Today we have another installment of our Humans of Uprise series for you! Meet Matt Bevens, who lives in his Ward 6 rowhome with husband Lawrence Arbuthnott and adorable dog Bondi. The couple went solar with Uprise in late 2022, and now benefit from their 17 rooftop solar panels.
From The Obama Administration To Climate Consulting
Matt initially came to DC for college, went away for a political campaign, and then came back and worked in the Obama administration. After earning an MBA abroad in 2018, he was trying to choose where he wanted to live, and decided to return again to DC since all his friends lived in the area. Two months after he moved back, Matt and Lawrence went on their first date. In 2021, they found their rowhome, the first home either had ever owned.
Today, Matt works at a strategic advisory consultancy, working only with companies or nonprofits “that have a solution to climate change or are focused on climate change, or larger companies that want to do something on climate change, something real, not like greenwashing.”
He decided to go solar when the lease was up on his car. “I didn’t want to get another gasoline car,” he says. “That’s the biggest source of emissions from us. I’m done going to gas stations. We’re lucky we have this garage so we could put a charger at the house. Then I started thinking, well, now I’m on the hook to Pepco instead of Exxon. Emissions-wise, I know from my work that’s still a lot better. Because their electricity mix, while relying on fossil fuels, also relies on nuclear and other low emission stuff, but I thought, we need to go solar so we can charge the car off the sun on the roof.”
Rooftop Solar At No Cost With A Local Company
He started researching local solar companies and found Uprise. “I really liked how they were thinking about it and talking to me about it,” Matt says, “and then I got to meet Chris and he’s great and I really like what he’s doing with the company.”
The couple opted to go solar through Uprise’s no-cost program. “Solar cost us nothing. It was just the Uprise crew coming over the course of two days,” Matt says. “We were super excited. I was taking pictures. And putting them on Instagram and saying ‘Today we’re going solar!’ I was probably really annoying. The guys were probably like, ‘What is this guy doing?’ But it was so minimally invasive. I mean, this is the thing with solar, it’s all outside. It’s not like you need to be walking around on your roof while they’re installing it. It’s much less disruptive than any home improvement inside your house. And we’ve had a few of those over the last couple of years, so this was super easy peasy.”
Matt loved going green with a local company. “People should go solar; it’s more important to go solar no matter what,” he says. “But I think you get a level of service that you probably don’t get with the bigger guys. With them it’s probably really variable based on who you’re dealing with. I’m sure a lot of people are great, but with Uprise, I know the owner! He’s a friend now. He’s my neighbor. He lives right over here. And that feels good too.”
How Solar Has Changed The Couple’s Lives
Matt has found solar has transformed the way Lawrence and he consider their electricity use.
“Having both things, solar and the car, have really changed the way both of us think about what’s using energy in the house and when, and how we can maximize our use of the sun versus the grid,” he says. “While the sun’s shining, you might as well plug the car in. And that’s gotten us thinking, let’s run the dishwasher during the day instead of overnight if we can. Hopefully everybody’s gonna go through this. Your whole life, you don’t really think about that at all. But you can take control in ways that save you money and have a positive climate impact.”
In the future, the couple would ultimately like to electrify their home.
“I’d love to cut our gas line. So then the house would be almost completely run off of the sun. And our emissions impact as a household would be really quite minimal,” Matt says. “People think that’s impossible to do, but it’s not. All the technology is there. It’s just a matter of making a plan. It’s either do I replace [appliances] with something that’s going to be efficient and run off of electricity, or am I just going to continue my reliance on fossil fuels? You can save money and you can reduce your emissions impact from your home.”
DC Highlight: Incredible Solar Policy
Although climate impact was a huge motivator for the couple to switch to clean energy, Matt thinks solar in Washington, DC is an excellent investment no matter what your motivation is.
“People don’t need to care about climate to get solar,” he says. “Certainly not. It saves money. Especially in DC. I don’t think people realize how super friendly our solar policy is here. We have some of the best opportunities in the country to save money here. It’s kind of silly if you can and you don’t go solar in DC, in my opinion.”
Matt and Lawrence’s roof isn’t even a perfect candidate for solar — it’s not large, and has some shading from a neighbor to the south. But even so, his panels still generate enough power to largely cover his utility bills. He says even when the couple is running the air conditioning throughout the summer, their Pepco bill is only around $20.
“The economics really work out,” Matt says. “Even if you have a small roof, even if we don’t have as much sun as Arizona, it’s a good deal.”
Go Green In The Best Place For Rooftop Solar In The US
Are you thinking rooftop solar might change your life too? We’d love to help you! Reach out online or call us at (202) 280-2285. And be sure to check out our other Humans of Uprise stories to meet other neighbors going solar near you!