Connecticut – Solar Electric
Yarmoff Residence - 9.8 kW Westport, CT
For immediate sales assistance, contact Rachel Oxman at (203) 878-9123 or email Rachel here.
CT State Rebate
All Connecticut homeowners can now take advantage of funds from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) for the purchase or lease of solar electric systems for their homes. Because the rebates are now funded by American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, instead of rate-payer funds, all municipalities in Connecticut (not just CL&P and UI territory towns) are eligible to take advantage of the rebate programs! This includes Bozrah, Groton, Jewitt City, Norwich, Wallingford, and the 2nd and 3rd Taxing Districts of Norwalk.
The previous rate payer fund was created by the Connecticut legislature to assist with the development of renewable energy production in our state. It gathered fees via a nominal charge on electric bills for CL&P and UI, giving the majority of CT homeowners access to alternatives that create clean, endlessly renewable energy- and the jobs that supply these advanced technologies. Now, all CT homeowners can get help going solar.
The CCEF rebate covers roughly 15-20% of the total system cost. The more solar friendly your home, the higher the percentage will be – it is a performance based incentive. The rebate, per watt, is $1.75 for the first 5,000 watts and $1.25 per watt for the next 5,001 to 10,000 watts for grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) systems. Grid-tied systems integrate with your existing power supply lines and do not require you to puchase or depend upon batteries. Grid-tying allows you to receive credits for the excess energy you produce and the ability to receive power from the utility company as desired or as necessary. As of September 1, 2010, the rebate is paid directly to you, the customer. CCEF rebates are capped at 100% of your home’s past year’s electric consumption. To find this number, we look at your ”energy profile” on your most recent electric bill and take each month’s use and add them. This number also allows our System Designers to tell you how much of your typical use can be covered in the area available on your roof or ground mounting site.
For more detailed information on the rebate program, you can call us or visit the CCEF website at CTCleanEnergy.com. Or you can call the CCEF at (860) 563-0015.
Federal Tax Incentive
As of January 1, 2009, all solar electric and solar hot water installations are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit on the net cost of your system (the portion you pay, not including the rebate). Combined with the CCEF rebate, this tax incentive typically reduces your cost by roughly 45% of the total cost of your system.
The final days of the CT Solar Lease Program
The CT Solar Lease Program was launched in October of 2008. Due to its ultimate popularity, the program was suspended 3 times in late 2009 and early 2010 in the belief that the funds were exhausted or nearly exhausted. When they were able to process all of the applications, a small amount of funding still remained. The CCEF recently announced the final 100 leases would be available on a first come, first served, basis. These are likely to go quickly as this option provides an opportunity to make monthly payments, requires no upfront investment, is not dependent on home equity, and protects you from rate increases. To qualify, you can not exceed the income cap of 200% of the median income for your area, your “debt to income” ratio can not exceed 50% of your income going to debt payments, and you must meet their credit requirements.
By using the CT Solar Lease Program to pay for your PV system, you pay a flat monthly rate, that does not increase for 15 years. That means when UI or CL&P have a utility rate hike, you still pay the leasing company the same amount each month, because your electricity will be generated by clean, renewable, solar electric panels. After year 15, you may choose to continue leasing for another five years at a greatly reduced rate, purchase the system at their fair market value appraised at that time, or take down the solar panels and send them back to AFC First. If you renew for 5 years, you will need to make the decision to purchase or return the system at year 20. But since solar electric panels carry a 25 year power warranty and have a 40-50 year design life, in addition to not paying rate increases for the portion of your energy you produce yourself, you could enjoy many years of that energy being completely free after you buy the system. True, you can’t know the price for 15 or 20 year old panels. But you also don’t know how much electricity is going to cost at that time. Additionally, it is important to note here that even those of us who produce all of our own electricity with our solar arrays, still pay the customer service fee each month. But most of us are glad to be able to purchase any additional electricty we wish, should our use increase for any number of reasons.
Please call us today and we’d be happy to explain further why more than 70% of our customers, since October 2008, have decided to use the CT Solar Lease Program to finance their PV system.
To learn more about the lease program click here.
Home Improvement Loan
There are some financial companies in Connecticut who offer home improvement loans for energy conservation improvements. Several of our customers have successfully used the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund (CHIF) to obtain a loan for a PV system. For more information, visit CHIF’s website.
Other Financing Options– There are several other methods available to finance your solar investment. The most popular tool is a home equity loan and many homeowners have reported finding the most favorable rate from their existing mortgage lender. But other tools also exist, like Sunpower’s Solar Loan. Sunpower, a very large panel manufacturer, also offers a “Same as Cash” program that allows you to collect your rebate and utilize your tax credit before making any payments. Please call our office if you would like to learn more about these options.
Home Energy Audits
If you wish to take advantage of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) rebate, you will need to have an energy audit perfomed on your home before a PV system is installed in order to receive the rebate. These audits are being heavily subsidized by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) and typically cost the consumer about $75. Apparently the services performed would cost hundreds without the subsidies. We are big fans of energy conservation efforts for two major reasons. First, when you save energy, you save money (also helping the environment of course). But they also allow us to size the smallest system possible, again, saving you money. Very often there is limited roof space and your use frequently exceeds the amount of energy we can produce in that space. Thus, the less you use, the better our chances of covering a “satisfying” percentage of your typical electrical consumption.
- Click here if you are a UI customer and interested in learning how to obtain a home energy audit
- Click here if you are a CL&P customer and interested in learning how to obtain a home energy audit
For more information, read our Information Packets
If you would like to learn more about Sunlight Solar Energy, CT’s state programs, and solar energy, you can download our Information Packet.
If you have more questions about Connecticut’s incentive programs, or if you would like to schedule your free site evaluation, call Rachel today at (203) 878-9123.
Read unbiassed reviews from real customers as www.SolarEstimate.org.
Towns we serve:
We serve all of CT and here is a list of every town we serve. If your town is listed here, we are licensed by the state of CT and approved by the CCEF to install solar electric (PV) panels at your home or business.
| Amston, CT | Haddam, CT | Redding, CT |
| Andover, CT | Hamden, CT | Ridgefield, CT |
| Ansonia, CT | Hampton, CT | Riverside, CT |
| Ashford, CT | Hartford, CT | Rockland, CT |
| Avon, CT | Hartland, CT | Rockville, CT |
| Bakersville, CT | Harwinton, CT | Rocky Hill, CT |
| Baltic, CT | Hawleyville, CT | Rowayton, CT |
| Bantam, CT | Hebron, CT | Roxbury, CT |
| Barkhamsted, CT | Hopeville, CT | Salem, CT |
| Beacon Falls, CT | Kent, CT | Salisbury, CT |
| Berlin, CT | Killingly, CT | Sandy Hook, CT |
| Bethany, CT | Killingworth, CT | Saugatuck, CT |
| Bethel, CT | Lakeville, CT | Scotland, CT |
| Bethlehem, CT | Lebanon, CT | Seymour, CT |
| Black Rock, CT | Ledyard, CT | Sharon, CT |
| Bloomfield, CT | Litchfield, CT | Shelton, CT |
| Bolton, CT | Lyme, CT | Sherman, CT |
| Branford, CT | Madison, CT | Simsbury, CT |
| Bridgeport, CT | Manchester, CT | Somers, CT |
| Bridgewater, CT | Mansfield, CT | South Windsor, CT |
| Bristol, CT | Marbledale, CT | Southbury, CT |
| Broadbrook, CT | Marlborough, CT | Southington, CT |
| Brookfield, CT | Meriden, CT | Southport, CT |
| Brooklyn, CT | Middlebury, CT | Sprague, CT |
| Burlington, CT | Middlefield, CT | Stafford, CT |
| Canaan, CT | Middletown, CT | Stafford Springs, CT |
| Canterbury, CT | Milford, CT | Stamford, CT |
| Canton, CT | Milton, CT | Sterling, CT |
| Chaplin, CT | Monroe, CT | Stonington, CT |
| Cheshire, CT | Montville, CT | Storrs, CT |
| Chester, CT | Moodus, CT | Stratford, CT |
| Clinton, CT | Moosup, CT | Suffield, CT |
| Colchester, CT | Morris, CT | Taftville, CT |
| Colebrook, CT | Mystic, CT | Talcottville, CT |
| Collinsville, CT | Naugatuck, CT | Terryville, CT |
| Columbia, CT | New Britain, CT | Thomaston, CT |
| Cornwall, CT | New Canaan, CT | Thompson, CT |
| Cos Cob, CT | New Fairfield, CT | Tolland, CT |
| Coventry, CT | New Hartford, CT | Torrington, CT |
| Cromwell, CT | New Haven, CT | Trumbull, CT |
| Danbury, CT | New London, CT | Uncasville, CT |
| Danielson, CT | New Milford, CT | Union, CT |
| Darien, CT | New Preston, CT | Union City, CT |
| Dayville, CT | Newington, CT | Unionville, CT |
| Deep River, CT | Newtown, CT | Vernon, CT |
| Derby, CT | Niantic, CT | Voluntown, CT |
| Durham, CT | Norfolk, CT | Warren, CT |
| East Canaan, CT | Noroton, CT | Washington, CT |
| East Granby, CT | North Branford, CT | Washington Depot, CT |
| East Haddam, CT | North Canaan, CT | Waterbury, CT |
| East Hampton, CT | North Haven, CT | Waterford, CT |
| East Hartford, CT | North Stonington, CT | Watertown, CT |
| East Haven, CT | Northfield, CT | West Hartford, CT |
| East Lyme, CT | Northford, CT | West Haven, CT |
| East Morris, CT | Northville, CT | West Simsbury, CT |
| East Windsor, CT | Norwalk, CT | Westbrook, CT |
| Eastford, CT | Oakdale, CT | Westfield, CT |
| Easton, CT | Oakville, CT | Westford, CT |
| Ellington, CT | Old Lyme, CT | Weston, CT |
| Enfield, CT | Old Saybrook, CT | Westport, CT |
| Essex, CT | Oneco, CT | Wethersfield, CT |
| Fairfield, CT | Orange, CT | Willimantic, CT |
| Falls Village, CT | Oxford, CT | Willington, CT |
| Farmington, CT | Pachaug, CT | Wilton, CT |
| Franklin, CT | Plainfield, CT | Winchester, CT |
| Gales Ferry, CT | Plainville, CT | Windham, CT |
| Gaylordsville, CT | Plantsville, CT | Windsor, CT |
| Georgetown, CT | Plymouth, CT | Windsor Locks, CT |
| Glastonbury, CT | Pomfret, CT | Winsted, CT |
| Goshen, CT | Portland, CT | Winthrop, CT |
| Granby, CT | Preston, CT | Wolcott, CT |
| Greenwich, CT | Prospect, CT | Woodbridge, CT |
| Griswold, CT | Putnam, CT | Woodbury, CT |
| Grosvenor Dale, CT | Quaker Farms, CT | Woodstock, CT |
| Guilford, CT | Quaker Hill, CT |
Sunlight Solar is the premier installer of solar electric (photovoltaic) products in the state of CT, and was the proud recipient of SunPower’s 2008 Intelegant Award!* and the New Haven Land Trust’s 2010 Environmental Business Award. Since 2005, SSE has completed over 500 installations large and small for residential and commercial customers in Connecticut.
*The SunPower Intelegant Award recognizes residential SunPower solar-electric power system installations that exemplify SunPower’s commitment to excellence in aesthetics, quality and performance. Award-winning installations are selected for the quality of the design and installation as well as homeowner satisfaction.
