Grandma, ice storms, big trees and electric vehicles all played into the Bonville family’s decision to install solar panels and battery storage at their three-generation home in south Salem, Oregon.
When Cynthia and Charles Bonville and their four children combined households with Cynthia’s mother, Dixie Duehn, they were already convinced solar was a good idea. But they also wanted the peace of mind that comes with home battery backup.
“Our highest priority was helping mom age in place comfortably while surrounded by family,” Cynthia said.
Why the family chose solar and battery storage
Both Dixie and the Bonvilles had installed solar on their previous homes and loved how it saved money on their electric bills—so much so that Charles started a new career in the solar industry.
At that time, Dixie was living alone in Tangent when a severe ice storm left her without electricity and unable to leave her home.
“My elderly mother was without power for about a week with no heat, no lights and she couldn’t open the garage door,” Cynthia said.
Together, those experiences convinced the family to add solar + storage to their new home. (Learn how home solar battery storage works.) Over three years, they installed a 27-kilowatt solar array and a 54-kilowatt-hour battery storage system sized to support their seven-person, multigenerational household.
As Portland General Electric customers, Dixie and the Bonvilles were eligible for Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives for solar + storage, which helped reduce installation costs. They also enrolled in a PGE Smart Battery Pilot to earn bill credits that saved more money.
The choice of which solar contractor to use was easy since Charles works for Earthlight Technologies, an Energy Trust trade ally.
In addition to keeping utility bills low and predictable, their solar + storage setup provides the security of home battery backup power.
“The bottom line is we now have energy resilience during power outages,” Cynthia said.
During a power outage, the battery system can keep the home safe and comfortable—powering lights, refrigerating food and medicine, heating water, and keeping essential equipment such as their heat pump, CPAP machine and electric lift chair operating.
Seamless backup power, 46 times and counting
Although their neighborhood experiences frequent outages due to nearby trees, the Bonville home remains powered. Since 2022, their battery system has recorded 46 power outages, ranging from a few seconds to seven hours. Each time there’s an outage, the battery storage instantly takes over in less than a second, keeping the household running as usual while an app on their phones alerts the family to the disruption on the grid. The solar panels recharge the batteries daily, and the family doesn’t have to worry about refueling a generator or paying for maintenance.
“The app gives us a continuously-updated estimate of how much backup time we have left, so if an outage might last more than 12 hours, we can decide which household loads we want to prioritize,” Cynthia said.
How solar + storage lowers EV charging costs
Another good reason for solar + storage? The family owns several electric vehicles. Charging their cars is more affordable since they are able to generate and store their own carbon-free “fuel.”
They saved even more money by signing up for the PGE Time of Day plan that charges lower rates during off-peak hours.
“We immediately were saving $30 a month on Time of Day just because we charged our EVs at night,” Cynthia said. Participating in the PGE Smart Charging program also provided ongoing bill credits.
Energy-efficiency upgrades increase savings and resilience
The Bonvilles installed many other home energy improvements, including heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and smart thermostats, to reduce fossil fuel use, shrink energy bills and enhance comfort. Improving their home’s energy efficiency also increased its resilience by reducing overall energy demand, allowing their solar + storage system to power essential needs for longer during outages. Energy Trust cash incentives helped lower the cost of upgrades.
The family estimates that through solar, energy-efficiency upgrades and PGE programs, they are saving about $8,000 on energy costs annually. Plus, they’re not buying gasoline for transportation.
The value of energy resilience
Before she passed away earlier this year, Dixie was able to spend her final years in a comfortable, resilient home in the company of her loved ones.
For Cynthia and Charles, solar + storage and the other home energy upgrades made sense as they created this home with Dixie and continue to make sense for the future.
“We are increasingly reliant on electricity to do our jobs, to take care of ourselves and the other people in our house, so it’s a comfort that we can be independently powered by our solar arrays,” Cynthia said. “If a major Cascadia earthquake happens, as long as the house remains sound, we’ll be okay for a while. And it’s not just for our household—we may need to be a resource for our neighbors as well.”
One thing the family has learned is that energy resilience looks different in every season. In winter, it means keeping the heat on through ice storms and power outages. In summer, it means staying cool during heat waves. Year-round, it means protecting food and medications, maintaining access to hot water, powering essential devices and staying connected for work, school and daily life.
For the Bonvilles, that’s the value of solar + storage: Confidence that their home will have the power the family needs, not just during an emergency, but season after season.
“Every season brings different energy needs, but the peace of mind stays the same,” Cynthia said. “We don’t think about resilience as something we’ll need someday. It’s something we rely on year-round.”
Is solar with battery storage right for your home? Request a free solar + storage analysis and bid.