CHICAGO, July 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The consumer watchdog Citizens
Utility Board (CUB) is working with five Chicagoland counties,
renewable energy advocates and solar professionals to offer a
program that can help homeowners install solar panels at a
significant discount and reduce their electric bills by hundreds of
dollars, CUB announced Thursday.
The Solar Switch program is a partnership among Cook, DuPage,
Kane, Lake and Will
Counties, along with the nonprofits CUB and the Midwest Renewable
Energy Association (MREA). The program is managed by iChoosr, a
company that administers similar solar programs around the
world.
Solar Switch is a "group-buy" program, which means it secures
volume discounts for quality solar installations, based on how many
residents of those five counties, along with residents of
Kendall and McHenry counties, participate. The program
selects installers through a competitive vetting process and then
runs a reverse-auction to secure a low base-price.
"As a consumer advocate, CUB wants to educate consumers and
empower them to cut their utility bills, and the Solar Switch
program does both," said Marina
Minic, CUB's Solar Programs Coordinator. "The program gives
consumers an introduction to the benefits of solar power, and it
then connects interested participants to qualified, vetted and
affordable solar installers."
Minic said legislation, such as Illinois' 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act
(CEJA) and the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, offer
multiple incentives that can cover around 60 percent of
installation costs. That's on top of volume discounts the Solar
Switch program offers.
Once installed, solar panels have the potential to save
customers hundreds of dollars a year on their electric bills.
Here's how the Solar Switch program works:
- Chicagoland residents are invited to register for the program
at solarswitch.com/Chicagoland. There, residents can fill
out a questionnaire to see if their roof is suitable for solar.
Registrants will also have access to free, educational
webinars.
- In June, iChoosr organized a reverse auction–a process in which
the traditional auction roles of buyer and seller are reversed.
That means for each auction there is one buyer (a household or
small business) and iChoosr invited qualified, pre-vetted solar
providers to compete to offer the lowest bid and win the
participant's business.
- Registrants receive a personal recommendation, after which
qualified installers will conduct remote and onsite roof
assessments with those who accept an offer. The deadline to approve
personal recommendations is August 21,
2024.
- Participants who review and approve their final quote will then
schedule the installation. All installations will be completed by
March 21, 2025.
CUB, MREA and the counties have been involved in a similar
group-buy program since 2019, helping more than 600 properties go
solar, and educating more than 3,000 consumers about the science
and benefits of solar.
Residents who participate are expected to save an average of
about $4,600 on a typical-sized solar
installation, not counting the additional benefits of the federal
and state tax credits. The Solar Switch program provides an
excellent opportunity for Chicagoland residents to take advantage
of these savings and make the switch to renewable energy. Register
for free, educational webinars without obligation
at solarswitch.com/Chicagoland. Consumers with
questions should email hello@solarswitch.com.
Solar Switch Chicagoland is a solar group-buy
program offered to residential customers and small businesses
through nonprofits MREA and CUB, and in partnership with
Cook, DuPage, Kane,
Lake and Will counties. The program is managed
by iChoosr, an independent solar group-buying specialist.
Founded in 2008, iChoosr is active in five countries worldwide and
its collective programs in energy and solar panels have helped more
than 2.2 million people save more than $760
million.
The MREA was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit
shortly after the first Energy Fair in 1990. MREA's mission is to
promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living
through education and demonstration. To learn more, call
715-592-6595 or visit www.midwestrenew.org.
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is celebrating its 40th
anniversary as Illinois' leading
nonprofit utility watchdog group. Created by the Illinois
Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the
interests of residential and small-business utility customers.
Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping to block rate hikes and
secure refunds. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline
at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CUB's award-winning
website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.
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SOURCE Citizens Utility Board