Shelly and Gordon – Mesa, Arizona

No obligation or pressure going solar with Solar United Neighbors!

Shelly & Gordon
East Valley Solar Co-op, Mesa, AZ
System size: 5.85 kW

Why did you decide to go solar?

For me it was a no brainer. I’m a strong proponent of renewable energy especially living in the sunniest state in the nation. I attend Sierra Club Energy Committee meetings and even show up now and then at the Arizona Corporation Commission to make my feelings known. The challenge was convincing my husband, in view of the added costs to our monthly nut. But then we learned that, with the added cost of financing the solar panels and SRP’s additional charges, our utility bill would still be less than what we were currently paying SRP. So investing in solar became a no brainer for Gordon too!

Did anything surprise you about going solar?

That we’re not just installing solar panels. The side of our house looks like a small substation! There is a lot of technology behind the scenes monitoring usage, high demand appliances, etc. There are a lot of moving parts working together to help us lower our carbon footprint.

What benefits did you experience going solar with a co-op?

A friend of mine turned me on to SUN. I liked the fact that SUN allowed me to seek information and get educated without obligation or pressure. It’s a very cool concept!

Do you have any data about your solar system performance? What electricity savings have you seen since going solar?

We received our first bill in late February and it was a few dollars less that our typical SRP bill for this period. But we are paying much more attention to limiting our heavy appliance usage during peak demand periods. So it has raised our awareness. The true cost savings picture will come in the summer when we run our air conditioner on each floor of our 2-story house.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We are satisfied customers – and big fans of SUN!!