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Findlay Village Hardware – OH

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Findlay Village Hardware secures savings and stewardship through solar

By: Gabe Hutchison  


Village Hardware & Home Center has been serving its Northwest Ohio community since 1982. In 2024, the family-run operation expanded from its original location in the small village of Leipsic to a second outpost in nearby Findlay, Ohio—a city of 40,000.

Establishing a new location in Findlay will allow the Evers family, who own Village Hardware, to considerably expand their offerings and the number of people they serve. The business’s new 20,000-square-foot facility will run on renewable energy thanks to a 156-kilowatt roof-mounted solar array.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer to install [solar] on a new project,” said Jeff Evers. Jeff oversaw the development of the new facility and accounted for the system in their construction plans. ”The financial aspect of not having an electric bill was a big, big driver of it, but also the marketing.” For a business owner developing a new market, solar was a tool Jeff could use to set the business up for success. It has allowed him to reduce a fixed cost and improve cash flow, while also signifying to a new customer base his intention to be a good steward of their community.

As a rural business, Village Hardware was eligible to receive grant funding for its solar project through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), in addition to the federal commercial investment tax credit of 30 percent. Even though solar fit neatly into their construction plans and community impact goals, these federal incentives were crucial to moving forward with an installation. “It was pretty important in our decision financially. It’s a big chunk [of money] to put this type of solar project in. I don’t know that we could have afforded to do it without the grant process.”

Now that Findlay Village Hardware is up and running, the solar system is performing as they’d hoped. “It takes a lot of energy to heat and cool a big steel building, and our electric bills here have been in the negatives,” said Jeff. As a result of their solar electricity production surpassing their utility electricity consumption, the hardware store is receiving a negative bill credit. The excess production flows outward to meet local demand while winding back their meter.

As Findlay Village Hardware continues to cultivate relationships with the landscapers, contractors, builders, and DIYers in their new community, solar will provide crucial cost reductions and position the family-run business for success in its new chapter.

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