. home and garden .
GOING GREEN
A Hill Resident Saves Money while Helping the Environment by Catherine Plume
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hat’s the easiest way to save money while helping fight climate change? If you ask Hill resident John Ten Hoeve, the first thing he’ll tell you is to invest in solar energy for your home. Ten Hoeve has lived on the Hill with his family since 2015, and he’s been interested in weather and climate from as far back as he can remember. With degrees in meteorology and environmental engineering, he’s acutely aware of the impact that greenhouse gas emissions are already having on our planet, and he wants to be a part of the solution. Fortunately, DC offers a wealth of opportunities to do just that. As a homeowner, John is a huge fan of rooftop solar. The solar array on his rowhouse generates 75% of the electricity his family consumes, which is impressive given that his roof also houses an air conditioning sysCapitol Hill rowhouse roofs often provide a perfect site for a solar array. Credit: Solar Solution tem and ductwork. Between the electricity savings and Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) that he sells on the SREC market, the payback period for his solar ing to a community solar project that will ray (approximately $10-15k for an average array is only four years while the panels will last about 25 years. Afoffset your electricity bill or purchasing Capitol Hill home after tax credits) and ter that four-year payback period, the array will be generating income green electricity from a verified 3rd party instead, invested that money in the stock for him—through reduced electrical bills and SREC payments. Ten wind or solar electricity supplier that uses market, you would need roughly a 11% anHoeve explains, “If you took the upfront cost of installing a solar arexisting Pepco infrastructure. Ten Hoeve nual rate of return over 10 years to match notes, “I bought 100% wind energy before the money generated from the solar panI purchased a solar array for my home, and els--which is risk free! After running all of I continue to purchase wind energy for the these numbers, I was honestly shocked by 25% of the electricity I don’t generate from how much financial sense it makes to insolar.” Meanwhile, programs such as the stall solar.” District Department of Energy and EnviBut not everyone has thousands of ronment’s (DOEE) Solar for All program dollars to invest in a solar array installahelp low- and middle-income residents— tion. Solar installers offer a variety of finanboth homeowners and renters—save moncial arrangements that allow you to lowey by adopting solar energy. er your down payment and/or sell your But moving to solar power isn’t the SREC credits up-front or to lease panels through a power purchasing agreeonly way to go green. According to Anment (PPA). If all this sounds interesting drew Didden, Financial Advisor at the Nabut hard to fully grasp, DC Solar United tional Capital Financial Group located at Neighborhoods (https://www.solarunitNational Capital Bank, “The number of edneighbors.org/dc/) has a wealth of inforenvironmental, social, governance (ESG) mation to guide you through the process. investment options has increased substanAnd if your roof is shaded or you don’t tially over the last few years while associated management fees for these funds have own your home, you can still power your Composting is a great way to reduce your waste and improve the soil dropped considerably. This makes green home with renewable energy by contributaround your home. Credit: K. Rostkowski
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