Green Building Supply Achieves 100 percent solar power

Green Building Supply, a Fairfield-based business specializing in eco-friendly building materials, has flipped the switch to become 100 percent solar powered.

To celebrate, Green Building Supply is having a Solar Party from 7-9 p.m. Friday during Fairfield First Friday.

'We will be serving delicious treats and hot fresh cider and will be showing a video of our solar installation,” said Aaron Hirshberg, chief operating officer of Green Building Supply. 'We have a small solar array in our showroom for demonstration purposes as well.”

Those who come early will get a free T-shirt.

Green Building Supply is among a handful of local businesses who have committed to going completely solar - and the only one to research and install the entire system using their own in-house building experts.

According to Hirshberg, 'We're thrilled to be producing 100 percent of our own energy. Sustainability is one of our founding principles. It is at the heart of everything we do. We're also a trusted resource for customers from all over the country for advice on the best products and approaches when it comes to creating a beautiful, healthy home. We decided to install the system ourselves, so we could learn from the experience and guide others interested in solar solutions of their own.”

The company's solar array consists of 159 panels which total 44.98 kilowatts, generating 56 megawatts of clean energy every year at a savings of more than $8,000 annually.

In 2014, Green Building Supply installed a 24 kW system which produced 60 percent of its energy. After four years of having the system up and running, the company had zero problems with equipment and energy production matched estimates by 99 percent.

'We were happy with the results, but we knew we could do even more” explained Hirshberg. 'That's when we set our sights on how we could achieve 100 percent. A lot has changed over the past four years; solar panels produce more energy and cost almost half as much. With improvements in racking design, we were able to add an additional 71 panels to our roof and reach our goal of being completely powered by the sun.”

Additional benefits of the new solar system include:

' Protection against rising energy costs; guaranteed rate for 30-plus years;

' Offsets over a million pounds of coal;

' Equivalent to 49 acres of U.S. forest;

' Supports the nation's economy with solar panels made in the USA.

'Using renewable clean energy is the right thing to do for our planet, ourselves, and our future generations,” said Hirshberg. 'Our goal is to test and use sustainable solutions so we can expand into new offerings that support our customers in doing the same.”