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  i'm interested in learning about solar power panels for homeowners – especially if it helps curb their carbon footprint + energy expenses.  at the dwell on design conference + expo this month, i visited solarcity to check out a fully solar-powered car-charging station with the $100,00 high-performance electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster + learned how convenient + affordable solar power can be. solarcity's southern california director jim cahill, discussed SolarLease, the company's zero-down solar financing program that makes solar less expensive than electricity from the utility company. solarcity is california's #1 residential solar power company. here's my interview with jim (if you have questions or information about solar panels for homes, please leave them for me in the comments below): 1) what's an example set up cost for solar panels in silicon valley? under the SolarLease, there are no setup costs required. assuming the home has sufficient roof space + good sun exposure, a 1,500 sf home in sunnyvale might lease a 2.4 kilowatt system for $0 down + $65/month. if the home’s electric bill was $150/month on average before the system was installed, the new bill would be approximately $65 (plus the $65 lease payment) for a new energy cost of $130, a net savings of $20/ month. 2) what would the electricity rate be for that homeowner in sunnyvale? utility rates may vary based on usage and time of day. sunnyvale’s rates are available online at http://www.pge.com/tariffs 3) the leases are only for people with excellent credit above 720, that will exclude a large population. how can others get solarcity solar panels? solarcity is continually working on new ways to allow more families to take advantage of power, + SolarLease does that by eliminating or dramatically reducing the upfront cost of the system + installation. both a SolarLease + power purchase agreement (PPA) are dependent on receiving consistent payments, + as such we can only offer this product to homeowners with excellent credit. we estimate that more than 40% of california homeowners meet or exceed the necessary credit score. the cash purchase option is available for homeowners who don’t meet the credit requirements for SolarLease, + they would be able to finance the purchase through a bank or other lender. 4) in this recession, is there help for low-income customers? Initiative offers a low-income incentive program with rebates as high as $7/watt, more than double the typical rebate. this makes a cash purchase possible for many low-income homeowners. 5) how does solarcity compare with sun run? solarcity is a single source (or 1-stop-shop) for solar system design, financing, installation + ongoing support. Sun Run is a financing company that partners with multiple installers, so Sun Run’s customers deal with Sun Run for financing, + a separate company for installation and/or support. both solarcity + SunRun utilize extensive federal + state commercial tax incentives for solar equipment to offer affordable solar financing options for homeowners. the main difference between the 2 companies today is the higher upfront cost of Sun Run’s option. solarcity’s SolarLease includes a zero-down-payment option which can allow a customer to save money from day one. Sun Run offers a power purchase agreement that requires an upfront payment that can range from $5,000 - $20,000 or more for a residential system. you should check with Sun Run for the specifics on their upfront cost. visit href="http://www.solarcity.com/solarlease to see some examples of SolarLease savings estimates for typical homes. 6) what else should a family know when considering solarcity service? solarcity guarantees the electricity output from its solar systems over life of the SolarLease, + includes an extended, 15-year warranty for parts + service. solarcity also provides a free service called SolarGuard that allows customers to monitor their system’s output + positive environmental impact via an internet link. SolarCity is california's #1 residential solar power company, provides homeowners a single source for solar financing, installation + support. SolarCity serves communities throughout California, Oregon + Arizona. for more information, please visit solarcity.com by ~mod*mom~ at 26.6.08 © 9 Comments:awesome
By Looks like they're making it a little easier to go green.
By We would love to do this!
By Some day, some how, some way we'll get solar!
By I'd like to have solar panels in my house. :) A great way to save on energy and actually with the use of sun.
By This is just what my neighborhood needs. I see we can get a group discout too. Thanks Mod*mom!
By This gives me hope that we might be able to afford solar panels...
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great you're looking into solar panels :)
By I think people really need to do their homework before they jump into a 15 year contract with a big company. I'm not saying this is a bad idea but do the math before you make your final decision.
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