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Medfield homeowners and businesses can have solar energy systems installed on their properties at discounted prices through the new Solarize Medfield community program, Marie Nolan, the program’s Solar Coach and a Medfield Energy Committee member, announced today. An installer -- New England Clean Energy of Hudson, Mass. -- has been selected after a competitive bidding process, and a “Meet the Installer” event will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27 at the Medfield Town Hall.
The event is free and open to all Medfield residents and business-owners. Information about solar benefits, incentives and pricing, and how the program works, will be presented by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, New England Clean Energy, and Solarize Medfield. Attendees can ask questions and sign up for property assessments at the event. Light refreshments will be provided.
“Medfield has been very active in using renewable energy to reduce town costs and help our environment. Solarize Medfield, with its tiered pricing structure that offers increased savings for everyone as more people sign up, was a natural step to allow more people in town to participate and benefit from solar,” said Medfield Energy and Facilities Manager Andrew Seaman.
“Our goal is to increase the adoption of solar energy systems through a grassroots educational campaign, driven mainly by Medfield volunteers. I encourage people to get involved. Even those with roofs that are not good candidates for solar can help the community and the planet by volunteering and spreading the word to their friends and neighbors,” Nolan said.
Solarize Medfield offers discounted prices from the start. As more people sign up and new tiers are reached, the discounts become greater. Everyone in the program gets the final discount, regardless of when in the program they sign up. Those who sign up first will have their systems installed first. The program has five tiers. It ends on November 30.
“The residential sector makes up 70% of Medfield’s total energy use, so there is an opportunity for significant energy savings if many homeowners participate. So far we have 39 residential solar arrays in Medfield. With the Solarize Medfield program it would be great if we could have 30 more or even double the existing systems, so we could reach tier 5 and get the best price for everyone,” added Nolan.
New England Clean Energy is offering solar electric systems for purchase, with financing available, as well as leased systems for those with limited tax liability. The company also offers energy-efficient ductless heating and cooling systems, installed in conjunction with solar or on a standalone basis.
Representatives from the Town chose New England Clean Energy as the installer after a rigorous review process. The company has installed 700 systems in this region since being founded 10 years ago. It has more positive reviews than any Northeast installer on independent website Solar Reviews.
"Solar in Massachusetts continues to be an amazing deal for homeowners and small businesses. Federal and state tax credits, net metering, and the green income generated by ‘SRECs’ make solar extremely economical, and financing such as the Mass Solar Loan makes it easy to own your system without a large upfront investment. We are very excited to be working with the Solarize Medfield team to bring more clean solar energy to the community,” said Mark Durrenberger, New England Clean Energy president.
The Town of Medfield was selected to participate in the Solarize Massachusetts program in March. Solarize Massachusetts is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC) and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division.
For more information about Solarize Medfield, including a calendar of events and a sign-up form, visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.solarizemedfield.org/" http://www.solarizemedfield.org/ or call Marie Zack Nolan, Solar Coach at 508-361-8786. Property owners ready to have their roofs evaluated for solar can complete the registration form on the Solarize Medfield website or call New England Clean Energy directly at 978-567-6527.
