[RE-wrenches] Problem with NABCEP ad

Mon Feb 7 07:06:13 PST 2011

As long as different states take a different posture on regulating solar PV
businesses, a [voluntary] national certification will not be effective in
any state.
When the City of Austin Texas and Austin Energy began working on their PV
rebate, the City Attorney there made it clear that, to paraphrase, AE could
not mandate NABCEP as a requirement for rebate qualified installers. Their
justification was that the first time a non-NABCEP installer sued the city
to be allowed into the program, the installer would win. This leaves the
door open for literally anyone [in Texas] to lay claim to the PV installer
title. North Texas' own utility funded rebate program [burned through ~$16
million in <18 months] used the same qualifying model allowing untold
numbers of crap-level installations.
And it's not so much the one-man startups with big dreams I'm worried about
as much as the big multi-state electrical contractors that do two or three
installs and call themselves PV professionals with NABCEP behind their name.
Bottom line, until NABCEP certification becomes the default model for a
national PV licensing standard, we will remain much like the VFW. Our older
members will be highly regarded and respected by newer members but the
outside world will view us simply as non-essential fraternity and go about
their habit of giving their business to the lowest bidder.
Once NABCEP can convince just one state to mandate a NABCEP-based state-wide
PV license it will open the door for other states, and the nation, to
follow.
Optimistically

Jim Duncan
North Texas Renewable Energy
NABCEP Certified Solar PV
Installer No.031310-57
TECL 27398
ntrei at 1scom.net
817.917.0527
www.ntrei.com

  -----Original Message-----
  From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org]On Behalf Of Nick Soleil
  Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:37 PM
  To: RE-wrenches
  Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Problem with NABCEP ad

  I am sitting for the NABCEP test next month, but resisted for many years,
because I did not want to endorse an additional layer of bureaucracy and
expense for solar installers.   It costs as much as the state contractor's
license!  Most of the competent installers have become certified now, so
there is not much we can do about it.  NABCEP is too much money, and adding
additional certifications should be at a reduced cost.

  Nick Soleil
  Project Manager
  Advanced Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC
  PO Box 657
  Petaluma, CA 94953
  Cell: 707-321-2937
  Office: 707-789-9537
  Fax: 707-769-9037

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
  From: Aram Alexander <aram at aramsolar.com>
  To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
  Sent: Sun, February 6, 2011 10:11:20 AM
  Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Problem with NABCEP ad

  No you are not. I have been installing grid tied PV for 10 years in ca.
  Nabcep is union based and all though it is good but it does not mean by
any means the best as we have to fix several nabcep installed systems.
  I personally don't like there advertising either

  Aram

  On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:13 AM, wirewiz at gmail.com wrote:

  > Hello Wrenches,
  >
  > NABCEP has a full page ad in Home Power magazine that tells potential PV
buyers to "Insist on a NABCEP Certified Installer". That's a great ad if you
are certified but not so good if you are not. I know many of you are but
lots of us are not yet certified.
  >
  > NABCEP is doing a great job to ensure that PV is installed by qualified
personal but is it their job to unintentionally cause non NABCEP certified
installers who are otherwise very qualified to lose business. I don't think
so.
  >
  > I contacted NABCEP about the consequences of this ad and actually asked
them to stop running it or at least tone it down so it doesn't cause
installers like to me to lose business. They disagreed with me.
  >
  > Am I being too sensitive here?
  >
  > Thank you.
  >
  > Larry Liesner
  > Wirewiz
  > Westport, CT
  > Phone: 203-644-2404
  > Fax: 203-557-0556
  > wirewiz at gmail.com
  > www.wire-wiz.com
  >
  >
  >
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