Shaker residents talk about the benefits of sun power.

By Michael Peters

Solar panels on slate roof

There are two common misconceptions about solar in Shaker: The City doesn’t allow it, and, even if it did, you can’t put solar panels on slate roofs. The mayor, City Council, the City’s Sustainability Committee, and a growing number of homeowners would beg to differ. In fact, all of these – along with Cuyahoga County’s Office of Sustainability, nonprofit advocates such as Solar United Neighbors, and a growing Shaker Facebook group – strongly encourage Shaker home and small business owners to see if solar works for them.

The Sustainability Committee’s Renewable Energy Subcommittee, headed by resident Norman Robbins, coordinates these efforts. The subcommittee, which meets monthly, identifies resources for homeowners and small businesses to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity, either by generating it on their rooftops or choosing a 100 percent renewable electricity supplier.

The subcommittee gets word out through individual conversations, particularly at block parties (when they are permitted again), the Sustainability page on the City’s website, and the City’s social media platforms. It also provides homeowners with free solar feasibility assessments, and works with the Economic Development Department doing outreach to small businesses.

Chris Kerr

Renewable Energy Subcommittee member Christopher Kerr with his home solar panel installation. Photo by Angelo Merendino

To expand its audience, Renewable Energy Subcommittee member Christopher Kerr recently started a Facebook group, Solar in Shaker, for residents who have questions about the process and its benefits, just as he did. His house is solar, and his story addresses many of the questions homeowners often have: Will it save me money? How long will it take? Will it work on my roof? What permissions do I need?

Kerr began by researching solar on the internet. Then he reached out to several solar installers, who told him his house was not a good candidate. Digging deeper, Kerr realized that they were looking at outdated online maps that showed trees that were no longer there. After a friend addressed that problem with a drone company, Kerr’s next challenge was to understand what his savings were going to be and what
the timing was.

Most important: Would the City allow it? He found that there is no prohibition against solar panels in Shaker Heights, either on the roof
or on the front of the house facing the street, which was done recently for a house on Shaker Boulevard.

“We were ready to go forward with a company we liked,” says Kerr, “but they couldn’t deal with the slate.”

He found another installer, a Cleveland company called YellowLite, which has a person on staff who works exclusively with slate. As do all professional installers, they took care of the permitting and submissions to the City’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR).

And Kerr emphasizes that installing solar is best done as part of an overall plan to reduce energy use. This includes insulation and air sealing, which will lower costs as well as the number of solar panels you need – which lowers the cost even more.

Ready for the Next 100 Years

Steve and Beth Billings combined solar panels with an array of other energy-saving strategies to make their 100-year-old house the most energy efficient it’s ever been.

“We’d like to leave this house better than we found it and more compatible with where the world is going with renewable energy,” Beth says.

Solar panels are just one way they’ve made their house more sustainable since moving to Shaker in 2007. Their first project was hatched shortly after they opened their first winter heating bill.

“I’d never seen one with four digits,” says Beth. “We were horrified because the house wasn’t even that warm.” So they had insulation installed in the attic, fixed some existing storm windows and added others. They later added radiant heat in the kitchen and a heat pump system. Electric heat pumps are a popular option in Shaker Heights homes for air conditioning, but many models can also produce heat.

Beth and Steve Billings

Solar panels are just one of the components of Steve and Beth Billings’ energy-saving strategy. Photo by Jason Miller

While in the winter the Billings’ home relies on its natural gas boiler, Steve explains they use the heat pump as “a secondary source of heat for in between seasons, so we don’t have to turn the boiler on so early.”

These efficiencies have enabled the Billings to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat their home and transition a portion of their heating to electricity. Between their solar panels, which produce about 60 percent of their electricity, and opting in to a 100 percent renewable power supplier, their energy demands – including for their electric car – are renewably produced.

“A big part of the motivation for solar panels was to try to reduce our carbon footprint,” Steve says. “Cutting back on the electric bill was a secondary motivation.”

Andy Hay, vice president of Solar Is Freedom, the Cincinnati-based solar installer that worked on the Billings’ home, also cites the added value that solar brings to the house and the ability to take control of your energy future: The price is locked in for the life of the system.

“Our experience was very positive,” Beth and Steve agree. “The installation was done in three days, and it was all outdoors. There was very little effort on our part or really any inconvenience.”

Going Solar as a Group: Solar Co-ops

Meghan Hays and David Crampton made rooftop solar a reality through membership in a buying group co-op. Photo by Angelo Merendino

But it’s not always easy getting straightforward answers when dealing with a technical topic like solar, even if you’ve been researching it for years. Meghan Hays, the Local History Librarian at Shaker Library, started looking into solar a decade ago when there were state grants available. “But by the time we submitted our application, the grant had expired.” Hays says.

She also came across one of the most common questions with rooftop solar – what if my roof isn’t in the best shape?

“Our roof at the time was 1980s-era asphalt that had been installed on top of slate,” Hays says. “After we replaced the roof we were distracted by other house issues and life and kids. So we didn’t really look into solar seriously again until 2020.”

Hays recalled a session she attended at the Shaker Library in 2019 about the Cuyahoga County Solar Co-op/Solar United Neighbors. “Then in September 2020 I got an email saying that the co-op was looking for new members and I thought, we’re home with more time on our hands because of the pandemic, so I can pursue this again.”

The co-op is a partnership between Cuyahoga County and the non-profit Solar United Neighbors. “It offers a way for homeowners and small businesses to get together in a buying group to get better pricing on installation contracts as well as a reduction in costs on solar panels,” explains

Cuyahoga County Director of Sustainability Mike Foley. “Over a thousand people have attended meetings and we are closing in on 150 homeowners who have installed solar systems on their roofs through the co-op.”

That number includes the Crampton-Hays family. In addition to the savings the co-op brings its members, who join with no obligation, there is peace of mind in knowing that the details will be taken care of by Solar United Neighbors, which has years of experience operating co-ops nationwide. They negotiate the master agreement with whatever installer has been chosen with co-op members’ input; members then sign individual contracts with the installer. The contract includes use of industry standard materials and a warranty. The co-op is also available to small businesses, non-profits, and churches.

The Future of Sustainable Homes

Adding solar to an existing house can be one of the most impactful ways to contribute to environmental sustainability as the Kerrs, Crampton-Hayses, and Billingses have done, but what if you could build a new house? Each year a few new homes are built on private lots throughout the City. How these houses are designed and built is as important as how they will be heated and cooled.

Today, architects and engineers can design all-electric houses that are so efficient that they can produce as much electricity through solar as they consume over the course of the year. This “net zero” concept appealed to residents Robert Brown and Catherine Scallen as they worked with local architect Christopher Maurer on designing a new home they plan to break ground on later this year.

Robert Brown and Catherine Scallen have planned their soon-to-be-built home to be highly efficient, sustainable, and less costly to operate.

Combining super insulated walls, solar panels, and other high performance design elements, the house will be efficient, sustainable, and less costly to operate than the average home.

“Bob and I are old enough to remember the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970), and I think anyone in our generation has an obligation to try to mitigate what’s happened to our planet in whatever ways we can,” says Scallen. “This is one way we can help.”

“It just seemed obvious we were going to do it this way,” says Brown.

Like many other solar homeowners, both Brown and Scallen drive electric cars and are planning to add a Tesla Powerwall battery backup system to the house. This will allow them to produce solar electricity during a power outage, store it in the battery, and be able to not just keep their refrigerator running but, as they age, any medical devices that may be necessary.

While some options were passed over to stay within budget, solar was never one of them. As Brown explains, “It’s an additional cost, but one reason I’ve never tried to do any hard numbers analysis is because, as Catherine says, I just feel like this is something we really ought to do.”

So it’s an unequivocal YES: You can put solar panels on your home or business in Shaker, and there are numerous resources to help you do it. Over time, you will likely save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and join the fast-growing sustainability movement in Shaker Heights.

Michael Peters is the City’s Sustainability Coordinator. Originally published in Shaker Life, Spring 2021.

Related Video

Learn more about why resident Christopher Kerr installed solar on his home in Shaker Heights, plus learn about how residents can charge their electric vehicles and compost.