Resilience & Sustainability Office

Press Releases and Green News

Discounted Rates for Solar Panel Installation Available to Houston Residents

March 18, 2024 -- The City of Houston, in partnership with the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors (SUN), announces this year’s discounted rate offers after a third round of Solar Switch Houston. The program is designed to help homeowners and small businesses learn about and install rooftop solar and battery storage at a significantly discounted price.

On March 13, Solar Switch secured a group-buying average savings of $5,315 for each Houstonian who registers with Solar Switch and chooses to move forward with a solar installation based on program-negotiated pricing that includes the group discount.

The Solar Switch program vetted solar installers to ensure they were qualified to bid. Factors included product quality, warranties, company financial stability, and history of customer satisfaction. Once qualified, installers competed in a reverse auction based on the number of pre-registered residents who had expressed interest in solar installation. That resulted in the competitively priced solar discounts now being offered to all Houstonians.

“We had great success with the first two rounds of Solar Switch Houston where residents were provided with a trusted information source and a substantial group discount,” said City of Houston Interim Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer Nicholas Hadjigeorge. “I am confident that the savings attained in the third round of the program will play a crucial role for residents deciding if solar is the right choice."

The Solar Switch group discount and federal clean energy incentives are intended to increase accessibility to solar energy. The program helps participants learn about the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) for residential solar, which could save homeowners 30 percent on their total system cost. A similar tax credit is also available for small businesses.

"Everyone deserves to benefit from generating their own solar energy. That’s why we designed Solar Switch – to make installing solar affordable and straightforward for more Houstonians than ever before. I’m excited to see how much we can broaden the reach and benefits of solar group buying with the continuation of Solar Switch Houston," said America Garcia, Texas Program Director for Solar United Neighbors.

Homeowners and small business owners can visit SolarSwitch.com/Houston to register and learn more.

About Solar Switch Houston
Solar Switch Houston is a no-cost program to the City of Houston. The program is offered through Solar United Neighbors – a 501(c3) non-profit organization dedicated to solar education, advocacy, and consumer protection – and iChoosr, international experts in solar group purchasing.