Nevada Small Business Development Center College of Business A partner in The Business Services Group

http://www.aspenelectricllc.com

Shawn O'Meara

In 2005, Shawn O’Meara went into business for himself. He’d been in the electrical business for fifteen years, and he was ready to run his own business. As he puts it, “It was just myself and a truck and a handful of tools.”

In 2008 he found himself with tax difficulties and was referred to the business counselors at the Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC). He worked with them to apply for a community express loan. After a stringent application process the loan came through. It was the boost he needed.

Shawn was able to expand into solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in 2009 and that’s when his business really took off. His first panel install was Patagonia. After having performed a few PV system installations he took on an experienced employee who’d done nothing but solar and focused on doing solar installs. “That got the ball rolling,” said Shawn.

In less than two years Shawn, and his company Aspen Electric LLC, had become the most experienced solar installers in Northern Nevada, having more installed kilowatts than even the big competitors in town. They’ve installed PV systems for the Reno Events Center, Sage Ridge Private School, Wooster high school, doctor’s offices, and most every size system for residential customers.

Their workload has increased so much that Aspen Electric has actually decided to work on solar installations only and will no longer do standard electrical work.

Shawn prides himself on “offering a better product because we take the time to customize the system for the customer’s personal needs.”

In order to be certain to fulfill a customer’s needs, they first perform a site evaluation to estimate the resource (i.e. the amount and placement of the sunlight on the property).

No two properties are alike, and it’s important to establish the individual aspects of any custom installation: do they have sun without shade and do they have space to put the system, either on the roof or on the ground?

“But most important thing,” said Shawn, “is to look at their demand. The size of the house is essentially irrelevant to the size of the system. It’s the electrical consumption that matters.”

Shawn explained that they then design a system to provide 96 to 98 % of electrical needs of the house.

Why not 100%, or more, you may ask?

“If you sell a customer an oversized system, it’s just a waste of money. While they get dollar for dollar credits from NV energy, you never get it back as cash,” explained Shawn.

Additionally, many owners actually reduce consumption after the installation of a solar system because “they tend to become more aware of their energy usage in general.”

Limitations occur based on the customer’s budget and the space available on their properties.

“Sometimes we’ll downsize for the budget, with the option to expand later,” said Shawn.
“We’ll put a system in that is able to expand to up to 100% of their needs, which is different than cookie cutter systems, and generally less expensive,” he continued. “We give them exactly what they need at the best possible price.”

We talked about the technology and the return on one’s investment.

“What makes it financially viable is the 30% federal tax credit, and the cost of the equipment coming down. We now have ten to eleven year paybacks on a systems that have thirty plus years of life,” explained Shawn.

Prices have dropped 30% in the last few years – driven down by efficiencies in technology and new entries into the market.

The demand for PV systems has allowed Shawn to expand his company, employing four salaried personnel and one commission-based employee, and now they’re expanding into wind power as well.

“This isn’t a great area for small wind,” Shawn admitted. “We don’t have a good wind resource here. It’s gusty, but not a high average wind speed.”

“But it’s an option I want to give my customers,” he continued, “especially in off-grid situations where it’s a necessity. In those cases, you always need something pumping energy to the batteries. Wind turbines are great for storms when you have little sun but high winds.”

Shawn attributes part of his success to his team of knowledge: a seasoned installer, a long-time PV system salesman, and his personal experience in the electrical industry. He readily acknowledges the amount of work it’s taken as well.

“We’ve had to work really hard to take it to where we are and it wouldn’t have worked if one of those pieces were missing.”

For those looking to start a business, he had a few words of advice, “It’s much harder than I ever thought it was going to be, if it’s going to be successful. But the benefits of owning a business are watching it grow.”

Aspen Electric LLC is located at 855 South Center Street, #200, Reno, NV 89501. They can be found at aspenelectricllc.com and 775 284 1530.