Chris,
When I had initial contact with our local REC, I was already up and running with AC. They wanted me to show them what I was doing. I had no confidence that they had anything to tell me that I didn't already know, so I did not pursue anything further with them. The RECs are new to this game as well.
Year 2 criteria are the same as this year 1, just for 12 months rather than 3. So, if you understand the criteria, next year shouldn't be too bad, and the bonus is still pretty good.
