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Last updated on Friday, April 27, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - Starting in May, homeowners, businesses and nonprofits in Bloomington and surrounding counties will have another opportunity to install solar panels at favorable rates as part of the third round of the Solarize initiative. As an added benefit, Duke Energy customers will be able to lock in net metering incentives until 2032 for solar purchases made this year.
The Solarize initiative is part of the City of Bloomington's commitment to environmental stewardship. In June 2017, Mayor Hamilton signed on to the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, a network of around 400 mayors from across the country working to fight climate change.
"Last year I challenged the community to add a megawatt of solar capacity on local homes and businesses in addition to the five megawatts that the City is targeting for installation at 30 municipal sites. This community goal was exceeded because of the 2017 Solarize program," said Mayor John Hamilton. "This result not only benefited more than 140 energy customers, but it also delivered on our pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
The City has renewed its partnership with the Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network (SIREN) for Solarize 2018 to demonstrate its ongoing support for renewable energy. The program lowers the barriers to solar adoption for all residents, while providing seed money for Solar For All grants to lower-income households.
Solarize 2018 pricing is similar to that for 2017. This means that participants can acquire a solar system for approximately $7,000 (after the 30 percent federal tax credit), assuming that standard components are chosen and that the system is sized to produce about half of the electricity used by a typical home. "Solarize is a group-buying arrangement that puts going solar within reach for almost every homeowner," said Woodie Bessler, an electrical engineer who volunteers for SIREN.
"By financing the cost with a home equity loan, you can replace all or part of your monthly electric bill with a loan payment of about the same amount," Bessler explained, "and after the loan is paid off, you get free electricity for the rest of the 30-plus-year life of your renewable energy system."
The Solarize 2018 campaign will kick off with public information sessions at Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton St., at 7:00 pm on May 10 and May 22. Residents interested in attending a session are asked to fill out an online form at tinyurl.com/solarizebloomington2 to get started.
More information is available on the City website at https://bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/solarize
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