Sunny savings Resident sees immediate benefit in solar panel installation

Solon resident Tom Jackson had been fed up with his ever-increasing electric bills. He decided to do something to lower them, adding 35 solar panels to the roof of his Morning Glory Circle home in January.

After just one month, Mr. Jackson said he is already seeing the savings.

“So far today, 78% of my electric use has been produced passively by the (solar panel) system — not bad for February in Northeast Ohio,” he shared.

Mr. Jackson, who is an insurance professional, a member of the State Board of Education, and is the former Chairman of the Board of the Solon Chamber of Commerce, said he is available to talk with any homeowner about the benefits of solar power. He said recently the solar power industry has gotten some negative publicity.

But, he said, his home is proof that solar power works and can save consumers money.

“If I am producing more than half of my electric needs by solar power in the month of February, imagine what I can produce in August when it is sunny and when the daylight is longest,” he said.

He explained that his solar panels produce energy all day long, and only do not produce energy when it is completely dark.

“I think people think you need full sun to produce solar power, but you just need light,” he explained. “Not everyone can produce the same level as my panels do, as I have a good facing home, and a pretty open lot.”

Mr. Jackson’s lot also includes an in-ground pool–a reason for him looking into solar power in the first place was the high cost to power his pool heater.

“That pool heater uses a lot of energy,” he said with a laugh. “So I am looking forward to lower bills this summer.”

Mr. Jackson said Cuyahoga County provided him with a list of vetted solar panel installation companies, and he chose Yellowlite Solar out of Cleveland for his home solar panel installation, which took just a few days to install. He looked at different configurations of how many panels he would need.

“I was told if I only put up on one side of the house I could get 50 percent coverage, but that didn’t work for me. With the 35 panels I am able to generate enough power that I will actually be having no electric bill during the summers. I am able to produce about 115 percent of my average electric power needs.”

Mr. Jackson said that the cost to install the panels was just under $35,000. He said that the solar panel company says he will see a return on his investment within 5 to 6 years– he thinks it might be sooner.

“It’s important to note that you do have that upfront cost to install, but once they are in, as you can see your electric bills go down immediately,” he said.

Another advantage to the solar panel installation is the federal tax credit.

“The federal tax credit is 30 percent for installing solar panels on your home,” he shared. “So far the state of Ohio is not providing any such credit.”

Mr. Jackson said a dual or two-way meter was installed on his house that shows how much power he uses, and how much he produces. He has an app on his phone that he checks daily to see what the ratio is between consumption and production.

Even in just one month, he can see the difference in his bill.

“We are going to change out our dryer from gas to electric, to save on that cost as well,” he said.

He explained that he chose not to install the battery system with his solar panels as that may have doubled his initial investment.

“The batteries allow you to store some of your excess power to be able to use it when you are not producing any power. But for me, it didn’t make sense for that type of investment.”

Ward 6 Solon City Councilman Robert Shimits agreed with Mr. Jackson’s positive impression of solar panels, having installed some on his home about five years ago.

“We installed about 60 solar panels on my Liberty Road home, and I have seen about a 50 percent reduction in electric costs,” shared Mr. Shimits.

A secondary advantage of solar power is in its benefit to the planet, something both solar panel homeowners see as important.

“The CO2 reduction by using solar panels, according to the EPA, is about 1,000 pounds in this one location alone,” said Mr. Jackson.

He said another surprising element of the solar panels is that if he gets to above 100 percent of his energy needs, the power he has produced can be “sold” to other entities through a national energy sharing program.

“It’s possible that I could get checks for like $30 or $60 from sources that used the power I produced,” he said with a smile. “It’s not like I am producing too much of a surplus, but passive income is always welcome.”