Margaret Shandling

Margaret Shandling - Highwood, IL

Solar and Green Efforts:

Photovoltaic (PV) System

System Details:

We have a 8.25 kW system with 25 Panasonic PV panels on our house and garage. The inverter is a SE7600H-US SolarEdge inverter with a p400 optimizer mounted beneath each panel. The system was estimated to cover 91% of our usage. It was installed in February of 2020, and over the past year it has covered more than 100% of our usage since we increased our efficiency. We're looking forward to getting an electric vehicle!

What made you go solar?

We saw ads for the solar incentives, so we researched the incentives and looked into solar energy options and realized that going solar made tons of sense for us. Being a young self-employed, environmentally conscious couple who owns a home we plan to stay in forever, it was a no brainer. Getting solar panels and upgrading all of our lightbulbs has significantly decreased our electricity bill, makes us feel like we're part of the climate solution, and has ended all our fights over forgetting to turn lights off.

What tips do you have for others that want to go solar?

Reach out to at least three LOCAL solar installers (there's a lot of out-of-state companies in Illinois right now due to the state incentive) and definitely do your research. You can get a more competitive installation price by shopping around with different installers. Look for a company comprised of construction experts rather than salesmen. They won't have as flashy of a website, but they will make sure your house is taken care of. Also, if you don't have a sunny roof because you have big beautiful trees, please keep the trees! Community solar programs are starting to come about and those would be a great option.

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