Installing rooftop solar at your home or business can be a great way to save money on your electricity bills while also lowering your carbon footprint. Solar power is considered a renewable and clean source of energy because it doesn’t produce any harmful emissions and it only requires sunlight.
Unfortunately, there have been some dishonest companies recently pushing solar power contracts onto people that don’t actually save them money. Some important principles you should consider before signing any contracts for solar:
- The State of Texas does not require electric utilities to pay you for excess electricity generated by your solar array (called net-metering). Most solar arrays will produce excess electricity so understanding how this impacts your utility bill is critical in knowing if you are actually saving money.
- Always get multiple bids for installing a solar array at your home or business. Prices can vary widely between solar installers and you should always consider the cost per watt when evaluating a bid.
- It is relatively expensive to install a solar array and will usually take ten or more years to pay for itself in electricity bill savings so only invest in solar if you plan to stay in your house for a long time.
Solar United Neighbors is a nonprofit with some great resources about going solar and they are supporting two programs available here in Waco, the Solar for All grant program and the Switch Together group purchasing program.
Led by a coalition of local government offices and nonprofit organizations, Texas Solar for All is a grant funded program with the goal to bring solar energy to low-income households in Texas and reduce families’ energy burden and electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions. In Waco, we have funding to provide free solar arrays on approximately 150 income-qualified homes. By the requirements of the grant, these solar arrays must save homeowners at least 20% on their electricity bills.
The income threshold for this program is 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). This is the threshold for a number of City of Waco Housing programs. View the chart based on family size. The City of Waco is offering workshops on a regular basis to learn more about this program.
For more information about the program you can contact (254) 750-5656.
The City of Waco is pleased to share a new opportunity available through the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors called Switch Together, a group buying program for solar installations. Residents who participate are expected to save an average of $6,565 on a typical-sized solar installation. The federal tax credit can reduce costs by an additional 30%. Here’s how the program works:
- Register: sign up for free at SwitchTogether.com/Solar/Waco. Note: You will not receive any sales calls, nor will your information be shared with third parties.
- Auction: A select group of vetted installers compete in a bidding process. The most competitive bids for high-quality installations determine the final group discount.
- Personal recommendation: Upon registering, you will receive a personal recommendation based on your registration details. This offer will include your estimated costs, savings, and expected electricity generation.
- You decide: You have until the stated deadline to decide if you want to accept the offer. There is no obligation to accept.
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Installation: If you accept, the winning installer will contact you for a site survey and set an installation date.