Global Exchange and Sungevity, a California home solar company, have joined together to offer solar power seekers a great way to save the climate, save money and support Global Exchange. Here is one woman’s story about what it was like to go solar:
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I live in Berkeley, in what I would modestly say is one of the most environmentally-conscious neighborhoods in the country, yet you can count the number of houses with solar panels in my neighborhood on the fingers of one hand. My husband and I have wanted to go solar ever since we first knew about the technology, but one thing stopped us – the very significant expense of installation. And I suspect the same thing stops a lot of people from going solar.
So when we heard about the Sungevity lease deal, we were really intrigued. Friends of ours have had to take out second mortgages to cover the cost of installation, so this seemed like a great way to get solar panels without having to pay those very high up-front costs.
We went to Sungevity online, got an iQuote and found that our house was suitable for solar panels. Then we learned that there was no charge for installation of the panels! With Sungevity, the panels they install are owned by them, and you agree to a ten-year lease. That suited us fine – as much as we wanted to go solar, neither of us yearned to own the actual solar panels. And the really great thing is that if there’s ever any problem with the panels or anything connected to the installation, Sungevity fixes it – for no charge! After all, they’re the ones who own the hardware.
The lease deal is pretty straightforward – you pay the monthly rate for ten years, but if you pay it all up front, you’ll get a deep discount. Our own electrical consumption was not very high – there are just the two of us at home, and we use natural gas for heating, cooking and hot water. But we’ve decided to convert some old appliances – like our gas water heater – to electric, and to install electric radiant heat panels in our downstairs area. And even if we do end up paying what we’ve determined will be just a small uptick in our monthly electric bills, to us it’s worth it to have clean energy!
So if my experience inspires you to learn more about going solar with Sungevity, go here to get started, and be sure to ask them about the incentives they offer folks who sign up. Yes, they’re a business – but they’re the sort of socially-responsible business that folks like me (and you?) prefer to deal with, where people, planet and profit are all valued.
Here’s another great thing about this deal: for every household that goes solar with Sungevity, Global Exchange gets $1000! All you have to do is to say “Global” when you sign up, and you’ll be supporting Global Exchange and all of our wonderful programs for peace, justice and sustainability.
To be completely transparent here, I work at Global Exchange, so if you’re thinking of going solar, of course I’d be thrilled for you to use this opportunity to not only save on your own initial up-front costs, but to support our critical human rights work. Look at it as the cherry on top of your new solar powered sundae!
Going solar with Sungevity is a win (for the environment) – win (for your energy bills) – win (for Global Exchange)! How often can you get that kind of deal?!
Learn more about Going Solar:
Click here or on the banner to see if you qualify and for your free iQuote from Sungevity.