Ballard & Cowart Homes - Bowersville, Georgia

Lennox Dealers lead the way in the solar revolution

What’s the best way to sell solar? Lead by example! That’s what inspired Bowersville, Georgia, dealers Travis Ballard and Rodney Cowart to install the SunSource® Home Energy System in their homes.

Ballard said he and Cowart installed the innovative solar-powered system for two reasons: First, “to benefit ourselves with the power bill,” and second, “to use as an example for our customers.” Ballard said this enables B & C Mechanical to “speak firsthand about our experience, and gives us the ability to sit down with customers, log into the system’s remote monitoring module and show them how much power the system is actively producing.”

Hands-on experience is key

“When Lennox approached us to sell this equipment,” said Cowart, “we knew we couldn’t sell something like this without some hard data to back it up. If our customers are going to spend this kind of money, we want to show them what they’re going to get out of it.” “Plus,” added Ballard, “we can invite customers out to see the installed system working on our homes.”

Two homes, two unique setups

Both Ballard and Cowart installed the same SunSource Home Energy System. It included 15 SunSource solar panels, a solar-ready XP21 heat pump, UV lights, a Dave Lennox Signature® Collection CBX40UHV variable speed air handler with a MERV 16 filter and an icomfort thermostat. They each replaced one of their existing 12 SEER heat pumps with a high-efficiency Dave Lennox Signature Collection XP21 heat pump—a 3-ton for Ballard and a 4-ton for Cowart.

However, even though the setup is the same and the owners live just five miles apart, Cowart’s home is in a more open area that captures 12 hours of sunshine each day. Ballard’s home is in a more shaded area, but, according to Cowart, “he has a better angle on his roof, so he gets more power than I do, which makes us just about even.”

A new challenge

For Cowart, the installation process went smoothly. With the system up and running in his 2,900-square-foot ranch home, he’s already saving $100 a month on utilities.

The process went equally as smooth in Ballard’s 3,000-square-foot, two-story home, with one exception—setting up the meter with his local utility company. “The meter had to be programmed to accept power going in the opposite direction. At first, I was paying them for the power I was sending back,” said Ballard, who noted that metering solar technology is a new process for utility companies, too. But now that the meter is working correctly, he’s seeing a savings of approximately 400 kw hours, or about $40 a month.*

Worth the investment

To date, both Ballard and Cowart are pleased with the SunSource system. “I would recommend it to anyone,” said Cowart.

And they have: “We have a few homeowners who are really close to purchasing SunSource,” said Ballard. “We’ve given them all the pricing, and I believe they’re busy doing their research. The only hurdle is making the financial commitment up front. But it’s definitely worth the investment.”

*Through June 2011