Plan It Solar, Inc.!

While the letters “PV” are usually an abbreviation for Penn Valley, there’s a new definition of “PV” that more and more people are becoming familiar with, and that’s the PV that stands for photovoltaics: the scientific term for solar electricity. Solar power systems are fast becoming the norm for California and Nevada County in particular, with several different solar companies located in our area. At the same time more and more people are also becoming fast aware that Penn Valley is home to one of Northern California’s busiest and most well-respected solar companies: Plan It Solar, Inc..

Plan It Solar, Inc. was founded by Martin Webb, a Penn Valley resident since 1999, with humble beginnings in a prototypical garage home office and one employee in late 2001, and has now grown into a 12-employee operation with a projected $3 million in sales for 2008. They’ve been at the corner of Penn Valley Drive and Spenceville Road since 2005, and are the solar company of choice for not only Penn Valley and Nevada County, but for the entire Sierra Nevada foothills and Sacramento Valley region - and they’ve got the numbers to prove it. Based on statistics for the new statewide solar rebate program begun in January 2007, in a thirteen-county region from Shasta County in the north down to Amador County in the south, Plan It Solar, Inc. is ranked as the number two solar company by total number of installations.

Part of Plan It Solar, Inc.'s success can be attributed to their unique location in Penn Valley. According to Webb, “Not only is Penn Valley home to myself and five other coworkers, but we can easily serve the foothills and the valley from our location right off Highway 20, without the traffic or parking hassles associated with a larger town.” At one point there was a plan to look at opening a second location in the valley, but the recent expansion of their current office space has put that idea on hold. And, since the business was proudly solar-powered at the old original home office but hasn't been since they've moved into Penn Valley, the next step now is to install a solar system on their existing office.

Talking to the employees at Plan It Solar, Inc., the importance of having a reputation for honesty, accuracy and great customer service is what drives the company to excel. That focus has allowed them to work on such notable installations as the Masonic Lodge and the District Attorney’s office, both in the historic district of downtown Nevada City; the Champion Mine, Union Hill and John Woolman schools; the Imaginarium; the Swan-Levine Bed and Breakfast; and by July first Plan It Solar, Inc. should be finished with an installation on First Baptist Church, directly across from Nevada Union High School. Because of their good reputation, Webb also spends a lot of time as a speaker and educator, talking to homeowners, churches, public officials, school kids, service organizations and even other solar professionals. He also hosts a monthly radio show called The Energy Report on 89.5 FM, the first Thursday of each month from noon to one.

About 85% of the company’s business comes from PG&E customers wanting to spin their utility meter backwards, with the other 15% coming from solar hot water systems, solar pumping systems, and off-the-grid properties. Webb says a lot of their work is actually explaining to area residents how PG&E customers have some of the best solar payback in the country, and that the national media message of “solar is too expensive, keep waiting” Doesn’t apply here at all. He says, "Most of the country has cheap utility power and more expensive solar power due to a lack of incentive programs. Here in California, and in PG&E territory specifically, it’s quite the opposite as we have expensive utility power and cheaper solar power because of state programs."

Plan It Solar, Inc.'s biggest innovation has been to streamline the estimating process. Early last year they rolled out their Quick Quote Questionnaire, which allows any home or business to get a ballpark estimate without having to schedule a site visit and therefore eliminates all the gasoline use, driving time, and local air pollution that comes with visiting the site of each and every interested person. "We'll still do a free site visit right off the bat for anyone that wants one," says Webb, “but we prefer to have folks run the numbers for a ballpark Quick Quote prior to a site visit. It takes 5-10 minutes to fill out over the phone or on our website, and allows anyone to see what the unique payback might be for their specific location.” Open Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm, Plan It Solar, Inc. is clearly interested in helping make the switch to solar as easy and affordable as possible, and they are there with smiling faces, ready to answer any questions people may have about solar. Their phone number is 432-3776, the address is 17487 Penn Valley Drive, and their website is
www.planitsolar.com. It’s a perfect match: PV in PV!.