Get Involved
Step 1: Complete a survey form
The first step to going solar with CCS is to fill out our survey,
which is also located on the Home page. You can download, fill it our
and email it back to us, or print it out and fax it back to (301)
961-5943. Once you send it to us, you are on the way to discovering
whether solar PV and hot water systems are right for your home.
Step 2: Do a preliminary evaluation of your solar potential
The objective of these steps is give you a ballpark sense of
whether your house is suitable for solar.
1) Shading: is your roof shaded by large trees, especially on the south side of your house?
2) Roof Capacity: Do you have dormers or other aspects of your roof that would cast shadows on other parts of your roof?
3) Roof Orientation: Do you have a significant part of your roof that is oriented south?
If you have little shading, good southern exposure, and an uncomplicated roof structure, you are ready to go on to the next step. If the opposite is true, solar energy may not be very effective for you. If you are not sure, contact us and we will help you.
1) Shading: is your roof shaded by large trees, especially on the south side of your house?
2) Roof Capacity: Do you have dormers or other aspects of your roof that would cast shadows on other parts of your roof?
3) Roof Orientation: Do you have a significant part of your roof that is oriented south?
If you have little shading, good southern exposure, and an uncomplicated roof structure, you are ready to go on to the next step. If the opposite is true, solar energy may not be very effective for you. If you are not sure, contact us and we will help you.
Step 3: Get a detailed solar design
From the preliminary evaluation you will be able to decide whether to go
forward with the next step – a comprehensive, detailed assessment that
will produce specific solar designs and drawings for your home’s
systems. It will also include a system cost quote. This step is not
free because it involves substantial engineering and economic analysis
inputs from our professionals. They actually design a custom solar system
for your house. The cost is $100, which will be totally
refunded to you if you end up deciding to have CCS install a system for
you. If you know for sure that you have a good situation for solar and
want to go ahead faster, you can skip step 2 and go right to this step.
In that case, you won’t have to wait for other neighbors to join you.
Step 4: Choose a financing plan and order your solar system
The solar design report will include a system cost quote plus a discount available for members of the co-op. It will also include a purchase agreement with several ways to pay for the system. You will be given options to finance the system, lease it, or pay for the entire system in full, even using your credit card, if that is what you want. Once you make that decision, get the signed the purchase agreement back to us and we will schedule your installation. It usually takes about two months from the date the signed agreement until the installation of your system.
The solar design report will include a system cost quote plus a discount available for members of the co-op. It will also include a purchase agreement with several ways to pay for the system. You will be given options to finance the system, lease it, or pay for the entire system in full, even using your credit card, if that is what you want. Once you make that decision, get the signed the purchase agreement back to us and we will schedule your installation. It usually takes about two months from the date the signed agreement until the installation of your system.
Step 5: Enjoy watching your solar system save you money every day the sun shines