Why Low-Income Homes Could be the Next Solar Frontier
So far, the residential solar market has been concentrated on homeowners with middle to high incomes. Surveys show that the average income of solar households is about $75,000 per year. Given that solar installations have quite a price tag, the customer demographics aren’t surprising. But there are some changes underway that will be opening the market up to households that have far lower incomes.
New Rebates, New Customers Government figures have expressed concern that underprivileged households don’t have access to the financial benefits of going solar. In an effort to increase equality and expand solar coverage, the government has been slowly rolling out solar rebates for low-income households.
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) - Federal The Department of Energy’s WAP offers financial assistance to low-income households that take measures to improve the efficiency of their homes. Last year, the program’s terms were amended to also provide funding for solar pilot programs.
Colorado’s Low-Income Solar Rooftop Program Leveraging the new funding available from the WAP, Colorado is currently working to install solar panels on 300 low-income homes. This program will be active until the end of 2019.
California’s Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH) The SASH program has existed since 2009, but just this summer it was extended for another 12 years. SASH targets low-income homeowners living in state-qualified affordable housing. Its incentive offer is $3 per watt.
Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target Program (SMART) Massachusetts has had active programs for low-income solar since 2005. However, their new SMART program is being implemented on November 26th, 2018. This program will offer higher incentive rates for solar projects that serve low-income households. Additionally, the state still offers the Massachusetts Solar Loan Program, which has a heavy focus on low-income solar. In the fall of last year, the program’s funding was expanded by another $10 million.
What Does This Mean for Solar’s Future? The expansion and spread of solar rebates for low-income households makes it clear that the government is serious about making solar accessible for all Americans. Since the country is pushing for more solar coverage, it’s more than likely that additional assistance programs will arise throughout the states. This means that solar contractors can look forward to business from a whole new group of customers who previously could not afford to go solar. As such, many contractors may need to recalibrate their marketing techniques to accommodate this new demographic. Top solar lead generation companies like Grid Freedom can help contractors bring in leads who qualify for rebates and financing programs. If you’d like to learn more about how you can get exclusive, pre-screened leads delivered directly to you, visit www.Gridfreedom.com.
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