EFS Energy was founded in 2011 by Paul McKnight, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, with a mission to “Put the Earth First in Solar”. The company serves homeowners and businesses with solar energy services and solutions, LED lighting upgrades and home energy performance audits. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, EFS Energy employs a certified, in-house installation team that has installed more than 850kW of solar energy on residential and commercial properties throughout Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.
With 10 people on staff, everyone at EFS Energy wears a few different hats. Project Manager Kevin Glines not only serves as crew foreman, he also oversees inventory and warehouse management. Colette Conover’s job title is Energy Consultant, but she also manages the office and assists with internal sales processes.
“I’m our first contact with customers,” she explained. “I find out what they need, put it into our system, and forward it to our designer to bid the job.”
Kevin first learned about Roof Tech from the sales rep for his local parts distributor, who had been contacted by Mike Dunlap, Roof Tech’s Midwest Sales Manager. Learn more about Roof Tech here.
“Our rep set up a demo of Roof Tech products this summer,” he explained. “Before that, we had always used railed systems for our installations, so it was eye-opening to discover this unique mounting solution.”
Kevin decided to try E Mount AIR on his next job, and has used it on five projects since then. “We’ve had great communications with Mike Dunlap,” said Kevin. “He captured some time metrics for me and gave our crew some useful pointers on the mounting process.”
RELATED: Mounting with butyl rubber: How Roof Tech gets a leak-proof seal
“I’ve always been interested in finding new products that can speed up the installation process,” Kevin explained. “With E Mount AIR we had a complex roof installation completed in just a day and a half. If we had used rails, that same job would have required another full day in time and labor.”
Kevin understands why some people might hesitate to try a new flashing technique, but now he knows the rewards. “With lag bolts, you can never be sure you are hitting dead center on the rafter, and that can cause issues down the road,” he said. “But with E Mount AIR, I don’t have to worry about finding rafters. My installers can safely place the array anywhere on the roof.”
Before getting into the solar business with EFS Energy, Kevin spent 15 years working in the auto glass industry. “I have first-hand experience with butyl adhesives and I’ve been really impressed with the performance of RT Butyl,” he said. “I have full confidence that we won’t have any issues with E Mount AIR. Its double-helix screws use two types of threading, so each screw grabs the RT Butyl and pulls the adhesive into the roof decking for a super tight seal.”
From her perspective dealing directly with customers on a daily basis, Colette is thrilled to have found Roof Tech. “We are here to provide our customers with quality and aesthetics, and to get the job done right,” she said. “Roof Tech offers us a great solution that lets us give our customers more options. We are committed to moving the solar industry forward, and Roof Tech is helping us to make sure that happens.”
— Solar Builder magazine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.