Shining a Light on Solar in Atlanta: Insights from a Satisfied Morningside Customer

Discover How Solar Transformed One Morningside Home in Atlanta

In this Q&A, we chat with Lauren and Art about their journey to solar energy. From initial doubts to the benefits they’ve enjoyed, they share how switching to solar has transformed their home and lifestyle. Read on to learn how solar power is making a difference in their lives.
Congrats on going solar! As a Morningside Neighbor in Atlanta, tell us a little bit about yourselves.
Our family has lived in Morningside for 25 years, and our three children are now grown and out of the house (Morningside, Inman, Midtown High!). We are both involved in a variety of community organizations across Atlanta.

What inspired you to take your solar journey? Sustainability, relief from high electric bills, etc?

Like lots of people, we have become more focused on sustainability and climate issues over the past decade. Adding solar was something we could easily do in our own homes that would contribute to the broader movement away from reliance on fossil fuels. We have one fully electric vehicle and one hybrid, and we liked the idea of powering them from the sun.

Have you noticed a difference in your energy bills since the installation?

Certainly, yes. Georgia Power makes it quite simple to see the offset in our usage, as well as the credit we get for any excess solar power that we sell back to Georgia Power through the grid. The mobile phone app for the system is actually a lot of fun and easy to use, and it can be like a game sometimes (“How much can we reduce our reliance on the grid today?”). And that focus on usage and its cost has naturally driven behavioral changes in our electricity consumption. We find ourselves more reflexively turning off lights when not in use, tweaking our thermostat schedule, or just asking “Do I really need to run the dishwasher tonight half full?”.

In your opinion, do you think having a solar-powered home will increase the resale value or marketability of your home?

We believe that solar, and all kinds of sustainable energy solutions, will become more widespread and affordable as time goes by. We plan to live in Morningside for many more years, so by the time we’re ready to sell, we expect that highly energy-efficient houses will be the market standard.

Do your friends or neighbors have solar? Do you think you’ve inspired others – especially those in a historic area?

I grew up in historic Druid Hills (Lauren). It was a little nerve-racking to see those panels go up on the front of our house! I had decided, though, that if some big black rectangles prompt people to think about sustainable energy, that’s another way to have an impact. Now that I know how much value they’re giving us, I like their looks just fine.

Anything else you’d like to share with us – an experience or story you might have about solar or your system?

We opted to install 10 MWh of battery backup on our home system. That provides automated backup in a power outage. But it also permits us to capture and store power during the day (when our system is generating more power than we are using) and then use that power at night when it is dark. And remember the app? You can tweak it to optimize the settings if you are nerdy like that. There’s an automatic override based on the weather forecast so it will conserve power in the batteries if a storm is coming (in case of an outage). It’s kind of amazing.

What led you to choose Better Tomorrow Solar to install your system?

We have a friend who works in green energy, and she told us they were the best in the business. Also, competing bidders were very basic salespeople; “just buy it”. Better Tomorrow took the time to make sure we understood the function and the value we’d be getting.

How was your experience working with us? What sets us apart from others in the industry?

The experience was great. Communication was very easy and we understood the process every step of the way. We were also delighted to buy from a local, woman- and family-owned company.

Would you recommend Better Tomorrow Solar to your friends and neighbors? And why?

We truly enjoyed working with Better Tomorrow Solar. All of the workers and contractors were friendly, excited about alternative energy, and very knowledgeable about the products and the process. They also showed up when they said they would!

Call us to learn more about solar energy solutions and how they can work for your home or business. Better Tomorrow Solar 678-532-1000