[Durham INC] Solarize the Triangle Reaches Lower-Price Tier 3 Via Early Homeowner Contracts

[Jones, Henry R.]

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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release                                          Date: 10/20/22
Contact: Public Information Office                   Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020
E-mail: publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov<mailto:publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov>

Solarize the Triangle Reaches Lower-Price Tier 3 Via Early Homeowner Contracts
Durham residents can apply for free solar assessment through Dec. 31

Durham, N.C. - The regionwide community-based group-buying program known as Solarize the Triangle has rapidly reached its 3rd price tier based on early commitments from property owners in the Triangle region to purchase new renewable energy systems for their homes. Durham is leading the way as the community with the most people signed up for free estimates (more than 155) and tied with Raleigh for the most commitments to install solar through the program.

The Triangle Sustainability Partnership, a recently formed local government partnership of 11 communities, forged the program to enable residents and businesses to save on the ordinary cost of solar energy and battery power through combined purchasing with others across the Triangle plus the availability of a federal tax credit. The participating governments thoroughly vetted the solar installers and selected Yes Solar Solutions<https://yessolarsolutions.com/> as the exclusive partner for this turn-key program. Yes Solar is a Cary-based, fully licensed NC general contractor with more than 1,600 projects installed.

The more residents and business owners who contract for solar installations through the program, the more savings accrue for all participants. The 3rd price tier in the program ($2.95/watt) was reached in October through initial contracts totaling 290.4 kW. Once these installations are activated, 544,790 lbs. of CO2 per year in the Triangle region will be avoided - the equivalent of more than 27 homes' energy use for one year.

All homeowners who purchase during the campaign, regardless of when, will be provided with the lowest price ($2.68 /watt) if Tier 8 is reached. Enrollment - which is to simply sign up - is underway now through Dec. 31 at www.solarizethetriangle.com<http://www.solarizethetriangle.com>.

The timing of the campaign couldn't be better for financial and legal reasons.  The federal government's newly passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) means that federal tax credits have increased to 30 percent in savings for newly installed solar energy systems and batteries.  Additionally, the NC Supreme Court recently ruled that in most cases Home Owners Associations (HOA) cannot restrict residents from installing solar panels where they will generate the most energy. That means that people who were previously blocked from installing solar on the front of their homes due to aesthetic restrictions from the HOA are now able to move forward with installation if that is where they get the most sun exposure.
"We are really excited about the response to the program so far and are optimistic that more people will sign up, so we hit Tier-8 pricing," said Durham County Sustainability Manager Tobin Freid. "This is a very easy way to save a lot of money on installing solar energy systems on a home or business.  If someone's been thinking about it, now is the time to act."

Throughout this 2022 campaign, the Partnership will continue to offer clean-energy education and outreach events with a goal of increasing participation through a better understanding of rooftop solar components, suitability assessment considerations, and contract provisions. A recording of the September session can be found here<https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Goza2g95A-vUmS8bFzpdDa8gTb63ibtjut0y7GeIFrhEAFHZ2oMT3lvv3p6EbLrdhqCtmyRQNPRREq3_.rsSJEqB5JDz6qtEq?startTime=1664404313000&_x_zm_rtaid=qajVwJLxS2-sv39QnfqUrw.1666044260911.33b72f39626105f468882e007e6d76c8&_x_zm_rhtaid=754>.

Interested property owners may go to solarizethetriangle.com<http://www.solarizethetriangle.com> to learn more about the program and sign up for a free, no-obligation evaluation. All solar and battery installations are expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2023.

The objectives of the regional program include:

  *   Making solar energy more affordable: lower the cost of solar energy through the power of group-purchasing and reduced acquisition costs. Savings passed to residents of the Triangle region;
  *   Making solar energy more accessible: contractor(s), materials and pricing will be highly vetted for best practices using a competitive bid process;
  *   Education and community engagement: widespread community engagement, education and outreach activities through town hall meetings, workshops, solar "open house" gatherings, and outreach through local community groups and events;
  *   Promoting solar-positive policies: encourage local governments to adopt streamlined solar energy permitting policies and fair utility distributed generation policies; and
  *   Giving back: Solarize the Triangle and selected contractors will use a portion of campaign proceeds to donate a solar energy system to a deserving local nonprofit organization and/or help to underwrite solar-energy systems for qualified low- and moderate-income families with high energy burdens.

Helping to facilitate the program on behalf of the members is The Triangle J Council of Governments<https://www.tjcog.org> and Solar CrowdSource<http://solarcrowdsource.com>.

About Solarize the Triangle: Solarize the Triangle is a campaign developed via the Triangle J Council of Governments. Communities involved include Chatham County, City of Raleigh, Durham County, City of Durham, Town of Cary, Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Hillsborough, Town of Carrboro, Town of Apex, Town of Morrisville and Orange County. Lowering the cost of solar-energy and battery-storage installations through the power of bulk purchasing, reducing contractor acquisition costs, and transferring those savings to residential and commercial residents is the objective of the campaign, which launched in August 2022.

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