Program Helps Kearsarge Residents Go Solar Just in Time
Residents in six Kearsarge-area towns have a unique opportunity to go solar this spring thanks to Solarize Kearsage, a volunteer-led program featuring a pre-vetted installer and discounts that grow as more residents sign on. Interested community members can get all the details at an April 13 launch event and at vitalcommunities.org/solarize.
“The federal solar tax credit will shrink from 30 percent to 26 percent after the end of 2019,” explained Jamie Hess, a Solarize volunteer and president of Kearsarge Climate Action, “so it was already a good year to go solar. With the Solarize Kearsarge discounts, there has literally never been a better time to consider switching to solar power.”
Homeowners in Andover, New London, Newbury, Sutton, Warner, and Wilmot, New Hampshire, have until May 31 to request a free solar site visit from Granite State Solar, the installer selected by Solarize Kearsarge volunteers earlier this year.
The program is spearheaded by the recently formed Kearsarge Climate Action, a group of concerned residents from towns throughout the Kearsarge region, including many who serve on town energy committees. The group has been busy since January promoting its Weatherize Kearsarge campaign and is excited to shift the focus to Solarize as the weather warms.
“Granite State Solar is very committed to the Keasarge region especially since many of our team members live in the local area,” said Erik Shifflett, Granite State Solar co-owner. “It’s exciting to see when residents rally together to bring solar to their community. The group pricing tier model has proven to work in other Solarize campaigns that we have been a part of. We encourage residents to join us at the kick-off event to learn more about solar and the benefits of installing it now under this campaign. If you can’t make the event, give us a call. We are readily available to answer any questions and can schedule a free home site visit.”
This spring’s campaign follows an earlier Solarize Kearsarge effort in 2014 that resulted in 38 new solar homes in Andover, New London, and Wilmot. Volunteers working on the region’s 2019 push hope to solarize at least 50 more homes this year.
Both campaigns are part of a larger initiative led by the nonprofit Vital Communities to help homeowners across the Upper Valley go solar. In 2014 and 2015, 370 homeowners went solar in 25 Upper Valley towns thanks to various Solarize campaigns. The model has since been successfully used by communities across Maine and New Hampshire.
A Solarize Kearsarge kick-off event is set for Saturday, April 13, at 10 a.m. at Ivey Science Center on the campus of Colby-Sawyer College in New London. Interested residents can find more information and sign up for a free solar site visit at vitalcommunities.org/solarize.
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