Before hearing about SunRun’s Battle of the Bills contest, David Sato had already equipped his home with some of the best ideas in energy conservation: CFL light bulbs, double-pane windows and new insulation. Even with the works in energy efficiency however, he wished he could do more. His electric bills were still skyrocketing to more than $2,000 a month, and unpredictable utility rate hikes posed a constant financial challenge.
SunRun launched the Battle of the Bills in order to find people just like David. We spent a month looking for the home with the highest June electric bill not only to bring them relief, but to highlight just how much some homeowners are paying for energy.
With energy costs building toward a tipping point, the Sato family was already thinking about solar before they heard about the Battle of the Bills. Now that he’s won the grand prize of 20 years of free home solar, David is looking forward to how he can use the savings for good.
“We’re so excited to have SunRun,” said Sato. “Even if we didn’t win the contest we’d switch to SunRun because you can go solar without paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. The fact that this company lets you lock in low rates for clean energy is a huge draw. The first thing we want to do with our savings is invest in more solar!”
When the Sato family moved to California they bought 13 acres with the goal of fostering a self-sufficient lifestyle. “We have big gardens,” said Sato, “we’re building an orchard so we can grow our own produce, and we want to support our needs with renewable energy as much as possible.”
Once he starts harvesting the fruits of his labor, David will help support his local veterans’ shelter with a steady stream of produce. His father used to work at a Kansas veterans’ hospital, and David wants to keep up the family’s tradition of service.
