To the Editor:

There has never been a better time to invest in solar. Solarize Newtown is a state and town-sponsored program that makes solar more affordable for Newtown homeowners by aggregating installations in our community with a pre-selected installer, who is discounting solar in exchange for our community’s outreach and education efforts.

We know solar is good for the environment, but is solar a good investment for our pocketbooks?

To find out for myself, I recently had my house evaluated for solar panels. Astrum Solar, our pre-selected installer, sent a representative to my house for a free site assessment, including taking measurements of my home’s orientation, shading and exposure to the sun. Their findings revealed that I have a very good house for solar and the price made great sense.

I chose to finance my solar project through Sungage, a loan provider working with Energize CT. Financially this made the most sense with the best ROI. During the life of the loan my utility bill will drop significantly, and I should save between $10,000 and $15,000. Best of, over the next 20 years I’ll be saving about $37,000. For me it was a no brainer, continue to pay the utility the same every month or save a lot of money.

Astrum Solar is coming to install the panels on Saturday, November 9th. If you want to learn more, I hope you will drop by and watch my panels go up at my solar open house from 11 am-1 pm at 9 Grand Place, Newtown CT.  It's a great time to ask Astrum Solar questions about your home.

Maybe you are just curious, or maybe you want to feel good about going green. Maybe you are like me and saving thousands of dollars in the coming years sounds appealing. The only way to find out if solar is right for you is to learn more about Solarize Newtown!  Astrum Solar’s site visit is free, with no obligation to purchase.  And if you need another reason to think about Solarize Newtown, if 100 Newtown residents sign up for the program, Astrum Solar will donate $25,000 of solar to the town.

If you want to learn more about Solarize Newtown, check out solarizect.com/Newtown.

David Stout

9 Grand Place, Newtown                    November 4, 2013