Linda Robinson and her husband, Jim, recently became the first homeowners in Sun City Huntley to have solar panels installed on their roof.
“We got the idea a few months ago when our daughter, Nicole, who lives with her husband in Crystal Lake, said they were getting solar panels on their home,” Linda said. “Our son-in-law is an engineer and one of the smartest people I know, so that increased our motivation to follow suit.”
The Robinsons were excited to try it for themselves.
“We feel we are the perfect ‘newbies’ for solar since Jim worked at the Environmental Protection Agency for 34 years. I’m a retired nurse who, like Florence Nightingale, just wants to help others. The concern for the future of our country’s aging power grid and the fact that we could save money motivated us. Solar power is a cleaner source of energy that I think is good for the environment.”
The Robinsons contacted Sunrun, the same solar company that installed solar panels on their daughter and son-in-law’s home. Rather than purchase the system, they opted to lease it.
“Sunrun covers the insurance, maintenance, and service,” Robinson said.
Before solar panels are put in, the solar company looks at how much the homeowner typically spends on electricity, the home’s location, the roof’s condition, and how much sun the roof receives. Since the Robinson’s roof was 18 years old, they had to replace it before the solar panels were installed.
The Robinsons also had to fill out an application with Sun City Huntley Homeowners Association and get signatures of approval from their immediate neighbors.
“Each neighbor not only signed but gave us encouragement,” Robinson said. “One said that in the future, solar panels would be so common that no one would blink or look twice.”
It took three months for the HOA to approve the application.
“Since we were the first ones, they had to write up a policy,” Robinson said. “We waited for what seemed a long time, but in actuality, the committee just wanted to ‘get it right’ not only for our application but for all the future ones.”
The solar panels were installed on the Robinson home in late June of this year.
“They were installed in one day,” Linda said. “There was a crew of about five men. Jim counted nine solar panels on the east side and 22 panels on the west side. We are not yet hooked up to ComEd, so we don’t know at this time what our energy savings will be like.”
Lionel Mott and his wife, Judy, were the first homeowners to get solar installation in the Village of Hampshire. Since Hampshire did not have ordinances for solar power, village officials had to write up all the commercial and residential codes and regulations before the installation could take place.
“My permit was the first one presented and accepted in the village,” Mott said. “My power turn on was in March, 2019. Since that time, another Hampshire resident had a system installed in his family’s home and is awaiting final inspection to turn on their power. There are three more solar systems in Hampshire awaiting permit approval so they can proceed to installation. There are several other residents completing their enrollment sign up at this time.”
“I was so impressed with the solar company and products that I became an employee of the company in 2018,” Mott added. “Our company’s name is Solterrasun. We are affiliated and use solar contractors such as Sunrun, Vivint, and others as well to provide the best solar system options for the end user.”
Mott said the company is averaging an installation of around 150 units per month in northern Illinois.
“It’s a very fast growing commodity in Illinois,” Mott noted. “I believe Illinois is leading the pace of solar growth across the whole country.”
Mott said the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard program, also referred to as “Illinois Shines,” has created a budget of more than $200 million annually to assist people to go to a clean, renewable energy source such as wind, hydro and solar power. This includes commercial, industrial, and residential users. By the year 2025, Illinois utility providers are expected to have 25 percent of their existing customers on renewable energy.
