Solarize Portland

Solarize Portland - sunny side up!

When you are considering installing solar panels on your home or business, there are a number of questions you’ll have in mind:  How much will they cost?  How much will they save you?  How easy are they to use?  Can you qualify for rebates or other incentives?

What if there was a go-to company or organization that could answer all those questions and save you significant up-front costs?  There is!

Solarize Portland is a grass-roots organization with the overall goal of promoting solar power in the major metropolitan area of Portland Oregon.

For those of you that live in the Pacific Northwest, you can pull together with your neighbors through a Solarize Portland project in order to reduce solar panel system costs.  Much like One Block Off the Grid, you can work out the details as a group and achieve a bulk-purchasing benefit.

There are a number of easy steps to get you on the path to installing solar panels at a great price:

1.  Join Solarize Portland – its free!

2.  See if there is a project in your community of choice;

3.  If not, coordinate a Solarize Portland project yourself by calling the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at 503-823-7581, or email Lee Rahr for assistance.

Let Solarize Portland help you on the path to install solar panels

Can you believe these possibilities?  Portland Oregon residents can save up to 80% of the costs of solar electric systems through incentive funding from the Energy Trust of Oregon, and State and Federal tax credits.  Truly, there are so many programs to help you defray the cost of switching to renewable energy resources.

O.K., so you are thinking, enough talk.  How does the Solarize Portland program work?

Let’s go through the step-by-step process:

1.  Find a group of people who want to invest in solar electric systems for their homes.

2.  Attend a free workshop offered by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

3.  Work with an Energy Trust approved State “tax credit certified” solar contractor chosen by project coordinators. The contractor will install solar panels for all participants, meaning that participants will likely receive a bulk-purchasing benefit.

4.  Participants get a free solar site-assessment with the contractor.  Find out what size solar panel system you will need, and what you can afford.  Don’t forget to factor in the discounts from incentives and tax credits!

5.  Get together with other participants and talk about your site-assessments.

6.  Now, decide if you will buy, or not!

7.  If you decide, yes, then each of you will sign a contract with the contractor selected by the group.  The contractor coordinates the purchase of equipment and installation.

8.  Now comes the exciting part… installation of the solar panels!  After that is complete, you’ll get an inspection to make sure that everything is A-OK.

9.  Start drawing on free solar power from the sun!  Oh, and don’t forget to submit paperwork to the agencies to get your renewable energy tax credits.

Tags: free solar power, installing solar panels, one block off the grid, reduce solar panel system costs, solar electric systems, solarize portland