Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last two weeks, you’ve likely been hearing about COVID-19, AKA the Coronavirus, everywhere you go. Its presence can be felt everywhere. Even where the virus isn’t actively spreading, it permeates the news cycle, it’s the topic of discussion among friends and families, and it’s having a very real impact on our way of life, from California to New York. Businesses are closing down, schools are shutting their doors, and we’re being urged with increasing urgency to stay home as much as possible.
It’s understandable to want to know where every business stands on COVID-19. At Energy Service Partners, we want all of our readers to know that we’re taking it very seriously. We understand the toll that Coronavirus will have on society if it’s able to infect in large numbers, so we’re taking every precaution to protect our employees, customers, and partners.
In the face of a pandemic, it can be challenging to find the right balance between isolation and commercial activity. On the one hand, we’d all be safer if we all stayed in at home. On the other hand, some businesses and services are essential for society, and there are also countless jobs, rent payments, and mortgages on the line if millions of people suddenly can’t work. At Energy Service Partners, we are remaining operational until otherwise announced, but we are taking strict precautions to ensure that we don’t exacerbate the problem of COVID-19. Here are a few of the changes we’re making:
Commitment to Uninterrupted Service
First and foremost, Energy Service Partners intends to continue to operate as usual. While we are making changes in some of our policies to accommodate for COVID-19, there will be no major interruptions to our services, so you can rest assured that we’ll still be there for you for all of your solar needs, whether you’re a customer or one of our many partners in renewable energy.
Working From Home
Although we’re a solar installation company, that doesn’t mean we’re always out in the field putting up solar panels. Our day-to-day operations and management are all handled from the office, where we have a team of hard workers. Energy Service Partners, thankfully, is able to embrace a work-from-home system, and that’s what we’ll be doing for the foreseeable future. This will not cause any kind of major disruptions or interruptions for our company, and we expect no change to the high level of service that we’re committed to providing for our customers.
Increased Caution On the Field
As a solar installation company, we provide high-quality solar systems for California homeowners and commercial building owners. Coronavirus has not yet halted the construction of new buildings, and there are still countless customers out there who need their systems to be installed.
While we aren’t halting field operations, we are implementing cautionary measures to protect our employees and our clients. Thankfully, our work is done on the exterior of your home, primarily on the roof, where you’re not likely to be spending your time. Our solar installation teams will do all of their business outdoors and limit personal interaction with clients as much as possible. We will knock to let you know we’ve arrived, but aside from that, we’ll do our work independently. There is no need for you to personally interact with our team members face-to-face.
Furthermore, ESP plans to implement strict sanitation procedures on the job. We will maintain a frequent hand-washing regimen, and we will avoid physical contact with as many surfaces as possible. We will also let you know where our team members have been, and what they’ve touched, just to be safe.
Canceled Travel
For the foreseeable future, all ESP business travel has been canceled. We’re going to do what we can to ensure that our teams out there can install solar systems, but otherwise, we’re going to stay at home, keep the company running, and do our best to limit contact with the outside world.
While we can’t enforce travel measures on our employees, we are strongly encouraging them to limit their personal travel as well. The more people that stay inside, the less the virus can spread. If we all do our part, we can beat this thing.
There’s a lot we’re planning on doing as a company to combat the spread of Coronavirus. Though you’ve probably heard most of this already, here are a few quick pointers of how you can help prevent this from reaching mass infection levels.
Stay Informed and Take it Seriously
The threat of COVID-19 is growing larger every day, but there’s still a lot of rhetoric which suggests that it’s being overblown and that it’s not any more dangerous than the flu. While COVID-19’s mortality rate seems relatively low, it’s significantly higher than the flu’s, and it’s especially dangerous to the elderly and immunocompromised. Even if there’s little danger for you based on your age and health, it’s still important to prevent its spread, as you could end up being a vehicle for it to pass to other people.
The other potential threat COVID-19 poses is it’s potential to overload our system. If it reaches an infection level of millions, hospitals could be overloaded and society could get even more locked down. Even if the mortality rate was extremely low, we can’t afford to let it overwhelm our infrastructure. This all sounds scary, but there’s no need to panic — as long as you take simple measures, you too can help prevent the problem from growing out of control! Here are a few:
- Wash Your Hands Frequently: The biological makeup of COVID-19 is such that it’s highly vulnerable to soap and water. By washing your hands with soap and hot water for 20 seconds, you can eradicate the virus. Make a habit of washing your hands as much as possible! There’s no amount of hand-washing that would be considered too much.
- Don’t Touch Your Face: COVID-19 needs a port of entry into your body, and it tends to enter through your airways (nose, mouth). If you keep the virus away from your face, you’re not likely to breathe it in! So on top of washing your hands as much as possible, avoid touching your face.
- Practice Social Distancing: You’ve probably been hearing this term a lot lately. Social distancing, in a nutshell, is avoiding social contact beyond what is absolutely necessary. The idea is to limit your exposure to group activities, stay at home whenever possible, and keep a reasonable distance between you and other people — about six feet or so.
- Don’t Panic: Panic begets panic, something which can be seen with the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. When people start stockpiling supplies and talking up worst-case-scenarios, it creates more fear. The key to this thing is to keep a level head, practice these simple measures, and stay positive.
Contact Us If You Have Any Questions
Do you have any questions about Energy Service Partners, or our response to COVID-19? Whether you’re a customer or a solar partner, we urge you to contact us today. This also applies to questions about our business in general. Even in the face of a pandemic, renewable energy is a cause that’s worth fighting for. Stay safe out there, everyone!
