August 2023 - Kokosing Solar

Emily Nungesser, Solar Service Coordinator

Emily’s master’s research on food waste and anaerobic digestion was published in a scientific, peer-reviewed journal!
She has been with Kokosing for two years!

Can you tell me about your role at Kokosing?

“My official title is Solar Service Coordinator for Kokosing Solar, so the big picture is that I coordinate our solar technicians’ schedules to assist customers when they need service or maintenance on their solar systems, and then file for potential warranty claims, invoicing, and put together Operations and Maintenance contracts for larger clients.”

How did you get into the solar industry?

“I completed my master’s degree in Athens, Ohio, at OU in Environmental Studies in 2021, and my area of research was renewable energy, specifically biofuels. I knew I wanted to stay in the region if possible because Appalachia is gorgeous and full of potential! I also had a little bit of previous sales experience in Columbus and saw that Third Sun Solar was hiring a sales Consultant for the central Ohio region. And things kind of fell into place from there. A position in Service opened, and I knew I wanted to flex more of my technical skills, so I moved into this more exciting role a little less than a year ago.”

What is interesting about your role?

“I also have my drone license, which you need if you are going to fly a drone for commercial reasons. Kokosing Solar bought a couple of drones recently, and I get to fly them over rooftops to capture pictures and videos. Not just for marketing purposes, but to also create a 3D model of the rooftops so we can more efficiently design solar systems without needing to spend hours measuring rooftops. That has been a blast, getting me out of the office when I can.”

Why is your role important at Kokosing Solar?

“One of our department’s goals is to stress the importance of service after customers sign contracts. While solar systems are designed to be virtually maintenance-free throughout its 30+ years of operation, there may be instances where the homeowner needs a new roof, which means uninstalling the solar system and reinstalling it after the roof has been replaced. Or the customer changed their internet provider or router, and they need assistance in getting their system to communicate with their monitoring platform again. Service after the fact is an extremely important consideration when choosing the right installer to begin with, and I’m happy to say our department is one of the best in Ohio in keeping customers happy long after they sign their contract. And happy customers drive the success of any company!”

What does a typical day look like for your position?

“This is difficult as every day can be very different, I try to get out of the office when I can to either fly the drone or learn in the field alongside our more experienced technicians. But I do answer the phones and emails whenever a customer has a service question, and if we need to dispatch a technician, I coordinate those schedules and log them in our system. If there is a service we charge for, I also create those invoices and file for warranty claims.”

What’s the best thing about working at Kokosing? What stands out about the company?

“The best thing would be the amazing people and the support—I wouldn’t be successful in my role without everyone’s generous help. I’m really just getting started in this industry and trying to soak up everything I can, but there’s a lot to learn and I’m glad I have a great team to guide me through it.”

How would you describe Kokosing’s culture?

“Again, I’ll go back to the previous question and talk about one of Kokosing’s core values which is having concern for the wellbeing of every team member. The atmosphere of being able to voice my concerns when I have them and being heard is so important. Safety is also an important aspect of our culture as well, because you can’t have concern for everyone’s wellbeing if you’re not considering safety, and Kokosing is great about prioritizing the health of our teammates.”

How does Kokosing align with your personal values?

“I am very passionate about being a steward of the Earth, meaning leaving it a better place than when I found it. It was a game changer to have such a large company like Kokosing get into the renewable energy industry—this shows society that environmental responsibility needs to be taken seriously If future generations are to enjoy all the benefits the earth has to offer just like us.”

Installing at the right time for you

Something to think of before going solar is what you will pay upfront for the solar panel system itself. With the decreasing price of solar, a 6-kilowatt system can cost roughly $16,000 without adding tax credits and rebates. If these prices continue to decrease you’re looking at saving about $150 on your system by just putting solar off for another year, as time goes on your savings will increase. On the other hand, the more you delay going solar is another year you miss out on the financial benefits that solar can provide for you. Your savings from switching to solar may outweigh how much you’re saving by waiting.

Increased Electricity

How would you feel about not paying an electric bill each month?

If you go solar, this is possible!

When you wait to go solar, this means paying an electric bill every month, with the cost of electric increasing this puts you in an expensive situation. In the last 10 years, electricity prices have risen over 20%. In 2023, Ohio utilities introduced new rates that will bring monthly costs up by approximately 30% more.

In the typical home, the electricity bill can cost up to $1,400 a year. Say you install a system that covers 100 percent of your electricity, after a year you would have essentially saved $1,400. As time goes on and when prices go up, you’ll save more and more as your system operates. This can be up to 25-35 years! When you think about it, each year you wait to install solar, it’s another year you’re missing out on that savings!

Financial Incentives

Incentives, tax credits and rebates are great and help encourage homeowners to go solar, but there is a downside to them. As solar gets more and more popular, the credit begins to decrease. Right now, the ITC credit is at 30%, it will continue to decrease and eventually ease off all together.

When is the best time to shop for solar?

By waiting to go solar you could be missing out on great opportunity for an easy way to make thousands of dollars from your solar energy system.

Before you decide you want to wait to go solar, check out the incentives that are available to you and figure out if putting off solar is the smartest decision for you.