(lively music) - Hey, everyone, I'm Brad Barron, CEO of Barron Heating AC Electrical Plumbing here in Arkansas on a Solar by Barron install. This is a live HGTV house being built and they are filming right now. (lively music continues) - Working alongside Dave, he's a builder. He's been in the trades for a long time, but solar is new to him. And anytime he has something new, it can be a little intimidating. So he wanted to learn and be a part of every step of the process. Going back months ago, we were able to design the actual system and provide how it goes together. - [Brad] Yep. - Knowing that today was gonna be our shoot day with HG, right? - [Brad] Sort of built to it. - So we tried to put ourselves in a position to come through and just do the pretty stuff, really the stuff that they wanna see on TV. No one really cares about the stuff that's behind-the-scenes in essence of the install. - Are you saying the sexy part of the solar install? - That's right. (both laughing) (record scratching) But we slammed the last panel on, hang the battery and make it look easy. - Yeah, exactly. - Except there was a whole bunch of work before that we had to do to make that last little bit. - [Tim] Just a little bit. I mean, there's cameras, but we're just doing our job. - And I think this was a fantastic opportunity to be able to show how this process works. Being able to spend some time with Dave and Jenny and the family and getting to know them was super awesome. They're just good people, like they practice what they preach. Solar, sustainability is all who they are. That really aligned with what we do at Barron as well. At Solar by Barron, we wanna empower homeowners to be able to achieve clean energy and take the US and move it toward energy independence via clean energy. So if you're ready to go solar, it's as easy as going to SolarbyBarron.com and starting a conversation with this gentleman here, Tim West. We're gonna be able to give you great recommendations on the things that we have seen that have stood the test of time. We want you to achieve your clean energy goals and at Solar by Barron, we'd love to partner with you. (lively music)

- [Jenny] Home is a place you feel safe, that you're surrounded by the people you love and the things we love. - [Dave] We have got so much going on. We've got five kids, a blueberry farm and more animals I think than I can count. It's a mess, but it's a beautiful mess and it's ours. - Having a sustainable home is important for efficiency, for the financial aspect of it, but it's also important for taking good care of this beautiful earth. - And so on this farm, we want to capture all of the natural resources that we can to make it as efficient as possible. I think solar is the apex. I met Brad about a year ago. We did a sustainability series with Daikin, talking about the solar that Barron was putting up on houses in a climate that you would not think solar would be optimal. - When I met Dave on the sustainability series, Dave and I had a conversation about him and Jenny's sustainability goal. What type of clean energy legacy did they want to leave? And he asked, "Would Barron be willing to come down to Arkansas and help them go solar?" They wanted to be able to completely cover their electrical bill. They also wanted to put in a system that ensured they had power in the event of a power outage. I brought in Tim West, a very brilliant designer when it comes to solar. When Dave asked Tim, "What type of system would you put on your house?" Tim said, "Silfab panels and a Franklin battery backup system." And Dave said, "Sounds like we're doing those." - As I jumped into it, I was like, you got this awesome barn that has tons of space to work with, great solar access, south facing, it was perfect. So we came up with a plan to put 52, 430 watt panels with a 15 kilowatt-hour battery. In case of an outage, the things that were most important to them would be backed up, and that's in the home. We took some time, we laid it out. Dave's jumping on the roof with us. - Tim was like, "Hey, we need this, this, this, this, this." And it was like putting a puzzle together. - Everyone's first response when they saw it was like, "These look awesome. These are beautiful." - [Dave] I was just blown away by what I saw and what I experienced. - They've been awesome to work with. - Yeah. They can install solar systems that are more efficient, that are many times made in America. We are literally creating as much energy as we are using. I'm so proud of what we have been able to do and it's all thanks to Barron. (gentle music) - [Brad] At Barron, one of our original mottos when it came to solar was heating and cooling systems powered by the sun. We believe that we are called to be environmental stewards, and that was something that Barron and the Marrs family really aligned with. - [Dave] As parents, the single greatest thing that Jenny and I will hopefully do in our life is raise our children to be good humans, to be good in their community, and to be good stewards of the earth that they live in. Brad and the whole company culture, they promoted like, "Hey, we want to make a more sustainable future for anyone that we come in contact with." But whether that's giving them a heat pump or some random dude from Arkansas calling and saying, "Will you help me?" Anytime we can offer our clients something better, that will help their home be more comfortable, more efficient, cheaper to operate, why would we not do it? We have seen that now that we have installed it. If nothing else, transfer that knowledge and that passion for the environment to your kids and we'll end up with a better world. (gentle music)

(keyboard clacking) - Federal solar tax credits may have ended, but it's not too late to go solar or add battery backup, lower your energy bills, and gain clean, reliable power at home. We know losing incentives makes that step feel harder, so we created our own to help bridge the gap. With the Solar by Barron Clean Energy Rebate, you get an instant 15% rebate on solar and battery backup installations. Combined with net metering, and in some areas, utility rebates for batteries, it is still a great time to make the switch. Solar by Barron is a seven time award-winning, family-owned clean energy company. With over 800 solar and battery installations across the Pacific Northwest, we're trusted to make sustainability simple and affordable. Whether you wanna cut energy costs or stay powered through outages, our team will design the right system for you and your budget. Ready to go solar? Book an appointment with a Solar by Barron design expert. Review your design proposal with your 15% credit already applied and start enjoying cleaner power, lower bills, and energy independence. But don't wait. This rebate's only available for a limited time. Call or book online to connect with a Solar by Barron design expert today. (gentle music)

(country music) - [Dave] Here at this farmhouse, we have got so much going on. We've got five kids, a blueberry farm, construction business. We've got more animals, I think, than I can count. - [Jenny] Never enough. - "Never enough," in Jenny Marrs' opinion. It's a mess, but it's a beautiful mess, and it's ours. (country music continues) (birds chirping) - Right, so what are we doing? - Brad and Tim from Barron. - Yeah? - Remember I worked with them on the sustainability series? - Yes. - So they have graciously agreed to help me figure out solar and battery backup. - Yeah, it's amazing. - Yeah. They are actually right there. Hello, hello, hello. - [Brad] What's going on? - You made it. - We're in Arkansas, baby. - Welcome to Arkansas. - Hi, I'm Brad. - Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. - Tim. We've talked on the phone. - [Tim] We have. - It's nice to finally meet you. I feel like I've been a long lost pen pal with you. What's up, man? - I think we need a hug. - [Jenny] I know, I was like, wow. - We've met before. - I met Brad about a year ago. We did a sustainability series with Daikin. Talking about the solar that Barron was putting up on houses in a climate that you would not think solar would be optimal. After talking with Brad, came home, and I was just blown away by what I saw and what I experienced. And so, as a contractor, the next logical step for me, when I see something that I really love, is to find someone that is doing it and doing it well. - I feel like Dave just likes the idea of solar because he doesn't have to yell at the kids anymore about changing the thermostat. But I will say I am very adamant about turning the light out when you leave a room. So the kids know like that is a big deal, but they don't really know why. Like, we just say, "Turn the light out, it costs money." Where I think this is a chance for us to have conversations about why, you know, not does this just cost money, but it actually is draining resources from our earth. And so now we have this other option. - [Brad] You guys ready for it? - [Dave] We are ready. - We've got solar coming for you. We've designed a battery backup system for you. And we're going to be able to make sure that you guys have your power taken care of. - [Jenny] Awesome. - So you're going to produce all your own electricity. And if your power goes out, I know you guys get storms down here. - Yes. - Wind, all that kind of stuff, we're going to make sure that you're taken care of when the block goes dark. So you're going to be the house everyone's coming to. - All right. - When power goes out. Good to see you again. - Let's get going. - Nice to meet you, Jenny. - Yes, welcome to Arkansas. - Yeah, you got it. - Nice to meet you. - Let's go get after it. - All right. All right. ♪ Arkansas, Arkansas ♪ ♪ You knew I'd sing this song ya, ya ♪ I'm just kidding. (laughs) The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems of a house consume up to 80% of the energy in a home. At Barron, one of our original mottos when it came to solar was heating and cooling systems powered by the sun. We had a vision that if we could take an HVAC system that was incredibly inefficient, and convert it to a really efficient system, and then couple that with solar, we could actually reduce the size of the solar array because the two of those things work hand in hand. And the Marrs family wanted to be able to work with us to do that. I brought in Tim West, one of our awesome solar design experts, to be able to help them put together a design. Tim's a great man, a very brilliant designer, and I couldn't think of anyone better to bring down to Arkansas to help Dave and Jenny go solar. - Welcome to our home. - All right. - Man, what a lovely, awesome spot. - This is incredible. - Jenny, you sit here. - Love this. - By the way, just to let you know, got the alert, good news, the Silfab panels and the Franklin batteries are here. - Sweet. - So I'm going to go check on that and let you talk to Tim. This man's going to take care of you guys. - You're going to leave him with us. - I know, I'm going to leave him with you, but I'm going to go check on that stuff, and I'll be back. - Okay, thanks. - So as we kind of went back and forth, we were kind of talking. Like, you have these massive barn garage shops. - Three times the size of our house. Yes. Thank you for - - Can you just say- - Reminding us. - You have a normal-sized barn? - No. Seeing it overhead like this. - You would've needed like four panels for the house, that's it. - Literally killing me here. - I knew how ridiculous the barn was, but that's going to power not only our house, which we don't need that much, but this barn. - It's going to power the barn. - Really? - Yeah, so the cool thing is we had this big, beautiful, southern-facing section open, right, to work with. Is that- - And we have this big, beautiful barn to work with. - Oh, my gosh. - [Tim] Hey, we got a ton of solar that's going to be awesome for your house. - Yeah. - You don't have to look at it. But the battery and the stuff that is visible actually looks pretty sweet. - It looks real sweet. I want to work in this process. Let's do it. - All right. - All right. Great. Let's do it. - Let's go, let's go. - [Dave] Yee-haw. (country music) - Stepping into this, with our home base being up in the Pacific Northwest, and we're putting together a project that's going to be done in Arkansas. With the technology that we utilize for design, we were able to, over the course of months, put this together. So we came up with a plan to put 52 430-watt panels with a 15-kilowatt-hour battery. In case of an outage, the things that were most important to them would be backed up, and that's in the home. - [Brad] When Dave asked Tim, "What type of system would you put on your house?" Tim said, "Silfab panels and a Franklin battery backup system." And Dave said, "Sounds like we're doing those." - I'm pumped. I'm pumped. I'm ready. - [Brad] Right, Dave, Tim, come on over, guys. - [Dave] Hey. - Dave, I want you to meet Devan with Silfab. - Devan, you must be an all right guy if my dog's sitting next to you. - Hey, we're just getting along well. - We got the panels here. - [Dave] This is it? - They've arrived. - [Devan] This is it. - So I have 52 of these going up on my roof? - [Devan] That you do. - Indeed. - We build these panels up in Washington State. 20 miles from Barron. - [Devan] Yeah, exactly. Right down the street. - We literally have done a tour of the facility and watched these things get made. - Love that. - You're getting the 430 prime model. It's actually one of the highest efficiency panels on the whole market. We have a 30-year warranty. It'll still be operating at over 90%. - When I'm long gone, my kids still be getting something out of these panels. - [Devan] That's true. - Okay, so is it difficult to hook it all up? - I'd say, you know, you want someone that knows what they're doing. - Right. - You wouldn't want to get on the roof and do it yourself. - Dave might. - [Dave] Put the racking and all that. I'm going to. Once we get the racking and all that- - It's pretty much just lay them down, plug them in. - Just have to wire it up? - It's pretty straightforward. - Actually, should we flip the panel? Let's take a look at that. - Yeah, let's have a look at it. - [Dave] Oh, there's literally a plugin. - Literally, you take this, you plug it into the inverter or the micro and- - Male, female. - Hook it up. - I can't even screw that one up. - We call it slapping glass. - Slapping glass. - There we go. - Let's get some racking so we can slap some glass. - Let's go. - Man, I appreciate this. - Absolutely, Dave. Thanks so much. - Appreciate it. - Go have fun up on that roof. - Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. (country music) - [Tim] We've got that bottom row in, and once we were dialed, it just started falling in place. I'm going to get the two end clamps. - Tim was like, "Hey, we need this, this, this, this, this." - Move them down, zip tie up. - [Dave] Man, it was like putting a puzzle together. - Push your panel all the way in. - Good? - Yep. (drill whirring) - [Dave] I'm so proud of what we have been able to do in such a short period of time, and it's all thanks to Barron. How long has Barron been around? - 54 years now. - So Brad is what, fourth generation, third? - Fourth generation involved. Grandpa and great-grandpa got things started back in the '70s. - When my dad called me in the summer of 2016 and said, "Brad, do you want to join the family business?" I asked of him, "Can we look at building a clean energy division within the company?" And since that point, Barron has installed over 600 solar systems all across Northwest Washington. - [Dave] Tim, we're about there. - [Tim] We're almost there, home stretch. (country music) - [Tim] Solar's done. And so we're shifting gears onto our battery. - Yeah. You guys have the biggest, baddest battery on the market. So here we are. Let's go check it out. - [Brandon] All right, let's go. - All right, so I figured here that if we have, you know, a tractor, let's get it as close as we possibly can because Tim was telling me, what's the weight on this guy? - [Brandon] It's 360 pounds. But, if you want, I'm starting these personal training sessions through Franklin and I can help you out, and we can do it together. - Is that a requirement to work at Franklin? Oh, yeah, you have like 24-inch pythons. You're good, let's go, let's go. We ready to get going here? - [Brandon] Let's do it. - We're going to try it. Oh, my gosh. - [Tim] This is the Franklin whole home system, which was an aGate, which is the whole controlling mechanism, with a 15-kilowatt-hour battery. The cool thing is we can add additional batteries to that in the future. And the aGate has flexibility to integrate in a backup generator, a future EV. They have the ability with smart management modules, to be able to control things from a customer-facing app. This is what Franklin does. They are a battery company. They want to be the best in the industry at what they provide. - Okay, so we are hung. - It didn't fall off the wall. - [Dave] I mean, that's always a win, if it doesn't fall off the wall. - Hey, look at that. - It looks sweet. I feel like I got a Lambo sitting on the side of the barn now. (bright music) - So this becomes the main hub for everything. - Okay. - Right? So we're going to pop this open, and we have our power. - Basically I'm seeing just, it looks like a foreign language to me right now. - Right. Basically, we have an input for our solar. We have an input for our battery. But then there's smart circuit module, generator module. These are add-ons that just make this even better. - You've got a certain amount of juice that you get to delegate where it goes. So having like a variable-speed motor, having like fit systems like that, it just helps increase what else I can do. - [Tim] Absolutely. - Okay. - Right. So, options, lots of options. - And the greatest thing about this, it looks so pretty. - [Tim] Awesome. - It looks so nice. Jenny's not going to curse me when she comes out and sees the batteries, so I'm going to run and grab her. - Sounds good. - I'll be right back. I want to show you how excited I am. (Tim laughs) You can thank me for building this big, beautiful barn because now there's tons of roof space that we put 52 solar panels on. And so we're generating electricity that we can then store. And once we cap this guy off, we're sending it back to the grid and cutting that bill down, babe, that's what I do for you. Cutting that bill down. Cutting that bill down. - This was for you. I think there was something about it was a Mother's Day gift. (Jenny laughs) - And next Mother's Day, you're going to have another- - Another battery. - Battery right next door. - All right, you guys carry on. It was awesome. Thank you. - See ya. - Thank you. - [Brad] Solar is actually a lot more accessible than many people think. You can have a conversation that starts really simply, what is your electrical usage in your home? What type of roof do you have? What direction does it face? What are your goals? Are you trying to make sure you cover all of your electrical bill? Do you want to make sure that when the power goes out, you have lights? These type of questions happen in a discovery call. And from there, within a matter of days, we can design a system that's custom tailored to your home. And then, by partnering with local contractors in the areas that homeowners live all across the US, we can help them go green and achieve their clean energy goals. And we're really excited about that vision for the future. Well, Dave and Jenny, we've reached the end of your solar journey at your house. - [Jenny] Yay! - I've got an app that is showing me all the energy and money that I'm saving. - Have you been checking that app? - As a dad, you know, I'm the dad with like, "Did someone turn up the thermostat one degree?" - Oh, it drives me nuts. - And you know what? It's okay. We're getting full sun right now. We're good. - We're allowed, yes. Well, and for me, as a mom, I love knowing that we're doing something that is making our lives better, and it's not hurting our earth for our kids and for their kids and their kids. - On behalf of Tim and I and the Solar by Barron team, just thank you so much for inviting us into your house, your life. - Absolutely. - Yeah. Thank you, guys. Tim, you got to see the chaos around here. - Oh, yeah. - It's not a dull moment. - Not a dull moment. (everyone laughing) (bright music)

(bright music) - Barron had a great chance this week to work with the Marrs family to help them go solar. They wanted to be able to completely cover their electrical bill by combining the power of solar and the power of inverter technology. They also wanted to put in a system that ensured they had power in the event of a power outage. We reached out to Silfab on the solar side and Franklin on the battery side to make sure that they had the best equipment to take care of their family for years to come. - So this is the Silfab Prime. We call it the 430 QD 'cause it's 430 watts. It's made up in Washington State, has a 30-year warranty, and it's one of the highest efficiency panels on the market. We use an N-type technology, which is the solar cell technology, which leads to better degradation rates, so it breaks down slower and higher efficiency, so you get more power from the roof. - You've got solar as one half of the equation and batteries as the other half. What you're seeing behind me is the FranklinWH System. It's a 15 kWh capacity battery. It uses lithium iron phosphate cells and has a 10 kW continuous output. Within the aGate, we have something called our Smart Circuits Module that allows you to remotely manage four loads on your home without having to come out here and switch any breakers. If you have a standalone or portable generator or an EV, you can hook that thing right up. We can work with any inverter that's on the market. We can stack 15 of these. That's a lot of backup power. - When we fired up this system, the Marss family got exactly what they asked for, a solar system that covered all their energy needs and a battery backup system that made sure they had power if power went out.

- Dave, I want you to meet Devan with Silfab. - Devan. - And we got the panels here. They've arrived. - This is it. - We are out here in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Marrs Family Farm, and we are installing 52 of the Silfab Primes. It's 430 watts, has a 30-year warranty, and it's one of the highest efficiency panels on the market. - I told Tim, "Hey, I want whatever you would put on your own house" and here it is. He picked you. - Silfab is the suggestion. I love it. What's neat about Silfab is we've actually been building panels since the eighties. We have a facility in Washington State. - 20 miles from Barron. - Exactly. - We literally have done a tour of the facility and watched these things get made. - And then we're opening up another facility in South Carolina and that facility will also build the individual cell that goes into the panel. And we're gonna be the first in the entire country to be doing that. Being a local manufacturer as well, you get the local support. So if the installer needs help with anything, we're able to respond in a timely manner and help them with whatever they need. - Man, I appreciate you. Thank you - Absolutely, Dave. Thanks so much. - Thanks, man. (pleasant music)

- [Dave] You made it! - [Brad] We're in Arkansas, baby. - [Jenny] Welcome to Arkansas. Hi! - Here we are down at the Marrs Family Farm in Arkansas. We are highlighting this beautiful Franklin installation. - You guys have the biggest, baddest battery on the market, so here we are. Let's go check it out. - All right, let's go. I mean, what do we got in here, Brandon? - This is our aPower 2 battery right here, and we've got our aGate off to the right of me, which is the brains of the system. What's exciting about this project in particular is actually the future. We have so much real estate on this barn right here to add- - Absolutely. - Multiple batteries. - The aGate has flexibility to integrate in a backup generator, a future EV. They have the ability with smart management modules to be able to control things from a customer-facing app. - It looks sweet. (Tim laughs) (Brandon laughs) I feel like I've got a Lambo sitting on the side of the barn now. (Tim and Brandon laugh) - [Tim] This is what Franklin does. They are a battery company. They wanna be the best in the industry at what they provide. - Thanks for being so wonderful on this project. I think it's time for some barbecue. - Absolutely, let's go. (Brandon laughs) (guitar riffs softly)

- Dave and I met back in Washington State when we worked together on the Daikin Sustainability series. We had an opportunity because Daikin saw Barron as not only an HVAC provider doing a lot of Daikin FIT heat pump systems, but also as a solar provider, combining the power of solar and the power of inverter technology. - [Dave] I have switched over to a heat pump. - Yep, you have a Daikin FIT right outside. - Yeah, variable speed motors, and so it reduced my demands for solar. So I'm investing in my home, my asset for my family, for the future. But by getting a better product with a Daikin FIT, I'm spending less money on the total amount of solar I need. - [Brad] HVAC contractors installing Daikin FIT heat pumps have an energy efficient HVAC system. It's all moving us towards a country that is more sustainable. (light music)

- Home is a place that you feel safe, cozy, you're surrounded by the people you love and the things we love. And I think having a sustainable home is important for efficiency, for the financial aspect of it, but it's also important for taking good care of this beautiful Earth and stewarding our resources in the best way we can. - And so on this farm, we want to capture all of the natural resources that we can, whether it's through what we grow, the animals that we raise, or through the practices that we do around our home to make it as efficient as possible, so it kind of blends with the nature that's around you. - We really want our kids to be able to go outside and run around, but we also want to teach them responsibility. And I think putting solar on the house is a chance for us to have conversations about why. Not does this just cost money, but it actually is draining resources from our Earth. And so now we have this other option. When we work with clients, we want their homes to work well for them. - Yeah. - And so we want to provide them with ways to make their home functional and also beautiful. And solar is one of those things where it adds function, but it also does good for the Earth. - Anytime we can offer our clients something better that we ourselves have used that will help their home be more comfortable, more efficient, cheaper to operate, why would we not do it?

- We got the panels here. - This is it. - They've arrived. - This is it. - This with the black? It's sleek. I wanna hear all about 'em. - My name's Devan. I'm from Silfab. We are a North American manufacturer, and we build thousands of these a day. It's actually one of the highest efficiency panels on the whole market. We take all the raw materials, use the robotics plant to build it. Most panels are built overseas. - Yeah. - Like in Asia. We're one of only four or five core manufacturers in the states. - Right. - We employ over a thousand people across the country. And it's important that we have energy independence in the US, and don't rely on- - I think I tried every one. - Yeah. (all laughing) Rely on everyone else. We have a facility in Washington State, which is like their local plant, that they pull panels from. - 20 miles from Barron. - Exactly, right down the street. - And we literally have done a tour of the facility, and watched these things get made. - [Devan] And then we're opening up another facility in South Carolina, so that'll be more local towards you guys, - Yeah. - and that facility, we're also gonna start making the solar cells, which is the individual cell that goes into the panel. - Okay. - And we're gonna be one of the first in the entire country to be doing that. - So you'll cover both coasts, so, - Exactly. - everything in between. - You got it. - I love that. (easy music)

- We're here in Bentonville, Arkansas with Dave and Jenny Marrs, and what you see behind me is the project that we just put onto their home. This is the FranklinWH system. Behind me is the aPower 2 battery, and we have the aGate over there, which is the brains of the system. So in my few days in Arkansas, I can see that storms have run through; solar is not producing all of that time. That's where the batteries kick in. Think of this as a big fuel tank. Imagine you take your car and you bought 25-years worth of gas at the same gas price 25 years ago. You're locking in your energy rates today and you're keeping that for 25 years and beyond. What's great about the Franklin solution is it's not just a really reliable product. The people that have developed this come from a UPS or uninterrupted power supply background, so you have 365 days out of the year. You want your system to work a hundred percent of the time. With Franklin, no matter what we do, we're making sure that this system is up online 365 days out of the year. When you're doing research for an energy storage system like this, it's very important to look at what type of technology is being used on the inside. We source the best material from the battery cells to the smallest little components within our system. This is built to future-proof your life. It's future proofing based on other systems too. We can work with any inverter that's on the market. Let's say you just purchased an EV and you want to be able to use that to charge your home. You can do that if you have a standalone or portable generator. It doesn't matter what brand it is, you just hook it right in. And then we have our Smart Circuits functionality. And so within the aGate, there's something called a Smart Circuit Module, and what that is, is it allows you to remotely manage four loads on your home. So let's say the storm's coming through and you don't want your air conditioning charged because you wanna prioritize another load. You can do that within the app without having to come out here and switch any breakers. So a lot of flexibility with our system. Our solution is helping the Marrs family achieve what they want.