Solarize Chelmsford: Go Green and Save Green

I had the great opportunity last Wednesday evening to attend a Solarize Chelmsford meeting at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts (CCA) ("Old Town Hall").  The second in a series aimed at educating town residents about the potential benefits of utilizing solar energy, "Meet Your Installer Night" was focused on introducing the installer that has been selected for the Chelmsford/Carlisle community partnership participating in this round of the Solarize Massachusetts program.

The meeting started with an introduction by Solarize Massachusetts' volunteer "Solar Coach" for Chelmsford, Marc Grant.  Marc briefed the meeting attendees on the overall program, the partnership between Chelmsford and Carlisle, where the project currently stands in terms of project schedule, gave the high points regarding benefits to the homeowner in terms of both purchasing a solar system or leasing a solar system, and listed several resources that are helpful in learning more about residential solar energy and the Solarize Massachusetts program.  More than anything, Grant said the important thing is to get the word out to as many people in the community as possible, as the more people participate in the project, the more people will save on installation costs (or the bigger benefit lease customers will receive).

Next, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's (MassCEC) representative Elizabeth Kennedy gave a presentation on what the Solarize Massachusetts program is all about and how it benefits homeowners (and small commercial entities).  The presentation was intended to be mainly a summary of the Solar 101 program presented last month at the CCA, but it certainly didn't feel "summary-ish" to me; it was a great presentation that went into some of the history and all of the benefits of the Solarize Massachusetts program, and gave concrete examples of the benefits of either an owned or a leased installation.  Some of the key incentives that I noted were:

• 30% federal income tax credit
• 15% state income tax credit (up to $1000)
• Rebates from MassCEC
• Net metering, which is essentially storing "credit" for the solar energy you overproduce (produce more than you use) for times down the road when you use more than you produce (think about producing more than you use during a sunny weekday when you're at work, so you can use the energy later at night when the sun isn't out but you're at home using electricity).  With net metering, when you're producing more than you use, your meter actually spins backwards!
• Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, which are certificates (credits) you earn by generating solar energy, which are bought from you by the utility companies
• Significantly cheaper electricity rates for those who lease an installation
• Low/No money down options on installation
• Significant savings on solar installation through the Solarize Massachusetts program for those who purchase an installation.  For example, the average savings for homeowner at the lowest participation tier is 24%, and at the highest tier is 35%.

Kennedy also explained the highly competitive process involved in selecting an installer for Chelmsford/Carlisle and the key reasons for awarding the contract to Solarflair.

Dan Greenwood, Vice President of SolarFlair, then made a presentation introducing SolarFlair to the community and explaining more details about what Chelmsford and Carlisle residents could expect of and from SolarFlair during the process.  Essentially the process, from a homeowner's standpoint, is contact SolarFlair, ask them to do an assessment, receive a proposal, select options, sign a contract, have solar panels installed and then reap the savings.  OK, I didn't mention the tough one -- hand over a check -- but that can be a significantly smaller check than without this program, or don't hand over a check and enjoy a 30-35% reduction in your electricity bills by allowing an installation to be built on your property and leasing it to the energy provider.  SolarFlair does all the hard work, including doing the assessment, preparing proposals, getting all required permits, scheduling and performing the installation, testing and checkout, connecting to the power grid and doing all the rebate/incentive paperwork for the homeowner.  Greenwood also introduced Dan Barnett, who is the residential sales representative for Chelmsford and Carlisle.

A number of folks in attendance asked various questions about installation options, warranty periods, rebates and credits, renewable energy certificates, how net metering works and payback/return on investment.

The key for Chelmsford and Carlisle residents is the more people that sign up (based on kW installations, not based on buy vs. lease), the cheaper/better it is for all participants.  Based on what I saw at the meeting, I personally think, as do Grant, Kennedy, and Greenwood, that Chelmsford can make it to the highest tier, resulting in the greatest benefit for Chelmsford residents.  The key is volume.

I have personally been intrigued by the possibility of doing solar for a few years now, and that interest has been reawakened a bit every time I get something in the mail from the various companies offering solar installation sales and/or leases.  But with the hectic schedule I've had, I've never made it a priority to sit down and run alternatives myself.  But this program, being a state-sponsored and endorsed program, has done it right by laying it all out for everyone in simple, easy to understand terms and concepts, and by using the concept of mass-buying power to leverage quantity for reduced cost to the homeowner and is offering significant financial incentives.  It's simple, easy and relatively inexpensive (as compared to doing it yourself). 

So if, like me, you've been curious about going solar but haven't had the time or incentive to check it out for yourself, now is definitely the time.  Contracts must be signed by September 30, 2013, to lock in the current incentives.  Though there will likely be a follow-on program, as more people participate in solar, there will be less need for the state and/or industry to offer incentives.  And a bird in hand....

If you would like to sign up for a free solar assessment of your home through this program, go to http://solarflair.com/solarize_mass/solarize_chelmsford.  For more info, contact Marc Grant at Solarize@TownofChelmsford.us, or 978-656-1353, and ask Marc to add you to his weekly (or thereabouts) email list, where he publishes information on the latest and greatest information and events associated with the program, particularly as it relates to Chelmsford.

More information on the Solarize Massachusetts program in Chelmsford/Carlisle is available on the Mass CEC website and Town of Chelmsford website.