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URBANDALE, Iowa — Homemakers Furniture, part of Top 100 Berkshire Hathaway’s furniture division, hosted a Flip the Switch event on May 19 to celebrate the activation of its new solar panel system.
“This solar array is important to Homemakers, as it’s a long-term investment in our facility that will pay us back multiple times over,” Jason Merschman, Homemakers’ assistant vice president, said. “It helps us be as sustainable as possible, which is one of our constant goals.”
Homemakers began work on the solar array in the third quarter of 2021.
The solar panels cover more than 250,000 square feet of space and are installed on the upper and lower levels of Homemakers’ 215,000 square foot showroom roof, as well as part of the warehouse roof. It is made of 2,988 bi-facial panels, which will produce approximately 44% of Homemakers’ annual energy needs.
The light reflecting off Homemakers’ white roof maximizes the solar panels’ power potential. These Tier 1-rated panels have also been engineered and tested to withstand harsh weather, including heavy wind, rain and hail. The array is one of the largest private solar arrays in Iowa and was completed by 1 Source Solar from Ankeny, Iowa.
“Homemakers is a strong, stable company that will be at this location for decades to come, and with the solar array on the roof, it will help us make clean, sustainable power for many years,” Merschman said. “This Flip the Switch event is the kickoff of our latest investment into the future of our business.”
