More than 100 solar homes, businesses to open for public tours
More than 100 Illinois home and business owners with solar installations will open their doors to the public Saturday to talk with their neighbors about their experiences with the renewable energy source.
Organized annually over the last 15 years by the Illinois Solar Education Association, a mix of in-person and virtual tours will give people a chance to ask their community members why they went solar, what the setup process was like and what advice they may have.
Nicola Brown, a program associate with the Illinois Solar Education Association, said the number of home and business owners participating has doubled since she joined the association five years ago.
“Solar has gotten so much momentum, both on a social level as well as a legislative level, that's really driven people to be interested,” Brown said. “It's grown a lot. We're really excited about that.”
Brown said fostering peer-to-peer conversations about solar power is the best way to help people learn more about it — largely because your neighbor isn't trying to sell you anything.
“If we partner with the community groups, they can really speak to their neighbors in a way that ISEA is not able to,” Brown said. “One thing that's very important about the solar tour is that it's not an opportunity for businesses to advertise. You can go into a home and learn about it without the sales pressure.”
Jeff Gahris, a Wheaton resident who volunteers as a solar ambassador for the association, has been part of the tour for a few years. He and his wife, Bonnie, had eight 325-watt solar panels installed on their south-facing roof nearly six years ago.
Gahris said the 2.6-kilowatt grid system handles about 75% of the couple's electricity usage, and they've experienced significant savings since installing the panels.
“I think it's part of a lifestyle, if you will, feeling like you're less dependent on ComEd or any utility, and doing something good for the environment,” Gahris said. “That was what drove me, or what inspired me, to do this was simply that I wanted to do something to address climate change and air quality. People can breathe easier. This seemed like the right thing to do.”
Gahris said he participates in the tour to help prospective solar homeowners who have doubts.
“They'd like to just connect with others who had solar installed, and they can ask questions about how it went, how we feel about performance, or just actually see what the equipment looks like so they can imagine it on their home,” he said. “We're just a friendly resource. We're not selling anything, we're not promoting anything other than the fact that we love solar.”
While about 20 of the 131 solar sites on this year's tour are available through video only, the majority will be accepting visitors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can find a site in your area on the Illinois Solar Education Association website at tinyurl.com/ILSolarTour.
A map of all the solar sites statewide can be found at tinyurl.com/ILSolarTourMap.
• Jenny Whidden is a Report For America corps member covering climate change and the environment for the Daily Herald. To help support her work, click here to make a tax-deductible donation.