Client Success Story
Name: Chris Hislop
Location: Cross Rd., Strafford, NH
GoSolar NE: Tell us a bit about how you “got in” to solar?
Hislop: At the time I was a new home owner and I had, within eight months, received two notices from my power company alerting me that electric rates were going to increase. A felt a little uneasy about this, and as if I didn’t have an option. So I did a little research and started to take a huge interest in solar power and the potential to completely eliminate that electricity bill. I like being in control, and solar seemed as if it could offer me just that.
GoSolar NE: What was your initial inclination to start looking in to it as a solution to your energy needs?
Hislop: Well, as mentioned, it had to do with rising utility costs and my desire to, for all intents and purposes, get rid of uncertainty of invariable electric rates and take matters into my own “hands.”
GoSolar NE: What ultimately led you to decide, “Yes, I’m doing this”?
Hislop: I sat down with four solar companies and learned a lot more about the process and the added benefits to going solar that I had only briefly encountered in my own research. The goal was to eliminate the bills, but when I learned of the other incentives that came along with a solar install at this point in time, it became clear to me that it was basically a no-brainer.
GoSolar NE: How did GoSolar NE help you in this process?
Hislop: I met with Scot Johnson who came out to my house, assessed my property, and answered every question I had. I think he even fielded questions from my four-year-old son without even batting an eye. He made my family feel important – as if we were his lone customer. I think that’s important. Not rushing to get to the next client meeting. People can be turned off by that. Scot was very personable and professional.
GoSolar NE: How did you learn of GoSolar? How/when did you get in contact?
Hislop: When I decided to start navigating the solar terrain I did a quick Google search to bring up companies in my area. They were right down the street, so they were one of the four companies I set my initial “discovery” meetings with.
GoSolar NE: Did they answer any questions you had? Did they give you information that you didn’t already have that helped aide you in your decision?
Hislop: Oh, yeah. As mentioned, Scot was very thorough and courteous. He informed me about a lot of the time-sensitive state benefits that were in play such as the New Hampshire mandated net metering cap as well as state and federal clean energy rebate incentives that I was unfamiliar with.
GoSolar NE: Tell us about your project. What did you decide to go with (how big of an array, etc.)?
Hislop: Well, I started off by considering the 14 panel solar array that Scot had drawn up for me given my utility bill history. After “sleeping on it,” I upgraded to a 22 panel array to offset the addition of a mini-split system in hopes that I could not only wipe out my electric bill, but my oil (heating) bill as well. That’s what I wound up going with – a 22 solar panel roof mounted array.
GoSolar NE: When did the process to install your solar array start?
Hislop: July 20-something.
GoSolar NE: When did it end?
Hislop: Six hours later.
GoSolar NE: How was the process from start to finish?
Hislop: Seamless. Painless. Very impressive. The entire team at GoSolar is a well-oiled machine.
GoSolar NE: What was your experience like in dealing with the staff of GoSolar?
Hislop: Everyone that I came in contact with – from Scot on the sales level, to Erik who designed the blueprints for the solar array, to Jake and Brian, the owners, to the installation team – were a real pleasure to deal with. Super knowledgable, super friendly, and they treat you like an extended part of their own family.
GoSolar NE: Have you experienced any sort of financial benefits due to the acquisition of your solar array? (Also, what was your average monthly electric bill amount prior to implementing solar technology?)
Hislop: My average monthly bill (electric and oil combined) prior to the acquisition was around $200. As of right now, I’m still paying on the loan, so I’m not financially “free” yet, but the monthly loan payment is equal to what I was paying before, so I’m not losing anything more, that’s for sure (and I don’t have to deal with increasing electric rates. I love the net metering benefit to. Basically, the energy that I store that goes unused results in a quarterly check from the utility company that uses it as part of their product stream.
GoSolar NE: Any other benefits that may not fall into the “financial” end of things? What’s life like with solar?
Hislop: Well, the fun of checking out the app on my phone on a daily basis could be seen as a benefit… I have a much more intimate understanding of the suns path, and can be seen in my lawn yelling at the clouds… It’s fun (laughs). Also, the snow falls right off my roof. It doesn’t really stick to the panels all the much. So that’s cool. Less “shoveling” is a huge added bonus.
GoSolar NE: Would you recommend GoSolar to anybody else thinking about solar energy?
Hislop: No question. In fact, I have. The offer a referral bonus if they earn a new customer based on your reference. I’m proud to have cashed in on this perk (laughs).
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