Boston Solar has donated a 8.12-kWdc solar panel system to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Natick, Massachusetts. This donation was promised to the Town of Natick as part of Solarize Mass Natick, a program organized by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), after Boston Solar installed 100 solar systems.
Boston Solar was selected as the installer for Solarize Mass Natick after a competitive bidding and interview process. Natick decided to pursue a tiered pricing system that decreased the collective price per watt if more residents signed contracts to install solar. Once 100 contracts were signed, nine nonprofits were vetted for the donated system. St. Paul’s was chosen because of their high electric bills coupled with a perfect roof for a solar system.
“We considered solar a couple of years ago, and although our roof was perfect for a solar panel system, we couldn’t pool together enough funds for the system, and knew ownership was the way to go,” stated the Reverend Jon Strand, Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. “We were absolutely delighted to be chosen for the donated system and have promised to use our savings from the system to promote sustainability. St. Paul’s will do this by giving half of its savings to the Town of Natick for sustainability projects and half to a young person who wishes to develop messaging for creation care. Boston Solar was fantastic to work with: from communication, to installation and follow up; the process was seamless. I already heard from others how great it had been to work with Boston Solar. It’s clear to see why they have the highest customer satisfaction ratings in Massachusetts.”
Solarize Mass Natick was the most successful Solarize Campaign to date with a lead to sale conversion rate of 38.6%: 404 leads were generated, 284 in-home consultations occurred that resulted in 156 solar panel systems contracted. These systems totaled 1,200 kW. Boston Solar together with a team of local volunteers, the Town of Natick and MassCEC worked extremely hard to “solarize” the town. Since the Campaign ended, even more residents have gone solar.
“Unlocking the donation of a solar panel installation to a local nonprofit was Solarize Mass Natick’s goal from the start of the program,” said Jillian Wilson-Martin, Natick’s Sustainability Coordinator. “We are thrilled Boston Solar and our residents made it happen, and are excited to share the financial and environmental benefits of solar with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.”
“Solarize Mass embraces the power of our communities to help move Massachusetts forward, accelerating the adoption of clean energy technologies while driving long-term economic growth for the state,” added MassCEC CEO Stephen Pike. “The Town of Natick and Boston Solar were critical to the Solarize Mass Natick campaign, and the dedication of this system to St. Paul’s is a testament to the efforts of everyone who worked so hard to make this program successful.”
News item from Boston Solar