Assisting local homeowners to install solar panels as a clean form of energy that also reduces electricity rates

Assisting local homeowners to install solar panels as a clean form of energy that also reduces electricity rates, Solarize North Country was a solar marketing initiative led by a small group of volunteers from Franconia, Sugar Hill, and Bethlehem in the winter of 2023-24. The idea of a solarize campaign, said David Van Houten, one of its volunteers, is simple: the local volunteers agree to help potential customers understand the systems and to do free publicity for a solar installer. In exchange, the solar company can offer discounted pricing. The goal is to make it easier for people to learn about solar energy systems and see if one makes sense for them. The Solarize team solicited bids from more than a dozen solar companies in the region in order to select an installer. Mains Electric of Alton Bay, New Hampshire was the winning bidder, mostly because they agreed to cover a wide area and offered attractive discount pricing. The campaign sign-up concluded on March 31, and currently, installations are in progress in the area.