By the Bronxville Green Committee

Mar. 17, 2021: Solar energy is a clean, unlimited resource available to power our electrical needs, but putting solar panels on your home doesn't work for everyone. You may not have the time and resources to do due diligence, or your home may not be well situated. Solar panel installation is not readily available to residents living in apartments. Fortunately, Community Solar offers an immediate and easy solution for almost everyone! 

Community Solar programs are growing in popularity around the country and right here in Westchester County. They offer almost anyone – renters, homeowners, condo dwellers, and even houses of worship, municipalities, and eligible organizations – the option to subscribe to a community solar farm and benefit from consistent monthly savings of up to 10% on your electric bill. The community solar farm that you subscribe to might be situated in a large rooftop or on a capped landfill site. 

Signing up for Community Solar doesn't change how you get your electricity or the quality of your service. ConEd will still deliver your electricity and maintain the electrical grid. The only difference is that you are choosing a renewable energy source for your home. 

Benefits: 

-Savings of up to 10% on your utility bill.

-No solar installation on your property 

-No cost to join or cancel any time

-No change to your electricity supplier

Easy Sign Up – Just contact SustainableWestchester.org/Solar or 914.242.4725 ext. 112How Community Solar Works: 

1. By opting into Community Solar, your annual electricity usage is offset by power produced by a solar farm.

2. The electricity generated by the solar farm earns you solar credits that reduce your utility bill.

3. The solar farm bills you for those credits at a 10% discount, saving you money. 

For example, your utility charges you $115 for electricity on your monthly bill, and you receive a $100 solar credit for your share of the electricity generated by the solar farm. Your utility bill is reduced by the credit, and you pay the remaining $15 to your utility. Then, the solar farm bills you for the $100 solar credit at a 10% discount, and you pay $90 for the solar credit and save $10 that month. Sign up is easy! 

You probably receive mail from alternate energy providers. Many of them offer 100% clean energy. However, choosing a reliable clean energy company among the hundreds available, and negotiating a decent price, can be time-consuming and challenging. 

The Bronxville Green Committee encourages residents to sign up for Community Solar through Sustainable Westchester, a nonprofit consortium of local municipalities in Westchester County that helps residents utilize and benefit from clean, renewable energy. 

The two community solar farms currently being open for you to enroll in for subscription in the Community Solar program are located in Yonkers and Greenburgh (under the name "Westchester Community Solar" in the Sustainable Westchester website). Clean, renewable energy generated locally, used locally—now, that's efficient!

Enrolling is easy and requires providing your utility information (you will need to submit the 2nd page of your ConEd bill), creating a billing profile to allow for autopayment from your preferred credit card or bank account for the discounted solar credits, and e-signing an agreement by typing your name. 

You will be joining 1600+ other Westchester residents that are already in the Community Solar program, supporting 22MW of local solar.

By signing up for Community Solar, you directly support local solar development and the transition to renewable energy: 

SustainableWestchester.org/Solar or 914.242.4725 ext. 112

We are Bronxville Strong and Sustainable -- protecting what we love!