July 15, 2014 - Homeowners interested in installing solar panels on their homes are eligible to join a new bulk purchasing program through the City of Chicago and area partners, including the Village of Oak Park.
The Solar Chicago program offers discounted pricing to participants by pooling their collective buying power for solar panel purchases and installations. The program offers a tiered volume rebate, which may provide additional rebates to homeowners based on how many people subscribe to the program.
“We hope this program makes it less expensive for homeowners to consider solar panel installations,” says Assistant Village Manager Rob Cole. “The more residents who sign up, the more affordable the program will be for everyone involved.”
Interested homeowners can learn more at the Solar Chicago website, which also provides real-time statistics on the numbers of sign-ups, as well as the latest energy price that the program will be able to offer. Solar Chicago offers a free site analysis to prospective participants as well.
The two vendors providing the panels, Juhl Renewable Energy Systems and Microgrid Solar, were chosen through a competitive bid process. The deadline to apply to be part of the program is Sept. 30. This program is separate from Oak Park’s Smart City USA pilot project.