Perry – Charleston, West Virginia

I would urge anyone interested in solar energy to join a co-op. There is no upfront cost, and the savings can be substantial.

Perry – Charleston, West Virginia
Went solar with the Kanawha County Solar Co-op in 2016
System size: 3.71 kW

What interested you about going solar initially? Why do you support solar energy?

I am primarily concerned with climate change and carbon reduction.

Why did you choose to go solar with a solar co-op? What benefits did you experience going solar with a co-op?

I had a very positive experience with the solar co-op. They did almost all the work: they issued the request for proposal (RFP); they interviewed the solar installation companies and compared price and quality of the various vendors; and they selected a solar installation vendor. I did arrange for the vendor to come out to my house and develop an estimate of the cost, and projected kilowatt hours that would be produced, and the return on investment. After I studied their proposal, I scheduled another meeting with the installation company. They spent 1 ½ hours with me answering questions, inspecting my attic to ensure adequate support beams for the solar panels, etc. All of this was done with no cost to me. The only cost that was associated with the co-op was to pay the vendor for the installation of the solar panels. I believe I benefited from the cost savings of the co-op and their bulk purchasing through one vendor.

Has anything surprised you about going solar?

Yes: how seamless the system is. When the sun is shining, the system runs my fridge, runs electrical clocks, etc., and sends any excess power to the Appalachian Power Company grid. At night, the system draws power from the grid with no effort on my part. It just does it automatically. Plus there is no maintenance to the system on my part. It functions totally on its own.

What advice would you give to someone is considering going solar?

I would urge anyone interested in solar energy to join a co-op. There is no upfront cost, and the savings can be substantial.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I have had a very, very positive experience with the co-op. There is no downside to participating in the co-op.