Let’s say that your home is a rental, whether a house or an apartment. Have you ever had any of these thoughts go through your mind?

I wish there was a way for me to have affordable electricity.

I wish there was a way for me to benefit from solar power in my home.

I wish I didn’t have to worry about the environmental effects of the electricity I use.

Believe it or not, there is an answer to all those concerns, and it applies to renters, not just homeowners.

When someone else owns the building you live in, it’s easy to assume you have no say in where your electricity comes from—and how much it costs. Most people assume they just have to accept whatever electric company works with the rental property and live with rising prices. But guess what: You don’t. Even as a renter, you have options, as long as you pay your own utility bill. Two simple words: Community solar.

What is Community Solar?

In a nutshell, community solar (also known as shared solar) allows people and businesses to subscribe to a share of a single off-site solar energy farm. That means you don’t need solar panels on your roof to sign up for lower bills from clean renewable energy. (If you want more details about how that works, check out this blog post.)

How Does Community Solar Benefit Renters?

The immediate benefit is how you are empowered to choose your power source. The tenant (in this case, you), not the landlord, subscribes to community solar. The tenant gets to choose when to enroll and, if they need to, when to cancel (but we think that once you start seeing the benefits, you won’t want to cancel). Plus, the tenant gets these additional benefits:

• Savings on your monthly utility bill. Community solar is for anyone who has an electric bill arriving in their mail- or inbox every month. That includes renters who don’t have utilities built into their rent. And who wouldn’t like to see a decrease in their energy bills?
• Cleaner energy. Besides potential savings on electric bills, solar power is a far cleaner form of energy that has almost no effect on the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, solar produces no emissions or greenhouse gases—it actually has a positive effect on the environment.
• Support local communities. And using community solar can help you feel good not just about saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. You can take heart knowing that the jobs created in the solar community field pay well and provide steady employment, not to mention providing farmers income from land leases. These good-paying jobs and land leases also put money back into local public services and businesses—a win-win all the way around.

And finally: It’s not hard to get started. Are you ready? Then click here to discover how you can be a solar-powered renter.