Yesterday the building inspector signed off on my Solar installation with a check mark in the Satisfactory column. YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It never would have happened if I didn't run into Tony; Anthony J. Beaulieu, President of AGB Electric based in Windham, NH.
Within minutes of his arrival on October 7, 2009 he said; "we're going to make this happen today". He used the word TODAY, I kept repeating that word; "today", in my head, and I was grinning from ear to ear...WOW!!! And...he meant every word of it Tony came through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He DID make it happen!!! His business card reads;
"Wiring for the future."
That is an understatement...Tony's company IS the future, he is da' man!!!
Let me back track.
Up until I met Tony I kept failing with the building inspector. He'd make a trip out...and say no. I'd bring bags of stuff to his office..and I'd strike out.
For the past year I have been trying, without success, to find an open minded, out of the box electrician who would work with me to "make this happen". All the phone calls were in vain. As soon as I'd mention "solar" the comments were; "we only do commercial"...other electricians, over a half dozen, wouldn't even call me back. Even the electrician who did lots of work at my house last year, upgrading us to 200 amp service, doing the electrical work for our instant on demand hot water, putting in the energy saving lighting in the kitchen, living room, bathroom and hall dropped me like a hot potato, no calls back to me, no emails returned. I was at the end of my rope, after numerous trips to the building inspectors office and failed inspections I felt defeated and lost. NEC codes are like a foreign language.
I was incredibly lucky to run into Tony. Within an hour or so of running into him at my local Home Depot in the electrical isle he showed up at my house. His apprentice, Nick soon followed. Within minutes they were flying!!!!!!!! He had Nick hopping out at the combiner box fitting all the proper NEC code bushings, PVC pipes, refitting the grounding lugs I had put in backwards on the solar panels. Tony worked downstairs in the DC Electrical Load Center Box, re-drilling a hole through the sill and re-snaking wires making them neat and into a junction box that I needed. I think it was called "liquid tight" but he used it as a conduit from the load center box to the Solar Controller and from the Junction box to the DC Load Center box, it looked great and all in code!!! Take a look at the "after pics"!!!! (And my before pics on the previous blog posts for a before and after.)
Within minutes of his arrival on October 7, 2009 he said; "we're going to make this happen today". He used the word TODAY, I kept repeating that word; "today", in my head, and I was grinning from ear to ear...WOW!!! And...he meant every word of it Tony came through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He DID make it happen!!! His business card reads;
"Wiring for the future."
That is an understatement...Tony's company IS the future, he is da' man!!!
Let me back track.
Up until I met Tony I kept failing with the building inspector. He'd make a trip out...and say no. I'd bring bags of stuff to his office..and I'd strike out.
For the past year I have been trying, without success, to find an open minded, out of the box electrician who would work with me to "make this happen". All the phone calls were in vain. As soon as I'd mention "solar" the comments were; "we only do commercial"...other electricians, over a half dozen, wouldn't even call me back. Even the electrician who did lots of work at my house last year, upgrading us to 200 amp service, doing the electrical work for our instant on demand hot water, putting in the energy saving lighting in the kitchen, living room, bathroom and hall dropped me like a hot potato, no calls back to me, no emails returned. I was at the end of my rope, after numerous trips to the building inspectors office and failed inspections I felt defeated and lost. NEC codes are like a foreign language.
I was incredibly lucky to run into Tony. Within an hour or so of running into him at my local Home Depot in the electrical isle he showed up at my house. His apprentice, Nick soon followed. Within minutes they were flying!!!!!!!! He had Nick hopping out at the combiner box fitting all the proper NEC code bushings, PVC pipes, refitting the grounding lugs I had put in backwards on the solar panels. Tony worked downstairs in the DC Electrical Load Center Box, re-drilling a hole through the sill and re-snaking wires making them neat and into a junction box that I needed. I think it was called "liquid tight" but he used it as a conduit from the load center box to the Solar Controller and from the Junction box to the DC Load Center box, it looked great and all in code!!! Take a look at the "after pics"!!!! (And my before pics on the previous blog posts for a before and after.)
WOW...how cool is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nick did a great job wiring up the combiner box...he's going to have a great future.
There were times when Tony had to come up with creative solutions, and, with a little innovation, he designed and created fittings I needed...wow!! Companies like this are what this country need, tackling new technology head on. Nick is a very lucky apprentice he's with a company that has an innovator and forward thinker at it's helm. Stick in there Nick you are the future too.
Solar is here but not for the regular residential homeowner, but with electricians like Tony out there and an attitude of "we're going to make this happen today"...it's all possible!!
There were times when Tony had to come up with creative solutions, and, with a little innovation, he designed and created fittings I needed...wow!! Companies like this are what this country need, tackling new technology head on. Nick is a very lucky apprentice he's with a company that has an innovator and forward thinker at it's helm. Stick in there Nick you are the future too.
Solar is here but not for the regular residential homeowner, but with electricians like Tony out there and an attitude of "we're going to make this happen today"...it's all possible!!
We love our little "off grid" system. So far it's been in full operation for a full week and we have run all our electronics, cleaning robots, led lighting for my indoor herb garden. If we have another 9 day ice storm we'll have power for some lighting and extras.
Our next idea is for a grid tie and we'll be calling Tony and Nick but for now I'm looking forward to making cakes and pies in my wood cookstove and yes, I'll be a new doggie mom in a few more weeks. We are adopting a little Border Terrier puppy.
Thanks Tony and Nick for making this possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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