It's the Little Things that Count

Chances are if you’ve watched a romantic comedy, heard R&B music or listened to one of Dr. Ruth’s famous radio shows , you’ve likely familiar with the phrase “It’s the little things that count.”

The reality is this phrase is as true when it comes to relationships as it is when evaluating solar companies. Here at Cosmic Solar, we greatly value our relationship to our customers and understand how important it is to provide great quality products at a competitive price while maintaining strong relationships with the individuals who place their trust in us. But even more than that, we continually strive to ask ourselves “If this were my home, how would I approach this project?”. By remembering “it’s the little things that count,” we do our very best to install our customer’s solar systems to a higher standard without ever cutting corners, the same way we would if we were installing our own systems. Here are some examples:

At a recent ground mounted project we recently completed for the Burman family in Valley Center, our electrical inspector noticed how every one of the concrete footings we poured had vertical steel pole placed directly in the center of each footing. Though it’s not a code violation necessarily to have the pole at the side of the footing, we feel it just looks better to center it and make the ground rack more aesthetically pleasing.

Likewise, we strive to ensure every pole we install is incredibly squared and straight in relation to the others, to make sure the rack is level, straight and nice to look at. It might take our installers a little more time to measure everything twice before pouring concrete, but we don’t mind because it’s the right thing to do. Again, not necessarily a code violation, but if you’re going to install the system, why not do it right?

We train our solar installers to think about the fact that another solar professional a few months from now might be passing by one of our systems and happen to critique the installation. We would want this individual to see electrical boxes that are installed straight, stickers that align themselves with the conduits, conduit painted, end caps installed to hide the ends of the rails, wires tucked away and incredibly clean job site conditions post installation. It’s what our customers deserve.

Plus, the most exciting thing to hear when an inspector or another solar professional examines your work is those beautiful words, “wow, you did a really nice job on this one.” And it’s not possible to hear that phrase if you’re not focusing on the “little things.”

Aesthetic considerations aside, there are practical reasons to for a cleaner installation as well. Water drips off more efficiently from wires with a “service loop,” which prevents water from entering conduits and other electrical equipment. Ground rods that are installed inside footings prevent customer trip hazards and concrete pull boxes installed level with the ground make it safer for young children and elderly people to walk around the property. In addition to aesthetic reasons, there can be practical reasons for choosing to focus on the “little things” that matter as well.

If you’re considering solar and shopping companies, doing your best to make an educated move forward, we know it’s hard. So please make sure to use your critical eye to determine what separates one solar company apart from the many others.

And remember… “It’s the little things that count!”