Get your electricity from a local solar farm!
Save up to 20% on your electricity bill *
What is community solar?
Community solar allows anyone to benefit from solar power without installing panels on your roof. Renters, homeowners, and even multi-unit dwellers can subscribe to a local solar farm to save on electricity costs and support clean energy.
If you’re like many Americans, a big part of your carbon footprint comes from the electricity used in your home. Only 40% of the U.S. electric grid is powered by clean energy sources. The other 60% comes from dirty fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and all sorts of pollution.
One way to replace dirty power in your home is to install a home solar array. However, this isn’t an option for everyone. Some people don’t own their homes. Some don’t have a sunny roof to put the panels in. And some just can’t afford the upfront costs or qualify for the loan.
Fortunately, there’s another way to get the environmental and cost-saving benefits of solar energy without using your own roof. It’s called community solar. By subscribing to a community solar project, you help clean up the power grid and save money on your electric bills, too. In fact, annual savings on your electricity cost could be between 5%-20% depending on the project, where you live, and your average energy usage.
FOR EXAMPLE
If your solar share generates $100 of credits
You’ll see the full $100 deduction directly on your utility bill-this may even be enough to offset your total charges that month so your bill is $0.
Community Solar provider then bills you for those credits on behalf of the solar farm at a discounted rate ( this is your subscription charge)
You may pay Community Solar provider $90
It’s like paying $90 to receive $100
$10 is your net savings that month
Expand that over a year and your savings add up!
How Community Solar Works?
You and your neighbors subscribe to an upcoming solar farm that will feed clean energy into your grid. Once it’s built and generating power, you’ll receive solar credits for your share of the energy. You pay Community Solar provider for these credits at a 5-20% discount, reducing your annual electricity costs.
Why community solar?
It makes financial sense. Community Solar makes it easy for you to access the financial and environmental benefits of local solar power.
Annual
electricity
Open to homeowners and renters
Long-term grid stability
No rooftop panels to install
Sustainable source of clean power for all
- Save money every month on your electric bill. You’ll see credits every month on the electric bill you receive from your utility. The amount credited each month will depend on the amount of solar energy generated by your selected project.
- Everyone who pays their own electric bill, including renters and co-op/condo owners, can participate in a community solar project. You can even subscribe to community solar if you live in an apartment or your home is in a shady area that isn’t suited to solar panels.
- Go solar without installing solar panels on your roof or property. Installing rooftop panels isn't the only way to go solar. Now more people can start saving on electricity while helping save the environment.
- No long-term contracts or upfront costs. Since you won’t need to install solar panels on your roof, there won’t be any long term contracts for going solar with a community solar provider.
- Minimal commitment. There are generally no cancellation fees for Community Solar subscriptions and they also have shorter term options compared to direct solar installations.
The average Community Solar subscriber has the following impact annually
CO2 reduction
8 Tons
Impact equal to
115 Trees
Miles driven offset
16,564
FAQ
Community solar savings come from discounts included in your subscription. As an example, let’s say your subscription includes a fixed 10% discount on energy. This means for every $90 you pay your project’s provider, your utility company gives you $100 worth of electricity – and you pocket $10. Discounts vary based on region and provider, but on average, you can get a bill credit discount between 5-20% with community solar.
To participate in community solar, you do not need to own your home, but you do need to live in an area with open community solar projects. Eligibility can also vary depending on the community solar project, as some only allow non-residential or low-to-moderate income customers to join. Importantly, certain providers also have credit score requirements for subscribers.
You can find subscription options in your area by entering your zip code. Once you’ve chosen a project, you’ll need to provide a few pieces of information, including your email, address, utility account number, and average monthly electric bill. Depending on the subscription, you may also need to e-sign a contract. We’ll pass that information onto the community solar provider and they’ll follow up directly to finalize your subscription.
Nope, your utility company still delivers the electricity reliably to your home. We help make sure that you’re supporting clean energy with every bill and work to get you connected to a solar project.
No, there’s no change in the electricity powering your home but you are helping the grid get a little cleaner by supporting solar with your enrollment.
You have enough to worry about when moving, so we keep it simple. If you move locally, your community solar credits and savings move with you. If you move outside the service area, you can transfer your credits to someone else or cancel the subscription, whatever works best for you.
Absolutely! Community Solar is designed for people who can’t support solar traditionally. There’s no installation required so both renters and homeowners can join.
No, you are not eligible to receive tax credits or rebates.
The great thing about the program is you will still receive an estimated savings of 5-20% (depending on your utility and location) for the power you get from the solar farm, regardless of the rate from your electric utility.
We doubt you ever will. But, if you do, the process is easy. Many community solar energy providers offer no-cost termination with proper notice. Cancellation, transfer terms and applicable fees vary by project and provider, so confirm these policies with your developer prior to signing up.
The amount of energy produced does change with the seasons and weather, but solar panels produce energy even when it’s cloudy. First, you’ll always have the power you need because you are still connected to your electrical utility. If the solar farm produces less energy than you’ve subscribed to, you will only be billed for the energy that is produced and the rest will be billed by your utility.
Since you continue receiving power directly from your utility, you will continue having power if the solar grid ever goes down.
Our Community Solar partners will send you a monthly report with your solar production and savings, you’ll also see the solar savings on your statement.
Payment processing can take up to two weeks (depending on the payment method), so charging the customer at the beginning of the billing cycle rather than on the utility’s due date helps the Community Solar provider ensures the payment makes it to the utility on time.
All our Community Solar project partners take security and privacy seriously and offer bank-level protection with PCI-DSS compliance for your payments, the most stringent level of certification available in the payment industry.
If you choose to enroll in Auto-Pay (formerly Bill Pay), check your start date and make sure to turn off automatic payments for any existing bill once it is paid and your utility account balance is $0. This will also be explained in your welcome email. You will get billed on or around the indicated start date. After that, your bill will be managed by Community Solar partner and there is no need to pay your utility directly.
No problem! Our Community Solar partner will manage your electric bills. In that case, they will include all of your utility charges on the electric bill – such as gas, water & sewage – in your statement for your convenience.
All statements are sent electronically, so you would not be able to get a paper statement directly. However, you can always view and print your statements by going to your dashboard.
We hear that a lot! The truth is that you will save money and there’s no catch. It’s part of why community solar is expanding nationally so quickly.