Solar Panels: The Final Chapter

Well it is complete. After almost a year of getting the permit for the tree, the energy updates to the house, the tree removal, the installation, and all of the inspections it is done. The system is screwed to the roof, turned on, and making power. I hope this is the biggest project we have to tackle as home owners. It has taken a very long time. I have to say it is worth it. We have made a true improvement to the home and its value. It was not always easy to see to the end of the road, but we had the good luck of working with really good companies.
Our tree removal company Austin Tree Surgeons were professional, and promptly brought to our attention and repaired very minor damage done to our fence when removing the tree. I will absolutely use them again when we need them, and would recommend them to anyone. What they did for us was no small job. It was two solid days of work getting that mammoth out of the yard, and they did it for a very fair price. href="http://www.austintreesurgeons.com/images/middlehome_leftpic.jpg">

The folks at Green Collar Operations were great every step of the way. You will have to do this evaluation if you want to sell a home in Austin. When you get the evaluation done it will be good for 10 years. They told me that in Austin homes can lose as much as 30% of their cooled and heated air in the attic or through poorly shutting windows and doors. They sealed up our duct work and put in a heck of a lot of insulation for us. Which we really needed. the house is much more comfortable, and I think it was worth more than what we spent. There are city and federal rebates for this work that you should look into as well, and they will be happy to help you with the paper work for the rebates from the City of Austin.
And finally wonderful folks over at Texas solar power. They stuck with us through all of this. They came out on the weekends to meet with us to go over proposals, and they were there through all of the inspections. The best part, which I could not guarantee to everyone, is they came in significantly under their original price, by keeping an eye on the price of the panels, and having a really great master electrician who found that we did not need an electrical upgrade. They could have easily stuck with their original price and we would have never known. If you choose to work with them you will be getting a great group of professional who know their stuff.