Solarize Decatur-DeKalb Selects Contractors Creative Solar and Hannah Solar Ready to Help Make DeKalb County a Solar Leader

Solarize Decatur-DeKalb announced the contractors that will install the solar in the community solar program that will launch September 1st. Creative Solar, out of Kennesaw, will install residential solar arrays and Hannah Solar, headquartered in Atlanta, will handle the commercial installations.

Solarize programs facilitate major savings by leveraging the power of bulk purchasing. For three months businesses, homeowners and municipal buildings will be encouraged to undergo a solar evaluation and hopefully sign a contract to install solar. Pricing is based on a tier system; more participation helps to bring the price down for everyone.

“This is the lowest cost we’ve seen a Solarize program deliver in Georgia,” said Jennette Gayer, Director of Environment Georgia in reference to the highest tier of the residential pricing – $2.70 a watt. “Now that we have the contractors in place we are excited to launch our program and make the City of Decatur and DeKalb County a real leader in rooftop solar.”

The organizers of the campaign, which include Decatur environmental leaders from the Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board, Environment Georgia, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, Solar CrowdSource, and community activists from DeKalb County, will encourage residents, local governments and businesses to sign-up for a solar evaluation between September 1 and December 31.

The number of inquiries before the program has even launched has encouraged organizers. “Because we are expecting such high participation, we thought it was important to have two installers to maximize our ability to handle all the requests,” said Don Moreland of Solar Crowd-Source and newly elected board chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association.

“Utility-scale solar has created thousands of jobs and cleaned up air and water pollution statewide, but we’ve barely scratched the surface on rooftop solar,” said Eleanor Hand, volunteer leader with the Sierra Club’s Georgia Chapter. “The Sierra Club is thrilled to engage our DeKalb-area activists in the Solarize Decatur-DeKalb program to bring affordable solar power to our neighbors and build on the historic progress of our state’s transition from coal to clean energy.“

“Decatur businesses, neighbors and city hall have a deep commitment to sustainability,” said Greg Coleson, Chair of the Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board. “We are looking forward to helping the Decatur community streamline the process and save money initially and long-term through this program.”

“Our participation in the program will be working with local faith-based communities to explain to congregations how collectively people of faith can make a big difference in our impact on the planet by installing solar on their homes and worship locations,” said Kate McGregor-Mosley, Executive Director of GIPL.

Creative Solar has a long history of supplying residential solar services in Georgia and South Carolina. President Russell Seifert approaches his business from a deep commitment to mitigate some the environmental impact of his early career in the automotive business. “Residents who participate in the program will not only get solar on their home but will also have a deeper understanding of their energy consumption and how they can save more energy than just the solar energy they consume,” said Seifert. “Our commitment to the community side of the campaign is to make sure that every installation receives all the support and service they need to make this meaningful to residential customers.”

Hannah Solar has been recognized nationally by the White House for their leadership in solar. They are the largest installer of solar in the state of Georgia and have completed over 450 installations. Hannah’s expertise in commercial installations, in particular, makes them the perfect choice for the businesses, NGOs and government buildings that are expected to participate. “We are excited to partner with a campaign of such strong community advocates,” said Pete Marte, President of Hannah Solar. “Decatur and DeKalb represent some of the best potential for solar because of the building stock in the area.”

“With the new third party financing legislation enacted last July, Georgia’s local government buildings and other non-profits can now take advantage of solar that will have no up front costs,” said Mayor Ted Terry of Clarkston. “With this new financing option available, Clarkston is hoping to participate in the campaign.”

“It was my honor to bring DeKalb County into the conversation for the Solarize campaign,” said Beth Bond, long time community activist and Community Council District 3 appointee. “This could be a great opportunity for many of the County facilities—we can create healthier communities while saving taxpayers money,” said Bond.

The formal launch event will be September 1 at 7:00 pm at the City of Decatur Recreation Center in downtown Decatur. More information is available at solarizedecatur-dekalb.com.