A & R Solar

They were very good. They install everything in one day. They able to repair one problem real quick.

Very good and professional.

"TJ Merrill at A&R was helpful, pro-active and flexible during the whole planning of our PV system! Customizing the design increased the rooftop output while reducing the cost! Dan and Matt did a great job up on the roof and Joel did a fantastic job, both workmanship wise as well as coming up with a creative solution to our ""challenging"" set of requirements in Clallam County. I'm recommending A&R to all the people I've shown the system to!"

A&R was great. The system was installed on time. A&R completed all of the required documents, we only needed to sign the documents.

A&R Solar did an excellent job and were very responsive and professional. We highly recommend this company.

A & R is truly one of the best companies I have ever worked with. While I would encourage you to call the various other solar installers around Seattle, you don't have to call anyone other than A & R. Even A & R will tell you to talk to other installers probably because they know they are the best. We recently built a home that turned out to be a three plus year adventure in dealing with the most ridiculously unprofessional and least competent people this planet has to offer (contractors, installers, suppliers, city officials, HOA folks, bank personnel, etc...). EVERYONE at A & R was super helpful, efficient, professional, and worked really hard to make sure everything was right and right the first time. Willem in particular was out of this world. A & R stuck with me for 18 plus months as we battled various problems with our HOA, roofer, contractor, and city to overcome numerous boundaries that were put up against us. Willem went out of this way to answer my numerous emails, phone calls, and showed up in person to HOA presentations and went to bat for us to get our solar system installed (he even gave me a ride home one day). Now that it is up and running and we have negative power bills and I essentially have a solar powered electric car, I couldn't be happier. Please trust me that A & R is really that good. My initial meeting with 4 other installers was great. They are all personable people who will get you stoked about solar and do a great job of explaining the process. A & R, however, will stay with you, continue to answer your questions, continue to fix your problems, and continue to help you through the ENTIRE process and then check up on you to make sure you are still happy. If the rest of the world's industries worked like A & R you would never doubt any product you've purchased. One last plug for Willem, our "sales" guy. He does way more than sales (thus the quotes), and while everyone I spoke with at A & R was great, Willem knocked my socks off. Ask to have him involved if it's possible. Another reviewer mentioned that because of really advantageous tax credits and incentives from the federal and state governments and great loan rates from various lenders, solar is a no-brainer, and they are right. There is really NO reason to not go solar. Your system will pay for itself and you are doing your part to decrease CO2 production. Invest now and you will benefit for many many more years to come. Energy prices are definitely not going to go down, however, the sun continues to be free. JUST DO IT and do it with A & R.

A&R are fabulous, they talked me through the process and answered any questions I had. The install was fast, and they were very professional. All their work is tidy and as asthetically pleasing as could be given the situation (it's never all that pretty to install a bunch of boxes on the side of a house, but they did pretty well with it.

A pleasure to work with this company from start to finish. Initial visit for proposal was very informative and carefully done. Seemed not at all a sales pitch, rather a chance to inform me both about environmental aspects as well as financial and design. Reviewed several options, open to questions, gave me printed performance specs and costs of various patterns. Several subsequent back and forths for minor changes and questions were promptly and courteously handled. The installation crew was very professional--to a person seemed very enthusiastic about the work they do. Obviously get along, excellent teamwork. Well informed and take pride in their workl. I did go with made in Washington products for financial reasons. Damien (the initial consultant) did explain made-elsewhere options and their advantages. But I'm happy with performance so far (admittedly only 8 days) even with our cloudy winter weather and short days, I''m getting about 5.6 kW-hours per day. They have taken care of the paperwork well, made it a very easy process for me. Even gave me a childproofed 240 v EV outlet.

The work was good quality and the system works very well.

The bid from A&R was very competitive on the product we had selected and was a finalist in the bidding process, beaten primarily on schedule - these guys are so good they are booked out pretty far and we needed to move ahead faster than they could accommodate us. This company holds certifications for all the major products and is one of only three in WA that are certified for the product we ultimately decided to install. The design/sales representative, Damien, is excellent. He returned my initial call with a day or two and came out to do a site survey and take sun readings within another week or so. He patiently and thoroughly answered all our questions and worked with me as I investigated various options for layout and total system capacity. I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone, with the proviso that you plan in advance.

Project stated to take 3 days. After numerous issues some controllable and some not the system was finished after >2 weeks. Some of this time due to issues, some to schedule conflicts with installers. In the end I am happy with the system and professionalism of A&R despite the rocky install.

While I also was impressed by A&R's status as a social benefit corporation, I chose the other bidder, which had a similarly positive reputation on Angie's List and a small price advantage. A final key positive for the other bidder: it was participating in the special SolarizeWA solar panel installation program (a collaboration between Seattle City Light and a nonprofit organization). It was a very tough choice.

Going solar can be complicated and A&R Solar did a superb job of walking us though the process and helping us negotiate some of our unusual requirements. We considered one other highly recommended company but we were impressed with A&R?s thoroughness and their highly competitive bid (made even more competitive with their Angie?s List member?s discount). Originally, they had concerns about our neighbor?s roof, which might have blocked some of our panels, especially in the winter. They did a careful job of measuring the angles and then gave us diagrams showing how, even on the shortest days, we?d still get all the solar energy that was possible. They also detailed our main options and how long it would take for each of them to repay the original investment (usually between 7 and 8 years, especially with all the state and federal incentives currently in place, including a 30% federal tax credit, no sales tax, a state rebate on every kilowatt hour generated and a 90% reduction in our electric bill). As I became more knowledgeable about solar and the options we had, A&R increased the possible ways we could go during the pricing phase. Again, this can be bewildering (how many panels? which brands? how much energy do different panels generate? which ones have the biggest government incentives? how long will it take which options to repay the original expense?) and I thought they did a great job keeping in step with my learning curve. To further complicate the job, it made sense for us to get our roofing replaced at the same time (removing solar panels to replace a roof a few years down the road would be a very costly process). We hooked up with another great Angie?s List firm, Sound Roofing, and both companies came to the house to work out an ideal schedule for A&R to install the panel anchors doing the roof installation. We were really pleased by how well these two companies worked things out together (the first time they?d collaborated on a job). Another thing we enjoyed about working with A&R is how much their folks enjoy their work. They clearly feel they?re doing something good for the planet and that attitude shows in their work ethic, especially during the installation itself (finished a bit ahead of schedule). I only have one word of caution: by the time we agreed on our order, we?d been through a lot of different options. Inadvertently, the bill we received wasn't for the option we?d chosen. The problem was corrected VERY quickly but I?m glad I was keeping an eye on the total amount on the invoice. So, all went smoothly and as soon as the new system was in place, we began to enjoy a new summer hobby: watching our electric meter run backwards!

From the get-go, we had an amazing experience with A&R Solar. The sales rep (who, unfortunately, took another job before we signed the paperwork with A&R) was great. Extremely friendly and comfortable to talk with. He didn't push any products in particular, but provided recommendations that fit with our budget, desired solar production and potential roof space. He was knowledgeable about the various incentives currently available and how the incentives would be affected with different combinations of panel and inverter manufacturers. After our initial meeting, A&R used some fancy software to map our roof and provided us with six concise, fixed bids , consisting of two different panel layouts using three different panel and inverter manufacturer options that we discussed. The proposals were written out very clearly and utilized a simple, sleek graphic design that visualized each of the six bids to indicate the upfront costs, the breakdown of how the incentives affected the cost of the installations over their life span, potential power generated, and percent of our electrical usage it would offset. The proposals provided all the information we needed and did so in an easy-to-follow layout; not just a bunch of words typed on a page. Additionally, the bids included EVERYTHING to get the job done, including drywall repair where they would need to access the electrical panel for running wires to the new breakers they would install for the solar panels. A&R also immediately applied for a variance for the location of the production meter (which allows Seattle City Light to measure how much solar energy the panels are producing) to locate it away from our house meter, due to the fact that we live in a townhouses and all the electric meters for all the townhouses are located together on a neighbors outside wall. The variance was granted, even before we signed any paperwork to go with A&R Solar! This preemptive action by A&R really impressed us. After we signed the paperwork and met the electrician (about a month after our first meeting with their sales rep), A&R scheduled a date for the following week to come out and install, saying it would be a two day procedure. All people involved with the installation of the panels are A&R employees and are not subcontractors, which is great. Additionally, the two installers, the electrician and one of the owners (who took over handling our install after the sales guy took a new position at a different company) couldn't have been nicer! All of them were extremely polite, friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. The job ended up lasting two-and-a-half days and they scheduled another day for a drywall repair guy to come out. The drywall repair was subcontracted out, but A&R met the drywaller at our house the morning he arrived. I thought this was a really great gesture, so that the customer isn't having a random person showing up at their doorstep, claiming to be a drywaller. It was very comforting to have a familiar face there (the electrician from A&R) to meet the drywaller and introduce him to us. Overall, the project went amazingly smooth, A&R took care of all the various city paperwork, permitting, , coordinating inspector schedules, etc. behind the scenes and they did a great job. One of the inspectors even commented to me that A&R did a really clean, neat install, compared with some of the other solar companies' installs he's seen. Although the comment came after the install was said and done, it was still nice to hear. Almost forgot, A&R Solar offers financing through 1st Security Bank of Washington. We compared the plans they offered with Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union and Homestreet Bank (I think) and decided to go with 1st Security Bank.

They were good and seemed knowledgeable. They showed up and we liked them a lot. They were our last contender to do the work for us.

I thought they did a really good job on both houses. The work looks really nice and appears to be working great as well. I would recommend them to others.

I thought they did a great job. The work looks nice. Everything appears to be working just fine. This was my second job with them; recently had them do my own home. I would definitely recommend them.

The service turned out great. They were very good.

The service was good. There were a number of problems that occurred. A number of panels did not work properly. However, they were very proactive, attentive, and made the appropriate repairs. I don't fault them because the problems were mainly manufacturing problems.

We asked A&R Solar to bid on installing solar panels. They offered us several options in a range of prices based on the expense of the materials, modifications that would be more or less expensive based on the time required. They presented a realistic estimate of the amount of solar power our roof could produce. We were advised to consider replacing our roof before having the panels installed which we did using Sound Roofing. They installed our panels when they said they would. Actually hooking them up to the Seattle City Light Grid was time consuming because Seattle City Light seems to be a moving target in terms of what they require during the installation in order to approve a permit. A & R dealt with all of this so we didn't have to. There is a fair amount of paperwork involved and A& R took care of this. Keep in mind that the price of the job above took into account that we will get 30% Fed tax credit for the installation and we will be reimbursed over a period of 8 years for the energy that we produce in kw/hours per year which will completely cover the cost of the installation. This is due to government incentive of 0.54 cents per kw/hr produced and on top of that the energy we save for ourselves by having the solar panels. We were overall very happy with the whole process and our panels are producing lots of energy on sunny days. We liked A & R solar and would recommend them to anyone

Throughout the process they were helpful, knowledgeable and very responsive. They helped us during an earlier remodel project so that conduit was placed while walls were open and space was allotted for solar system wiring in the new electrical panel. We asked many questions during the process and they were very good at providing answers. They provided a number of design alternatives and analyses for us to select from - helping us to understand the pros & cons of the different types of equipment and incentive programs. Installation was efficient and the crew was courteous and professional. And now our house is generating electricity very nicely. All in all, we really enjoyed working with A & R and are happy to recommend them for solar energy projects!!!

I received bids on a solar array for my house from NW Mechanical, Brothers Electric, Puget Sound Solar, and A&R. All along the way A&R was ahead of the pack. To start, I had contacted A&R more than a year prior about WA panels and they were very knowledgeable and rather than just push me into that product they provided comprehensive data that indicated I should hold off. Then, a few months ago, the A&R representative Dave Kozin called me and let me know that a WA inverter was now available, possibly for a short period of time, and the payback period was now under 10 years. It sounded suspicious to me but after digging into the situation I determined they were correctly representing that I could receive 54c/kwh for a WA panel & inverter system and achieve a 10 yr payback, but the situation may not last long. I ended up installing a 7kw system with A&R and am very pleased. SITE SURVEY: Dave Kozin did the most thorough site survey and they didn't charge anything (most wanted $150 to do any real work). Right off the bat their prices were very competitive and they seemed most interested in doing the work. Dave was patient and helpful with many different modifications to the design. Several others gave me proposals that looked more like the back of a napkin than a professional estimate for a 60k job. From early on, it seemed clear that A&R was the way to go. COSTS: Most vendors were in the range of $8/watt for WA panels & inverters. One was exceptionally higher at $10/watt. Expect to pay much less ($4-6/watt) for cheap stuff but your payback will be longer due to lower incentives. PRODUCT: For me, payback was the only consideration, and that meant using WA panels & inverters because they receive 54c/kwh until 2020. That 10 year window is another reason I decided to pull the trigger now rather than wait for any price drops. Other products are significantly cheaper but when WA taxpayers are going to pay for it all within 10 years that?s a big incentive to go WA. LAYOUT: One thing that was true of all these companies is that they won?t spend the time to get the exact roof layout for the bid. It takes a lot more measuring and optimizing to get the exact layout and you should really push your contractor to prove their layout works, is approved by the manufacturer, and is optimal for your goals. In the end we maximized the space available and left room for expansion (which really needs to be planned in advance do to complex issues with inverters). TIMELINE: The job took about 1.5 months from date of signing until final sign-off but most of that was waiting for panels to be produced and our schedules to mesh. Installation was about 2 wks. They showed up and worked very hard each day. The WA panels are more difficult to install and my roof was challenging so it took longer than estimated, but not unreasonable. There were no unplanned charges - I paid exactly as estimated despite the work being more difficult than planned. They took care of everything including getting it hooked up to PSE and getting my system approved by the WA DOR for the incentive payments. The WA inverters are being threatened with revocation by the WA DOR unless the legislature next year specifically write them into the law ? they tried in 2011 but failed and DOR could revoke any day. PROBLEMS: There were a couple problems which they handled professionally. One involved PSE not coming out on time. I'd suggest that if your house power needs to be disconnected - do it on a Mon-Thu and not a Friday. A&R pulled through and came out in the dark on a Friday evening to get my power restored. Another involved the very technical design features of the Silicon Energy panels. The bad news is A&R made a mistake in their understanding of these particular panels, the good news is that they have learned and the Silicon Energy panels were much more robust than any of us thought and so a mistake in the design didn't end up creating any real problem. Shading issues on a single panel were not a huge problem for the rest of the string as both I and A&R had feared. PRODUCTION RESULTS: I'm pleased to say that after a month of operation, the system seems to be right on schedule for production. I don't think any of the companies do a good job at guaranteeing your production results or even helping you figure out what your results should be until the end of a year. I looked online at http://www.solar4rschools.org/ and determined most companies were overly optimistic on their projections. For each 1000w of panels, the general guideline for Seattle is that they?ll produce 1000kwH / year (on average 3 sun hrs/day). In reality, almost no schools came close to 100% of this rating. Get to know the PVWATTS calculator at rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/ PVWATTS suggested I would get about 98% but I chose to estimate my payback at 90% based on the solarf4schools data. This so-so July has been very close to the PVWATTS estimate. Another thing PVWATTS teaches you is that 7kw of DC power only produces about 5kw of AC power. A last tip is to to not leave your PV system on until PSE has switched the meters. Even though the aluminum disc spins backwards, your dials actually still turn forward and you could actually pay more than your usage if you?re sending a lot of power back onto the grid!

Sunpower incldues free monitoring that is an extra cost with other panels. The 230 watt panels used are 18.5 efficent and work even on cloudy days. The system also includes a wireless display, that shows current and daily production. A & R submited the info for Washington state yearly production credits that will be paid for the next 10 years.

We were very pleased with A&R Solar's work on this project. Dave Kozin handled the installation design and was very responsive to my questions and suggestions about improvements to the design. The installation team showed up on time and clearly explained the work that they were doing, and were helpful and patient with my basic electrical questions. The installation looks clean and tidy and fits in with the house. We passed electrical inspection with only one minor concern from the inspector. I would definitely hire them again.

These guys totally rock. They are educators, they care about our planet and they want to rock Seattle's world and have everyone go solar!