Elizabeth Orsay and her husband love their home and their community in Crystal River, Florida. In 2021, they added a small solar array to the roof of their home, and over the next 18 months, they generated so much electricity that they produced more power than they were using, zeroing out their utility bills for that time period.

When Hurricane Irma hit the Gulf Coast last summer, their solar array and battery allowed them to keep their power on even when their neighbors’ houses were going dark. Elizabeth was able to invite her neighbors to her home and share her refrigerator and chest freezer with them, allowing her community to keep food and medicine cold even in a power outage in the height of summer heat.

Two other things happened last summer that convinced Elizabeth and her husband to add additional solar. First, the heat in Florida hit all-time highs that surpassed temperatures considered viable for humans. Elizabeth and her family were forced to run their air conditioner harder for longer. Elizabeth’s husband also bought his first electric truck, a Ford F150 Lightning, which he uses to do work around the house and run his power tools.

Between the extreme weather and the new electric vehicle, Elizabeth and her husband decided to look into installing additional solar to their home. They were thrilled to discover that the Inflation Reduction Act would cover 30% of the cost, making their decision easier.

Master electrician Billy May, owner of May Electric Solar, was enlisted to get the necessary permits and move the project forward.

Billy May has seen significant increases for solar system installations due to the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives and as a result, has been able to hire eight to twelve new installers to support the increased demand. Both homeowners and business owners have expressed their gratitude for the Inflation Reduction Act and how it has presented such significant cost savings for renewable energy systems and efficiency features.

Check out how you can go solar with the Inflation Reduction Act at AmericaIsAllIn.com/resources and the U.S. Department of Energy.