Program Seeking Participants Interested In Solarizing Their Home

Are you interested in solarizing your home?

Rebecca, who lives close by in Bryant and whose kids go to Villa Academy, is looking for people, specifically in Northeast Seattle neigborhoods, who want to solarize their homes through "Solarize Seattle" a campaign through the non-profit, Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development). 

Rebeccca told us she started looking into installing solar energy panels on her house and "was excited by the idea of galvanizing our neighborhoods for this process. I am currently trying to gauge interest among neighbors for participation in this program."

Queen Anne was the first neighborhood project to be "solarized" as part of this unique program with the installation of solar on 150+ homes.

Northwest SEED is currently looking for neighborhood partners for their second solarize campaign  in their effort "to solarize one neighborhood at a time", and Rebecca has jumped on the bandwagon to help organize these efforts.

The website says about the program:

We’ll tackle the process as a team while realizing cost savings through the power of bulk purchasing. 

The Solarize model provides a streamlined process through which neighborhoods can collectively decide where to start, how to budget, what to buy, and who to hire. These logistical hurdles are overcome through community utilization of a bulk purchase model to offset the costs of solar panels and installation.

Through this model, contractors submit competitive bids to a community group that is collectively interested in the bulk purchase of solar systems.



Based on the level of community participation, competing contractors are able to significantly decrease the per-watt cost of installing a residential solar system


Participants also are able to attend educational workshops and receive "free site assessments to determine solar suitability."

The application deadline to be considered the the next neighborhood to participate in the program is June 5th and Rebeccas is hoping to have some residents from the NE Seattle neighborhoods on board. 
 
She says "What I am really hoping to do is get a list of interested folks and community groups so that I feel comfortable that if we out the proposal together it won't be in vain."

If you are interested in solarizng your home or would like to volunteer in the effort contact Rebecca at
solarneseattle@yahoo.com

Here is a Seattle Times article on the project from March of this year.