Nobody enjoys paying bills, which is one reason a now-retired engineer from Ohio decided to do something about it. 

The scoop

As Solar United Neighbors reported, Richard Coin opted to try something that was new to his small Ohio community in 2005. He chose to power his home using solar energy. 

Many forms of renewable energy have been around for thousands of years. However, homeowners may have been less able to take advantage of energy sources such as solar panels due to limited resources at the time, especially in the early 2000s. 

Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Development's Energy Loan Fund, Coin was able to install a 2.5-kilowatt solar array with backup batteries and 1 kilowatt of wind power at his home. Despite an original price tag of $28,800, the project cost Coin just over $14,000 out of pocket, according to Solar United Neighbors. 

Since 2005, Coin has installed multiple upgrades to his power system using government programs such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit. As a result of these upgrades, Coin now has a 14.5-kilowatt energy system.

How it's helping

The amount of energy that Coin's energy system is able to produce has not only slashed his average electric bill, but many of "those bills are negative," according to Coin. From April to October, his system produces so much energy that the Ohio resident is awarded a credit from his electric company, per the Solar United Neighbors report. 

Net metering is a billing process that enables utility customers who generate their own electricity, like Coin, to be compensated for the electricity they ultimately send back to the grid. This helps offset energy costs when his own usage increases in the winter months. "My bill for 2024 was … $1,000 and that's my entire house [plus] all of our transportation, except for longer trips," Coin added. 

Solar panels can offer significant economic and environmental benefits for any homeowner by utilizing a clean, renewable energy source. They can cut our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce pollution that overheats the planet. You can check out EnergySage's free and easy tools to get quick solar installation estimates and compare quotes. 

Although the use of incentives such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit and those tied to the Inflation Reduction Act can greatly lower the cost of solar panel installation, President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled a desire to toss out money-saving IRA incentives. So it might be best to take advantage of them sooner rather than later. 

What everyone's saying

According to Coin, going solar used to be something that people only read about in the newspaper. Now, however, it's simply a way of life. "In 2005, when I got the funding, a couple [of] newspapers came out, took pictures, wrote articles. That's from 2005. That was when it was unusual to be putting solar panels on your house," Coin said in the Solar United Neighbors report. "Now, thousands of people are doing what was newsworthy in 2005."

What's the biggest factor stopping you from investing in solar panels? The cost 💰 The technology ☀️ I'm a renter 🏢 I'm already invested 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Taking advantage of renewable energy has not only saved Coin money, but it's also influenced those closest to him. "My neighbor across the street — we go out to dinner every week. And just from him seeing how we benefited from these tax savings, he installed some solar panels," Coin noted. "Every month he says how much he has saved and that he's putting that money away."

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