Eastside Climate Partnership Launches Solarize Eastside for Homes, Businesses

The Eastside Climate Partnership — a collaboration between the cities of Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, and Sammamish that works to reduce climate pollution and advance sustainability — has announced a program to help Eastside communities install solar panels on homes and businesses: Solarize Eastside.

Residents from the partner cities can sign up for a free solar assessment of their homes or businesses through July 4 at SolarizeEastside.org. Registrants will receive a detailed solar proposal at a reduced rate from a partner solar installer and schedule panel installation. Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union is offering special financing to help reduce panel costs for participants, according to a news release from the city of Redmond.

Buildings with solar panels benefit from reduced energy bills and net metering, which allows customers to earn utility-bill credits for any generated energy that flows back into the electrical grid. Customers pay a reduced fixed monthly fee and can offset the rest of their electric bills using the energy their solar panels generate, the release said.

Solarize Eastside is partnering with vetted local installers Artisan Electric, Sunergy Systems, Puget Sound Solar, Sun Path Electric, and Solterra Solar. Solarize Eastside participants can benefit from staff who are available to answer questions, review proposals, and guide participants through the entire process.

Free community workshops are available and can be found at SolarizeEastside.org. Interested community members are encouraged to attend and learn about solar energy, available incentives, and what to expect from the Solarize Eastside program, the release said.