Some uses of solar hot water are obvious: solar-heated pools and hot tubs are becoming commonplace. Less obvious applications with great potential are buildings and facilities that use a lot of hot water: car washes, restaurants, laundromats, health clubs, boarding schools and group homes, and correctional facilities.

But solar power systems, which collect the sun’s energy to heat air or a fluid, can also be affordable and cost-effective alternatives for heating and cooling space in commercial and industrial buildings.

Regardless of the application, solar heating and cooling systems save energy, reduce utility or fuel costs, and are a clean source of energy. Besides the environmental benefits of solar power, users of solar thermal systems usually
enjoy immediate savings in heating costs and see a very short payback period for their investment.

Switch can provide systems for applications ranging from pre-heating ventilation air for buildings to providing hot water on farms.

Large-scale project management/financing experience

Switch is unique among D.C.-area renewable energy companies in having a founder with project management and financing experience in very large-scale energy projects. Over the course of his career, Chris Graves has been responsible for a total of almost $3 billion in energy development. So whether your project is big for you ($10,000) or just plain big ($10,000,000), Switch can help – from justifying a project to your CEO or board, to financing, to ensuring successful implementation.

Specialized project teams

Solar installers vary in experience, but in reality, no one has more experience than the manufacturers’ designers and installers. So our philosophy is to call on these experts to customize installations to each client’s needs and each site’s idiosyncracies. And because we can choose from different manufacturers, we can provide you with the best thinking in the industry – in addition to the best product lines.

A vendor-agnostic philosophy

Some solar installers are distributors for only one brand of equipment. By dealing with one of the largest distributors in the U.S., Switch can offer you the very best technology for your needs. And, of course, whenever improvements are made or a new technology appears, we’ll be ready and able to assess it and install it for you.

Installation that exceeds industry standards

Most solar companies rely on internal staff, certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). Switch believes NABCEP is a step in the right direction, but instead has established relationships with some of the area’s highest- rated electricians, plumbers, and roofers. We use their Master Electricians, Master Plumbers, and Certified Roofers to install our systems – far exceeding the in-house expertise of competitors in these critical areas.

With this in-depth experience behind our work, we’re able to extend the industry’s typical labor guarantee from one year to five. If anything goes wrong with your system during the first five years, we will fix it. (The usual legal caveats about bad behavior on your part apply, of course.)