These days, the phone rings relentlessly with those sweet offers of electricity freedom with no money down. Do you buy the panels or lease? What is the best deal?

In Massachusetts, buying is the better deal. The cost of the panels continues to drop. And the Massachusetts Solar Loan Program makes residential financing a piece of cake. So if you have a solar-suitable roof, you’re in business. For those who live in Colrain, Conway or Shelburne, check out the Solarize Mass Shelburne-Colrain-Conway Program at www.solarizemassshelburnecolrainconway.wordpress.com, which offers reduced rates for residents.

Or, call or stop in at the Solar Store of Greenfield, which is the PV (photovoltaic) installer for this program. They are providing USA-made PV panels on all Solarize Massachusetts projects.

How can you tell if you can even go solar? Does the sun shine on your house roof consistently for at least four to five hours throughout the year? With the right location, you could choose a seasonally adjustable pole-mounted array or a tracking array that tilts and turns, keeping your panels at the optimal angle for catching the rays throughout the day. In many cases, it may cost less to go with a tracker than a stationary array, because you are generating more electricity.
AllEarth renewables series trackers are made in Vermont!

Once you install the solar panels, the grid becomes a two-way street, with electricity flowing out of your house and your meter running backwards, indicating the amount of juice you are exporting. Now, solar electricity producers generating 10 kilowatts or less receive nearly 100 percent of the retail value of the electricity. If it is over the 10 kilowatts, the lower “market” rate is only 60 percent. It makes sense to keep your residential PV system size under the 10-kilowatt threshold.

In Massachusetts, a typical residential photovoltaic system of 5.7 kilowatts will offset about $90 in monthly electric bills. That system will generate about 6,270 kilowatts over its life and costs $20,000.

Where are you going to get that kind of money?

Well, the Massachusetts Solar Loan Program has lenders offering reduced interest rates, 10-year term loans to residents who are purchasing solar systems. It will buy down the interest rate, giving you an interest rate of 3.25 percent or lower. Additionally, you could be eligible for loan support of 20 to 30 percent of the system costs, depending on your income and household size!

For instance, for a household size of two, the loan program will pay 20 percent of the principle if your adjusted gross income is below $86,638 and 30 percent if it is below $57,759. This makes it possible for so many more of us to get solar-powered!

And the U.S. Government will give you a federal income tax credit of 30 percent of the price of the system, or about $6,000 in this example, that you can use to lower your tax liability. Not to be outdone, our own Bay State gives a $1,000 tax credit as well.

It gets better! Stay with me on this — it is a little complicated! The commonwealth wanted more renewable energy through the Renewable Portfolio Standards. The Solar Renewable Energy Certificate is an offshoot. Each 1,000 kilowatts your solar system generates equals one certificate, which you can sell.

The five-kilowatt system could provide you with five or six certificates each year, each worth somewhere around $200, sold at quarterly auctions. And you get to sell these SRECs for 10 years.

If you add all of these numbers up, it takes a little over five years for this system to pay itself off. And then you still receive the SREC payments for the remaining five years left.

I don’t think there is another home improvement you could do that will pay you money!

This is even a smart retirement strategy, because it lowers your living costs. And I haven’t even mentioned anything about the increased home values ($15,000 or more) or the benefits to the environment because you are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Look into this today.

Brice Hereford, a resident of Conway, is the Conway solar coach for the Solarize Massachusetts Shelburne-Colrain-Conway Program. Hereford can be reached at bricehereford@gmail.com.