Suzy Lawrence of North Carolina is a vibrant, passionate and self-described nature nerd who has wanted to make an impact protecting the environment. After 25 years as an oncology nurse at the University of North Carolina Hospital, Suzy is now a massage therapist and does some natural healing on the side. Suzy has a deep love for our earth, and has become a keen birdwatcher and now licensed with the New Hope Bird Alliance.
Suzy stays active by playing senior women’s basketball, pickleball and kayaking, and volunteering with the Haw River Assembly, teaching kids about water quality and local animals. Suzy believes in the power of individual change, encouraging everyone to “think it forwards and think it backwards” when buying products to lower their environmental impact.
Suzy’s clean energy journey began in the 70s when she first learned about solar passive houses. She initially installed solar PV and a solar hot water system on her home in 2005, and then expanded her solar installation before North Carolina’s state tax credit phase-out started in 2016. Suzy later added a heat pump and geothermal loop system to heat and cool her home. She would love to add home battery storage, but finds it a bit pricey right now.
In her quest to reduce her impact on the environment, Suzy drives a Toyota Rav4 hybrid that she loves. She also makes everyday efforts to conserve energy by maintaining a home temperature of 68 degrees during the day and 65 degrees in the winter and 78/75 degrees during the summer. Being diligent in turning off her lights and paying close attention to overall energy use has seriously reduced her energy bills.
Just do it! Think globally, and act locally to do your part to protect our planet.
Suzy Lawrence
Suzy remains incredibly enthusiastic about solar energy and shares her experiences with ease. She says the installation process was simple and she hasn’t had any major issues and hopes her local substation gets upgraded so more of her neighbors can install solar. So, if you’re thinking about going solar, Suzy says “Just do it! Think globally, and act locally to do your part to protect our planet.”
If you are interested in making your home more efficient checkout our Clean Energy Homes Toolkit below.
Clean Energy Home Toolkit
