The federal solar tax credit will be stepping down over the next few years, and home and business owners should move quickly to take advantage of the savings. For homeowners, this means the system must have passed inspection by December 31 of each year to receive that year's tax credit. Simply having the panels installed does not qualify the system. The...
As Seattle prepares for the climate strike, the Seattle City Council has made it easier for large solar projects to be installed in Seattle City Light territory. The ordinance, which passed unanimously earlier this month, creates a streamlined way for businesses, nonprofits, and government entities with high energy usage to install solar. Until now, large solar projects had to enter a custom...
A&R Solar won second place in the Puget Sound Business Journal's annual Best Workplaces competition. Businesses and organizations must be nominated to participate in the selection process. Employees answer anonymous survey questions about the work environment, benefits, and overall job satisfaction. The top word that employees used to describe the work environment at A&R was "fun." One hundred percent of employees answered...
A&R Solar has once again been named one of the top solar companies in the Pacific Northwest. In the annual rankings released by Solar Power World, A&R ranked #2 in Washington (#1 Residential only) and #4 in Oregon. We are ranked #22 in rooftop contractors nationally. Not bad for a solar company battling perceptions that solar doesn't work in the Northwest! As a...
A&R Solar's work to promote solar-friendly policies was featured in a national industry magazine. Solar Power World featured Policy & Partnerships Director Bonnie Frye Hemphill and CEO Reeves Clippard as part of the release of the country's top solar contractors. A&R has worked with other installers in Washington and Oregon to pass such legislation as the Solar Jobs Bill and Solar...
Thanks to the 100% Clean Electricity Act passed in 2019, sales tax has been removed from most typical residential solar energy systems. For the average customer, that means savings of around 10 percent. Systems 100kW and under installed after July 1, 2019 will not be subject to sales tax. A typical residential system is around 10kW. Larger commercial solar projects will also...
The number of solar customers in Washington who can own the power generated by their systems has just significantly increased. Net metering is an agreement between a solar home or business owner and the electrical utility. It allows solar customers to build up credits with their utilities during the summer like a savings account and then use them in the winter...
Around 20 A&R Solar employees took to the trails again on May 4, 2019 to help the Washington Trails Association with some much-needed cleanup and maintenance. This year, staff spent a sunny Saturday on the trails at Snoqualmie Lake hauling rocks, building a bridge structure, and filling in an eroded section of the trail with dirt. A&R Solar is an employee-owned B...
We have a fun tradition at A&R Solar of allowing our employees to decide what organizations the company should donate to at the end of the year. During the past two years, we've extended that to our solar customers, allowing them to nominate nonprofits in their communities. We received amazing recommendations! We were happy to see groups that care for the...
New affordable housing Eleanor Apartments in Bellingham, Washington, goes solar to help protect the environment and assist with city’s housing crisis. Mercy Housing Northwest developed and operates the Eleanor Apartments, a new affordable senior housing community located in Bellingham. The nonprofit decided to add solar power to its affordable housing community when it was being designed. This was done as part...