Business Insurance for the Solar Installer

Business Insurance for the Solar Installer

For a contractor it is a must. Not only do most town building departments require a valid certificate of insurance to issue a building permit, the state of New York requires it to be an eligible installer for their PV program. It is also necessary to protect you from undue expenses in this highly litigious society we currently have.

It is a drag, but shopping around is necessary to find the best price. Here is what I found:

State Farm, would not even talk to me. I spoke with three of there agents who stated that the field (solar installations) has not been around long enough, and that I had not been in business long enough. I will remember that in a few years when “The good neighbor” comes a calling looking to sell insurance.
Local insurance agencies can vary greatly. Some people know what they are talking about, some do not.
I found the best insurance deal through my bank, the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union. They have and insurance company called Insurance Agency of the Hudson Valley, who have been very helpful

Even so, I gave them as much information as possible. The issue with solar equipment installation is it encompasses many areas. For example, I may do some light plumbing during a solar hot water system installation, but I am not a plumber. I may also do some electrical work during a PV installation, but I am not an electrician. I may place solar panels on a roof, but I am not a roofer. The generic category that best encompasses all of the many areas a solar installer may work is “Millwright.” From the Bureau of Labor Statics web site:

Millwrights install, replace, dismantle, and repair machinery and heavy equipment used in power generation, including wind power, hydroelectric damns, and natural gas turbines, and in manufacturing plants, construction sites, and mining operations. The development of new technologies requires millwrights to work with new industry-specific and highly complex precision machines. Some of these machines have tolerances smaller than the width of a human hair.

The millwright’s responsibilities begin before a new piece of machinery arrives at the jobsite. Millwrights consult with production managers, industrial engineers, and others to determine the optimal placement of the machine in the plant. Some equipment, such as a metal forging press, is so heavy that it must be placed on a new foundation. Millwrights either prepare the foundation themselves or supervise its construction. As a result, they must know how to read blueprints and to work with a variety of building materials.

When the new machine arrives, millwrights unload, inspect, and move the equipment into position. To lift and move light machinery, millwrights use rigging and hoisting devices, such as pulleys and cables. With heavier equipment, they may use hydraulic-lift trucks or cranes. Lifting such heavy equipment requires millwrights to understand the load properties of cables, ropes, hoists, and cranes.

While that is not a dead on description, it is pretty close.

As far as limits go, pretty standard: