RICHMOND, Va. — A Westover Hills family is seeing the environmental and financial benefits after installing solar panels onto the roof of their home.
Bruce Gould and his wife made the commitment to switch to solar power in January.
The Gould family chose Sigora Solar, which was founded in Waynesboro in 2011 according to the company’s website.
“The sun hits the cells, it makes electricity, and we use that electricity in real time,” Gould described. “If we make more electricity than what we need, it goes back to the grid so our neighbors can use it.”
The family’s Dominion Energy bills are now lower than they’ve ever seen.
For example, in April 2018 the Gould’s paid $100 for electricity. Their bill dropped to $7.98 in April 2019 after installing the panels.
The $7.98 accounts for Dominion Energy’s cost of distribution services and the city’s utility tax. Dominion Energy also offers a credit for electricity collected by the panels that went unused.
“The sun is here, the energy is free, you don’t have to transport it and worry about spills and fires and explosions,” Gould said.