FREEPORT
Freeport residents have until Sept. 1 to take advantage of the Solarize Freeport program, offering solar installation at a bulk rate as well as a 30 percent tax credit at the end of the year.
Solarize Freeport, the state’s first municipally led solarization project, is close to its conclusion and according to Town Planner Donna Larson, all signs point to success.
Larson said throughout the process she hasn’t had any complaints with those participating in the program and that all the customers of installation contractors Insource Renewables and Assured Solar Energy seem happy with their product.
Larson said each new solar owner can see how much energy their panels are producing daily.
“I have talked to a few people who have gotten systems and they said, ‘Wow, this is how much I produced today,’” Larson said.
Larson said the town acted as a facilitator in the program, collecting names, then choosing a contractor before moving off into a monitoring position.
Vaughan Woodruff, owner of Insource Renewables, said pairing up with Rob Taisey of Assured Solar Energy right from the start was a great way to approach a project of this scale while still being able to service their old customers.
“It’s been a nice collaborative effort,” said Woodruff, adding that the two businesses have even shared labor throughout the process to keep installations moving smoothly.
Woodruff said the Tuesday cutoff was actually a push-back of the original deadline due to the popularity of the program.
Woodruff said there was a lot of incentive to get residents on board early, as the higher the number of initial contracts the more of a discount the companies could offer. Woodruff said they offered discounts on heat pumps and gift certificates from local merchants in order to drive down initial pricing.
“To date, we have 40 contracts. I would say about 70 percent of the jobs have been put in,” Woodruff said, and even with a greater than anticipated number of contracts, he’s confident the two companies will finish all their homes comfortably under deadline.
According to Woodruff, the contracts have translated into about $750,000 that will in turn be put back into the local economy.
“I’ve been really impressed with Freeport’s participation. It’s been a really great project to be a part of,” Woodruff said.
dmcintire@timesrecord.com
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