Solar Watch Vol.1

Volume 1 - April 2012

2011 PARTICIPANT SURVEY RESULTS

By Eileen Prado - Executive Director

2011 was a big year for the SRCC. I like to think of it as the new start. We refreshed our brand with a new website, new logo, new seals, new staff, new offices, and many new participants.

After these many changes for our organization, I wanted to know what our participants thought of the new SRCC, so we conducted our first participant survey from September, 2011 through February, 2012. I knew the biggest challenge was to get people to participate and answer the questions. Usually, only those with extreme opinions - either very satisfied or very dissatisfied - take the time to answer.

Nevertheless, I think we got a good response to help us gauge the satisfaction level of our participants, and develop plans to improve our services in 2012.

The results of the survey follow. Whenever someone was dissatisfied, we asked for a comment on the answer. I'm also summarizing some of the notable comments.

91% were satisfied with the quality of service they received with their most recent experience
77% were satisfied with our ability to keep you informed about your application
Only 56% felt their most recent application had been processed in a reasonable amount of time

Those that commented on the speed had applied prior to 2010

88% were satisfied with our responsiveness in getting questions or concerns resolved
87% were satisfied with our work protecting the interests of the solar thermal industry
84% were satisfied with our reliability
81% felt we had a favorable reputation in the industry

SRCC PRODUCT LABELING UPDATE!

New OG-100 labels are now being issued with new certifications. Participants may continue using their existing label supply until they are depleted. Be sure to ask for new label art from the SRCC before reprinting more labels.

Please contact: Teresa Johnson/Administration Support Specialist to order your new artwork via email at: Teresa@Solar-Rating.org or by calling:
(321) 213-6037 Ext. 105.

COMING SOON! SRCC WEBSITE SECTION FOR CONSUMERS!

We are proud to announce that the SRCC will be launching a new consumer section on the SRCC site in the spring. The section will provide consumers with the facts, information, and benefits of Solar Hot Water. In addition, we will provide links to rebates and tax credits, and a calculator which will help consumers assess if solar makes sense for their home. This will include access to our directory of SRCC certified products & systems, as well as an installer locator. We hope this will further promote solar thermal while helping consumers make intelligent choices. Stay tuned.

Most of the personal comments lead me to believe that we can do a better job of communicating our changes in staff and location. I'm sharing your comments, both good and bad, and my response below:

PARTICIPANT: "Actually, I felt that service was poor prior to Alonso Morles joining the team. I went from having trouble just getting someone to return a call to excellent responses from him and Athan Barkoukis. Teresa Johnson was also very helpful. Alonso is a good team leader. I'd like to thank him for all of his help."

Eileen's response: I agree! We're thrilled with Alonso, Teresa, and the entire staff at the SRCC. Prior to our move last summer, we relied on contractors to take care of OUR customers. It was our mission to have our own employees deal with our business, and we think it's working.

PARTCIPANT: "I believe many manufacturers would welcome paying an authorized third party company or the SRCC a higher $ fee to rate and post OG-300 and OG-100 systems faster. The testing can now be complete in 90 days; it would be nice if the rating and posting of the products were also under 90 days. We are falling behind many developments from the European market and new market opportunities because of the slow approval/posting process."

Eileen's response: We are determined to improve our lead time without increasing fees any further. The SRCC is a non-profit organization that aims to serve its stakeholders for the sake of the solar industry, not to make a profit, pay shareholders, or over-compensate executives. Our board is made up of volunteer experts in their field and our committees are also volunteer experts. We strive to keep our costs down while constantly improving our services. As of January 1, 2012, our average lead time for an OG-300 or OG-100 certification is 5 ½ months. A year earlier, the average lead time was 12 ½ months for OG-300, and 14 ½ months for OG-100. That's a dramatic improvement in our processing time, and we're not done! We hear you and we agree certification should take less than 90 days. In fact, our most recent collector certifications are being processed in under a month from the time we received the lab report! However, we won't compromise on quality, and will never cut corners. An SRCC certification is well deserved, and something a participant should be very proud of.

PARTICIPANT: "Standardize even further your application form in order for companies to just complete a package for submittal, and that should be all!"

Eileen's response: Great minds think alike! We're working on it, so expect more automation in the months ahead.

PARTICIPANT: "Excellent correspondence with Eileen Prado... very fast and reliable."

Eileen's response: Thank you. I want every participant to know they can contact me with any questions. I may not have the answer immediately, but I will get it or get you in touch with the right person that can help you. My email is EPrado@Solar-Rating.org. Use it!

All SRCC employees are listed on the SRCC website under "Contact Us". We always return phone calls and emails.

We are working very hard to make every participant 100% satisfied with the SRCC. Nothing less will satisfy me. I hope more of you will take the time to participate in our next survey. Please check back with our website often. We'll keep you posted on our progress and new developments.

Thank you for your support, your comments, your suggestions, and most of all your dedication to the solar industry.