Home solar, wired by a master electrician.
Most solar problems start in the panel box, not on the roof. Marcus Bellamy and his crew handle both: the array, the service upgrade, the battery and the inspection, with one price and one licensed name on the permit.
- Google rating
- 4.9 from 86 reviews
- Maine license
- Master Electrician MS60031472
- In business
- Since 2014 410 systems
- We work in
- Greater Portland Biddeford to Brunswick
Three ways most of our jobs go
Prices are for a typical Portland-area house with a 7.2 kW roof array (18 panels). Your quote is fixed after the site visit, and it includes permits, the utility application and the inspection.
| Solar only$22,400Your panel box is ready | Solar + panel upgrade$25,600Most older Maine homes | Solar + battery$36,900Keeps the essentials on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 kW array, 18 panels, 25-year panel warranty | |||
| Microinverters and monitoring app | |||
| New 200 amp panel and meter base | |||
| 13.5 kWh battery and backup subpanel | |||
| Permits, CMP application, inspection | |||
| Our workmanship warranty | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Typical time from signing to switch-on | 6 weeks | 7 weeks | 8 weeks |
Smaller jobs we do every week: EV charger circuit from $1,150, panel upgrade on its own from $3,200, troubleshooting a system someone else installed $165 first hour.
Every connection, from the panel leads to the meter base, is made and checked by a licensed electrician on our crew.
The part other installers subcontract
Before we draw a single panel on your roof, Marcus opens your panel box. These are the things we check on every visit, and what each one usually means for the price.
- Service size100 amp or less usually means a panel upgrade to carry solar safely.
- Panel brand and ageSome 1970s and 80s panels can't take a backfeed breaker at all.
- Grounding and bondingOld houses in Portland often need a new ground rod. About $350.
- Meter baseCMP needs room for a net meter. We swap the base if it's tired.
- Where the wires runThrough the attic, not across your siding, wherever we can.
Upgrade check: what would your house need?
Answer four questions and see a rough line-by-line price. It's the same list Marcus works through on a site visit.
How a job runs, start to finish
Four visits from us, about seven weeks in all. Most of the wait is the utility and the town, and we chase both.
- Day 1
Site visit
Roof, attic, panel box and shade, about an hour. Fixed quote by email within two days.
- Weeks 1 to 5
Permits and CMP
We file the building permit and the CMP interconnection. You sign once.
- Install, 1 to 2 days
Roof and wiring
Panels go up on day one. Panel upgrade or battery adds a day, with power off for about 4 hours.
- Week 7
Inspection and switch-on
We meet the inspector, CMP sets the net meter, and Marcus walks you through the app.
What customers say
4.9out of 5
86 Google reviews
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“Two other companies quoted solar and never mentioned our 1960s fuse box. Marcus did, priced the upgrade right in, and the whole thing passed inspection the first time.”
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“The battery carried our fridge, furnace and well pump for 30 hours in the January ice storm. Neighbors were running generators. We were asleep.”
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“Our old installer went out of business and the system had been dead for months. Fore River found a burnt connector in an hour and had it running the same afternoon.”
One electrician's name on every permit
Marcus Bellamy spent twelve years as a union electrician in Portland, much of it fixing solar jobs other crews had rushed. In 2014 he started Fore River with one truck and a simple rule: the person who wires your system holds the license for it.
The crew is still small. Marcus, two journeyman electricians and an apprentice, plus Joelle in the office, who will be the one who calls you back. We take on about 40 systems a year so each one gets a proper look.
Marcus BellamyOwner, Maine Master Electrician
Where we install
Cumberland County and the northern edge of York County. If your town isn't listed, call. We often say yes for batteries and panel work.
- Portland
- South Portland
- Cape Elizabeth
- Scarborough
- Westbrook
- Gorham
- Windham
- Standish
- Falmouth
- Cumberland
- Yarmouth
- Freeport
- Brunswick
- Saco
- Biddeford
- Old Orchard Beach
Ask for a fixed quote
Tell us a little about the house. Joelle will call within one business day to set up a site visit, usually that week.
- Call or text
- (207) 555-0164
- Shop
- 58 Thompson's Point Road
Portland, ME 04102 - Hours
- Mon to Fri, 7 am to 4:30 pm
Questions people ask Marcus
Does my house really need a panel upgrade?
Not always. A 200 amp panel with room for one more breaker is usually fine. A 100 amp panel can sometimes work with a smaller system or a line-side tap. We tell you which, and why, at the site visit.
Does solar make sense this far north?
Yes. Portland gets about as much yearly sun as Germany, the world's biggest solar market for years. A 7.2 kW system here makes around 8,600 kWh a year.
How does net billing with CMP work?
Extra power you send to the grid in summer becomes a credit on your CMP bill. Credits roll forward month to month and cover part of the darker months.
Will the battery run my heat in an outage?
It runs a furnace or boiler blower, the well pump, fridge and lights. Electric baseboard heat or a big heat pump needs a second battery, and we size that honestly.
Can you fix a system another company installed?
Yes, and it's a good part of our work. First hour is $165 including the drive in our area. Most fixes are a loose connector, a failed microinverter or a tripped breaker.
Do you take care of incentives?
We check what the federal government, Efficiency Maine and CMP offer at the time of your quote, list it on paper and help with the forms. We never build a price around one you might not get.