Yes! Community solar was put in place to help bridge those gaps of residents who have no options for solar. Because no Installation is required. As long as you are the account holder for your electric bill you can subscribe, go green, and start saving. The best part is, even if you move you can still take it with you in most cases.

No. Run on Solar only partners with community solar gardens that provide guaranteed discounts. As a subscriber, you will not be charged monthly for a portion of the project’s energy production. You’ll receive solar credits that help cover your energy bill payment and save you money on your annual energy costs. Your solar credits and savings will vary depending on the state program or specific solar project. People who subscribe to community solar can save up to 15% each month. With community solar, your savings are locked in – with no hidden fees – so you’ll always pay less on your energy costs than if you hadn’t subscribed to community solar.

No, there are no upfront costs or fees.

No, the solar system will be located on a remote roof or property. This means both homeowners and renters are welcome to sign up for our program, and the savings will apply directly to your community solar statement

We hear that a lot! But no, the gardens we work with don’t use introductory rates. They set rates based on your contract and historical utility usage so that they continue to provide consistent savings throughout the lifetime of your solar project.

Your utility is required to compensate community solar gardens at a certain price for solar power. As a subscriber to that garden, you are entitled to a certain portion of that compensation that ranges typically from 5 to 15% (see your Subscription Agreement). Your solar garden typically will pay your electric bill with solar credits produced by the garden, and then invoice you at a lower rate or balance. For example, if you joined a garden that provided 10% savings and your electric bill was $100.00. The garden would pay your $100 balance and invoice you at $90.

You’ll still receive your utility bill, but you’ll see solar credits on it each month for your portion of the community solar project’s energy production.

With community solar, you receive two invoices. One is your standard utility bill, and the other is your community solar subscription bill. You pay for the electricity produced by your subscription (SSA rate * kWh). On your utility bill, you will see a new line item for solar credits. This is the amount credited toward your utility bill for your subscription’s production (bill credit rate * kWh). Typically, the difference between the amount credited for the subscription and the amount billed results in overall savings.

You can view the specifics of your community solar garden in your gardens online portal. You may have subscribed to a project that is still being built. If that is the case, you will receive updates on construction progress along the way. Likewise, you will receive notice when your project is energized and begins producing solar power.

In most cases, your solar savings will move with you! Usually if you move to another property within the same utility territory, you can transfer your savings over the new territory. Just let your garden operator know.

A solar developer is in charge of building and maintaining the Community Solar project. They partner with Run on Solar to take care of the enrollment of subscribers for the project. The developer pays us for each subscriber (specifically, each new kWh of electricity) we enroll in our Community Solar farm. The developer, in turn, earns its money back through customers’ normal monthly utility payments, which is why there are no extra fees needed to participate!

If you move and your new address is in the same project territory, you can remain subscribed to the same project – but please let your garden know so they can update your information. If you move outside the project coverage area, please call your solar garden operator. They may have another project available in your new neighborhood. If you change your mind, there’s no fee to cancel. Notice is often required, and the length of any notice needed is explained in your agreement.

We’re proud to get this question, because it means we’re helping to provide a service people didn’t think was possible. And we’re even prouder to answer, “There is no catch! Your Community Solar farm will bring you savings, year after year.” Community Solar is free to join because you’re not buying your panels. Instead, you’re subscribing to receive credits for the electricity they generate. You don’t need to worry about maintaining, cleaning, or recycling them, nor paying a steep cost to install anything on your property. Our solar developer partners take care of all of that, and you get the credit for supporting local solar energy.

With Community Solar, you earn modest savings (typically around 10%) on your electric bill each month. While it might not seem like much, it really adds up! Sometimes, though, subscribers still want to know why they can’t save more each month.The answer is that, in order to provide affordable clean energy at no upfront cost and with no recurring subscription fees, we must reduce the monthly savings we offer (while still giving as much of the financial benefit to our subscribers as possible). This allows money to flow evenly so that subscribers benefit and we can afford to offer more projects.If your goal is for solar to cover 100% of your electricity bill, you should look into rooftop solar. Through rooftop solar, you can maximize your long-term savings, albeit that it requires installation fees. When it comes to installing your own solar, the more you can pay upfront for an installation, the more you’ll be able to earn down the line. Installing your own panels is great if you can do it! But the truth is, most of us can’t. Either we’re unable to pay the upfront cost, rent our homes, live in an apartment, or perhaps have roofs that are simply facing the wrong way.