Caveat Emptor
A month or so ago, I wrote an article called “Every Home a Power Plant” in which I talked about the prospect of changing the way that residential home owners buy solar energy for their homes.
In particular, I referenced a program called Citizenrē REnU which claims to allow home owners to get the benefits of having solar panels on their roof without the associated up front or maintenance costs.
Since then, I have been personally contacted by a sales rep for the program to sell me on its benefits. (They never wrote me back after initial contact.)
And, you may have noticed that one of the comments on my most recent article is really a pitch for this program.
It turns out that I may have stumbled into a giant pyramid scheme.
Since I wrote that posting, a couple of things have come to my attention that call into question the legitimacy of this program.
The most issue of Wired magazine had an article titled “Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream” that raises some serious concerns about the reality of the program.
I have also talked with some folks who are in the clean energy sector who have described Citizenrē REnU as a scam and who are very dismayed at the potential damage that this program may do to the entire clean energy space.
If it really does turn out that this is nothing more than a gigantic marketing gimmick that cons money out of little old ladies, it will put a black eye on the entire industry, tainting both the reputable and disreputable vendors.
Personally, I’d love nothing more than for this to be completely legitimate and be a new way to push solar to every house in the country. But, I think we should all be wary for the time being and wait until a few more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. If they really do build the manufacturing plant that they talk about and if they really do start installing systems this fall, then, I think it is time to re-evaluate. But, until then, caveat emptor.
on March 6th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Why is it that everything that sounds too-good-to-be-true, always ends up being exactly that? Thanks for the heads-up. I had high hopes for this, and haven’t given up, but don’t want to be involved with a pyramid scheme.
on March 7th, 2007 at 1:12 am
While I’m mindful of PR’s importance, I see no necessary reason that this alleged scam should besmirch other attempts to buy green energy anymore than Nigerian money-wiring cons make banks look bad. There are, or will be, legitimate proprietors.
on March 12th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Does anyone have any recommendations on good contractors who will install solar panels? I know Evergreen Solar makes them in Marlborough, but I don’t know who could install them. I’d love to know about how much an actual installation would cost in the Boston area (Per KW).
thanks,
on March 13th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
It is unfortuate that, at this point, the economics for wind and solar systems are not favorable. If retail is paid for either system, there is no payback (the systems will never recoup enough in electrical generation to pay for the installation). However, we are fortuate to live in Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (www.masstech.org) has some grants available that significantly improve the numbers. For homeowners, approximately 1/3-1/2 of the cost of the system can be paid for through their programs. For businesses or farms, 1/2-3/4 (and in some cases all of the cost of the system) can be paid for with federal tax incentives and grants from USDA.
The increase in the cost of electricity has also helped, and with the volatility of electric prices, many business owners are looking at installing a renewable energy system to levelize their cost of electricity (they pay for the financing of the system instead of the variable cost of electricity). Loan payments do not vary over the term of the loan.
Wind and solar are viable, with the right set of incentives, but at this point the costs are still too high to justify for most homeowners.