Huntington is set to begin a new pilot program, Solarize Huntington, to make solar energy easier for the town’s 200,000 residents to use.

Introduced in partnership with the town, Sustainable CUNY, City University of New York and the U.S. Department of Energy, the program aims to reduce the installation costs of solar equipment.

Town spokesman A.J. Carter says, “One of the big obstacles in terms of people installing solar in their house has been the cost. What Solarize Huntington does is it creates a buying group; the idea is the more people who get together to purchase solar, the lower the price will be for each unit.”

The four-month pilot program uses a three-pronged approached to reducing the costs of solar equipment: community outreach events, a tiered pricing structure, and a competitively selected installer.
The winner of the installation contract has been chosen, pending review, and will be announced when the program is launched.

However, critics of the program say that the requirements might disqualify local small contractors, locking out local businesses; that it does not allow consumers to use other contractors; and that it could mislead consumers into thinking they are getting the best deal.

The popularity of the program, however, has led to an increase in the number of applications and slowed processing time. Due to the increase in applications, Huntington increased the application fee for building permits relating to solar panels from zero to $60. Installations are no longer required to go through Long Island Power Authority.

For more information on this topic please contact the Long Island office of Milrose Consultants.