Math has changed on solar power panels

LAKEVILLE — The Region One Board of Education is taking a look at the possibilities of a solar power installation at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.

Robin and Allen Cockerline, who run Whippoorwill Farm on Salmon Kill Road in Lakeville, put in a solar installation in 2010.

On a structure with a southern exposure, Litchfield Hills Solar installed 42 panels, 32 by 62 inches each and 35 pounds.

Allen Cockerline said the total cost of the system was $61,000 — $40,000 of which was covered by a Clean Energy Fund grant. The remaining $21,000 was financed by the Cockerlines.

They have a consistent monthly payment — and it is about half of what they used to pay for electricity. The payment stays the same, regardless of the power company’s current rate. The leasing company owns the equipment.

If the system generates excess power, the Cockerlines get credits. “We never get money,” he said.

But if someone invents a dramatically superior solar panel, those credits will count toward an equipment upgrade.

They also received a tax credit for the structure that holds the panels.

“There’s a lot of accounting involved,” said Cockerline.

But he is very glad to have the system.

“It used to be, if you could afford to pay your electric bill 25 years in advance, then solar was for you,” he said. “That has changed.”

Ray Furse of Litchfield Hills Solar, the company that worked with the Cockerlines, said the names of state programs have changed, causing some confusion.

But the programs are still operating, and increasingly popular as the cost of electricity in Connecticut continues to rise.

“Our phone’s been ringing off the hook.”

In general terms, Furse said that residential users have the choice between buying a system or leasing one.

If purchasing, the rule of thumb is $4 to $4.20 per watt. So a 6 kilowatt system, which would power an average home, would cost about $24,000 up front.

With a rebate from the state, the owner can recoup $3,000 to $4,000, and there is also a 30 percent federal tax credit (Furse said this will go down to 10 percent in 2016).

So with current electricity rates, the system will pay for itself in eight or nine years, Furse said.

Those who choose to lease the system can pay nothing out of pocket. “You can save money from day one.”

Another attraction of this option is the 20-year lease, which has a fixed rate. Whippoorwill Farm pays $87.57 a month, plus a $19 meter fee, and will do so for another 15 years or so. (For purposes of comparison, this is for a home plus a business that runs large freezers.)

Furse said that discussions of solar on a national scale are misleading, because the situation varies greatly from state to state.

“When you look at Connecticut, it’s a no-brainer.”