With so many people scrambling around for solar power options, and Citizenre being such a big name, we wanted to provide a resource to help answer questions, provide a review, list details, and keep track of the company that is using REnU solar panels to change the way solar energy is produced. [Update January 4th] We’ve just put together a Citizenre Video Review to explore what the sign up process is like, and what one can expect from Citizenre. If you are looking to buy and own a solar power system instead of renting, please explore the Company links on the left side of the page to learn about other companies.
What is Citizenre? It’s a company with a solar panel rental business model. By building their own factory and using “economies of scale” they are able to make solar photo voltaic technology available for less. It’s like what Dell has done for computers. In this way Citizenre can rapidly deploy solar systems nation wide using a Just In Time model that will also adapt as technology changes long term.
How does it work? Citizenr will produce, install, maintain, and track solar panels that homeowners can rent to produce their own energy with. They do the work, you produce the power by having a roof. Note: you do need to own the house and be living in it in order to apply for their program.
How do I sign up? Currently you can sign up on a waiting list here but the product isn’t expected to become available until mid 2008. Once operational the PV plant should produce enough for 100,000 US residents to get solar panels installed on their house each year from Citizenre.
Where is it available? At this time, Citizenre has told us that the program will only be open to certain US states in set market areas where electricity companies are willing to do net metering. These market areas include: Florida, Great Plains, Gulf Coast, Mid Atlantic, Midwest, New England, New York, Northwest, Pacific, Rockies, South Atlantic, Southern California, Southwest, and Texas. Canada and Puerto Rico are not included. Specifically, we were told that Nevada is also an excluded state.
How much does it cost? The program is designed to cost close to the same amount each month that normal “dirty power” would. Instead of paying an electric bill you just pay Citizenre. After reading the fine print however, we found out that really, consumers are paying for all of the electricity being produced by the panels, not just how much they use. Furthermore, homeowners are liable for any damages that may occur, although Citizenry will be offering insurance packages as well. One neat benefit of the program is that Citizenre will lock in power rates for up to 25 years (since sun power never rises in cost). They also monitor home power usage remotely and have a nifty online interface that users can monitor for themselves to see how much power they are using at home. By doing this, Citizenre can add or remove panels as necessary to accommodate household needs. The idea is that Citizenre includes all of the maintenance and monitoring services with the monthly rent to make it easy for consumers.
How do I sign up? You can visit http://jointhesolution.com/begin to learn more about the product offering and get on the waiting list to have your house reviewed with the potential for having panels installed. This process is free and has an opt out agreement that is in full force until you approve design plans to have the panels installed (design plans are made by local independent contractors who visit houses). As mentioned above, we have created a video walkthrough of the Citizenre sign up process to help shed light onto the process.
How does Citizenre get to my house? This is a great question because with so many people interested in the program spread out all across the US it would be hard for Citizenre to visit everyone’s house… That would take forever. Instead, the company is striking deals with independent contractors who will install and maintain the panels for them. In this way, the end consumer doesn’t have to screw around with any of the technical aspects of going solar and those costs are covered by Citizenre who in turn merely charges the monthly rent that is based on energy production.
Won’t technology change? Since solar power is on the brink of rapid development there will surely be breakthroughs with the technology as Citizenre opens up for business. This is one area where the company has vowed to keep up with technology but also expressed the benefits of renting from them instead of buying yourself. In their contractual agreement users are only bound by a $500 to $1000 security deposit, and can switch at any time for any reason. Furthermore, the security deposit is only required once the panels are actually installed – getting a quote is free. This is meant to insure that users are free to change but also puts them at ease for concerns of making their own large investment in solar – by renting they don’t have to worry about technology changes.
More questions? Leave a comment below and we’ll try to answer any other questions that come up with regards to Citizenre. Definitely check out their website and in the mean time consider other solar options that may be more immediate or specialized to your needs.
