Not as many people know that we’ve committed about half our business to helping low and moderate income homeowners with energy efficiency upgrades.

We want as many people as possible to feel safe and comfortable at home with energy bills they can afford. That’s why we partner with almost every program serving income eligible homeowners in the DMV.

This week, we’re sharing the story of Kadir and his family. We found rebates and incentives from a few different sources to cover the entire cost of Kadir’s project.

We installed a new heat pump, heat pump water heater, solar panels, air sealing, insulation, and more – all at no cost to Kadir and his family. Here in the DMV, we’re fortunate to have robust resources to help homeowners save energy.

If you’re curious which resources you can claim or if you know someone who struggles with high energy bills, please give us a call at (888) 586-3343. You can also send us a message anytime.

Energy Assistance: Where It Started

Kadir and his family live in a three bedroom townhouse in Maryland. It was built around 1985 and has about 1,800 square feet of living space. For a townhouse that size, Kadir’s energy bills were relatively high. The bills took a bite out of the family budget every month.

Annual Energy Bills Totaling About $2,750

Digging in, we found that their electric baseload accounted for most of their energy consumption, followed by space heating, cooling, and water heating. The “baseload” included the cost to operate space heaters that supplemented the aging heat pump in the home.

Breakdown of Energy Consumption by Category

Maryland Energy Assistance: The Project

Home Energy Audit

We first partnered with emPOWER Maryland to cover the cost of Kadir’s home energy audit. 

When we do a home energy audit, we run a series of diagnostic tests to find out exactly where a homeowner is using and losing energy. The result is a prioritized list of recommendations, complete with costs, savings, rebates.

Based on the results of our tests, we recommended that Kadir start by sealing up air leaks and adding insulation. We also recommended that he swap out his older heat pump and water heater – both of which were nearing the end of their expected lifespans.

Kadir’s Energy Efficiency Priorities

By including each of the priorities in Kadir’s project scope, we were able to reduce his family’s energy bills by about 30%. Here’s what that looks like.

Kadir’s Cost Savings and Percent Energy Savings

Air Sealing and Insulation

With the combination of air sealing and insulation, we made Kadir’s house about 21% tighter.

Our goal is to make the home the home tight enough that Kadir and his family don’t notice drafts and cold spots, but not so tight that they experience issues with indoor air quality, such as the growth of mold and mildew.

Attic Insulation Before the Project

Attic Insulation After the Project

Heating and Cooling

We replaced the 25-year old heat pump with a brand new Goodman heat pump, which reduced Kadir’s heating bills by about 38% and his cooling bills by about 48%.

Heat Pump Before the Project

Heat Pump After the Project

Water Heater

The AO Smith Heat Pump Water Heater that we installed saves about $443 every year (a 74% reduction) compared to the existing electric tank water heater, which was installed around 2010.

Water Heater Before the Project

Water Heater After the Project

Indoor Air Quality

To ensure that Kadir’s house gets enough ventilation, we replaced the older existing bathroom fans with top-of-the-line ENERGY STAR bathroom fans.

We also found that Kadir’s dryer vent was not properly vented to the outside. When we arrived, the vent was pumping warm, moist air into the attic, which caused mold to start growing on the underside of the roof.

We fixed the vent to make sure that it sent the warm, moist air outdoors, rather than the attic, preventing any additional issues with mold or mildew in the attic.

Energy Assistance Programs: The Bottom Line

What was Kadir’s experience?

“EDGE Energy helped me navigate the process. Every person was very helpful. If I had any questions, they explained it. They were very punctual, arriving when they said they would. It was a very smooth experience.” -Kadir

There are so many programs and agencies with resources to help income eligible households with both solar and energy efficiency upgrades. There are so many, in fact, that it’s sometimes tough to know where to start.

Start here: Give us a call at (888) 586-3343, or send us a message.

We’ll help you navigate the programs, and since we do almost all of the work ourselves, you’ll have one point of contact for your entire project. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of a safe, comfortable, and efficient home.

• Who are the best solar companies in Maryland?
• What Maryland solar incentives and tax credits can I claim?
• How much money will I save with solar and battery storage?

In the case study, you’ll find answers to these questions and more. We’re featuring a project that we did for Jennifer F, who hired EDGE Energy to install solar panels and battery storage on her home in Maryland.

Please keep in mind that every home is different.

If you’d like to get a proposal to install solar panels or battery backup for your home, please give us a call at (888) 586-3343, or take a second to fill out our contact form:

Based in Beltsville, Maryland, EDGE Energy has successfully completed more than 2,000 projects since 2006. We stand out as the only ENERGY STAR® Contractor of the Year and Master-certified solar company in Maryland (top 5% nationally). Every project comes with a satisfaction guarantee.

The Right Time with the Right Solar Company

Jennifer cares about her carbon footprint, but she’s a realist.

She didn’t want to install solar panels until it made solid financial sense. She was also concerned about finding the right solar installer because she has a cedar shake roof with lots of bump outs.

The Right Time: Lower Costs, Higher Incentives

“The panels got better, and the battery storage tax credits and solar incentives got better. Solar aligns with our values, and it makes good financial sense because we’re going to be in our house for a while.”

Jennifer thought about installing solar panels for years, but she waited for the cost of the panels to come down and the value of the incentives and tax credits to come up. When the time was right, she started looking for the right installer.

The Right Installer: EDGE Energy

When the time was right, she reached out to eight solar installers.

“We ended up choosing EDGE because of a combination of the cost, quality panels, ability to work on a cedar roof, and the strength of our neighbors recommendation.”

Jennifer first reached out to EDGE Energy because we installed solar panels for her neighbors, who recommended that she get in touch.

“EDGE Energy was responsive and supportive throughout the process. They did the design and went through both PEPCO and the city to get approval.”

The System: Maryland Solar Panels + Battery Storage

Here’s an overview of what we proposed installed on Jennifer’s home.

Solar Panels

23 SunPower A-400 Watt AC Panels With Factory-Integrated Microinverters

Here are a few reasons that the SunPower A-400 Watt AC Panels work well for many homeowners in Maryland:

• Efficient: They have the most powerful cell in home solar, delivering the highest-efficiency module in residential solar.
• Light: They have a factory-integrated microinverter that is 60% lighter than prior SunPower microinverters and is engineered and calibrated by SunPower for SunPower AC modules.
• Integrated: They are part of the SunPower Equinox System, the only fully integrated solution designed, engineered, and warranted by one manufacturer.
• High Performance: They are designed to deliver up to 60% more energy over 25 years in real-world conditions like partial shade and high temperatures.
• Reliable: They have the best reliability and the best warranty in the industry, with a 25-year Combined Power and Product Warranty, including the highest Power Warranty in solar.

Battery Storage

SunPower SunVault Energy Storage System with 13 kWh Capacity

The SunVault energy storage system integrates seamlessly with SunPower solar panels to provide energy, monitoring and intelligence to power your home with or without grid power. Here’s what we like:

• More Charge Cycles: They have advanced battery technology that stores solar energy efficiently and allows more charge cycles than conventional storage systems.
• Seamless: They have a Hub+ device that houses backed-up circuits and controls your solar + storage system for optimal performance and seamless transitions from utility power to battery power.
• Easy Monitoring: They have an LED Panel that gives you up-to-date information about system status, energy use and in-app alerts.
• Peace of Mind: They give you peace of mind during an outage and the freedom to manage your energy as you see fit.

Maryland Solar Incentives and Tax Credits

Here in Maryland, we’re fortunate to have strong cash incentives for rooftop solar systems. The incentives are managed by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). Please visit their website for the latest, including current funding levels, eligibility requirements, and steps to apply.

You can also learn more about the Maryland Energy Storage Income Tax Credit, which is administered by the MEA. Each year, the MEA gets a certain amount for tax credits, which are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The federal tax credit covers 30% of the cost of new solar panels and battery storage systems installed from 2022 to 2032. The credit rate decreases to 26% in 2033 and 22% in 2034.

System Performance and Payback

Net Zero from Day One

Jennifer’s 9.2 kW system produced about 10,400 kWh in the first year, which at the time was 132% of her electricity bills. In other words, she produced 32% more electricity than the electricity she used at home.

Here is an estimate of how much her Maryland solar panels will earn over time:

• 10 Years:  $20,079
• 25 Years:  $52,755
• 40 Years:  $95,473

How is the Battery Storage Performing?

The power has gone out a few times since Jennifer installed her SunVault energy storage system. When that happens, her system fires up automatically to keep the lights on, fridge cold, and furnace running. Her house stays lit up when everyone else on the block goes dark.

Conclusion

We’re proud to help Jennifer zero out her energy bills and keep the lights on when the grid goes down. Her project came with a satisfaction guarantee, which we offer for every solar installation.

If you’d like help with your home, please give us a call at (888) 586-3343, or send us a message anytime.