Available Financing Options Minimize Upfront Costs
The cost of solar power systems on residential rooftops dropped 40% in 2009 due to a global oversupply of solar panels. Very generous state and federal incentives are available to offset about 40% of the gross cost of a system. In addition, some solar installers are generously offering very attractive community discounts when you participate in neighborhood initiatives like East Bay Solar Neighborhoods.
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Solar panels are showing up on more and more of our neighbors’ roofs because the cost of power generated from the sun actually costs less than what most of us pay PG&E. In California, which accounts for over 40% of the installed solar capacity nationally, the number of new residential systems installed during 2009 was 55% greater than the number of new systems in 2008. But many more homeowners don’t understand how to consider solar energy as a home improvement option and as a financial investment. But now there’s help.
East Bay Solar Neighborhoods is a non-profit community resource that can help bring you up to speed on the financial and practical aspects of going solar. Our neighborhood solar workshops and web-based Solar Assistant provide informative environments where you can find solar businesses that operate in your neighborhood, request estimates, review apple-to-apples comparisons of prices and financing options, and talk to other homeowners in an environment where nobody is trying to sell you anything.
Got a few minutes to explore? Start by taking the Solar Tutorial, which provides a rich understanding of what solar is, how it works, and whether your roof can accommodate solar. Tutorial topics can be read serially like a book, or used as a reference guide.
Once you're familiar with the material covered in the tutorial then you may be ready to begin the process of going solar at your house. EBSN's Solar Assistant will guide you through the simple series of information gathering steps needed when considering solar for your roof. The Solar Assistant will show you how to find your historical usage data from the PG&E MyHome web site and help you choose two or three installers that operate in your neighborhood to request competitive bids from for installing a photovoltaic system on your roof. Most importantly, the Solar Assistant will generate side-by-side comparisons of each installer bid, including finance options, allowing you to identify the bid that best matches your unique financial priorities.
The EBSN site is a community resource. If you have any questions, either before or after your solar system is switched on, you can search for answers and pose new questions to neighbors and impartial solar specialists using Over The Fence, EBSN's community discussion forums.
Are you the kind of person that would rather explore these issues as part of a group? Check our events calendar to see if there is a solar tutorial scheduled near you. If you don't find an event nearby, then perhaps you'd like to host an event for your friends and neighbors. The Solar Champion section of the EBSN site can help you organize an event either at a neighborhood meeting place or in your home. We’ll provide a speaker who will give your group of invited guests a practical understanding of rooftop solar along with an introduction to all the great tools on the EBSN web site.
