The Process of Going Solar

What to Expect/How to Move Forward

Going solar is a step-by-step process that our professional project development team can walk you through. We will guide you through the process and answer any questions you might have along the way.

Step 1: Gather Necessary Documents

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Before you get on the phone with a Sullivan Solar Power project manager to discuss going solar, take time to gather your utility bills from the previous 12 months.

You’ll also want to have handy:

We will use this information to help determine your energy usage, estimate the size of system you need and get an idea of your solar power savings.

San Diego Gas & Electric Customers: Please have your SDG&E Meter Number and Account Number on hand. These can be found on your SDG&E bill; the Meter Number is under Electrical Service

Southern California Edison Customers: Call SCE directly to obtain your last 12 months of kilowatt usage.

Step 2: Phone Consultation

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During your phone consultation with a member of our project development team, we will answer all your questions and look at your roof and property online to determine your suitability for going solar. We will present with some preliminary options, give you a general sense of how solar power might work for you and provide you with some details on financing options for your solar power system.

If after the preliminary phone consultation, it is determined that you are a good candidate for going solar, we will schedule a site visit for a Sullivan Solar Power project developer to come out to your home and further evaluate your property and go over your options.

Step 3: Your Site Visit

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During your site visit, our project developer will climb on your roof to take measurements, determine the condition of your roof and collect shade readings to see whether your roof is suitable for a solar power system. We will also evaluate your current energy load profile to determine how large of a system you will need to generate the amount of power you currently use or plan to use in the future.

We also will provide you with a detailed computer-aided drawing (CAD) that will show you how the solar system will be positioned on your roof as well as a detailed financial analysis and financing options for you to consider.

We will provide you with your options for system size, financing and other details and let you decide how to proceed. We will not pressure you into a particular system or purchase type and if we determine for whatever reason that your property is not suitable for going solar, we’ll tell you.

Step 4: Paperwork

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After you sign a contract with Sullivan Solar Power, we will take the following steps to help ensure a smooth delivery of your solar power system.

Your project developer will draw up the necessary paperwork to get the job moving forward. Once this paperwork is complete, the job will be reviewed by the directors of project development and project management to re-confirm that the design and system is ready to move to the pre-construction phase.

Step 5: Pre-Construction Meeting

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Before any work is done at your property, we have a pre-construction meeting where your project developer introduces you to your project manager who will be your primary point of contact throughout the installation of your system. During that meeting, we will go over every aspect of the project so that there are no surprises during the installation process.

Step 6: Permit Acquisition

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After the pre-construction meeting, we submit our plans to the local building department in your area for the necessary permits. With our in-house design team, you can be sure that all of your plans will be drawn up correctly in accordance with the National Electric Code.

Step 7: System Installation

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In your contract, we include a completion date. However, you will be notified 10 days prior to commencing the on-site installation to make sure you are ready to move forward. The average installation takes 4-5 days of on-site labor. Our superintendent will keep you up to speed with your installation and notify you if we need access inside the house. Our electricians are both highly qualified and friendly and will answer any questions you may have.

Step 8: Inspections

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Once your installation is complete, an inspection is schedule with the building department in the city or county area where your project is located. We will have someone on site to meet the inspector when they arrive. Once the inspection is passed, the building department will contact your power utility, which will send out one of their inspectors to approve the system. No one has to be present for the utility inspection. The utility will then fax us a letter of authorization to commission your system, at which point Sullivan Solar Power will come out and turn your system on.

Step 9: Quality Control and Customer Orientation

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After your system installation is complete, our quality control engineer will come out and perform a quality control inspection to ensure that the installation meets our expectations for quality. Your project developer will also return to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to ensure that you are 100% satisfied with our services.

Step 10: Monitoring and Customer Service

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Sullivan Solar Power is dedicated to providing you with the best customer service possible. In the unlikely event that your system goes down, we will be notified through our advanced monitoring system. We will dispatch one of our highly trained service technicians to your residence to ensure that your solar system comes back online smoothly.