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By: YourHub.com
05/19/2010
Interview with Tim Meisinger and Jim Bartlett, co-founders
How did you get involved in this business?
We (both founders) have a passion for renewable energy and for good stewardship of our resources. Colorado boasts some of the most favorable conditions in the U.S. for utilizing solar energy, including over 300 sunny days annually, plus lower relative temperatures and higher elevations compared to other sunny states. Those solar positive factors, combined with government incentives and utility rebates, lead us to believe this is the right time and place to help clients reduce their carbon footprints while locking in low energy rates for the next 30 to 40 years. We combined our talents and skills in forming our company, to provide renewable energy solutions to residential and commercial clients in Colorado. We received a considerable amount of photovoltaic system design and integration training in Austin, Tex., and partnered up with industry leading distributors, representing all the major component manufacturers to help our customers with their energy needs.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
Several key factors separate us from other similar businesses. First of all, in most situations we can finance our clients’ energy rebates, so they can simply subtract their anticipated rebates from their total invoice, a huge benefit. Next, prior to even recommending a specific renewable energy system, we evaluate the energy- and money-saving potential for each client through a detailed on-site visit. We then make up-front energy saving recommendations for each client to help them reduce overall energy demands, thereby increasing the effectiveness of their RE solution. Lastly, at Arise we’re committed to providing the best client service, always treating clients with respect and honesty, and conducting our business with integrity and a vision of leadership that extends beyond our business and into our communities. We’re also committed to leveraging the latest technological developments in our industry so our clients can choose from the most up-to-date solutions available.
What do you like best about your line of work
The most rewarding aspect is knowing we’re promoting good stewardship of precious resources. We also enjoy the challenge of seeing our projects through from start to finish; from meeting with new clients to system design to system installation and finally system commissioning and monitoring. It’s exciting to be involved in each part of the process.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
Right now, our biggest challenge is educating our clients — teaching them to look at renewable energy as an investment, and that after the initial payback period, their system is generating true investment returns. As energy rates rise, the value of our clients’ savings increases as well. Our website explains in more detail.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
First, it seems most people are surprised to find out how much money is available in rebates, incentives and grants to help them purchase a renewable energy system. In most cases, our clients can get a system for well under half its actual cost. Second, most people don’t realize how photovoltaic solar systems generate electricity for their home or business; not by replacing their electric utility, but rather, by working with their utility as a system. During high-production, low-usage hours (middle of the day) our photovoltaic systems are feeding extra energy back to the utility grid, spinning our clients’ electric meters backwards. Ka-ching! Everyone loves to see that.
