You’ve been thinking about installing solar panels at your house. It’s a great idea! You will save money on your power bills and reduce your environmental footprint. Being such a new and unique industry, it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. Olympia Community Solar has created a program to streamline the process and provide competitive installation rates. Now you can easily install solar with Solarize.
Trusted Installers with Solarize in Thurston County
Over three years ago Olympia Community Solar, a nonprofit organization, began exploring solutions to support homeowners and turn installing solar, normally a very individualist choice, into a community wide effort. They discovered a model of group purchasing solar being used around Washington and around the country called Solarize.
The Solarize model leverages the collective purchasing power of a group of homeowners to secure better prices and contractors. Olympia Community Solar began the program by inviting solar contractors to a competitive bidding process for 50 residential solar projects. “Our goal is to guarantee great prices from reputable contractors” commented OCS President Mason Rolph. “This is our team’s local solution to support residential solar customers.”
The resulting Solarize campaigns in 2021 and 2022 supported 200 households around Thurston and Mason County to install solar, totaling about $3.4 million dollars of investment.
This year the team selected the installers CapStone Solar, Ellensburg Solar, Sunpath Electric, and Sphere Solar Energy, all of whom have agreed to provide customers the same quality equipment and price.
CapStone Solar is proud to have been selected for the third year of participation in the Solarize program and works to do as much as possible for each customer. “We fully realize solar buyers are (usually) first time buyers” says Tim Wachtman at CapStone.
Easy Solarize Registration
Solarize sign-ups are open. To begin the process, enter your basic information through the web site olysol.org/solarize. One of the selected Solarize installers will contact you to schedule your free home assessment.
The installer will review each home’s solar exposure and energy consumption and will provide a solar quote for the homeowner. There is no cost for the assessment, regardless of the customer’s ultimate decision. Each homeowner will learn the costs, energy savings and tax benefits associated with their project.
There are some powerful financial reasons to invest in solar energy. Once your system is online it will reduce the amount of energy you need to purchase from the utility. If you ever produce more energy than your home needs, the extra energy will overflow into the grid and you receive a credit against future power bills. Homeowners may also be able to claim 30% of the project’s cost as income tax credit on their annual return.
The Bells and Whistles
Based on customer feedback from previous campaigns, Olympia Community Solar has included several additional options. Customers can seek quotes for electric vehicle chargers, battery backup systems, and even electric heat pumps through Solarize!
Through a partnership with the City of Olympia, Olympia residents can also join an electric heat pump group purchasing program called Energize. You can indicate your interest for a heat pump on the Solarize sign up portal.
Sign Up for Solarize Before July 4
The Solarize program helps make your solar purchasing experience simple, secure and affordable. Get in on the savings and appreciate your investment in your energy future. The OCS team will support you every step of the way! The program is open through the fourth of July. Check out the Solarize webpage for more information and to sign up for your solar assessment.
Not Able to Access Rooftop Solar?
For many people there are still barriers to residential solar (upfront costs, tree covering, shared housing). To address these barriers Olympia Community Solar is enrolling participants in a community solar project which will be built on Thurgood Marshall Middle School in West Olympia!
Community Solar is when a large group of community members invest in a single solar project and collectively receive the benefits of the electricity generated from it. Individuals can purchase or donate subscriptions to the project and receive an annual check for the value of the energy their units generated in electricity. Individuals also have the option of making a tax-deductible donation to a participating nonprofit! The nonprofit of your choice would receive the annual payment. It’s a creative way to support the wider community and solar education for the next generation all through clean renewable energy! Enroll in the community solar project!
About the Program Sponsor
Olympia Community Solar is a nonprofit organization continuously working toward an equitable and accessible transition to clean energy. They develop solar projects and programs, provide solar grant writing services, and advocate for stronger solar policies. Their projects have received national recognition for promoting community engagement and ownership of solar energy.
Sponsored
