Each morning, Wade Watkins checks his solar system\u2019s kilowatt monitor in his dining room to see what his solar is generating. He has had solar on his Baltimore home since August 2017, when a group of NAACP volunteers joined GRID Alternatives staff to install the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incredible, it\u2019s incredible, that\u2019s the only word I can use to describe it. Compared to what my electricity used to be and compared to what it is now.\u201d He is able to see his history of charges on his Baltimore Gas and Electric app on his phone. Before solar, his monthly average electricity charges was $141. Since going solar, his monthly average bill is $56.<\/strong><\/p>\n Two of Wade\u2019s neighbors also went solar with GRID Alternatives around the same time, and sometimes, they\u2019ll compare bills. \u201cTwo months ago, my electricity bill was $18.65,\u201d explains Wade. \u201cI was like \u2018are you kidding me?\u2019 Sometimes I look at it, and I\u2019m in complete disbelief.\u201d <\/p>\n Solar savings can be a source of certainty during uncertain times. <\/strong><\/p>\n With the current pandemic, furloughs, and layoffs, families around the country are having difficulty paying their bills. The Maryland Governor recently declared that no-one\u2019s electricity could be turned off during the pandemic due to nonpayment. \u201cThat made me sad,\u201d explained Wade, \u201cPeople out there are going through some tough times. They have giant electricity bills, and they don\u2019t have the means to pay it off as they could. I wish everybody could have solar, because I know it\u2019s doing me well – it could really help people.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n With his savings, Mr. Watkins recently purchased a brand new dining room set. \u201cI think about [GRID Alternatives] every time I pay my [electricity] bill because I realize how much of an impact it has made,\u201d he explains. And, he never misses an opportunity to tell people about his solar. \u201cWhen people walk by, they\u2019ll look up at my roof and say, \u2018Hey, what are those?\u2019 And I give them a whole spiel about GRID Alternatives, and how much I save.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Solar savings can be a source of certainty during uncertain times. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"audience":[],"content-type":[12],"focus-area":[29],"region":[65],"series":[],"content-author":[],"class_list":["post-6986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","content-type-news","focus-area-clients","region-mid-atlantic"],"acf":{"hero_media_type":"image","hero_media_image":null,"hero_media_url":"","hero_media_poster":null,"hero_video_play":"inline","related_stories":null,"pattern_override":null,"story_callouts":null,"media":null,"featured_blog_post":null,"featured_event":null,"pdf_download":null,"blockquote":null,"author":null,"notice":null,"social_embed":null,"contact_card":null,"meta_details":null,"faq":null,"table":null},"yoast_head":"\n