The Single Most complaint about Green Homes is that the Solar Panels are just too costly. It would take way too long to get your money back out of them. Well, I was approached today by a company (Thanks Active Rain) that wipes this completely out of the picture. Open your mind to this business model that I think is probably the most genius since the Cell Phone Industry.
The main reason to want to go Solar is to reduce the need for Coal Burning Plants and to reduce our need for Fossil Fuels. Regardless to your beliefs on Global Warming you have to admit that there are other motives where this could be beneficial.
Imagine being able to build a home for the same exact cost and not having to pay for Solar Panels out of pocket. Imagine being able to Remodel your home to be more efficient and installing Solar Panels to help. Essentially you could produce enough Electricity during the day to feed BACK INTO the Grid and use your own electricity at night. You think I'm dreaming right?
Well, CitizenRe has it all figured out. They have it set up where you can Lease Solar Panels. Here is how it would work:
- You request information on your particular home. Solar Panels will not work on every home.
- If they find that your home would work, they file all of the permits you may need, design what your home would need, and install the solar panels.
- All it takes is a deposit of about $500.
- They set up all of the equipment needed to feed in to the grid by day and use by night.
- You are moving next year? It's ok. You can move the panels with you free of charge the first time OR sign the lease over to the new owners and start over at the new house.
Your electrical rate would then be locked to what your rate is now. You do not have to worry about rates going up for the term of your lease. 5, 10, 25 years...whatever you choose.
You would still have to pay an electrical bill each month. I actually like this idea because unlike Carbon Offset Programs, it makes you think about your usage and want to reduce your Electrical use. You could then focus on what your house needs to be more efficient like-insulation, windows, etc.
This company has what sounds like more than enough money to make this happen and when you start seeing Advertisements pop up for them in the VERY NEAR future, you will already know what they are all about. I spoke with this Independent Rep. VERTX SOLAR on the phone for a substantial amount of time this evening and it sounds very legit to me.
UPDATE:** on Renewable Energy and HOA's. This kind Gentleman also informed me that right now on the floor at a Federal Level, they are considering a Renewable Energy Statute that would make it illegal for HOA's to not allow Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, etc. By the end of this year or the middle of next year it is expected to pass. Make sure to contact your Representative if you find this important. I know I do!!
Here is a link for you to go and get more information on this company:
Hi Stephanie,
I think this post is very Interesting information, we need to use less oil. so anything but oil is very good.
Hi Stephanie! I think this is a wonderful idea...unfortunately its not available in Missouri yet. Oh well....I can wait. Did you see this article online..made me think of you... :)
http://digitaljournal.com/article/230663/From_plate_to_engine_French_city_powers_buses_with_food_scraps
Please check out www.JoinTheSolution.com/vertx if you are interested in finding out what we offer and how the roll-out for the solar untis are planned. Yes, the equipment is leased to the home owner and the reality is the home owner generated their own energy. All support and service of the equipment is done by the franchise supporting the home owners leased equipment.
Yes, the rates can be locked for 1, 5 or 25 years, 95% of our customers are locking in rates for 25 years. This is a significant savings since utility rates are going up app. 3.5% each year. Here is something even better, if you sign-up for a system (which costs you nothing but a deposite at time of the design) and you refer other customers who also sign-up for a system, you will get 5% of the referred customers invoice deducted from your bill up to 100% of your utilities bill. No joke!!! Touch base withme and i will show you this in print!
Additionally, those of you that might want to help change the world for a better environment and at the same time help people save money on their utilities bills and potentially also want to earn a great living, then review: www.powur.com/vertx
Please take your time to do your due deligence as with any new comapnies and new ideas there are skeptics and visionaries. This venture is something I reviewed and only after careful consideration I decided it was right for me and my organization to support and grow.
I am available to answer your questions and/or forward you to people who might have more insight into the solution and the opportunity...but you can be sure you will get a honest and direct answer from me.
Anowar Shahjahan, CEO,
VERTX SOLA (281) 826-0077 | anowar@fileon.com | www.linkedin.com/in/anowar
This is incredible! My 11% increased turned out to be about 50% this year because I run 2 A/C units and a pool. I find this of interest but, as Robert mentioned, the systems are going down in price so if you are considering a 25 year lock you may want to consider just purchasing a system yourself.
This is a VERY interesting concept and a twist in having privatized electricity. NICE! Very worth checking in to I believe!
I believe that the current warming trend is natural and has NOTHING to do with mankind.
However, I like clean air. This is something I would look into
Thanks Anowar for stepping in...do you have a response to Robert? He brought up some good points.
It would be nice to have all of the issues laid out.
Hi Terry, I have not seen the ones that look like shingles..I wonder how much those cost. :) Let me know if you find an answer about the hurricane areas...
Robert - thank you for the detailed information. I can only share what I know and that is my experience as a business owner. Raise $5MM is hard, raising $50MM is very hard, raising more than $100+MM WOW - this no easy.
Most investors want to minimize risk, and the best way to do this is by securing demand for the product or service and re-assuring investors that the market is ready for the product or service envisions [not talking about CitizenRe but in general]. Did you know instant coffee was invented in the early 1960s and it faild because people had more time to make real coffee. Not until the late 80's did this take off and now we buy coffee on the go...
As an independent rep. and believe me i am very busy with many of my own ventures, joining the team was a risk - rewards analysis for me and my team.
I looked into setting up a solar system for my home in CT - it would have cost me $36K to install it and guess what, I sold the home after living there for 3 years - so did you think I would give the new owners a gift of $36K to buy my home? So, I decided not to install it, how did that help the solar industry?
Heck we lease stuff every day - satalite tv, car leases, etc., this is not a new concept. Consider the fact that we lease auto - BMW, Ford, etc. which costs well over $20K and we pay an average of $250 to $350/month to lease it for 3 years or so. Again this is not a new concept. Most solar systems cost the same price as an average car but it produces energy we can use every day.
I read some of the threads that the solar pannels are coming down in price...that is true. I have also read that when you buy pannels directly there is a chance that at least 20% of the pannels will have faults. Imagine buying a car or leasing it but when it breaks down - you had no one to fix them, you had to read a manual or call a support line to a get it addressed by your self. Sure, that will work!!
Our services are being setup where Franchisors will support, service, setup and install the units. Look at how long it takes most franchise businesses to be wide spread...it takes time but the results are in front of you to see that using a small team you can produce increadible results, by setting the right policies and management oversight.
Robert - your points are valid. Our position regarding people who has the money to spend on a solar unit should absolutely contact Robert and others and move forward with the installation and solar units. This will help all of our cause to have renewable energy sooner than later.
A key factor which made me join this organization is the simple fact - I spent ZERO $DOLLAR to join and become an independent representative. I do not have to buy the unit, I do not have a minimum purchase quota, I don't thave to go to meetings that I do not want to attend and frankly speaking, I have no one hounding me to make sales.
What I did have to do is study for a test and pass it - which ensures I know the rules of engagement - and I am open and honest to the best of my abilities about the solution and the service. Please note that through out my communications, we have never stated that we are ready to install units today. We are accepting customers so that we can place them in a queue like an assembly line.
Please e-mail or call me and I will be glad to answer any questions you have. If I can not answer them, I will forward them to team members that can provide more details. Additionally, I can tell you that Robert Styler is very accessible and you should reach out to him as well with questions so that he can address them directly.
Anowar Shahjahan, CEO, Independent Ecopreneur
VERTX SOLAR (281) 826-0077 | anowar@fileon.com | www.linkedin.com/in/anowar
I viewed the website about a year ago and found the concept very interesting. One very imortant part of the process is that the state you live in has legislated and mandated that back-feeding into the electric grid is allowable. Of course many utility companies have fought this. I think the CitizenRe website had a feature that showed where this had been accomplished, I know that at that time, some parts of Florida allowed it and some parts did not.
Using my home as an example (single bachelor), on most days, with the exception of when the AC/Furnace was running, I would be backfeeding into the grid about 10 hours a day. How fantastic would that be for us as a culture! In Florida, if we included south-facing walls and spite fences, we could probably provide electricity for a whole 'nother state!!
Hi Anowar, thanks for more information.
Hi Dwight, Thanks for commentng! That is great information and insight on feeding into the grid and it is definitely something to look into.
It would be an interesting experiment to see how much electricity could be generated in Florida, Texas or other Southern states by Solar. I wonder if there is someone we can get to sponsor that. :) I'm just kidding. But it would be fascinating and you are probably right.
Thanks for stopping by!
Stephanie,
Even if this company doesn't work out, hopefully something will take off to make solar more cost effective. The same is true for Geothermal heat. Geothermal is very cost effective but the time for it to pay off is longer than most people own a home. I hope the federal legislation to prevent HOAs from banning solar and wind power is passed.