Meet Larry and Joanna. In 1999 they moved from a very urban part of Connecticut to one of the state’s most rural areas and began to build their new log home. We spent an afternoon with them and asked them about their experiences with solar energy and electrical contractor Bob Beaudoin.

INTERVIEWER: Larry and Joanna, what were the compelling reasons for your decision to go with solar power?

LARRY: Well, first of all, we chose to have Bob install solar panels because our log home is about 1500 feet from the road. To bring power from the power company this distance would have cost us anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000. That’s a considerable investment for which there was no return. So the decision to go with solar panels and a battery back-up was an easy one to make.

Second, change is inevitable. We anticipate higher prices, increased taxes and intermittent reliability problems from the local electric company. Deregulation of the electric industry has caused us concern too. By choosing solar we were no longer subject to these uncertainties.

JOANNA: We also were excited about knowing we could help reduce the pollution in our environment. By going solar, we knew we no longer contributed to the burning of fossil fuels that are needed to generate electricity from power plants or add to the need for nuclear power plants.

INTERVIEWER: Sounds like you folks really did your homework. What about the independence factor? Did that play a part in your decision?

JOANNA: Oh yes! No storms, or squirrels, or accidents can interrupt the supply of electricity to our home. No waiting for crews to restore power after an ice storm. It’s comforting to know we no longer need contingency plans for these kinds of situations.

And no more electric bills ! It’s exciting to look out the window and know that the power we use in our home is from the sun. When we turn on our computer, wash our laundry, use our lights (LARRY: or my power tools and compressor), we are not going to get a bill for using these things. It’s free electricity.