By the time Lorraine Davis signed the check, she had spent nearly a year reading solar panel proposals. It wasn’t just the numbers she was studying, though there were plenty of those. It was the whole idea. That something as ordinary as a rooftop could become a source of power. That the sun, rising and setting each day might quietly fuel a future she could feel proud of in the future.
Lorraine lives at Sunnyside, and her decision to install a full solar array, complete with a ten-kilowatt-hour battery backup, felt a little revolutionary.
So far, she’s the only resident to do it on campus.
This isn’t her first act of independence, and it likely won’t be her last. Lorraine grew up in Falls Church, just outside Washington, D.C., and spent nearly twenty years in Luray with her husband Doug. She worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation as an appraisal review analyst and knew every twist and turn of eminent domain law across the state. She was used to digging into the details and asking the right questions.
When Doug passed away in early 2025, Lorraine found herself alone in the cottage home at Sunnyside they had chosen together. But she’s not the type to sit still. She started thinking more seriously about energy.
A conversation with Josh Lyons, president and CEO of Sunnyside Communities, lit the first spark. He had been looking into solar as a possible option for powering the newly renovated Atrium building on the Sunnyside campus, and it got Lorraine wondering: what if solar made sense for just one residence?
Turns out, it did.
She reached out to Tiger Solar, a Charlottesville-based company with solid reviews and a long track record. She studied net metering, reviewed proposals, and sorted through the dense tax code tied to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Her system includes fifteen solar panels and a backup battery that powers a dedicated electrical panel during outages. It’s not a whole-house setup, but it covers what matters — the refrigerator, lights, internet, a ceiling fan, the microwave, and the blower on her propane furnace. “It’s not glamorous,” Lorraine said. “It’s practical. It gives me peace of mind.”
The total cost was about thirty-eight thousand dollars. Without the battery, the system should pay for itself in about nine years. With the battery included, the timeline stretches to sixteen. Lorraine knows the battery is only warranted for 15 years. But that wasn’t the point. “I didn’t want a generator,” she said. “My set-up would be complicated, and I don’t want to rely on gas.”
Her solar setup is connected to Dominion Energy through net metering, which means any extra electricity she produces gets sent back to the grid and applied as a credit on her bill. For the past two months, her electric bill has been only the $8.98 distribution charge. She smiles when she says it.
She also made a strategic choice when selecting her net metering anniversary date with Dominion. Because credits expire every twelve months, it made sense to start the cycle in early spring — right before the high-production summer months. “If you don’t time it right,” she said, “you’re just giving energy away.”
Sunnyside was on board from the start. They replaced her roof before the install, asked thoughtful questions, and supported the process. When Lorraine eventually moves, the solar system will stay behind and become part of the home. A small but lasting gift for whoever comes next.
Lorraine’s interest in sustainability runs deep. She recycles, gardens with native plants, avoids waste, and pays attention to what’s in her cleaning products. She remembers her grandfather always turning off the lights behind her as a kid. “It drove me crazy at the time,” she said. “But he had it right.”
When asked what she’d tell other residents who are curious about solar, her answer was simple: “Call a good installer. Let them look at your roof. Get the facts. Then decide if it feels right for you.”
There’s no speech or grand philosophy in her words. Just quiet conviction. A belief that small, thoughtful actions matter.
And so, on a quiet street tucked among trees and trimmed lawns, a solar story is quietly unfolding. It doesn’t call attention to itself. It doesn’t need to. It hums along on the roof of Lorraine Davis’s home, where the future arrived one panel at a time.
