10-31-2007, 12:23 PM
Berkeley CA, OK no laughing, has a solution for helping homeowners go solar, a 20 year plan that lives with the property even if it changes hands!!
It is a nifty idea and could be used for the potty problem fringing the Champagne ponds in Kapoho, or elsewhere. Where there is the will there is the way!
Condensed for PW.
Berkeley is set to become the first city in the nation to help thousands of its residents generate solar power without having to put money up front - attempting to surmount one of the biggest hurdles for people who don't have enough cash to go green.
The City Council will vote Nov. 6 on a plan for the city to finance the cost of solar panels for property owners who agree to pay it back with a 20-year assessment on their property. Over two decades, the taxes would be the same or less than what property owners would save on their electric bills, officials say.
A property owner would hire a city-approved solar installer, who would determine the best solar system for the property, depending on energy use. Most residential solar panel systems in the city cost from $15,000 to $20,000.
The city would pay the contractor for the system and its installation, minus any applicable state and federal rebates, and would add an assessment to the property owner's tax bill to pay for the system.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...IT0DQO.DTL
mella l
Edited by - mella l on 10/31/2007 16:24:47
It is a nifty idea and could be used for the potty problem fringing the Champagne ponds in Kapoho, or elsewhere. Where there is the will there is the way!
Condensed for PW.
Berkeley is set to become the first city in the nation to help thousands of its residents generate solar power without having to put money up front - attempting to surmount one of the biggest hurdles for people who don't have enough cash to go green.
The City Council will vote Nov. 6 on a plan for the city to finance the cost of solar panels for property owners who agree to pay it back with a 20-year assessment on their property. Over two decades, the taxes would be the same or less than what property owners would save on their electric bills, officials say.
A property owner would hire a city-approved solar installer, who would determine the best solar system for the property, depending on energy use. Most residential solar panel systems in the city cost from $15,000 to $20,000.
The city would pay the contractor for the system and its installation, minus any applicable state and federal rebates, and would add an assessment to the property owner's tax bill to pay for the system.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...IT0DQO.DTL
mella l
Edited by - mella l on 10/31/2007 16:24:47
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
Art and Science
bytheSEA