09 | 05 | 25
Marion and Tom worked with SunBug Solar in 2019 to install solar and battery storage at their home in the Berkshires, where they live with their dog Tilly (pictured above, loving her solar home). When ReVision Energy acquired SunBug in 2023, they joined the ReVision Energy community, and ReVision’s service team helped them sort out a minor battery issue. We sat down with Marion recently to learn more about her solar journey.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What motivated you to go solar?
Marion: The main factor that motivated us to install a solar array was the desire for clean, renewable energy. The other factors include lowered electricity bills, grid resilience, and the amazing juxtaposition of 21st century energy technology in our 19th century house (which wasn’t even wired for electric until the late 1950s).
Are you noticing any financial benefits from your array?
Marion: There are many financial benefits from our solar installation. When we installed, we made sure our array exceeded our energy needs. At the same time, we also installed battery storage as our primary back-up (we do have a gas generator as a back-up back-up, but we haven’t needed that once since our solar was installed). A few years after our installation, we purchased our first Electric Vehicle, and then two years ago we installed heat-pumps.
With our solar and battery storage system we produce so much excess energy that we only pay National Grid bills two or three months a year. All our other electric bills (nine or ten months each year) are zero dollars. The bonus is during the summer when we receive a few hundred dollars every month from National Grid — all while exclusively charging our car at home and using heat pumps as air conditioning (and as a heat source during the shoulder seasons).
While we haven’t done an in-depth analysis on energy savings since our system was activated, a back-of-the-envelope calculation: the system (including an additional array and battery storage) has paid for itself in about six years.
What was your experience like working with SunBug / ReVision Energy?
Marion: We had a very positive experience working with ReVision (formerly known as SunBug Solar). Our designer, Ned, was communicative and kind. The installers were professional and prompt. Sunbug helped us deal with the State of Massachusetts and National Grid to activate our array and to make sure we’re part of the statewide Connected Solutions program. Even with small concerns about our system which arose years after the installation, ReVision has been responsive and helpful.
Do you have a favorite spot in Western MA that you like to visit?
Marion: I loved our local bookstore in Great Barrington, The Bookloft, but it just closed this past year (boo!). But I love going to *my* local (Mill River) library. The librarian Deb O’Brien is a true hero, making everyone feel welcome, providing a safe space for those who need it, offering book recommendations for anyone who asks, and organizing fun programming that engages the whole town from babies to oldies.
What would you say about renewable energy to future generations?
Dear Future People,
Tom and I tried to mitigate our energy footprints as best we could. When we lived in an apartment in NYC we had no say about our energy choices, but even before we moved permanently to the Berkshires, we knew we wanted to do whatever we could to help with clean energy efforts; even if our neighbors either couldn’t or wouldn’t. We wanted to tread as lightly as possible on our little property and felt that any clean-energy choice was better than none. With our decision to install a solar array and batteries, then to purchase an EV over an ICE car, and finally to get heat pumps to help with cooling in the summer, we did what we thought was right for us and right for the planet. Hopefully you all have figured out how to get your whole neighborhood onto clean energy. It’s been great for us.
Interested in solar, storage, or heat pumps for your own home? Get a free estimate.