Q. How long an Agreement do I have to sign?

A. Our rental agreement comes with a 10-year option and your monthly rent is locked in for the entire term of the Agreement.

Q. What happens if I sign an Agreement and I want to sell my house in 5 years?

A. You have three options. First, you can ask us to move the system to your new house. We do that one time for free for customers on a 10-year term who extend for second term. Second, you can transfer the Agreement to the new owner. This can potentially add value to your house because if energy rates continue to rise and are say 15% higher in 5 years, then your buyer would get a 15% decrease on their energy bill because of your foresight. The final option is that you can contact Citizenrē, tell us that you want to end the Agreement and we will remove the unit. With this third option you do pay a cancellation penalty of $500 or 10 cents per watt peak, whichever greater.

Q. Okay. I want a system on my house. How does it work? What is the process?

A. You sign up online or in person with one of our Independent Ecopreneurs, who will help you each step of the way. There are some simple questions to answer about your house and the amount of shade, the direction of your roofline, etc. After you sign the Agreement, a system designer will come to your house to design your system. This last step will happen when we are ready for your installation.

Q. What if I don't like the design? Am I still obligated to the Agreement?

A. No. You can back out with no penalty if you decline to approve the system during the site visit.

Q. Okay. I like the design. I want the system. What's next?

A. The installation usually takes about a day. The permit process can take as much as 90 days depending on how cooperative the local utility is, but we handle every step of the process. You do not start paying your rent until your REnU is providing your own renewable, clean electricity for use in your home.

Q. What exactly do I pay? How is that calculated?

A. You pay a flat monthly rent for the use of the solar equipment. For that rent, you get to use all the electricity that your system produces. You are actually producing your own power from the sun. Our system designer will go through your past energy bills. Then, if you are interested, they will walk through your house and show you how to save energy.

Taking all this into consideration, they will calculate how much electricity your REnU will need to produce in order to best serve your needs. They will then design the system to supply that energy. You simply pay a flat monthly rent. Because of our Performance Guarantee, you have no worries. The system will work as promised or your monthly rent will be reduced accordingly through an audit at the end of the year.

Q. Do you have any hidden fees, or maintenance charges?

A. Nothing extra. We have no connection fees or any of those "extras" that other companies like to tack on.

Q. So will I have two bills? One from the Citizenre and one from my utility company?

A. Yes. You will pay us a flat monthly rent. You will also pay your utility company the same connection fees you pay now, plus you will pay them for any excess power you use that exceeds your REnU’s production.

Q. What does “exceeds the REnU’s production” mean?

A. Your REnU has been designed to generate a certain amount of power per year. This amount will vary from month to month and day to day, as both seasonal and daily performance varies. Sometimes you will have a credit from prior months where you produced more power than you used. If you don’t have a credit and you used more electricity than your system generated, then you would need to pay your utility company for the excess electricity that you purchased from them.

Q. And what rate would I pay for that electricity?

A. You would pay your utility’s current rates. Sorry, we cannot do anything about their rates… but look at it this way. You will be using a lot less of that polluting power and the rent for your REnU will not go up for duration of your term. No surprises. If you read about rising energy prices, you can smile to yourself knowing that your solar energy costs are locked in for the length of your Agreement.

Q. But in my first year, I am just paying the same that I was paying before, right?

A. Often it is actually less. One of the factors we calculate into our rent is the yearly average cost for electricity in your market. Because of this, we have to base our rent on the average of prior years. Since utility rates tend to go up each year, many customers will save money on their first bill. These savings will only increase as the years pass and rates continue to rise. Many customers could save thousands of dollars just by upgrading to solar. Our whole mission is to help people join the solution, stop being part of the problem, and save money.

Q. Please give me an example of what my monthly bill might be…

A. Let's say you are renting a system that allows you to self-generate 12,000 kilowatt hours for the year. Let’s estimate that you are renting this system for $100 a month. Your total bill for the year would be $1,200 for the rental of our solar unit. With most utilities, you have some months that are higher and some lower. You never know. It is hard to budget. With Citizenrē, you would simply pay us a rent of $100 a month. Simple.

Q. What happens if I sign up for a certain system size and then my kids go off to school or we want to travel 3 months a year?

A. Your system is remotely monitored automatically every day. If your system designer notices that your usage has dropped, they will contact you to see if this is a permanent situation or just a short-term fluctuation. If this will be a permanent decrease in your energy usage, they will come out and remove the proper number of panels and readjust your Agreement.

Q. And how much will that cost me?

A. Nothing. We make solar simple.

Q. What happens if something breaks or goes wrong?

A. We have a complete worry free Performance Guarantee. If the unit ever stops working, a representative of our local installation company will rush out to fix it for free. You will pay no rental charges until the system is working again so we are motivated to get it fixed fast.

Q. What if my kid hits a baseball through one of the panels?

A. It is just like renting a car or any appliance. You are responsible for returning it in good condition. If you backed your car over your electrical meter, you would be responsible for replacing that, also. We recommend that customers contact their homeowners insurance to double check that the unit will be covered under their policy. Usually there is not a problem.

Q. Wouldn't I save money in the long run if I just bought a solar energy system?

A. Actually, no. Renting can save you a significant amount of money, and it protects you from a large investment risk. If you buy solar panels and invest $40,000 or more, you are tied into that technology for a loooong time. If something new and better comes along, you can't switch because your $40,000 would be wasted. This is highly unlikely, but let's say a new technology comes out 10 years from now, which can produce clean electricity for 2 cents a kilowatt hour.

With our growing distribution channel and our Research and Development, it is likely that Citizenrē will investigate and potentially distribute any new technology like this. In that case, we would do anything feasible to upgrade systems to ensure that our current customers remain happy.  If, after 5 years, you decide to break your Agreement with us, all you lose is your last month's rent.

Q. I understand that your manufacturing plant is not completed yet, is that right?

A. Correct. Nonetheless, the first systems will be ready to install in late 2009. This means that our supply of panels and equipment will initially come from third-party suppliers.

Q. So why would I sign up now?

A. First because you lock in your rent as soon as you sign up. The way utility rates continually increase, this could save you a significant amount of money. Second, you reserve your position so you can get your system sooner once the plant is producing. Third, it also helps us show the market how many people will go green if we provide an offer that makes sense on every level, including economically.

Q. Besides saving money, why else should I do this?

A. The only way that change is going to happen is if we create a better vision. For that vision to be sustainable, it needs to make economic sense for all parties involved. Electricity production is the number one source of non-transportation pollution in the United States. We are not asking you to sacrifice anything. In fact, you can save a significant amount of money by upgrading your home to solar.

When was the last time you could save money and do the right thing for the environment and our local economy?