Our Mission
Despite better than average solar adoption, the vast majority of high solar energy potential buildings in the Rivertowns and wider Westchester remain un-solarized. After an initial uptake of early adopters, the momentum around solar has begun to slow down due to a variety of factors, education being foremost among them. Large government subsidies have attracted unscrupulous actors to the industry, which has tarnished the industry's reputation and clouded homeowner’s understanding of what solar is, how it works, and why it’s beneficial.
We see ourselves as the antidote to this trend. We aim first and foremost to educate the customer. Solar is not an alternative to Con Ed. There are almost no truly off-grid homes in Con Ed territory. Instead, solar can best be understood as a counterweight to one of the largest, most profitable, and most expensive investor-owned utilities in the country. Our systems are all grid-tied. Sometimes you’ll produce power from your solar system, and sometimes you’ll draw power from the grid. Regardless, Rivertown Solar will explain clearly, and without exaggeration, exactly what your system is capable of and what we expect your return on investment to be. We want to restore industry confidence.
Remember: All solar energy production and savings estimates—whether from Rivertown Solar or any other company—are just that, estimates, derived from historical weather and electricity pricing data.
Unlike many of our competitors, Rivertown Solar is committed to providing the most accurate possible savings and production projections. To this end, we use best-in-class shade modeling software which creates photogrammetric models of homes and buildings, as well as their surrounding environs, like trees and other homes which might shade a system and lower production potential.
A parallel aim to solarizing Westchester is helping its municipalities in their efforts to become certified Climate Smart Communities (CSCs). Promoting the use of clean energy in the use of clean energy is a key component of the certification process. Rivertown Solar regularly acts as an advisor and advocate for the pro-clean energy policies set forth by NYSERDA.
Our Focus
Our focus is the Rivertowns and greater Westchester. It's where we're from and what we know. The vast majority of our installations are within 10 miles of our office. This translates into a deep familiarity with and connection to the communities we serve and a level of accountability and customer service, during and after system installation, that national companies simply cannot match.
Many national solar companies subcontract their installations because scaling a construction labor force across states is challenging. Unfortunately, this leads to uneven standards of construction. Hence the numerous complaints and lawsuits against these companies. At Rivertown Solar, our installation team is highly experienced, entirely in-house, and committed to the construction standards set forth by NYSERDA.
Our Expertise
Every building department in the Rivertowns has its own processes and procedures. Navigating those idiosyncrasies can be challenging; different inspectors can have different interpretations of building and fire codes. Understanding these interpretations can mean the difference between getting a permit and not. Being deeply familiar with Westchester building departments, we have forehand knowledge of challenges and opportunities each municipality presents. In fact, we are always actively seeking to educate these departments on permitting best practices as outlined by NYSERDA.
Further, we are aware of Westchester’s rich architectural diversity in terms of roof types and materials. We have developed customized solutions and sourcing channels so that we can install on every kind of roof, including those that other installers choose to avoid, such as wood shingle, tile, standing seam copper, and even slate.
Our leadership has over three decades of experience in electrical contracting. Properly sizing and installing electrical equipment is the most technical aspect of a solar installation; it’s also what has the most pronounced effect on the lifespan of the system. Poor electrical connections are like leaky pipes; the difference is that the losses are invisible. They include higher consumption due to high resistance and shortened life expectancy of equipment and appliances due to unstable voltages. Rivertown Solar’s peerless electrical expertise means that we can assure your system will be built to last and produce optimally for its lifespan.