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But in the long run, the entrepreneur figured, it would be more expensive not to.
So Weber is installing a $360,000 solar-energy system that will serve his firm, Kings Quality Foods, and his wife Lucy's business, All Seasons Kitchen.
The companies share a 27,000-square-foot building on Reading Road, near Bowmansville, a mile from the Berks County line.
"Certainly, controlling your electricity costs is one way to control the cost of the product you produce," said Weber.
"That makes you able to compete better in the marketplace."
Weber, whose firm makes potato chips and pretzels that are sold in supermarkets, wasn't always sold on solar.
The self-described "conservative" businessman initially regarded the idea of installing 280 solar panels on the roof of his two-story building as "crazy" and "far out."
But his friend Ken Leaman, president of J.K. Mechanical in Willow Street, which installs solar panels, got him to consider the advantages.
Weber's building could handle a 60-watt system, which would replace 30 percent to 35 percent of the electricity he buys from PPL.
And government incentives would make the investment pay for itself in five or six years.
That got Weber leaning toward going solar, he recalled Monday.
But news of PPL's impending rate hike at year-end — an estimated 30 percent wallop — made the potential solar savings too big to ignore, he said.
"I think I would have done it even if the rate hike wasn't coming. But the rate hike clinched the deal for me. That made it almost a no-brainer," said Weber.
"If somebody thinks this is out of their reach, it's not. It's very doable. It's a good investment," he added. "The money you save adds to the bottom line."
Weber acknowledged that the solar solution, set to become operational Dec. 3, is being made possible by a little luck. His building happens to have a south-facing roof.
"I wouldn't be doing this if the roof faced east and west," he said. "People who are building a building today ought to consider a southern exposure, if they have a choice."
The solar panels are the latest of several energy-saving steps taken by Weber in recent years.
Other measures include replacing lightbulbs with high-efficiency ones, adding insulation around exterior doors, and hanging plastic interior curtain strips near cooler doors.
Weber started his firm as Kings Potato Chips in 1974. After adding pretzels to its line in 1994, it took the name Kings Quality Foods in 1997. Today pretzels account for 65 percent of sales.
All Seasons Kitchens was founded in 1984. It makes deli salads, such as potato salad and macaroni salad, for sale by grocery stores and at farmers markets.
The two businesses employ a combined 33 workers. Weber declined to disclose their sales.
