It’s no secret that the cost of groceries has gone through the roof and Tim Taylor is going to the roof for savings! Tim said,” We did a major remodel in 2015 that reduced our energy load by 40% but over the years with inflation all that savings has gone away.”
The Taylors are constantly looking for ways to save on operating cost that just keep going up. They applied and received a Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) Grant. This Program is a point-based program designed to assist smaller communities that lack sufficient fiscal capacity. This essentially allows the Taylors to get a rebate on the taxes they paid over the past 3 years to pay for the system.
This grant allows them to install the 320 solar panels on the roof of the store all pitched at a 10% angle to the south to collect the maximum amount of sun. When done the roof will be covered with the panels that are held on with 750 cement blocks that are evenly distributed across the roof. Before the work began everything had to be engineered to be sure the weight load on the roof was sufficient.
Tim said they started the application process in February 2022 and after filling out many forms got word they were approved for the grant in June 2023. After many delays and working through the government paperwork, the work was finally scheduled to start in July. But the work didn’t actually get started until last week when the contractor arrived and started the installation.
When complete the system should offer the Taylors a 30% savings on their electric bill. This is a direct-use solar system meaning there are no batteries for storage and the energy produced is used right away. The system is designed to sell any excess energy produced back to OG&E but Tim said they expect to use everything produced.
