Reminder: VEC Co-op Community Solar Offers Savings and Convenience
Vermont Electric Co-op’s Community Solar program offers VEC members the opportunity to sponsor panels on VEC solar arrays for either 10 or 20 years, and receive a fixed, guaranteed monthly credit on their electric bill. The panels are in already-built arrays in Alburgh, Grand Isle and Hinesburg.
It’s a bit like a farm CSA – you pay ahead for electricity and get a discount for doing so. You can choose the level of sponsorship you want and the term. For example, if you want a guaranteed $100 monthly credit on your electric bill every month for ten years, you would make an upfront payment of about $9,400. Over the ten-year period, with all the bill credits, you would save about $3,600.
Convenience in Grand Isle
VEC member David Leake is one of over 350 VEC members who have sponsored into Co-op Community Solar. Dave and his wife Glenda recently built a house together with her parents in Grand Isle.
The new house was not aligned for optimal sun exposure for rooftop panels. Even if it was, Dave, who is in his 70s, was not keen on venturing onto his roof to maintain panels. “I might have done that when I was 30, but those days are long gone,” he said with a laugh.
As he was investigating heat and electricity costs for the new house, Dave happened to see a blurb about VEC’s Co-op Community solar on a VEC electricity bill. After checking into the program, he signed up.
The fact he’d not have to put arrays on his property, plus the guaranteed savings, made the program a no-brainer. Since then he’s been saving money every month.
“There has not been on single month where I have had to pay an electric bill,” he said. “I don’t know how anyone would not like that,” he said.
Liking the Shade
Another VEC member, Stuart Meyer of Williston, also prized the trees on his property. “We didn’t want to compromise on shade. We’d been keeping an eye out for options for solar, and because of the lack of hassle, this seemed like a really good solution,” he said. He signed up, paid the upfront payment and that was it. “Nothing changed, other than our electric bills were lower than they otherwise would have been,” he said.
You can learn more about Co-op Community Solar including the details of the payments and credits here: https://vermontelectric.coop/c...