Publish Date: July 1st, 2024

Cynthia is a two-time Namaste Solar alumni, hiring us to do an install on her Aurora home about 10 years ago and then reaching out again, recently after she moved, to get a new install. She’s a huge fan of companies where the employees are owners. And feels that, “there’s such a strong commitment to success, good outcomes, and quality installs. That was a recurring theme, and I just felt like everyone took it so seriously and was so professional.” Read on to get the inside scoop on both of her installs.

What inspired you to start thinking about solar before your first installation?

Oh, gosh. I'm thinking back, probably 10 years ago now, and I think both times where I ended up considering solar, energy prices were getting high and solar prices were coming down. This time, it was looking at increasing energy prices in the face of potential future without the tax credits involved in getting solar installed. And so I felt like this is probably the best time to do it, and I'm really glad I did. I've seen a profound impact on my energy bill since the install and now that the sun is out. I'm finally getting to enjoy the benefits.

So, your first array was added to a previous home. How was your experience selling that home with solar on it?

It did boost the value of the home dramatically. A great example of that is our realtor had priced that house around $70,000 less than where we wanted to actually put it on the market, and we said, “You know, we're going to go out on limb. I think our price is the right price.” And sure enough, we had one family come look at the house. That was it. We had no other showings. They bought it, and they said part of it was because it had the solar on there. They bought it for the price we wanted, minus just a little bit of a concession. I think the panels just really increased the value.

When you were initially deciding to go solar, was it mainly for financial reasons or did you have environmental concerns, too?

For me, it’s more environmental than financial. I feel a social responsibility. Having the financial freedom to invest in things that can help either reduce water consumption or change energy consumption, I'm very pro making those investments. So, again, I feel it's the responsibility of people who can help that they should help.

And I'm amazed at what kind of harvesting of energy you can do with solar. I log into my monitoring app probably four or five times a week, just to kind of see how things are going with our current system. And it's just so amazing to see what it can do.

Also, I think about that family that inherited our solar. They didn't have to pay anything extra for it, right? It's sitting there making money for them because the size of the array for the size of their family, it should benefit them greatly and we leave the world in a little bit of a better place. So, I feel it's our duty to do that.

How did you choose Namaste Solar to be your installer?

For me it was easy. The first time there was a lot more vetting and trying to figure out what company to go with, but I think Namaste Solar was always pretty much at the top of the list. Again, considering your ethics as a company, the reviews, and some recommendations from people that we were asking about their solar experiences. So for me, when I moved here to this house and had the ability to put solar on the roof, there was no question. I didn't investigate any other companies. I didn't go and look to see if someone would be less expensive. It didn't really matter because I knew that I would still get a really quality experience, and so there wasn't even a consideration for anyone else.

Your system was built so that your consumption is 80% solar and 20% utility. How has that measured up?

We'll see. We'll get to the one-year mark and make the final decision. Because you really do need a full year when we're going through air conditioning season and things like that in the summer. But right now it's well above 100%. Significantly above 100%.

How has solar financially impacted you?

I made the choice to just buy the panels outright. No loans or anything again, which is great that we were in the financial position that we could do that. We have gone through a tax season since then and it was a bit of relief on our taxes as well. So, there's that component. In terms of the upfront investment and then from a month-to-month perspective, I think $14 is probably the lowest our utility can go with their standard fees for electricity. In this time of year that's over $100 a month decrease, and I'm sure in the summer it will be even more significant than that as the days get longer.

How was your experiencing getting the tax rebate?

It was very, very straightforward. I am still in a place where I can do my own taxes. And so between the tax tool they used and all of the documentation that Namaste Solar provides during the quoting, and then right after the quoting process, it was really easy to get that done. We did not get a refund. It was a rough tax year here, so I'm actually really glad we did this solar cause it would have been even more painful had we not had that tax credit. I want to say my tax credit was probably in the $8000 range for the size of our array. So, it was a nice benefit to have that.

Do you have anything to add as to why you chose us?

I think in the in the grandest sense of this it’s just the longevity that Namaste Solar has had in the area. There are the latest solar companies that come and go, and you have to worry about what's going to happen to long term needs.

And then again, the whole concept of employee ownership. It's rare to see businesses that are willing to do that. I've always had just phenomenal service from the team at Namaste Solar on both installs. Again, it's around 10 years difference from the first set of installs to now. And so, it's just nice to see you’re so consistent.

I travel so much for business. I wasn't even really here for most of the install, and they took care of everything. They were great about respecting the property and cleaning up and being mindful of the neighbors and all of those things. I don't know if I would trust any company to just do that.

I think there was one hiccup, something with the city and the panels, and Namaste Solar came out and fixed it without me having to be here. And in just a matter of a few days everything was done. Your communication with the city and with Xcel seemed to be handled really well in the background.

What was your experience like getting your HOA to approve your solar project?

It’s so easy. Especially now that there's more protections for homeowners to have less interference, at least in Colorado, from HOA's when it comes to installing solar. So long as you own the property. For me, most of it came down to the comprehensive nature of the digital package that Namaste Solar gave me with the roof pictures and your estimation of where the array would go. I was able to just provide some of the timeline’s scope to the HOA and we filled out the forms related to our design review committees format and then submitted that digital package. They have a process here where if it looks well-presented and it makes sense, they'll approve within 48 hours for solar. My process for HOA approval was so straightforward. It was just getting all the paperwork signed and sent off.

If you were recommending someone explore the benefits of solar in three sentences, what would you say?

If they were really on the fence about solar, I would say to them that if they have any consideration for future needs, this is the best time to invest in solar. It might not always get cheaper, and the financial incentives might not always be there. It's such a great way to give back to the planet effortlessly because you don't have to do anything. It's just the sun that does it all for us.

Recommended Reading:

• Customer Spotlight: Joe McTee
• Customer Spotlight: Chrissy Miresse
• 6 Environmental Benefits of Solar Energy