When Colorado issued the state’s stay-at-home order in early April, Jeff Danelek wondered if his scheduled solar installation with GRID Colorado would be delayed indefinitely.
Jeff, a part-time art teacher with Denver Public Schools, and his wife Carol live in Lakewood, Colorado with their two dogs, Lulu and Charlie. Their bills can get up to $170-$180 a month, especially in the wintertime, and additional employment disruption from the pandemic has put “quite a strain on our budget.”
The Daneleks were already installing energy efficiency upgrades, replacing their old fridge and installing new insulation, to save energy in their home. That’s how Jeff found out about GRID Colorado’s services -- through the local energy assistance office.
After an initial postponement for safety, the GRID Colorado team was able to quickly get Jeff’s installation back on schedule. While implementing additional health and safety precautions and physical distancing, GRID Colorado’s 3-person residential installation crew completed the installation of the 2.5-kilowatt solar system in early May.
We were “really relieved when they got back in touch and said they were ready to do it again,” Jeff told us over the phone last month. Solar installations are considered an essential business so we’ve been able to continue making solar’s benefits to our clients accessible through these difficult times. Learn more about how GRID installs solar safely.
“I’m expecting that this will reduce our bill pretty substantially. We don’t have AC so don’t have much electrical use in the summertime,” said Jeff. Not only will the Danelek’s expect to save nearly $10,000 on their utility bills over the lifetime of their solar system, but it will also prevent over 100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions or the equivalent of planting more than 2,400 trees.
Jeff told us he’s “always been a big fan of alternative energy and conservation.” He added, “we can’t rely on fossil fuel power grids much longer. I’ve always been innovative and like new technology.”
Asked if he’d recommend solar to his friends Jeff replied, “I would tell my friends to look into it! I like the idea that you can reduce your bill, or even to get a bill credit, and help use clean energy. If I had the resources, I would like to get an electric car.”