I’m thrilled to say that our solar panels are now officially installed and working.  It has always been a goal of The Left Handed Calligrapher to make this a environmentally friendly business.  Calligraphy is human powered.  Every year, we plant hundreds of trees to offset the consumption from shipping also.  I ride my bicycle around the area when possible. (Not common in a Texas suburb!) We’ve been purchasing solar power from the electric company and I recycle everything that comes through my office. Speaking of shipping, all of my shipping material is recycled to limit the waste of business.  Now, we are finally nearly fully powered by the sun as well!

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The benefits of Solar Power Save money on electric bills, gain energy independence, lower your carbon footprint and hedging against inflation are some reasons to use solar.  After I went through Snowmageddon of 2021 in Dallas, however, we seriously began talking about installing solar. Because power outages in Texas were becoming more common, the grid just felt too fragile.  I experimented with solar when purchasing this power bank to run on for live events and during outages.  I’ve been super happy with the results and wanted to take our solar energy usage further.

The Company I Chose

After years of research, I finally decided on going with one company.  Freedom Solar Power.  Firstly, what I liked about this company is that they are fully integrated.  Freedom Solar is a full-service solar company installing solar panels and backup power systems for homeowners and businesses since 2007. Second, they have the best panel available in the US and offer 25 years bumper to bumper coverage includes power production, product coverage, and service/labor. If any issues arise with your array, Freedom Solar replaces the product on behalf of the manufacturer.

Freedom Solar is available in 5 states: Texas, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia

Additionally, they have installed arrays for Whole Foods, University of Texas, Toyota and many other commercial properties as well.  This gave me some confidence in the company I was picking was not a fly by night operation.

Financials

I know what you are thinking, tell me about the money!  I researched the updated Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaic which offers 30% back as a tax credit. In addition to a 2 year 0% financing program we were able to feel confident about our purchasing power.  We chose to get 30 panels which offers about 80% solar contribution to our energy needs.  I would love to add a battery to our set up, but I think that will come later.

My Favorite Features

Okay, having solar panels are great.  But, what do they do for you if you don’t harness the power the best way possible?  I absolutely love the app that connects to our panels so I can get an current reading on our output.  It helps me make real time decisions about when to do my laundry. Or should I turn the AC up a couple of degrees?  Did we turn off all the lights?  I’ve noticed in the short time we have had the panels we’ve actually decreased our overall usage as well.  So yay for less carbon output.  The app also shows me how each panel is performing.  I’m very excited to see how we progress in this new life of energy conservation!