Tulsa Area Solar Incentives Ending Soon

A Tulsa area program to incentivize the adoption of solar power with discounts will end on Saturday, September 30.

The Solarize Green Country program started in April, and more than 1,200 people in 8 counties have signed up for an evaluation of their property.

It offers solar installations at about a 25% discount, with a contractor vetted by a consortium of local agencies, including INCOG, that are interested in advancing solar adoption.

The contractor they selected is Solar Power of Oklahoma.

To qualify for the discount, people must register interest in it by Saturday at midnight and then get a quote by the end of the year.

“They will have until the end of the year to have us come out, give them a free estimate, and decide if they want to move forward with a system or not,” Mark Heiliger, a representative with the Solar Power of Oklahoma, said.

Heiliger said while a typical system can cost $25,000, it can reduce power bills by 70-80% and qualify for federal tax incentives that pay for one-third of the discounted price.

The federal incentives are expected to run for several years.

Retired TU Professor Gary Allison spearheaded the Solarize Green Country program.

“If they participate in this program, they're getting a vetted reputable provider and really good equipment,” he said.

Allison said the timing of the local incentives, coupled with the federal tax rebates, could help people avoid what he expects will be more increases for the cost of power.

The unique model of the Solarize campaign decreases the cost as more people sign up, and the Green Country campaign reached its goal of the lowest prices in the last week. “All of these Solarize programs aspire to sell enough that they can offer the lowest possible price on a volume discount, and we hit that." The current price quoted is $2.58 per kilowatt.

A homeowner in Sapulpa, Sheryl Oxley, was having her system installed and hoped to have it running soon.

“My house is all electric. I'm running $450 a month in the heat of the summer,” she said, “I’m hoping to reduce that. If I could reduce that a couple hundred dollars a month, it’s worth it.”

Heiliger, with Solar Power of Oklahoma, said while it can take 7 or 8 years to recover the cost of the system, from the savings it provides, the panels and system are guaranteed to work much longer, with a typical guarantee of 20 years.