20 September, 2012
Hi everyone. I thought it was time to send out a quick status update. As of today, SolarFlair has 93kW of commitments. Currently at $3.59, tier 3 is an excellent price and tier 4 and 5 will be icing on the cake. For comparison, some of the other Solarize towns with different installers have tier 1 pricing starting at $4.20 vs. our $3.79.
Things are really speeding up with the 9/30 deadline fast approaching. If you've been procrastinating, it's time to get moving. If you've committed already, thanks for having faith. If you've recently signed up or are still waiting for SolarFlair to get you a proposal, don't worry about the deadline. We'll make sure you have a bit of extra time to make a decision. It's not your fault the program has proven so popular. In the next day or so, I'll be putting up a "thermometer" banner in front of Colella's (thanks Dale and Sandy) that will show our progress towards tier 5.
There are no guarantees the generous Federal and State tax credits will be renewed and the Mass Clean Energy Center has said they expect to reduce the Commonwealth Solar rebates. Their goal has been to taper them off once the price hit $4.00/watt. Solarize participants are guaranteed to get the full $0.40/Watt rebate (5kW max). There is always the possibility that in a few years the price will drop a bit more - but by then you will have spent many thousands in electricity. We've reached that tipping point where it doesn't make sense to postpone. Imagine if you could have locked in the cost of food or fuel 15-20 years ago. Hopkinton will not be eligible again for the Solarize program as there are many other Green Communities competing to join.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask - solarizehopkinton@gmail.com. Please tell your friends, coworkers and neighbors to watch the Solar 101 and 201 videos on HCAM.TV and sign up - it will save you money.
Snooze you lose.
Andy
