Tiro, Ohio Man Happy He Went Solar
Tiro, Ohio resident Gary Keller is very happy with the installation of his 8.96 kW solar power system. Keller installed twenty-eight Canadian Solar CS6X 320 watt panels to go along with his SMA Sunny Boy string inverter. His panel efficiency is over 16% while his inverter efficiency is 97%.
"I saw one of YellowLite's jobs 7-8 miles away and I stopped and asked the owner about solar panels for 20 minutes," said Keller. "He had a sign in his garage and he showed it to me and it said YellowLite. He gave me YellowLite's number and I called and now I have panels."
His system is forecasted to produce 11,800 kWh of electricity per year. This is enough to offset the burning of nearly 6 tons of coal. Based on a state average of $0.13 per kWh, this would be savings of nearly $1,500 a year.
"My electricity bill last month was $5. AEP's not happy about it. They asked me why we are overproducing. I overproduced by 119 kWh last month alone. I have a welding shop and it costs a lot, about $30 an hour to weld."
Keller contracted with YellowLite in early April of 2016 and his solar panels were installed by the end of May. When asked what the deciding factor was between YellowLite and other solar companies, Keller said it was solar consultant Abe's courteous and responsive nature.
"Our salesman, Abe, was great. The people were excellent, the installers were very knowledgable and knew what they were doing. Next month we are having a solar party. We're telling everyone we know."
Mr. Keller is an avid environmentalist with a cheerful demeanor and a playful spirit. "I got the panels for financial reasons. I'm a tree hugger. Any time I find a dead tree in my yard, I cut it down and I burn it in my catalytic wood burning furnace. I burn seven cords of wood per year. My furnace is 70% efficient and cost me $3,000. It probably saved me $10,000 in propane costs. We recycle everything. I work at a recycling center part-time.
When asked how long he had thought about solar, Mr. Keller said it had been many years. "I wish I would have done this ten years ago. If I like something, I'll tell people. If I don't like something, I'll let you know. I think YellowLite's great."
