Customers

When Carol and David Bethel moved into their Coconut Grove home, the first thing they wanted to do was install solar panels. They felt like going solar was one of the best home improvements they could make, for many reasons. "Our interest in solar panels is just part of an overall sustainable living plan that's important to us, especially in South Florida where the weather is great most of the year.

Living in a comfortable home is important.

Alex and Dannit Pierce had outgrown their South Florida home. Enticed by a new friendly neighborhood full of other children for their three to play with, the Pierces relocated to Weston in 2014. Before moving in, the couple renovated and updated the home to suit their tastes. “We changed everything except for the roof,” Dannit said.

The lifespan of Chrystal Abbott’s 1969 roof had come to an end. “It was basically raining inside my house,” she said of her Bakersfield, Cali. home. The initial quote of $27,000 for a new roof was a tough pill to swallow. “We’re middle class,” Chrystal said. “We have a child in college, two high school boys and a middle schooler—we don’t have extra cash just floating around. So for me to garner $27,000 to get a new roof is a very big deal.”

Greg and Joy Miller of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. were once forced to put up plywood and metal shutters whenever the forecast called for a storm. “Climbing up on ladders to my second story windows is not my favorite thing to do,” Greg said. “I had to do all that work whether the storm came or not.” The couple also sleeps easier knowing that their house is harder to break into. “Those old windows were so dirty and scratched up from a dog that lived here before us,” Joy recalled. “Now the windows are clean and beautiful – it improves the look of the house.

California’s five-year drought left many residents with brown, dry lawns due to watering restrictions. While the drought has officially ended, the outlook for California’s water future is uncertain, and wasteful water practices are still largely prohibited. “The next drought could be around the corner,” Gov. Jerry Brown reminds state residents. “Conservation must remain a way of life.”

Each year by the month of June, Paul and Rasha Cameau of Miami Shores are prepared for hurricane season. Fortunately, the couple’s home has avoided major storms in recent years. Back in 2005, however, their roof and windows were damaged by Hurricane Wilma—the most intense cyclone recorded in the western hemisphere until Hurricane Patricia hit in 2015.

When Vince Lago was sworn in as the City of Coral Gables Commissioner four years ago, he had two objectives: to maintain public safety and to promote sustainability.

The commissioner has stayed true to his word.

In 2014, he facilitated the city’s adoption of residential property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing—a program that was only available commercially in the two years prior. Supported unanimously by the City Commission, PACE enhances the city’s participation in the Clean Energy Green Corridor program.

A leaky roof jeopardized the livelihood of Jackson Rip Holmes. The Miami resident owns a small storefront in Coral Gables and leases the commercial property to Massage Envy. When it rained, the massage chain was unable to use one of its rooms and threatened a rent strike unless the worn-out roof was replaced. “This is my only source of income,” Holmes said. “If the tenant went on a strike, I would have defaulted on my mortgages and my business would have collapsed over a $20,000 roof that I didn’t have the money for.”

Carol López-Bethel moved to Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood in 2012 from Washington D.C., trading her urban dwelling for a tropical three-bedroom. She bought a 1950s post-war house that had all of its original pine ceilings still in mint condition.

The Allen family bought their house in Coral Gables in 2012, but they started to worry about their 12 year old roof withstanding another hurricane season. In 2016, with their roof near the end of its life, the Allens knew they couldn’t wait any longer and sought to make repairs. They saw the Ygrene booth at a local event and discovered the benefits of leveraging the equity in their home to finance energy efficiency, wind protection, and renewable energy upgrades. “We felt attracted to the program,” said Nidiana.