Weather in the Northwest is notorious for being changeable and catching people off guard.

However, this unpredictable weather can also leave us at the mercy of Mother Nature when it comes to our electricity needs. One local innovator has a solution.

In fact, Solar’ternative Energy Solutions wants you to be that person who still has their lights on when bad weather strikes.

“We had a customer who was hosting a birthday party and when the power went out for the of the neighborhood during a storm, their power stayed on. That is the value of our solar energy system,” says Frank Mesa, co-owner of Solar’ternative Energy Solutions.

Functioning under the umbrella of Diamond Plate Electrical Services, owned by his brother, Chris Mesa, the family-owned business in Lake Stevens serves all Snohomish County, along other parts of Puget Sound.

“We are local and grew up right in Maltby but we’re also influenced by our family’s heritage. Being from Guam we embrace the ‘ohana’ philosophy – we see our customers as extended family.”

Through Solar’ternatives, Mesa offers a customized solar energy system that has a built-in battery and generator that can operate the whole home, or just one room. Like any energy system, there are up-front costs, however those are recouped in energy savings. In addition, “this built-in energy saving system will correlate directly to increasing the value of their homes,” he says.

“Due to our sunny Northwest summers, this system allows you to bank excess energy and solar credits so that in the gray winter months, you will get energy credits banked from the summer that then lowers your winter bill,” Mesa explains.

Convenient service + convenient app

The Solar’ternatives system includes an app that allows you to control or adjust the setting and see your energy usage at any time.

There’s also a benefit in knowing that the team that installed and services your system is right down the road. “The customer can have peace of mind knowing that we know their product thoroughly because we customized it, and we will be there for any repair or need they have.”

Be an energy celebrity in the ‘hood

While some clients are keen to embrace the environmental benefits of solar, others simply want to ensure their lights stay on. “We usually have two types of customers. The first wants to live ‘off the grid,’ the second wants to be the beacon of light in the neighborhood during outages,” Mesa says.

Flexible pricing + discounts

Solar’ternative Energy Solutions offers 100 percent financing, a 30 percent federal tax credit and no Washington state sales tax on their system.

Even better, if you mention this Herald article, you’ll get $500 off your solar energy system. For an additional $500 off your system, visit their Facebook page to “like,” “comment” and “share.”

For more information, you can reach Solar’Ternatives at 425-384-7770 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. and at 12424b 20th St NE in Lake Stevens.