Solar Expansion in Dutchess County – 16 Year Solar Review
Sixteen Years of Solar Progress in Hopewell Junction
Toni remembers keenly when their first solar installation was, because it was the day that Barack Obama was sworn into office as President: January 20, 2009. She remembers because she invited the installation crew down off of the roof and into her home to watch the historic moment. “I promised not to tell their boss that they had taken a break to watch,” she recalls. “They took off their boots and came in to watch in our living room. I figured it was an historic moment and they should be able to witness it.”
Since that time, Toni and her husband John have continued to add solar panels, generating more and more energy- enough to completely cover their electric bill every year, including heat pumps and an EV charger. Beyond their first install, they did a small addition of panels on the roof of their screen room on the back of their house in 2015, and a larger installation that covered the roof on the back of the house in 2019.
Despite having solar equipment since 2009, when asked about their experience with maintenance, they had none! Their solar experience has been blissfully maintenance-free.
And John now has a side hustle that was borne of their solar projects. During the last installation, some trees needed to be cut in their yard. When their daughter was working from home during the pandemic, John used some of the wood to make her a desk. Not one to let anything go to waste, he has been using the rest of the wood to make specialized shelves for large appliances that he sells on Etsy. Frankly, we’re impressed!
Toni and John have also shared their experience going solar, and have been instrumental in helping others go solar. A few years ago, they encouraged their church to add solar to the education building for the congregation. Toni just referred a friend as well, and is hoping all goes well and leads to a $500 referral bonus! She was comfortable with the referral because of their positive experiences with SunCommon, our workmanship, and our reliability.
John was happy to build out their solar capacity because of their environmental values, but also because he saw it as a way to prepare for their upcoming retirement. With electricity becoming increasingly expensive, going solar removed that expense from their budget for good instead of dealing with ongoing increases.