It’s practically as reliable as death and taxes: Utility prices rise again. And again. And again. Short of going off the grid altogether, is there anything you can do to save on energy?

We have two words for you: Community Solar. Available in many states across the U.S., community solar programs offer the opportunity to slow down the never-ending price increases we all groan about. This type of renewable energy is a form of affordable electricity that’s also environmentally beneficial and sustainable.

Yes, Even for You

Sometimes people think clean energy is too good to be true. Others come up with all sorts of reasons why it won’t work. What they don’t understand is that they too can enjoy the benefits of solar power.

I’m a renter, not an owner. Doesn’t matter. Just because you can’t install solar panels on your apartment building doesn’t mean solar energy is closed off to you. Community solar provides a way for you to benefit without installing anything on the building you don’t own.

I can’t really save money by subscribing to community solar. But you can save on energy! It’s less expensive to harvest solar power than any other form of energy. Working with a community solar provider who passes those savings on to you can help you reduce your monthly electric bill by 10% or more.

I can’t afford solar energy. Not true. Community solar (as opposed to rooftop solar panels) doesn’t cost anything to subscribe and can give you the same benefits as those rooftop installations. With community solar, you don’t need equipment or installation—and that means no monetary investment. The biggest investment you’ll make is a few minutes of your time signing up for it.

Is It Really Environmentally Beneficial?

It is. One of the major benefits of solar power is that it produces far less greenhouse gases, which leads to increased sustainability, reduced pollutants, and cleaner air—all of which can contribute to slowing climate change. The benefits of solar power are well-established at this point. It also gives the energy grid more renewable energy, which helps stabilize it. Now all that’s left is to bring more people on board the solar power bandwagon.

So How Do I Hedge Against Rising Utility Prices?

It’s simple: Choose community solar, because the only requirement you have is to live somewhere it is available (and the number of states that have it continues to increase). If you do, the process works like this (and notice how almost none of this involves your sweat equity):

1. A community solar project produces affordable electricity that’s connected to the electric grid. The grid’s owner (usually a utility company) then delivers it to the people who subscribed to the program.
2. Those people receive monthly invoices that show both that month’s electric usage as well as a discount in the form of solar credits.
3. The community solar company sends a bill to the subscribers for their solar credits (minus a savings of 10% or more), allowing them to save on energy immediately and in the long term.

Bottom line: Where someone lives or how much money they do or don’t have is not a factor—they can absolutely take part in clean energy and check those rising electric costs. Click here for more information about the benefits of solar power.