riverwhite•12d agoMost Upvoted

My neighbor's solar panel comment changed how I see my own roof

Last week my neighbor Tom stopped me while I was taking out trash and said 'I don't care about the planet, I just like that my electric bill dropped from $210 to $40.' He's in his 70s and has never once mentioned climate stuff, but he got panels installed after the August heatwave. It hit different because he's not motivated by the big picture, he's motivated by his wallet and his comfort. I always figured people went solar for environmental reasons, but hearing him talk about the math and the shade from his maple tree made me reconsider how we pitch this stuff. If we want more rooftops covered, maybe we should lead with the savings and the resale value instead of the carbon numbers. Anyone else know a skeptic who converted for money reasons only?

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eric_johnson11d ago

That comment about the electric bill dropping from $210 to $40 really stuck with me. My uncle was the same way, he hated the whole green movement but got panels after his AC died two summers in a row. He told me the payback period was like 6 years with the tax credit, and that sold him more than any talk about emissions. I started telling people the numbers first now, like what the monthly payment is versus what they save, and it gets way more people interested than talking about the planet.