| SANTA BARBARA — The Community Environmental Council (CEC) announced the launch of this year’s Solarize Santa Barbara – a community-led, group purchasing program for solar and battery storage systems open to residents of Southern Santa Barbara County from July 28 – October 31. CEC’s 2020 program is offered in partnership with the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria, and the County of Santa Barbara.
To take part in the program, homeowners can visit SolarizeSB.org to submit an application anytime before October 31, 2020. On the website, those looking for more information, can also register for CEC’s free webinar, Solarize Santa Barbara – Residential Solar and Battery Storage 101, on August 6, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The webinar will cover the basics of solar and battery storage, including incentives, tax credits, and logistics, as well as how Solarize makes the process easier and more affordable with discounted prices, vetted installers, and high-quality equipment. Guest speaker Katie Davis, Chair of the Sierra Club Los Padres Chapter, will share her experience adding battery storage to her home solar system. Davis, CEC staff, and solar installers will be available to answer questions from attendees.
“One of the impacts of being at home more during COVID-19 is that many homeowners are looking for smart places to invest and improve their homes – and the financial savings from solar are significant in a time when many are looking for ways to cut costs,” said CEC’s Renewable Energy Program Senior Manager April Price. “Solar is really within reach for the average homeowner now. For instance, if you finance a solar system over seven years, monthly payments are oftentimes lower than what you would pay for electricity,” Price continued, noting that over 800 Central Coast homeowners have used CEC’s Solarize program to add rooftop panels since 2009.
Battery storage is also an increasingly popular option. “As we saw at the end of 2019, fire conditions can activate widespread power outages without much advance notice, making solar battery storage a critical power backup option,” Price noted. “Pairing solar and energy storage gives homeowners resilient, automated energy supplies that seamlessly maintain power during grid outages.” Solar paired batteries that cycle daily have the added benefit of reducing homeowner’s carbon footprint, as stored solar energy powers the home in the evening instead of grid energy.
CEC worked with a volunteer committee of local energy experts to select this year’s installer partners: Brighten Solar, California Solar Electric, and Sun Pacific Solar. These partners offer reduced prices for the duration of CEC’s Solarize program, ensuring that homeowners get the best price for a quality solar system. For each order placed, the installer also pays a small fee to CEC, which supports future Solarize programs in our region. |
