Amherst Town officials this week have announced a limited time price offering to assist residents and business owners who are interested in converting to solar energy through the Solarize Amherst program. The campaign was initiated through the efforts of the Energy Conservation Citizens Advisory Committee, as well as the Clean Energy Communities Committee, which was created by the Town Board in March. As part of the program, Solarize Amherst has vetted three local companies that will install the solar equipment. Solar by CIR came in as the most competitively priced residential solar installer, offering base pricing at $2.50/watt. This price is significantly below traditional market rate pricing for solar systems in the Town of Amherst and across the state.
The next public events detailing all of the information about the program will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20th at Clearfield Community Center, 730 Hopkins Road, Amherst. Please come and join us! Residents or business owners interested in taking part in the program will receive free solar evaluations, including a roof evaluation, preliminary site design, energy usage profile and financial analysis. Additionally, town officials will waive electrical permit fees, which could total an additional $200 in savings.
To participate in the Solarize Amherst campaign you need simply to contact Solar by CIR. They will schedule a time to do a site visit to see if your property is suitable for solar. They will also need a recent copy of your National Grid bill to see how much energy you use in a given year. They will offer you a proposal detailing the gross cost of the system, minus any incentives and tax credits you would be eligible for. Solar incentives and tax credits, on average, decrease the cost to the homeowner by 50-60%. After which, if you get the solar installed at your property, the Town of Amherst will count it towards their goal of the 10 signed contracts needed before July 31st 2017.