Colorado Springs City Council approved the $1.5M Solar budget for 2011, so that will be split between residential and commercial.

Here are the highlights of the program with a couple additions:

• Rebate amount is $2/AC Watt
• Limited to 10 kW for residential
• Limited to 25 kW for commercial
• Array can’t exceed 120% of customer load
• Rebate is limited to 50% of solar program budget per customer (put in place so one commercial customer can't use up the whole budget)
• If customer is participating in the GEO PV rebate, they are not allowed to participate in the RERP. If they have a PV reservation with the GEO, they will be denied the RERP.

Applications will be accepted starting January 3, 2011. Complete applications are those that are submitted with all additional documentation (line/site drawing, Interconnection Agreement, Affidavit of Lawful Presence and copy of photo ID (if applicable), and W-9 for customer (and Assignee, if applicable). Incomplete applications will not be reviewed - I'll put them on hold until I receive all of the required paperwork.

Once the applications are reviewed and approved, an email will be sent to you and PPRBD. This notification to PPRBD serves as approval from CSU for PPRBD to allow you to obtain a permit to start your project. Please allow up to 10 days for this process to occur.

Once your project has been completed, please call for an Electric Service (ES) inspection from PPRBG. CSU only gets notified to do our post-inspection once your project has passed its ES inspection through PPRBD. Once CSU gets notified, we will call to schedule our post-inspection.

The above process outlines the basics, but I encourage all of you to read the materials to ensure that you are following the correct process to avoid project delays.

While I have your attention.....don't forget to tell your customers about our other renewable energy and energy efficiency rebate offers:
Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) is partnering with GEO to offer the following rebates:

• Residential Solar Thermal – Up to $3,000
• Small Commercial Solar Thermal – 30% of system cost up to $30,000
• Residential Wind - $3/watt up to 5 kW
• Commercial Wind - $3/watt up to 15 kW
• Duct Sealing – 20% of job cost, up to $150
• Furnace – 40% of job cost, up to $500
• Insulation and Air Sealing – 40% of job cost, up to $600
• Refrigerator rebate (12+cubic feet)- $50 without recycling/$100 with proof of recycling (NEW)

Please visit www.rechargecolorado.com for details

We are also offering residential window rebates and a ton of commercial rebates (windows, lighting, motors, etc.) through csu.org. Check them out and encourage customers to make their efficiency upgrades in addition to installing solar!

2011 Renewable Energy Rebate Program for Photovoltaics Reservation Request Form (PDF)