The entire process of planning our Palomar Solar Gives Back Sweepstakes was extremely gratifying. The behind-the-scenes planning and teamwork from the Palomar Solar family was outstanding, but the BEST part of our sweepstakes was being able to install solar on our finalists’ homes and shortly thereafter telling them to flip those breakers and start generating your own power!
Braithwaite home 18 LG panels with Enphase microinverters and per panel monitoring
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- Braithwaite Project
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- Braithwaite Project
The Braithwaite family was one of our three finalists and one of the three winners (all three finalists were winners!). Maria’s name was the chosen at random to be a finalist. She is a Marine Corps Veteran and it turns out her husband also served and retired from the Marine Corps; what a great couple to have as finalists. The Braithwaite’s were delightful to work with from the get-go and we are so happy to have gotten to know them over the last few months.
Thank you again, Maria and Anthony, for your service!
“Let’s start at the beginning. We hardly ever watch KUSI news in the evening, but on one certain evening we were watching and a Turko Files segment came on about the big solar companies and how a lot of them are not reputable, but one local company that supports our military and the community was spotlighted as one of the best solar companies in San Diego, and that company was Palomar Solar. The segment concluded with Palomar Solar announcing a contest, where they would give away a free solar install to one lucky military family, active or veteran all you had to do was go to the website and enter. The contest winner would be drawn during the Miramar Air Show and all finalist would be given exclusive access to the air show. My wife and I are both veterans of the Marine Corps and said, “What can we lose by entering” so we both submitted our information. Time went by and we actually forgot about entering the contest until one day my wife received an email from Palomar Solar letting her know that she was one of three finalists for the free solar installation. Well as you can imagine, there was some speculation about the authenticity of the email so some phone calls were made. Well it was true, we were one of three finalist and instructions were given to us on what we needed to provide and a time set for Palomar Solar to come to our house and see what type of installation they would have to do if we were the winners. Palomar solar showed up at the prescribed time and did their estimate on what we would need based on our power usage. We then received instructions on attending the air show and where to meet the owners of Palomar Solar.
As it always happens, the day of the air show was the same time my wife and I had planned a weekend marriage retreat in La Quinta, but we were determined to attend the air show then head off for the weekend. That Friday of the air show we arrived at Miramar, parked in the VIP parking that was given to us, we proceeded to the Palomar Solar Tent located on the airstrip. What an amazing view of the air show! We arrived and were greeted with open arms by all of the staff at Palomar Solar. It felt warm and welcoming like we just became part of a new family. Drinks, food and even t-shirts and hats were all provided. We had the opportunity to meet all of the finalists before the actual drawing. After an hour or so, which was great for taking some awesome pictures, we were all summoned to the tent where we gathered around the owners and George Chamberlin, who would draw the winning name. I do have to say that my wife and I were really nervous and excited at the same time. The time came and Mr. Chamberlin picked a dog tag from the bag and WE WON! Our name was the first name drawn and I can tell you Maria and I were so excited and in disbelief, it was an amazing time. The owners congratulated us as did the other finalists, then the shocker came! The owners said that they were going to draw another name and give away another solar installation. They picked another dog tag from the bag, then surprised the last finalist by giving him a solar installation as well! All said and done Palomar Solar gave away three complete solar installations, all of the finalists won. It was an amazing day, a day that my wife and I will never forget. The Palomar Solar family was amazing in every way, a great supporter of our military and the community.
Several weeks went by getting all of the permits and paperwork cleared through the City of Oceanside (which Palomar Solar took care of), then the install was scheduled. Our install was scheduled for a certain day. The staff at Palomar Solar called and asked if they come by a day earlier and start in the afternoon, of course, we said YES! That afternoon the Palomar Solar crew arrived at our house and I must say they were top notch. Every person knew their job and knew what they had to accomplish, reminded me of a well-planned military operation. That afternoon the crew had almost all but finished the installation, WOW! We were amazed that they had completed that much in such a short period of time. The crew arrived the next morning and was finished by early afternoon. All said and done they were finished in less than a day. The installation crew were professional in every aspect and explained everything we needed to do in preparation for the city inspector coming out.
The staff at Palomar Solar were so helpful throughout the entire process, and even after the installation. Maria and I are so thankful and blessed to have had this experience with Palomar Solar. We would recommend Palomar Solar to anyone that is interested in a solar installation.
We have only had the solar running for a few months now and we have already seen the benefits.
Maria and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
-Anthony Braithwaite, Retired USMC
Thank you to our partners LG and Enphase Energy
