. TEP requires that such local permits be approved before it will issue ratepayer-funded system rebates to customers, he noted.

Sales Practices

Beyond workmanship, SASSB aims to address some sales practices that can result in the kind of consumer disappointment that doesn't always result in a formal complaint.

The standards include some requirements for financial assumptions that are critical to accurately calculating system savings and payback periods.

For example, member companies must use standardized utility grid rates - 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for TEP - in calculations of costs avoided by installing solar. Member companies also must include an annual inflation assumption of 2 percent for electric rates, though they may include higher estimates as well.

Koch said some companies have used an annual inflation rate of 4 to 6 percent, though 2 percent is more realistic.

PAG's Crowninshield said the local government alliance is involved to help boost local solar adoption and help consumers make choices based on the best information.

"You haven't seen the widespread use of solar because the average consumer doesn't know where to get the best information," Crowninshield said, noting that SASSB may be the only local solar-standards group in the nation.

SASSB isn't about excluding new installers from the market, she said.

"But if they want to be here and installing here, they need to adhere to some best practices and be invested in the community," she said.

Charlie O'Dowd, president of Tucson-based Westcap Solar, said he supports the SASSB and plans to apply for membership.

"It gives one some level of legitimacy for companies that are truly professional," said O'Dowd, whose nearly three-year-old company employs 11 people.

TEP is a supporter

TEP strongly supports SASSB and plans to be a resource for the group, spokesman Joe Salkowski said.

While TEP lists licensed local installers on its website, Salkowski said the utility doesn't feel comfortable recommending installers, though some customers have asked for some sort of list of "approved" installers.

"SASSB can provide a service our customers are asking for," Salkowski said. "It provides some assurance of (installation) standards."

TEP, which inspects each solar installation on its system, hasn't seen major problems with solar installations, he added.

"By and large, we haven't seen any quality issues on a regional basis that give us cause for concern," Salkowski said. "We simply hope to prevent that from happening."

Solar standards

Some of the requirements of SASSB's initial standards for solar-energy installers:

• To qualify for membership, a company must have been in business at least two years and completed at least 10 utility-verified installations, which are subject to inspection.

• At least one full-time employee must be certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners or be in the process of certification.

• Companies must be in good standing with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, deemed an "approved installer" with applicable utilities and be properly licensed through all applicable local authorities.

• Members must adhere to ethical sales practices and are subject to at least one inspection each year.

• SASSB dues, which will fund the group's inspection program, are based on the number of people a company employs, ranging from $300 annually for up to eight employees to $3,000 for firms with more than 251 employees.

Contact Assistant Business Editor David Wichner at dwichner@azstarnet.com or 573-4181.