From its location out on River Road, just off of Route 250, S. L. Williamson helps keep area roads and other outdoor paved spaces in good shape.

S. L. Williamson is an established third-generation family-run business. It’s a household name in Charlottesville, and a go-to for both residential and commercial projects.

Recently, the company wanted to invest in additional solar energy. As more companies in all sorts of industries look for ways to stay competitive and adapt to today’s cutting-edge technology, S. L. Williamson is helping to lead the way in terms of getting green power on-site, which sets an example in a time when solar is getting “critical mass” – it’s cost-effective, and in today’s world of climate change, it makes abundant sense.

Green Initiatives

S. L. Williamson’s new solar augmentation goes along with some of the other major ways this company is contributing to better ecology for the future.

By recycling materials and offering alternatives like Aquaphault, a green, pre-mixed material without toxic petroleum-based chemicals, the S. L. Williamson shop is allowing customers to make better ecological choices. Aquaphault is one of the company’s premier services, and customers can learn more about it on the S. L. Williamson website.

In addition, S. L. Williamson has been using solar panels to heat liquid asphalt for a while. Last year, company leaders were looking at putting additional solar panels onto the roof to save money on electric bills.

“It seemed like a no-brainer,” Blair Williamson said May 15, talking about how government rebates and other incentives led more solar installations.

The old panels, she said, have been in place for a while. The new setup is an attractive roof-mounted system that’s allowing S. L. Williamson to source on-site power in a whole new way.

The Logistics

S. L. Williamson’s sunny property made a good candidate for a solar installation – Sun Day Solar went to work figuring out how to position the roof-mounted panels and make the installation work for the business.

Williamson said the company gets a check back from Dominion under a net metering agreement that the utility provider now offers to solar adopters.

The whole job, she said, went smoothly.

“They were very accommodating,” Williamson said of Sun Day Solar install teams. “They didn’t disrupt our business at all.”

Versatility, she said, is also part of the equation. Noting that the panels do take up most of the EPDM-type roof on S. L. Williamson’s plant, Williamson said to get roof access, workers can simply shift the panels, as they’re not permanently bolted to the roof in place. The additional bay roof offers more space to pile on panels.

The S. L. Williamson project is just another example of Sun Day Solar’s success in finding a need in the community, and helping clients to innovate when it comes to sourcing energy. The company has a number of these neighborhood projects under its belt, and stays busy installing all over central Virginia. Ask Sun Day Solar about what makes solar practical, and how to apply the best installation plan to a residential or commercial property.