Power Northwest is a mission-driven benefit corporation working toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. We exist to help our community transition to renewable energy, and we intentionally put our mission before profits. Profits matter, we need them to sustain and grow our impact, but they are not our primary purpose. However, more profits equals more purpose!
Our Mission
Transition our community to renewable energy
This mission guides every decision we make and is supported by three core pillars:
Happy Homeowners
Enriched Employees
A Clean Environment
We also hold ourselves accountable through our 5-Star Promise to customers and our five core values, which define how we show up every day.
5-Star Promise
At Power Northwest, we promise to deliver a 5-Star experience to every customer. We’re passionate about your satisfaction and are committed to deliver on our promise with exceptional customer service, clear communication, and quality craftsmanship. It’s a promise we make to our customers and ourselves.
By delivering a 5-Star experience, we’ll make Power Northwest a more prosperous and thriving company, a better place to work, and an unbeatable partner for you. We will act as an advocate with your best interests in mind. We Promise.
P.O.W.E.R. Core Values
In recent years, our team worked together to identify and refine the core values that truly describe who we are. We read through 5-star reviews, reflected on what we do best, and looked at real examples of our team going above and beyond. That process led us to five core values, captured in the acronym P.O.W.E.R.:
P – Personal Accountability – We take responsibility for our actions and decisions, own problems, and hold ourselves to the highest standards.
O – Outstanding Quality – We pay meticulous attention to detail and deliver work of the highest quality. Our installations are our legacy.
W – Work Ethic – We believe in hard work, going the extra mile, and overcoming obstacles with determination. Our customers and partners can depend on us to deliver, day in and day out.
E – Empathy – We genuinely care about our customers, team members, and the communities we serve, fostering a culture of compassion and understanding.
R – Resolute Integrity – We consistently do the right thing, even when it’s difficult.
These values guide hiring, promotions, recognition, and daily decisions. We use them to set expectations, celebrate performance, and differentiate ourselves from competitors.
2024 Highlights by Pillar
Happy Homeowners
In 2024, we continued to strengthen how we communicate and support customers:
We maintained our focus on delivering a 5-star experience, reflected in strong online reviews and direct feedback. We take pride in organic and authentic 5-star reviews, which we track as a key performance indicator (KPI). In 2024 we earned an additional (46) 5-star reviews on Google.
Solar can be tough to navigate as an installer in an ever changing environment. When issues arise, such as permitting delays, engineering requirements, or changes in incentives, we prioritize honesty and clarity. Our policy is to be open and transparent, explain options clearly, and advocate for the customer’s best interests.
We approach these challenges with empathy and transparency, providing the information homeowners need to make informed decisions, even when the conversations are difficult. Our goal is not just to sell systems, but to ensure that going solar truly works for each customer.
Enriched Employees
This company is built for us, the employees. We want Power Northwest to be a great place to work. Our philosophy is if we can have happy and fulfilled employees, we’ll build a team of people that truly care about what we’re doing and can wholly advocate for themselves, their co-workers, and our customers.
Our biggest strength is the ability to listen to feedback throughout the entire organization and continue to improve. With different perspectives from installers, electricians, project managers, and sales people, we can create a holistic approach that enables our entire team to perform at its best. We meet monthly as an entire company to review updates, address issues, and identify areas of improvement. From that meeting we quickly implemented changes to address any issues that were discussed.
We’re also huge on professional development and growth. This year, we had a number of apprentices in both our electrical journeyman program and our solar specific program that completed big milestones by passing difficult tests and accruing valuable on the job apprenticeship hours.
Clean Environment
Our primary environmental impact comes from installing solar, but we also hold ourselves accountable for how we operate as a business. We’re always looking for ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint as a business.
This year we implemented a strong no printing policy so that we only print items that are absolutely necessary. Unfortunately for each project, we’re still required to print plansets and permits which must remain onsite for the duration of the project. We did however source recycled paper to use for printing.
One of the biggest products that we sell is our solar panels. We like to evaluate the full lifecycle of the panels that we install and understand that in 30, 40 or 50 years, it’s likely that the panels will need to be replaced and recycled. We made the decision this year to focus on promoting a panel that had high recyclable content manufactured by a company named REC. We trained our sales people on the benefits of the panel, who then shared that with our customers. Although the panels did cost a premium, most of our customers saw the value and selected those panels for their projects.
In 2024, we joined the Amicus co-op, a network of like-minded solar companies. Amicus hosts regular calls on sustainability and green practices, which help us to stay informed and learn from peers across the industry on what they’re doing to run sustainable businesses.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we look toward the coming year, our priorities include deepening our mission impact by continuing to transition more of our community to renewable energy. We aim to expand opportunities in commercial and community-scale projects that deliver strong social and environmental benefits, allowing us to create meaningful impact at a broader scale.
We are also focused on investing further in our team. This includes growing opportunities for advancement and leadership, expanding apprenticeship pathways and technical training, and continuing to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. By supporting our people, we strengthen the foundation that allows our mission to succeed.
In addition, we are committed to strengthening our environmental performance and overall resilience as a company. We will continue refining our internal waste reduction and recycling practices, build on sustainability learnings through our work with Amicus, and advocate for better packaging and supply-chain practices. At the same time, we are working to improve financial resilience so we can reinvest in newer, more efficient vehicles, higher compensation and expanded benefits for employees, and tools that enhance the customer experience. Finally, we plan to formalize our commitments by developing clearer public-facing statements on sustainability and DEI and documenting cultural practices so they can scale as our team grows.
Conclusion
In 2024, Power Northwest continued to demonstrate that a mission driven business can create meaningful impact for people, the planet, and the communities it serves. Through our focus on happy homeowners, enriched employees, and a clean environment, we delivered high quality renewable energy solutions while maintaining transparency, integrity, and care in every interaction. Our commitment to our 5-Star Promise and core values guided our decisions, strengthened our culture, and reinforced the trust placed in us by customers, partners, and team members.
Looking ahead, we remain deeply committed to transitioning our community to renewable energy while growing responsibly and sustainably. As market conditions evolve, we will continue investing in our people, refining our environmental practices, and strengthening the financial foundation that allows us to expand our impact. With purpose as our compass, Power Northwest is well-positioned to build a future that is cleaner, more equitable, and powered by renewable energy for generations to come.
This comprehensive report encapsulates Power Northwest’s achievements in 2024, highlighting our commitment to excellence in customer service, employee development, environmental sustainability, and ethical business practices. It underscores our dedication to delivering value to our stakeholders while advancing renewable energy solutions in the Pacific Northwest. We have been evaluated and recertified as a Benefit Corporation by Benefit Corporations for Good (BCFG).
