Technicians For Sustainability: Tucson Solar System Installers: Solar Hot Water, Rainwater Harvesting, and Solar Electrical Power » Case Studies

Green Valley Residence

Tiernay — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:07:00 +0000

For this homeowner, solar was a no-brainer: “Solar power is the only way to go.” For them, getting solar “was a completely enjoyable experience. All [TFS] personell were professional, polite and pleasant at all times. Work was done quickly and efficiently.” They are especially pleased with their system since it “works beautifully and saves money.”

Oro Valley Residence

Tiernay — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:24:33 +0000

This homeowner chose to install photovoltaic (PV) solar on his roof in order to decrease his oil and fossil fuel consumption. He gave a nice recommendation of TFS: “they cleanly explained the solar system and then, when we decided to go ahead, they were efficient and did a great job.” According to this homeowner, the best part of the solar system is that they are now using power that does not come from oil.

Gascho Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:00:07 +0000

The Gascho family installed photovoltaic solar panels because they simply wanted to use the sun to make their electricity. They think that Tucson should see more solar installations every day. According to them, “Solar power is a big part of the answers to our energy problem!”

Kimball Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:58:37 +0000

The Kimball family chose to install solar on their home because of the great financial savings they would receive and because the solar benefits the home by raising the resale value of the house. The best features of the system are “the money I’m saving and the positive impact on the environment.” Solar isn’t the only way this family is saving the environment; in order to reduce the amount of electricity they use, the family switched from conventional light bulbs to energy saving ones, reducing their impact even further. According to the homeowner, “Solar is a great addition to my home and a wonderful asset to my community.”

Rees Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:58:02 +0000

After seeing many of his friends go solar, this home owner decided to make the switch to solar electricity and was excited to have the chance to put it on his home. He believes “solar is an exciting technology that will continue to grow.” Check out the data monitoring link to see how much electricity the system is producing right now and to see how much the home is using.

North Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:57:27 +0000

“We had been investigating [solar] for several years as a way to reduce our monthly expenses and move toward a smaller footprint on the planet.” The North Family chose to make the jump to solar when they realized the 2011 incentives offered such a great financial return and they found a lease option that worked for them: “the leasing cost makes the system completely affordable.” They are really excited about all the different aspects of their system, but “the most exciting thing for us is watching the meter run backwards. It’s always wonderful knowing that we are generating more than we are consuming.” Since aesthetics were very important to this family, “we are fortunate that the design of our house makes the system all but completely invisible.” The Norths also employ rainwater harvesting on their property which allows them to water their plants by storing rain runnoff from their roof. They are also on track for getting their hot water from the sun, too.

East Tucson Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:56:36 +0000

This homeowner chose to install a photovoltaic (PV) solar system on the roof of her home in order to reduce her environmental impact. Energy effeciency is also important to her, and with her new data monitoring and consumption monitoring, she can easily track her solar system’s production as well as her own electricity usage. Through SunPower system monitoring, she can check on her production remotely and easily via the internet and an app on her phone. For this avid recycler and now solar electricity user, protecting the environment was key. “Solar is a smart thing to do in sunny Arizona.”

Foothills Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:55:17 +0000

This homeowner chose to go solar in order to reap both the financial and environmental benefits. Their favorite part of the new system is the electricity generation and the monitoring capabilities. With the SunPower data monitoring, they can see remotely and easily how much electricity their system is producing in real time and they can also track changes in production from year-to-year and day-to-day. This home also uses solar hot water.

Repp Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:54:48 +0000

The Repps chose to install solar on their roof because of the long term energy and financial savings it would offer them. They were also interested in the sustainability concerns of getting their electricity from coal – now their system saves on average 1,400 lbs of coal from being burned to produce the electricity for their home each month. For this family, the best part of the system is the financial savings on electricity they are getting each month. Now, instead of paying the electricity bill, their monthly savings are going straight into their daughter’s college fund.

Central Tucson Residence

Tiernay — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:46:01 +0000

This family chose to go solar because they “live in Tucson!” Also, the SunPower lease allowed them to install a system with a single up-front payment and no future monthly payments. Their favorite part of the new solar panels is simply “that (TFS) made it happen for us, and we never thought we could (go solar).” The family has long been dedicated to sustainability and in addition to their solar power, they also have a cistern which allows them to harvest rainwater.