On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, the City of Madison and RENEW Wisconsin announced the 2022 MadiSUN residential solar group buy program. MadiSUN is for Madison-area homeowners looking to install solar-electric systems.
In its seventh year, the program offers Dane County homeowners easy access to qualified solar contractors at a competitive price. MadiSUN has spurred approximately $3.5 million in solar energy investments since 2016 and has added over 1,000 kilowatts of renewable electricity to the local electric grid. Over 200 homes in the Madison area have installed solar through the program.
“The MadiSUN program helps make it easy for residents to select an installer and get a cost-effective and high-quality solar system for their home,” said Stacie Reece, Sustainability Program Coordinator for the City of Madison. “Each additional rooftop installation gets us closer to our goal of 100% renewable energy for the City.”
Two local solar installation firms, Arch Solar and Full Spectrum Solar won a competitive bidding process and will design and install arrays for MadiSUN participants. Many solar design firms across Wisconsin anticipate a busy year for installations as Federal Investment Tax Credits begin to wind down in 2023.
“With tax credits at 26%, and utility rates increasing across the state, 2022 is a great year to go solar,” said Stanley Minnick, Head of Sales at Arch Solar, one of the participating contractors for MadiSUN. “This will likely be a record-setting year for residential solar.”
MadiSUN also provides homeowners with multiple options for financing. Loans are available through greenpenny bank and the Clean Energy Credit Union. However, homeowners may choose any financing mechanism they prefer, including home equity lines of credit or loans from other banks.
“Residents of Dane County can count on greenpenny for fast, easy, and affordable financing for their solar projects,” said Jason MacDuff, President of greenpenny. “Our team works hard to find a loan term within our residential solar program that allows for the borrower to trade their current electric bill for a solar financing payment.
In addition to financing and access to local solar contractors, MadiSUN participants have access to additional education sessions, which help them understand the benefits of at-home solar energy.
“Modern solar electric systems are still relatively new technology to many Wisconsin homeowners,” stated Sam Dunaiski, Distributed Resources Director for RENEW Wisconsin and administrator of the MadiSUN program. “The main goal of MadiSUN is to make going solar easy and affordable for any Madison area resident. We want to make sure everyone in the community understands how beneficial solar energy can be.”
Residents can receive a complimentary solar assessment by visiting madisunsolar.com and filling out the “I’m Interested” form. Applications for the Group Buy program must be submitted by August 31, 2022.
