Go solar now. Pay later.

Conservatively speaking (and no doubt accurately, too), I think it’s safe to say that I’ve heard about a zillion radio commercials in the last few months about solar power systems. A few of my neighbors have installed them over the last couple of years. And for those of you who know that I live in the Sunset, please hold your guffaws and know that yes, the sun does indeed shine on our fair slice of the city. If you’d like to know where solar power systems have been installed throughout the city, check out this dot-filled map showing which homes, businesses, schools, and other buildings are sporting solar panels.

Solar Installs in San Francisco

Back to the topic at hand: solar power systems for the home. Apparently there’s a whole raft of financial incentives from the federal, state, and San Francisco governments to install them.

A couple of examples:

GreenFinanceSF – actually, this one has been put on hold. Click on the link to see more about that.

California Solar Initiative — this one offers cash back for installing a solar power system on your home or business. Do you qualify? Here’s who qualifies: “If you buy electricity from one of California’s three investor-owned utilities (IOUs – Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, or San Diego Gas & Electric), and you have roof or ground space that gets unobstructed sunlight from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. year round, you qualify for cash back incentives through the California Solar Initiative.”

How to pay for it? And what’s this “pay later” idea I mentioned?

That’s where my friend Doug Wilkins comes in. He works for Occidental Power, one of the companies installing solar power systems in San Francisco. They’re offering a great financing program at the moment:  ”The solar panel manufacturer with whom we do most of our San Francisco work, Sunpower, offers more than one fiscal package, [including] the “Enerbank” product – a one-year loan that allows the owner to take the federal, state, and San Francisco incentives up front and then pay for the system a year after it has been completed.”

Yes, indeed. You can install it now and pay for it in a year. If you’re thinking of installing solar, drop Doug a line at dbwilkins@oxypower.com.