We’ve got a new Humans of Uprise story for you today! Meet Kevin and Jennie Hollister, who obtained a 12.4 kilowatt system from Uprise for their Ward 6 home earlier this year. For Kevin and Jennie, solar was a long time coming — and when they moved to Washington, DC, they finally had an opportunity to make it happen.
Solar Dreams In The ‘70s
Jennie grew up in western Maryland, in Cumberland, and Kevin grew up in upstate New York, in Ithaca. They met in the ‘70s at Cornell University, and after college, moved back down to this area for a few years. In 1979 they moved up to Massachusetts, and ended up staying for about 40 years. They raised their two daughters in Acton, a Boston suburb.
While there, they heard about a passive solar home two towns over in Carlisle. Passive solar homes utilize climate, building materials, and house orientation to drastically reduce energy use and then make up the remainder with solar. The Hollisters were fascinated, but their Acton home wasn’t oriented properly, was surrounded by several tall trees, and the cost would have been too prohibitive.
“We’ve always had [solar] in the back of our heads,” Jennie says. “We saw the oil embargo back in the ‘70s. We saw the Earth heating up.”
“There is ample evidence to suggest we need to do something faster than we’re doing,” Kevin says.
“And we couldn’t put windmills up there [on the roof],” Jennie says.
So solar remained nothing but a dream — until the couple moved down to Washington, DC three years ago, to be closer to one of their daughters (who put solar on her home five blocks away as soon as she moved in!). The roof of their Capitol Hill home, which was built in 1891, faces due south, the ideal direction for solar panels. When they met an Uprise solar canvasser at a farmer’s market, they set the process in motion to finally go solar after all those years.
“So that’s our story and we’re sticking to it,” Jennie says.
“As soon as we started, man, we were flying,” Kevin says. “The permitting process usually takes about four or six weeks or something. And ours took, I think it was either one or two days. It was very, very fast.”
Roofing Services from Uprise
Before our team installed the solar panels, however, the Hollisters needed a new roof coating. They’d done an assessment with another roofer, but then Uprise connected them with TJ Bobbitt, our Director of Roofing. “He was a very, very cool guy,” Kevin says. “And the price was a lot less, so we said, sure, let’s do it.”
They couldn’t have been happier with the work TJ did — and the white coating not only helps keep their roof secure, but is ideal for solar. “It’s very reflective,” Kevin says. “And the reason that’s great is because the Hyperion panels we got absorb from the backside. It is as much as 15% additional solar gain using those panels. So everything has worked out perfectly.”
Jennie adds, “No leaks.”
TJ even helped their neighbors out while he was there (a story we shared in our roofing blog post!). The neighbors’ roof had a dangling piece of material they were concerned about, worrying it might cause damage if it fell. Another roofer had estimated it would cost $500 to fix. The Hollisters told TJ about the neighbors’ dilemma, and TJ went over to check it out, and realized a screw would easily solve the issue.
“He just went over and that was the end of that,” Jennie says.
“I saw him 10 minutes later,” Kevin says, “and he said, ‘Yeah, I did it.’ So he was cool.”
And the neighbors got to avoid paying $500.
Overcoming Obstacles For A Smooth Solar Installation
Every solar install comes with its fair share of challenges; few projects are straightforward and easy. The Uprise team has experience in making it happen, regardless of the obstacles. The Hollisters’ home is in a historic district, which meant the team had to go to extra lengths to avoid the front of the home when connecting wires from the panels on the roof to the main service panel inside the home. Luckily, the couple had recently remodeled their basement, which they operate as an Airbnb, and had boxed in a pipe. Uprise’s electrician figured out how to run the wires through the box, and they fit perfectly.
Plus, it was tricky for the team to get on the Hollisters’ roof. There isn’t a good place to set up a ladder in either the front or the back of the home. So the couple’s neighbors gave us permission to set up the ladder in their garden.
“The guys from Uprise were very cognizant,” Kevin says. “I said, ‘Don’t step on the plants,’ and they didn’t. They cleaned up after. It was great. And it took one day to put all the panels up.”
They saw the difference in their Pepco bill right away once their 31 panels started operating. Kevin says their bill was about $19.01, “which is the connection fees and taxes or whatever they are. We only have two months in the books, but that’s wonderful.”
And they’ve enjoyed checking out the panels’ production on their app. “The app is really cool,” Kevin says. “I love that.”
Jennie adds, “Oh yeah, he’s a nerd.”
“So it’s been a great experience,” Kevin says. “During the process of trying to figure out how to do the installation, I was on the phone with Leandro a number of times and I was in email contact with Chris and other people and everyone was absolutely helpful, no problem, just everything positive. All the way through.”
“It was absolutely great,” Jennie says. “And we don’t even know it’s there. It’s just doing its job.”
DC Highlight: So Much To Do — For Free!
Since moving down to the city, Jennie and Kevin have enjoyed attending events at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, which usually last about an hour and are free. The day we spoke, they were attending a concert put on by the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, and had recently heard of an upcoming public health forum they were interested in as well.
“We love to walk around,” Kevin says. “We joined the Library of Congress, it’s a ten-minute walk. Museums are obviously right there.”
“We’re so happy down here,” Jennie says. “And we have good neighbors.”
“DC is friendly because people are not here very long and they make the most of their time here,” Kevin says.
We Can Make Your Solar Dreams Happen Too!
If you’ve been thinking you want to do something for the environment, or save money — or both! — Uprise can help you make it happen. We have experience installing solar on all sorts of homes around the DMV, and we offer multiple financing options, including our no-cost option, to help make clean energy a reality for you.
If you’d like to do some research first, Uprise’s blog is a great place to start! Kevin gave the blog a shoutout in our interview. When we spoke, Director of Marketing Bobby Monacella had recently posted an article about electric vehicles paired with solar installations, a topic which particularly piqued Kevin’s interest. “I read the whole thing. And I always do,” he says. “[Bobby’s newsletters] are great. They are the best thing.” You can sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the blog home page!
And if you’ve enjoyed this Humans of Uprise story, we have several others for you to check out on our Humans of Uprise page.
As always, we’re happy to answer any questions. Reach out online or call us at (202) 280-2285 to get started.