Williams sits in the Kaibab National Forest below Bill Williams Mountain, and its electrical work is as varied as its buildings. Downtown has brick and frame buildings from the railroad and Route 66 eras, with decades of wiring changes layered into them. Around town are cabins and houses from every decade since, many on panels that were never sized for today's loads. Farther out, toward Red Lake and the roads north of I-40, a lot of properties run on their own power.
At this elevation the weather writes the spec. Winter brings real snow and nights well below freezing, so solar racking has to carry the snow load, panel strings have to be sized for record-cold voltage, and battery banks need a place that stays above freezing. In summer the monsoon brings lightning across the ridges almost every afternoon, which is why we pay close attention to surge protection and grounding on every solar and battery job.
Williams questions
Answers for Williams property owners.
More in our 34-question solar & electrical Q&A.
Do I need a permit for solar in Williams?
Yes. Solar, battery and most electrical work needs a permit and an inspection. Inside city limits that goes through the City of Williams; outside them it goes through Coconino County Community Development.
Grid-tied systems also need an interconnection approval from APS before they're switched on. We handle the permit and interconnection paperwork as part of the job.
Is solar worth it at 6,800 feet with all the snow?
Usually, yes. Cold, clear high-elevation air is good for solar, because panels produce more efficiently when they are cold, and snow tends to slide off a well-tilted array within a day or two of a storm.
The trade-off is winter: shorter days and occasional snow cover. We design around December, not June, so you know what to expect all year.
My cabin outside Williams has no power line. What are my options?
An off-grid solar system with a battery bank and a backup generator is the most common answer. It is often far cheaper than paying to extend a line across miles of forest or grassland.
We start with a load list (well pump, fridge, lights, furnace blower, tools) and size the system to keep up in winter.
What should I do when the monsoon knocks out power?
Stay clear of any downed line and report it to APS. If you have a generator, run it outside, well away from doors and windows, and connect it only through a proper inlet and interlock or transfer switch, never by backfeeding an outlet.
If outages are frequent, a battery system or a properly installed generator hookup makes the next one much easier.
What we do here
