Tim – Oakwood, OH

March 23, 2021 Electric Vehicles, Homeowner stories, Ohio

Can’t beat knowing my house and car run on sunshine!

Tim
Greene County Solar Co-op, Oakwood, OH
System size: 7.2 kW

Why did you decide to go solar? 

We had bought a Tesla Model 3 in 2018 and thought the next step should be to charge it on sunshine. We want to do our bit to reduce our carbon footprint.

Did anything surprise you about the process of going solar? 

1. While we installed solar in Oct 2019, we were surprised that we paid our last dollar to our utility company on July 2nd 2020 when we switched from a budget payment scheme to a pay-as-you-go one. We now drive (and use everything else electricity-powered) for free.
2. That heavy snow does reduce but does not eliminate power generation and that
3. The snow slides off and power returns very quickly.

Why did you choose to go solar with Solar United Neighbors? 

As we didn’t know anything about solar, except that it was good for the planet and our budget, and were able to learn about solar from the SUN experts as we moved forward. We had a trusted friend who had led a solar coop and was very happy with his results.

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

1. We gained knowledge quickly, had other neighbors to give us confidence, we were able to attend one or more briefings before finally deciding to go ahead.
2. We were able to be part of the decision process when it came to choosing the best contractor for the installation.
3. The contractor was excellent, the technology delivered was band up to date and the price was right.
4. Coordination with the utility company and local city approval agencies was taken care of very efficiently.

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

We have:
– Generated 10,142 kWh of electricity since Oct 2019.
– Saved 7110kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
– Planted the equivalent of 118 trees.
– Reduced the usage for the equivalent of 30,650 electric bulbs.

What advice would you give to someone considering going solar? 

Visit https://www.solarunitedneighbors.org (SUN).
Ask a neighbor who has gone solar all the questions you can think of.
Find a local SUN Coop and join it or even consider starting one with SUN help.

Anything else you’d like to add? 

You can’t beat the feeling of knowing that when the sun is shining, as it is today, your dishwasher, mower, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, TVs, smart phone, and electric vehicle is running on sunshine. If you don’t have an outside washing line, you dryer will be powered by sunlight too!