When we built our own house, we chose to invest in energy efficient choices whenever we could - we installed geothermal, upgraded windows and doors, and hired someone to insulate with spray foam. All of these upgrades up-front have helped to keep our energy bills relatively low. But over the past year, we began to research and take steps to reduce our power bills even more - by installing solar panels on our property. While some people can make these decisions quickly, Ryan undertook our solar experiment as he undertakes every decision - as a challenge to learn every single thing there is to know, weigh every last option, and take a year to finalize a decision. He's very thorough. (It took the man 9 months to find a minivan. And, dude, there are thousands of minivans for sale at any given moment.) Ryan originally wanted to DIY the solar panels. The Internet told him he could do it, and the Internet is never wrong. And in total fairness to him, he can do anything and built our entire house. But, after finding out more about the rebates and financial incentives, he learned that we had to bring in a professional to get the max incentives - which is what we did. Ryan interviewed 8-10 companies before committing to a installer. Of course he did. And after lots of research and planning, our household has officially gone solar!