On March 22, 2020, Artisan Electric decided for the safety of employees, customers, suppliers, our community and the greater good to temporarily shut down operations. Although we are considered an essential service, Artisan feels ethically obligated to help flatten the curve and be a part of the solution by limiting movement and requiring all employees to shelter-in-place.
Although the crisis is still very much in full swing, Artisan is moving into the next phase of helping our community fight COVID-19 by providing emergency service to our electrical and solar customers until the shelter-in-place order is lifted for the construction industry. Meanwhile, we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes creating protocol for a safe work environment to serve our community.
Here are some of the procedures we have implemented to safely provide services again:
Full Compliance With CDC Guidelines
Our first priority will be the safety of all customers and staff in returning to work. We are implementing aggressive COVID-19 protocols and following all CDC and OSHA guidelines to maintain safe working conditions on-site. All employees will be screened for symptoms of infection before being allowed to enter a job-site. Employees who test positive for COVID-19 or believe they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive to COVID-19 will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 result and complete the recommended 14-day quarantine period before being allowed to return to work.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Gloves: crew members will wear gloves at all times while on-site.
- Eye protection: crew members will wear eye protection at all times while on-site.
- Face masks: Artisan employees are to wear cloth face protection in enclosed spaces. On March 17, 2020, the federal government asked all construction companies to donate N95 face masks to local hospitals and forego future orders for the time being, however simple face masks are effective in limiting the amount of airborne droplets leaving a worker’s mouth and nose.
- Boot covers: Artisan employees will wear disposable shoe covers when entering a customer’s home or retail space.
- Hand washing: all staff will follow CDC guidelines on handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting work stations throughout the work day.
Non-Contact Solar and Electrical Work
Solar installations require mostly outside access on the roof or field and mounting equipment on the side of the house. Typically, Artisan electricians need to enter the home or business to access the electrical panel, which is often located in the garage or electrical room. When we need to enter the home, our crew will adhere to CDC protocols to ensure hygiene safety. A port-a-potty and hand-washing station will be supplied at all sites to limit unnecessary trips inside the home.
All office staff who are able to do so will continue to work remotely. Artisan offices will remain closed to the public until movement restrictions are no longer necessary.
Essential Electrical Service, PV Maintenance & Battery Backup Systems
During the first few weeks that our crews are back we will be focusing on emergency electrical work, public works commercial projects, replacing malfunctioning solar PV equipment, and installing battery backup systems for those wishing to ensure they have power in case of grid failure, or who’s only source of power is solar PV. We are also rescheduling new grid-tied solar PV installations in anticipation of the shelter-in-place order being lifted for construction on May 4th.
Remote Site Surveys
Our team is 100% dedicated to providing remote services with the same level of detail and quality as our in-person services.
For new solar PV and electrical customers, our sales consultants will conduct site surveys entirely remotely using roof mapping technology and information gathered from our customers. Our solar experts will email proposals and handle all meetings via phone or video call to walk customers through the proposal and answer all questions. Our contracts are signed electronically and we have several electronic payment options.
Before any solar PV work begins, Artisan will physically gather all necessary details at the worksite to make sure your project runs smoothly.
Online Solar Education Series
Artisan Electric will be hosting a series of Solar PV webinar workshops on a variety of topics intended to educate and inform our community on the power of solar. Stay tuned to learn more!
Giving Back to Our Community
As a small business, we know how important community is – especially in an emergency situation. That’s why we are donating $150 from every solar system purchased to Food Lifeline, a non-profit organization that collects donated food from restaurants and grocery stores which would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to more than 300 food banks, shelters, and meal programs throughout Western Washington, providing the equivalent of 134,000 meals every day for hungry children, adults, and seniors.
Put Your Stimulus Check to Good Work
We realize how important financial responsibility is to everyone in this difficult time. That’s why we’re offering a discount of $1200 per new solar system purchased – so that you can spend your stimulus check on helping your loved ones and your community when it’s needed most.
We can get through this together!
Thank you for sticking with us and supporting clean energy during these unprecedented times. Now more than ever, local businesses need our support. If you have friends, neighbors or family who are “solar curious” and want to support a local green business, we very much appreciate your referrals.
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