About

About Jerry Lenhart

As an Arizona native, born and raised in Scottsdale, Jerry got his first taste of solar power as a child. Back in the mid to late ’70s, his mother worked in the Engineering Department at Arizona State University with a team developing solar power. Jerry was very proud and intrigued by his mother’s work and frequently wrote papers about solar energy. He even took solar panels to school to share with his classmates. He’s surprised the solar energy alternative took so long to catch on, but is excited that it finally has!

For much of his adult life, over 25 years, Jerry has been a realtor in the Valley of the Sun. He was a member of the Phoenix Board of Realtors for years and even though he’s shifted his focus to solar energy, he still maintains his realtor’s license to keep abreast of developments in the housing market.

As a realtor, he watched as more and more people began to focus on the “green” or environmentally friendly aspects of the homes they were buying.  He has a profound understanding of what increases a home’s value — especially during tough economic times. According to Jerry, solar power is one of the most efficient and effective ways to increase a home’s resale value, particularly since today’s solar panels and systems comes with 25 year warranties. Thanks to his early fascination with solar energy, shifting over to sharing the advantages of solar power with home buyers was an easy and exciting move for him.

Because Jerry has grown up in Arizona, he’s also seen a climate shift in the valley. As a child, his family didn’t have air conditioning — they didn’t need it. Today the valley has more greenery — and is using lots more water to keep it green — producing higher humidity levels. The swamp coolers of Jerry youth are no longer as effective, which means greater dependence on air conditioning. In addition, urban development with its miles and miles of concrete and asphalt have produced a heat island, so the Valley of the Sun is much warmer than Jerry remembers. Both these changes to climate makes solar an attractive and budget-friendly alternative to other energy sources, particularly as global warming becomes more of a reality.

In his personal life, Jerry is equally green. He drives a Prius — one of the first hybrid fuel efficient vehicles. But he doesn’t stop there! Wear it out and use it up, is his motto. He’ll even go so far as to request that waiters not add straws to his drinks in restaurants. He says, “Just think how much plastic, energy and landfill space we’d save if we didn’t use all those straws.”

Jerry is proud to be an active member in several community organizations. He belongs to…

• Phoenix Green Chamber of Commerce
• Local First Arizona
• North Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce
• AZ Power Networking