I just received our most-recent electricity bill. It’s zero.

Last September, we installed solar panels onto the back side of our roof. Mrs. T. felt strongly about it, I dragged my feet, but, in the end, went with it. She found a few vendors, we interviewed the one we liked most, and then had a builder vett that company.

Since then, our monthly electricity bills vs. 12 months ago have gone down by 17% to 75%. But, this month, with ample sun and no AC, we’re down 100%. We actually were a net producer of power. Here’s a screenshot of our electric usage for the LTM, with October being the first full month of having solar panels:

Given everything going on with climate change, it certainly makes me feel better. Also, the financial return from the investment is about 7% a year, which isn’t bad for a low-risk investment in this low-yield market environment. You get tax credits, lower your consumption, and are paid for the electricity you produce via what is called a SREC program.

More important is the “feel good” part. The solar company connected our system to an online portal. We can see how much energy we are producing by hour, day, week, etc. They also calculate how much “good” the panels have done for the environment thus far:

If you’re in New England and are interested in an intro to the solar company we used, let me know. They’ve been incredibly thorough and highly professional. Another friend found the same thing.