The Grow Solar Central Wisconsin program is extending its program deadline to Nov. 30 to allow more individual home and commercial property owners to take advantage of competitive prices for solar installations through the power of volume purchasing.
Demand for the program – open to property owners in Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, Wood and Waushara counties – has been high with 18 properties committing to add over 100 kilowatts of solar, resulting in lower prices for all participants. As more residents and businesses add solar, pricing will get even lower.
This limited-time program gives people access to solar education, additional discounts in the form of rebates, and competitive prices for solar installations on residential and commercial properties through volume purchasing. Through a competitive proposal process, a local advisory committee chose Northwind Solar (https://www.northwindre.com/) as the program’s solar installer.
The program has hosted Solar Power Hours throughout the summer and fall, which are free one-hour presentations to learn about solar and the group buy purchasing program, and to sign up for free quotes and site assessments. For those who are still interested to participate, but missed the Solar Power Hours, the program has a pre-recorded presentation available as well as all the resources from the presentations on their Virtual Resource Packet webpage: https://www.growsolar.org/solar-central-wisconsin/virtual-resource-packet/.
“The Power Hour brought the latest in both solar technology advances and ways in which various incentives could make systems affordable,” said Mary Pakota, a program participant along with her husband David Onan, whose system was installed on their Amherst, Wisconsin, home in August. “The staff at MREA and Northwind Solar were a pleasure to work with throughout the process. We feel it was the right thing to do and encourage others to explore this too.”
This is the fifth year for the program and so far, it has resulted in over 1 megawatt of solar on 168 properties, valued at over $3.6 million in local investment. Group purchase programs provide residents and businesses with the opportunity to invest in high-quality, renewable energy solar installations and realize savings, while also helping reach sustainability goals. Estimated first-year savings on utility bills have ranged from $690 to more than $1,000, depending on the size of the array.
This program is offered by a partnership between the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin, CAP Services and the MREA. Thanks to the partnership with CAP Services, the program can help connect those who need it with CAP Services’ Weatherization and Rehabilitation programs.
CAP Services weatherizes income-qualified homes identified by the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). Housing rehabilitation funds are provided to low-income homeowners as deferred loans up to 30 years unless the home is no longer the borrower’s primary before such time. Households eligible for deferred loans must have annual incomes at or below 80% of the county median income.
To learn more about the Group Buy program or to sign up for a free site assessment before the deadline, visit: www.CW.GrowSolar.org.
