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All the benefits of going solar, but with no panels, no costs and guaranteed savings! |
The state of Maryland is piloting a program called Community Solar in which BGE, Pepco, Potomac Edison and Delmarva utility customers, (both homeowners and renters), are given the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of going solar, but with no panels, no costs and guaranteed savings!
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Benefits
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Environmental Impact of Subscribing to Community Solar
According to EPA greenhouse gas equivalencies, a typical household, (13,000 annual kWh), subscribing to Community Solar will reduce their carbon footprint annually comparable to any of the following:
- Taking 2 cars off the road (emissions)?
- Not driving 22,000 miles (emissions)
- Not consuming 1,000 gallons of gasoline (emissions)
- Not burning 10,000 lbs. of coal
- Not consuming 21 barrels of oil
- Recycling 391 trash bags full of waste (instead of landfill)
- Planting 152 trees
- Sequestering 12 acres of U.S. forests for a year
Make a difference today by subscribing to a Solar Community near you!
Local News Station Reports On Going Solar With No Panels!
Frequently Asked Questions
In efforts to help utility companies meet the growing demand for energy consumption, as well as to help them increase the amount of clean energy included in their energy mix, many states offer significant tax incentives and credits to consumers and developers who are willing to invest in solar energy.
Solar developers use these incentives to build what are often referred to as solar farms. Each month the solar developers then send the clean energy produced by their solar farms to their local utilities' power grids. The utility companies pay the developers for the clean energy with solar credits. The Solar developers then apply those solar credits to the utility bills of their subscribers in exchange for money!
So, with Community Solar, utility companies get more, clean, energy; solar developers get returns on their investments, and subscribers get all the benefits of solar, but with no panels, no costs and a guaranteed savings! It’s a true win-win-win!
Solar developers use these incentives to build what are often referred to as solar farms. Each month the solar developers then send the clean energy produced by their solar farms to their local utilities' power grids. The utility companies pay the developers for the clean energy with solar credits. The Solar developers then apply those solar credits to the utility bills of their subscribers in exchange for money!
So, with Community Solar, utility companies get more, clean, energy; solar developers get returns on their investments, and subscribers get all the benefits of solar, but with no panels, no costs and a guaranteed savings! It’s a true win-win-win!
As a subscriber you’ll continue to receive your monthly electricity bill from your utility company, just as you always have. Your share of solar credits will automatically show up on your utility bill as credits, thus lowering the balance you owe to your utility company. You’ll pay that balance to your utility company just as you always have.
Days after receiving your utility bill you’ll also receive a statement from the solar developer. This statement is not a bill, but a record of the amount of solar credits that were applied to your utility bill and the amount you paid the solar developer for those credits. The payment to the solar developer for your solar credits is automatically processed from whichever payment option you selected when you enrolled and will ALWAYS be less than the amount of the solar credits that were applied to your utility bill!
Days after receiving your utility bill you’ll also receive a statement from the solar developer. This statement is not a bill, but a record of the amount of solar credits that were applied to your utility bill and the amount you paid the solar developer for those credits. The payment to the solar developer for your solar credits is automatically processed from whichever payment option you selected when you enrolled and will ALWAYS be less than the amount of the solar credits that were applied to your utility bill!
The difference between the amount of solar credits applied to your utility bill, and what you pay for those credits is your savings!
Imagine your utility bill is $150. Now imagine you were able to purchase $150 of solar credits for only $135. You then use the $150 of solar credits to pay your utility bill. By becoming a Community Solar subscriber, you just saved 10% on your utility bill by only spending $135 to pay off your $150 utility bill!
Imagine your utility bill is $150. Now imagine you were able to purchase $150 of solar credits for only $135. You then use the $150 of solar credits to pay your utility bill. By becoming a Community Solar subscriber, you just saved 10% on your utility bill by only spending $135 to pay off your $150 utility bill!
The solar developer will be applying solar credits to your utility bill well before they’ll be processing your payment for those credits. Having your payment method on hand makes it easier and more certain for the solar developer to get their payment. It also makes it easier for you, as this way you don’t have to worry about making a separate payment for your solar credits!
No problem! Subscribing to a Solar Community does not affect any agreement you have in place with a third-party electricity supplier. In fact, many Community Solar subscribers intentionally choose a green energy supplier to further reduce their carbon footprint!
Oh, and the guaranteed savings from Community Solar… They’re in addition to any savings you may experience from your supplier!
Oh, and the guaranteed savings from Community Solar… They’re in addition to any savings you may experience from your supplier!
Certain measures are put in place to minimize the chance of this happening. But, if it ever does, rest assured that after your utility bill is paid, any excess solar credits will automatically roll-over and be applied to your following month’s utility bill!
You should never feel pressured to become a subscriber. There are, however, a limited number of subscriber opportunities available in each utility market, and because of the benefits, solar communities typically fill up quickly. When all the solar communities in your utility territory are full, you can join a waiting list where you’ll be notified when another solar farm is being built.
Every subscriber is eligible for a guaranteed 10% savings. Some Community Solar projects offer a greater percentage savings to subscribers who can verify a Low or Moderate Income, (LMI).
LMI stands for Low or Moderate Income and is the state’s way of helping those who qualify receive a greater percentage savings with Community Solar. Not every project offers the additional LMI savings and customers who are eligible must verify their previous year’s income. For LMI qualification levels and percentage savings click here.
Subscribers who move within the same utility market may transfer their benefits to their new residence! Those who move outside of their utility market will have to give up their slot in their current Solar Community but may subscribe to a Solar Community in their new utility market. We will help you find you find a Solar Community in your new utility market!
The benefits of Community Solar are for homeowners AND renters! The only requirement is that you have a utility bill in your name!
With Community Solar, there are no panels to install on your roof or property! Instead, you can enjoy all the benefits of solar with no panels and no costs!
There are no costs to join a Solar Community and no costs to leave! If you change your mind, (we can’t imagine you ever would), simply notify us of your decision and we’ll begin the cancellation process. Just like subscribing, cancelling may take 2-3 billing cycles for all the parties to process the paperwork.
We do! Please check with the Community Solar advocate who enrolled you to find out more about our referral program!
