David Fero – AZ

Arizona homeowner doubles down on solar

By: Gabe Hutchison

For more than a decade, David Fero has been producing solar energy at his home in Prescott, Arizona. Last year he expanded his capacity, with a goal to meet all of his energy demand through solar.

“I wanted to get to the point where I didn’t have any kind of significant electric bill,” said David. As the owner of an electrified home and two plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), he needed to install more panels to do so. 

David joined Solar United Neighbors’ Prescott Co-op, where he volunteered to sit on the committee that selects the right installer. His prior solar experience helped him review bids and ultimately select Icon Power as the installer for that co-op. In addition to being paired with a vetted installation partner, David and his fellow members received a bulk purchase discount.

Icon Power installed a 6-kilowatt roof-mounted system on David’s home to complement his existing 6.9-kilowatt array. Along with the co-op discount, David secured additional savings through the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) increased to 30% in 2022. The ITC brought the cost of his system down by $7,000. The payoff of the increased capacity was immediate: over the system’s first three months of operation, his electric bills were just $1.50. 

Having experienced the benefits of solar and electrification, David would recommend other interested homeowners pursue it for themselves. “It makes financial sense. You get your payback within a reasonable period of time … and you have a significant part of the [upfront] expenses paid for by your tax credit.” 

In addition to solar’s financial perks, David enjoys the environmental benefit of producing his own renewable power. “It [doesn’t make sense] to burn fossil fuels to generate electricity when you can generate it just by putting something on top of your house,” he said. “If something makes sense, you do it. And solar, to me, makes sense.”