In 2004, when Mark Bortman moved his family from Bucks County to Costa Rica for a year, he never dreamed that this adventure would lead him to starting his own solar energy system installation business. However, while in Costa Rica, Mark apprenticed with a pioneer in the solar industry and learned the business from the ground up. When he returned to Yardley, he founded Exact Solar. Since then, they’ve become solar experts. In our Exact Solar business profile, we’re telling that story.
Today, it is the only company in the Greater Philadelphia area with extensive experience designing and installing all three major types of solar energy systems: solar electricity/photovoltaic (PV), solar water heating, and solar pool heating.
Exact Solar has installed hundreds of residential and small commercial solar energy systems in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The most common systems installed are photovoltaic systems, which reduce your need to purchase electricity from your local utility company and allow you to sell back any extra electricity generated for a credit. Exact Solar offers different panel design options, including sleek, all-black panels that are more aesthetically pleasing.
Although Mark recognizes that solar energy won’t completely replace traditional energy sources anytime soon, it can help offset what we use in a cost-effective way.
“Once we educate people about the benefits, they realize that this technology makes a lot of sense and pays for itself,” says Mark. “Solar power is everything fossil fuels are not – no drilling, no transporting, no pollution, no greenhouse gases. Once the panels are up, they generate electricity for 40+ years using free fuel. It’s like buying a car that runs forever without ever requiring gasoline expenses. Power output is guaranteed with a manufacturer’s warranty for 25 years.”
The average cost of a residential PV system has declined by over 50% since 2010, according to recent reports from the Solar Energy Industries Association. Even with the lack of state incentives in Pennsylvania, going solar usually makes financial sense both in the short and long-term if you have a nice sunny roof or yard.
“Many of our customers in Pennsylvania are able to offset all or most of their PECO bills, leaving them cash-positive right away once their systems are up and running, thanks to no-money-down financing options,” says Dara Bortman, Mark’s wife and Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Exact Solar.
As going solar has become a popular way for home and business owners to cut their energy bills and carbon footprints, the solar industry has grown exponentially. Exact Solar has also grown with the industry, and now has a team of five employees who provide a personal level of customer service that sets the company apart from other solar installers.
Exact Solar takes care of all permitting and paperwork, and uses only top-quality products with industry-leading warranties. The 30% Federal Tax Credit that can be used toward a system is set to expire at the end of 2016, creating a rush to take advantage of solar savings. Exact Solar is ready to take on the challenge, and won’t compromise what the company is best known for by its customers: personal, quality customer service. Our solar business profile is top-notch.
Exact Solar has not only received dozens of five-star reviews from its customers on Angie’s List and SolarReviews.com, but has also been named to Solar Power World’s list of the Top 500 North American Solar Contractors for two consecutive years, landing the company an esteemed spot among the largest solar contractors on the continent.
It also proudly earned the 2014 Best of Philly® Award for Solar Panel Installations. To learn more about a solar energy system, contact Exact Solar at 215-621-8353 or visit www.exactsolar.com
by June Portnoy