How to Qualify to Rent a Residential Solar Electric System
Daniel J. Stouffer, April 30, 2008
Source: American Chronicle
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/60188
The American homeowner has the option to produce their own renewable energy from the sun and keep the energy savings every month. Homeowners who follow the steps and complete the requirements have a good chance of getting a residential solar energy system installed on their home on a rental basis. To be Considered for a Solar Energy System: * Be the mortgage holder of a residential home, * Collect two years of energy bills from your utility, * Have a south facing roof line or good exposure to the sun, * Complete a site inspection to determine location feasibility, * Have ability to wait 1 to 2 years for solar installation.
Step One: Complete Home Feasibility Study
A solar panel manufacturer is working to remove the barriers to wide-scale solar adoption in the United States. Its business model is to rent all of the equipment needed to power a residential home. There is an energy auditing process and required feasibility study to better determine suitable locations. In some cases, homeowners wishing to have a system installed will not qualify. Below is the minimum requirement that you must comply with in order to rent a solar system.
Step Two: Be the Mortgage Holder
You must be a homeowner. Renters or those who lease their home are not eligible for a solar system rental. However, renters and other homeowners do have the ability to purchase their systems out right from hundreds of solar manufacturers and installers. But, this how to guide is focused more on the steps necessary to rent a system not purchase.
Step Three: Retain Connection to Existing Utility
You must be a current residential utility customer and you must maintain your interconnection with the utility. If you fail to maintain your connection with your local electric utility, this may be grounds for default in the solar rental agreement, and your solar energy unit may be removed.
Step Four: Maintain Telephone Line
You must maintain a dedicated residential telephone line. Again, if you fail to maintain a connection with your local telephone service, this may be grounds for default. You have your solar energy unit removed. There are other options other hard, land lines such as Internet-based, WIFI phone services but it is often easiest and most cost effective to utilize a normal phone connection.
Step Five: Provide Adequate Roof Space
Your house should have a roof with enough space to accommodate the solar unit as well as have an unobstructed, south facing flat or sloped roof. This may not always be necessary. However, in order to ensure that you are eligible, this prerequisite should be researched completely.
Step Six: Live in an Area with Net Metering
This solar rental program is presently limited to U.S. states that offer grid connected alternative energy systems. The service territory is defined by the regions that have enacted net-metering legislation. Net-metering is the provision in many state laws that require power companies to give you credit for the solar power you generate through a solar power system. Net-metering laws do vary state by state. If is best to do some further research with your state government to ensure your state offers net-metering.
Concluding Considerations & Tips
Research service availability and net metering laws for your state before you go to the trouble of reserving a system. There is a substantial waiting list of interested homeowners. You can register to get have a site inspection completed. The actual system installations may be 1 or 2 years from the time of system reservation; if the above mention prerequisites are completed.