Keith and Heidi Nelson installed solar panels right after Hurricane Florence. Working for Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and PPD, respectively, the Nelsons know the importance of technology and security.
Keith: “We bought our house in 2018 and I was interested in looking into solar and I wanted to stay with a local company so I just did a simple Google search and I found Cape Fear Solar right away.”
CFSS: Why did you want to go solar?
Keith: “I think my biggest motivation was that I felt like I needed to do something–I needed to do my part to help reduce our carbon footprint and do something to help better the environment. You know, I’ve been living in Wilmington for a while; and it’s like we have so many sunny days here. And I was thinking, ‘Man it seems like a waste to just not be harnessing this energy–this free energy, here.’ I had heard all of these things about solar–that it wasn’t very efficient, that it was super expensive–that’s what I had always been told. But, when I started reading about it myself, I found it to not be the case. I used Project Sunroof to run the numbers for my home. And, not only did it make sense environmentally, but financially also–it wouldn’t make sense to not do it. It was going to save us money right away. And, actually, we paid nothing upfront. We signed the paperwork, the system was installed, and the very first month that it was on our roof it saved us $50.”
CFSS: Why did you choose CFSS?
Keith: “I had spoken with a few people who knew people who worked for Cape Fear Solar, and they had really good things to say. And then, also the reviews on Google were just all excellent. Everyone seemed really happy with their experience. And also, staying with a local company was big to me, because any time we can buy something locally and support the town that we love–I think that’s a huge plus.”
CFSS: How was your sales experience?
Keith: “It was right around the time that we replaced our roof, and it was right after [Hurricane] Florence, and there were a lot of, like, really aggressive salespeople coming around trying to sell roofs. And we had a really bad experience with a roofer giving us a quote. You know, that guy was trying to get me to sign for the roof, like, that day-of. I was like, ‘If you think I’m going to drop this amount of money after talking to you for 30 minutes without thinking about it and comparing around, like, you’re crazy!’ And then he did the thing, like, ‘Well, let me–let me talk to my boss. I think I can get you a better deal!’ and then walked outside. I was like…”
Heidi: “–like a car salesman!”
Keith: “I wanted to be like, ‘Don’t even come back.'” *laughs* “We did end up finding a good local roofing company. But, once the roof was done, then we had someone from Cape Fear Solar come out, and it was such a contrast from what we experienced with the roofing company. They came here not–it didn’t feel like a salesperson, it felt like someone who just wanted to teach us about solar and really show us the best option for our house. So, that meant a lot to me right away. I didn’t want to be put into a pushy sales scenario. Being able to trust the people from Cape Fear Solar is so huge. If you’re going to make an investment that big in your home, make sure it’s with someone you can trust. And, my relationship with Cape Fear Solar goes back three years and they’ve shown to be a very trustworthy and good company.”
CFSS: What is your experience post-installation?
Keith: “If I have a question, I know I can reach out and get an answer right away. I’ve referred numerous people to Cape Fear Solar–I think somewhere close to 10 people now. And they’ve all come back to me and said the same thing–that they had a great experience with Cape Fear Solar. So, I really can’t say enough good things about my experience with them. I’ve had zero issues at all, three years in with the solar system, which is great. But, I feel like, if there ever was an issue, I could call Cape Fear Solar and it would be resolved right away.”
CFSS: What is the best way to get started?
Keith: “I always tell people to start out by going to Google and looking at Project Sunroof, where you’re able to pull up your house on a map and enter in all of the details about your energy usage and get a projection that way. That was the first thing I did. So, when I got the quote from Cape Fear Solar, those two things were very consistent, and I found that three years into it, are still very consistent. So, that’s the first thing I tell people to do. And then I tell–I tell people to go to Project Sunroof and then call Cape Fear Solar. I say, ‘Shop around if you want to–you know, you’re making a big investment. But, probably, you’re going to end up with Cape Fear Solar because–for a lot of reasons–I think they’re the best.’ I also warn them to be very cautious about the bigger, like national companies–especially the door-to-door companies. I’ve had a few friends get a quote from someone who was going door-to-door, and they were quoted almost twice of what the market average would be. So, I think a lot of those companies are going around and really gouging people who are not educated. So, it’s super important to use that Project Sunroof, read around, read the reviews that each company has–”
Heidi: “Do the research.”
Keith: “Do the research! Make an informed decision that way.”
