Public invited to Open House on May 24
Residents of Great Oak Cohousing in Ann Arbor are recognized for building a strong sense of community through shared resources and civic mindedness. With the recent installation of roof-mounted solar panels on nine of 37 condominiums in this close-knit community, homeowners are also demonstrating their commitment to conserving energy and protecting the environment.
“During the past few years, we’ve researched various solar options,” said Elph Morgan, Great Oak resident who was involved in the community’s design and construction more than 10 years ago and helped to spearhead the solar installations. “A friend, who works for the non-profit EcoWorks, introduced us to Srinergy and its President Prasad Gullapalli. Srinergy’s team did an excellent job helping us through the entire process that included design, engineering, and installation.”
Headquartered in Novi, Mich., Srinergy is a full service provider of solar energy solutions with sales, design and engineering capabilities available for residential, commercial and non-profit organizations throughout the United States.
“We worked with each of the homeowners to design and install systems that met their budget and energy savings’ needs,” said Gullapalli. Each condominium has its own meter and inverter box that show how much energy is being saved. Residents also have access to a web login to track real-time energy savings.
Condominium owners at Great Oak selected from a variety of financing options though several elected to take advantage of the Michigan Saves’ Home Energy Loan program that provides affordable financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements.
Depending on the number of solar panels used, Great Oak condominium installations ranged from 10 to 12 thousand dollars per unit. Morgan estimates that each family will experience a utility savings of 50 to 75 dollars each month.