Faces of Energy, Catherine Neil, Heat Shed

During the 20 years she spent working in film production in New York City, Catherine Neil never thought she'd move to a small town in northern Bucks County, Pennsylvania to run a solar business with her husband.

And yet Neil, who’s the vice president of Heat Shed, a Revere-based solar installation company, did precisely that, and also learned how to love the lifestyle and the business.

In addition to the obvious perk of helping people in a sales territory bounded by Harrisburg in the west, eastern New Jersey in the east, the Poconos in the north, and Chester in the south save money and become more environmentally friendly, Neil professes that her customers are what she loves the most about her job.

"All types of people buy solar -- conservative types who are trying to achieve self-sufficiency, naturalists, seniors on fixed incomes, techies," she says with a laugh.

Life Takes 180 Degree Turn
Heat Shed's wildly varied client base in many ways is as surprising to learn about as Neil's improbable entry into the solar industry.

The Maryland native studied mass communications at the University of Vermont before hightailing it to New York, where she became a film production manager. Neil, who met her husband, Charlie Reichner, on a commercial shoot, says that her previous job was actually great preparation for her work at Heat Shed.

"I had to organize, fill out paperwork, and keep the business together," she explains. Those skills turned out to perfectly complement those of Reichner, who studied horticulture in college and started selling wood stoves out of an old shed on their property (hence the name Heat Shed) in the early 1970s before focusing on solar eight years ago. While he runs the technical side of the business, Neil takes care of logistics like answering emails, planning each week's schedule, sending out new jobs, researching which home shows to attend, and submitting applications for customers' solar rebates.

Bright Future in the Solar Industry
Neil has been especially busy tackling those responsibilities over the past few years. That's because in 2009, Pennsylvania debuted the Sunshine Solar Program, an initiative that devotes $100 million in rebates toward solar electric and solar hot water projects undertaken by homeowners and small businesses. That program, along with incentives at the federal level, led to a big boom in business for Heat Shed.

"We went from 12 jobs on our schedule to 112 in a matter of days," recalls Neil. "The phones were literally off the hook."

Heat Shed, which almost exclusively serves residential clients, starts the installation process by looking at clients' electric bills to determine how many kilowatt hours per year are being consumed; from there, they give clients the option of going partially or entirely solar based both on their personal preference and the size of their roofs.

Not surprisingly, Reichner and Neil's own roof is entirely covered in solar panels. She reports that on most days, those panels generate more energy than is needed to run their home -- and that, in turn, gives them future credits to consume electricity on days when it's not sunny enough to generate enough solar energy.

A Champion for Solar Energy
Neil is proud to report that Heat Shed, which was among the first of the now 360 solar installation companies operating in Pennsylvania, recently completed its 260th installation.

And just as there's no doubt that Pennsylvania -- which now ranks sixth in the nation for solar installations -- is a major player in promoting renewable energy, there's also no doubt that Neil played a big part in helping the state meet this mark. She joined forces with the Mid-Atlantic Solar Energy Industry Association (MSEIA), a solar trade advocacy group representing Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, to help the Sunshine Solar Program pass through the state legislature. Today, she's still lobbying.

"In Pennsylvania, permitting for solar is different in every township," she says. "That, along with regulations, tough inspections, and the fact that the rebate program is almost out of money, can make it difficult to start and complete a project."

While these issues prove to be challenges for Neil, one aspect of her job that isn't as challenging as many would expect is working with her husband of 17 years. "I've heard it said that if you work with your spouse, you can double the time you've been married," she jokes. "It took some time to get used to it, but we're really compatible -- plus, we each run our own sphere of the business."

The most recent decision on which they've collaborated is the one to merge with GeoGenix, a New Jersey-based commercial and residential solar installation company. The move, which allows Heat Shed to continue to use its name in the Pennsylvania market, will boost both companies' profits and increase Heat Shed's staff from nine to 55.

Even more of a sure thing is that Neil, the big city career woman who made a name and a life for herself in the solar industry, and her husband will stay very much involved in the day-to-day operations of the new entity.  

"We'll always be a part of the company," she says with nothing but confidence.

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Amanda Prischak is an Erie-based freelance writer. You can read more of her work here, or send feedback here.

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Photos:
Charlie Reithner and Catherine Neil (kneeling, center) with their Heat Shed team

Neil and Reithner on their property in Bucks County