Residents, Businesses Invited to Take Solar Panel Survey

Wayland residents and businesses are invited to take part in a survey that is part of the application for Solarize Massachusetts, a program allowing residents, businesses and faith organizations to purchase electricity-producing solar panels, their installation and solar power at reduced prices.

The opportunity to participate in Solarize Massachusetts is being offered to Wayland because of the town's Green Community status, which it earned in 2010.

"The Solarize program would help interested parties by the Town conveniently selecting the best installer and contract for the whole of Wayland," according to a press release. Hiring that installer would help cut costs, streamline the permitting process and make consistent information available throughout the community, in addition to "creating a sense of community while becoming more sustainable and resilient."

Wayland intends to partner with nearby Green Commitions in order to pool outreach resources. In Wayland the Energy Initiatives Advisory Commitee and Transition Wayland are collaborating on the effort, but they need Wayland residents' and business owners' help.

Part of the application for the program requires demonstrating what kind of interest there is in Wayland for solar panels. A three-minute, five-question survey is posted at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QYNKM9B or via the Transition Wayland website at http://www.transitionwayland.org.

The survey deadline is Sunday, March 18.

Please invite other Wayland residents, businesses and organizations to take the survey as well.

The press release expalins the cost reductions as follows:

Cost reductions in the Solarize program are achieved through a tiered pricing structure that provides increased savings for everyone as more people in the community participate. For instance, the 75 customers who signed up with the Solarize Massachusetts pilot in Harvard, Mass., last year, made it to Tier Four. Compared to the net system cost of $15,275 and break-even period of 5.3 years in Tier One, their combined buying power resulted in a net cost of $10,025 and a break-even period of only 3.3 years. (source: http://masscec.com/masscec/file/HarvardSolar201Combined.pdf / the Solarize website is at http://www.masscec.com/index.cfm/cdid/12093/pid/11159)

Contact Kaat Vander Straeten (kaat@transitionwayland.org) or Anne Harris (arharris29@yahoo.com) for more information.